Moving to Cinci: Indian Hill, Mariemont, Terrace Park? (Cincinnati, Turpin Hills: fit in, for sale)

[Judy4Kids]

Hello,

I am looking for information on the Eastern Suburbs of Cincinnati. Work will be in the city, so we do not want a long commute. We have 4 kids ranging in age from 13-7. Public schools are VERY important, as we have fabulous public schools in Chicago. For now we are concentrating our search on Indian Hill, Mariemont, and Terrace Park. Schools look excellent in those communities and the neighborhoods seem to be the closest to the suburbs of Chicago where we live. Please fill me in on anything: the people, the schools, the sports, etc! How is Cincinnati for new families? I'm a little concerned about how small Cinci seems compared to Chicago. But it is a beautiful place, and seems to be a great place to raise a family!

Thanks!

[deg1114]

I have always like Terrace Park. The commute may be a little more difficult to downtown but it can be done. Looking at Google Maps it would be about a 25 minute commute down route 50 (without traffic).

[Nomomo11]

Uh...what doesn't seem small compared with Chicago?

That aside, I grew up in Terrace Park and it is indeed a nice place to raise a family. If you don't mind a complete lack of diversity of any kind (e.g. beyond the rather shallow definition pertaining only to skin-color). My family put up with it for about 16 years and then we moved into the city-proper.

The area has become a haven for "trust-fund brats", people with a lot of money and not much common courtesy. Many of the small and very quaint original houses have been replaced with enormous houses that take up almost the entire lot, leaving very little actually yard.

I would suggest Mariemont as a preferable choice as it is closer to major highways and the city. There is also far less snobbish in this area, though I am sure it does exist. Mariemont High School is considered a top-tier school, though if you lived in Terrace Park your kids would go there for High School anyway as Terrace Park is in Mariemont's district.

In essence:

Terrace Park - Pro's: Small town feel, large number of families, private swim club for village residents, safe to be out at all hours of the day. Con's: Lost a lot of it's small town feel due to an increase of McMansions being built. Need money to fit in. Very homogenous. 20-30 minute drive from the central city.

Mariemont - Pro's: Beautiful planned community. Excellent schools. Wider variety (e.g. not all upper class) of residents. Close proximity to highways. Actual town square area with restaurants and movie theater. Con's: More densely populated. More traffic congestion.

Indian Hill - Pro's: Large lots. Enormous houses. Privacy. Feels like a forest. Great Schools.
Con's: Ridiculously expensive. Lack of a cohesive neighborhood feeling. Essentially where the "elite" of Cincinnati live, and they like everyone to know it.

Hope this has helped.

[Wilson513]

When you say Chicago's Public Schools, I assume you mean suburban schools in the Chicago area. Cincinnati Public Schools are about like the Chicago Public School system. Many suburbs of Cincinnati have great schools. The three you have chosen are all superior school systems in the most desirable location. And, there are great bargains to be had in Indian Hill which has recently experienced precipitous price drops. Mariemont has little housing to choose from as has Terrace Park. But great schools. You are in the right area.

[Judy4Kids]

Hmm. Trust-fund brats in Terrace Park....

And is that so about Indian Hill "elite"? Does that mean they are snobby? We are not snobby people.
But, there are many homes for sale in Indian Hill that are comparable in price to Mt. Lookout/Hyde Park, Mariemont and Terrace Park. Seems that you get a lot more land, and it seems similar to the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. We do not want to live in Mt. Lookout/Hyde Park area though, as it's too close to the "city" and seems that you MUST do private school.

Where do all of the nice, down-to-earth people live?

[Judy4Kids]

yes, Wilson -

We live in the suburbs of Chicago. The public schools in the suburbs are fabulous.

[Wilson513]

Originally Posted by Judy4Kids

Hmm. Trust-fund brats in Terrace Park....

And is that so about Indian Hill "elite"? Does that mean they are snobby? We are not snobby people.
But, there are many homes for sale in Indian Hill that are comparable in price to Mt. Lookout/Hyde Park, Mariemont and Terrace Park. Seems that you get a lot more land, and it seems similar to the Northwest Suburbs of Chicago. We do not want to live in Mt. Lookout/Hyde Park area though, as it's too close to the "city" and seems that you MUST do private school.

Where do all of the nice, down-to-earth people live?

Nice people live in TP, IH and Mariemont. Silly remark above about "snobs" and trust fund brats notwithstanding. I live in HP and agree with your assessment regarding the private school problem. Mariemont, and to a lesser extent TP, are walkable communities. IH is not. get in the car and go somewhere. Or ride horseback on the many riding trails.

[CincyIU29]

I'm guessing you're from the North Shore (NT/LF) though if I'm wrong please let me know

Having graduated from high school somewhat recently in the area, I'll say that all areas on the eastern side of Cincinnati (Anderson, Hyde Park, Indian Hill, Mariemont, Terrace Park) will have their share of snobs, some more than others, but I would say it doesn't overwhelm any of them.

As far as diversity goes both IH and Mariemont are practically the same, though Mariemont is considerably smaller than almost any Chicagoland public school. Indian Hill just gets a bad rep for being snobby as it is the most obviously wealthy area in Cincinnati.

Athletics wise you won't find anything like NT's athletic dominance at IH or Mariemont. Though this might be a bit of a homer pick the best balance of academics and succesful sports programs would be Turpin, who has a five year state performance index average higher than both IH and MMont and consistently beats both in every sport sans lacrosse-and is nipping at their heels in that. However, IH offers more AP programs than Turpin does, though in AP programs offered at both schools, Turpin does better.

Essentially IH is very much like Lake Forest in both the "look" of the student body, academics, and athletics

Mariemont/TP is not really like either NT or LF. Its great but different than anything in Chicago.

I'd take a look at Turpin maybe, though the average home price might be lower than the other three neighborhoods there are certainly areas (Coldstream, Ivy Hills, parts of Turpin Hills, Ravens Run) that compare to areas in any of the three.

Out of the two you picked based solely on schools I'd take Indian Hill.

Throw Turpin in there and its:

IH
Turpin
MMont

In that order, though Turpin has much better sports, IH is the closest to any North Shore suburb out of the three which is why I put it first.

Hope this helps.

[Chemistry_Guy]

Both Mariemont and Indian Hill schools are about as good as it gets in the Cincinnati area for public schools. Indian Hill is a lot more expensive than Terrace Park or Mariemont, but if you want the privacy and the beauty of woods and hills it is your best bet. Be ready to hire gardeners, lawn service, etc. though. If you want walkability, Mariemont is probably the best, although you will not find either huge houses or huge lots there. In Terrace Park you will find huge houses but no smaller lots and have less shopping and foot traffic.

[wolden]

Terrace Park is a great choice for a family. Super safe, family atmosphere, great schools. I don't accept the previous comments about snobbery or excess money. Its a very quiet, safe place that is hard to find anymore. You can have a very nice house for 500k.
I personally found Indian Hill mostly overpriced. True the lots are nicely sized, but the houses overpriced, JMHO.
Nothing wrong with any of the three communities but my favorite is TP.