job offer in Cincinnati and considering moving - looking for some specifics on where to live, etc. (Hamilton: renting)

[im_that_guy]

I've just received an offer for a job in Cincinnati and am doing some research on various places within the city to live. I'll probably be visiting the area within 2-3 weeks to try and get a feel for it before I make a decision. The job is technically in Norwood.

Some background:

Currently I live in Minneapolis, MN, specifically in Uptown (technically whittier neighborhood for those who are familiar with the twin cities), and work Downtown.
I'm a young (early 20s) professional male who happens to be gay, so I'd prefer to live somewhere that is relatively walkable and has some degree of nightlife as well as somewhere that's gay friendly (for the record I'm not one who is overly flamboyant per se or expecting to live in an area where it's perfectly ok to flaunt it in public but would be nice where there are a fair number of other gay people around).

So, onto my specific questions:

- First of all it's my understanding that Cincinnati is not nearly as transit friendly as some other cities (e.g. right now here in Minneapolis it's a 15 minute bus ride from here to work). At least in my initial research it seems like it's much more spread out than Minneapolis for example and riding the bus seems to be much more inconvenient in terms of time if I were to live in what I gather to be one of the neighborhoods I'd want to be in, at least if Google Maps is telling me anything useful). Can anyone shed some light on public transit in Cincinnati?

- From what I've read on here and elsewhere, it sounds like given what I'm looking for, Northside, the gaslight district, or along Ludlow Ave in Clifton would be my best bet. Hyde Park was also suggested to me as well but I'm aware that it's a little pricier to live here (I'll be renting and living alone). It also sounded like Northside is a little rough around the edges.

I suppose what would be useful is a comparison to where I currently live; compared to neighborhoods in Minneapolis for example what would I be expecting crime wise (e.g. near north "don't walk down N Broadway at night" vs. midtown/seward "mostly ok but a little rough around the edges")? Obviously it's a city and there will be some level of petty crime but I'm not interested in living somewhere where I'd have to be continually worried about getting mugged.

- Where is most of the nightlife centered around (esp. for gay people)? I've heard a ton of conflicting advice on this point ranging from Covington, KY to Northside to a couple of other places.

- Areas to avoid? (again comparisons would be great, e.g. usual advice I've always heard for the twin cities is avoid Near North in Minneapolis, and there really isn't anything worth going to in that part of town anyway)

- Bike/walking friendly?

- Hot spots for traffic? (My understanding is traffic is a lot lighter than it gets here in MSP, but tends to clog up a bit on the freeways around downtown like any other major city) as I'm gathering I will be commuting by car to work and don't want to have to deal with 30 min of stop and go traffic every day if I can help it.

Any light anyone can shed on these topics is greatly appreciated.

[abr7rmj]

Welcome to Cincinnati! (in advance, at least)

Northside is very gay-friendly, but I'd definitely check out Clifton Gaslight, Mount Adams, OTR and certainly parts of Covington near Mainstrasse. Northside is an edgy urban neighborhood and is growing by leaps and bounds, but it does retain its gritty nature in places. As far as nightlife goes, the most gay-friendly destinations are going to be Northside, downtown, OTR, Covington, Clifton and, to an extent, Mount Adams.

You're not going to find Cincinnati to be as accommodating to bicycles as Minny because, first and foremost, Cincinnati's topography is far more varied. There are hills and valleys everywhere, and riding a bike from downtown north into any of the city's neighborhoods - or south into Kentucky past the immediate riverfront - is going to be nothing short of a serious workout. Plenty of people do bike around the city, but know that there are physical challenges everywhere and not every place you'd choose to live will offer you a friendly route.

If you don't want to fight the typical traffic, don't live past Pleasant Ridge or Oakley. After that, you're sitting in your car in stop/go traffic for a good chunk of your day. Seriously check out Mount Lookout and Mount Auburn to the east of downtown - both neighborhoods will keep your entirely off the interstates and you'll only have to fight local traffic (still a pain) during your commutes.

[flashes1]

I think the OP's done some good research and has a good idea about the best locales. If his primary interestas are biking, a slightly urban area (and safe), and living close to work then I recommend 1) Gaslight District and 2) Northside. Number 1: he'll be close to work, Number 2: lots of young, liberal, fun-loving people close by, Number 3: safe, and Number 4: as bicycle friendly as any part of Cinti----and plenty of bus service to The Banks where it's fun to bicycle up the Ohio River-----plus okay access to the eventual Streetcar system.

[progmac]

regarding cincinnati buses...the bus hub is downtown and there are few cross-town routes and the few that do exist are slow and generally ridiculous. so unless you work downtown, it is hard to take the bus to work. from northside to norwood, you'd take a bus to clifton and then transfer to the 51 crosstown bus. this would take a little less than an hour, compared to a 15 minute drive. if you were in clifton, you could take the 51 direct and cut the bus time down to around 40 minutes.

in terms of transportation, the most convenient route to be along would be bus route number 4, which runs the montgomery corridor through norwood. pleasant ridge, evanston, and walnut hills are along this corridor.

in short, if you want to take the bus, check out the system maps for route 51 and route 4. those are the buses that go through norwood and if you lived along one of those routes, you wouldn't need to transfer.

if you drive, there is ample parking at most of the new office buildings in norwood

[Chemistry_Guy]

When you say that the job is technically in Norwood, that could mean a lot of things. If you are on the north side of Norwood, close to Pleasant Ridge that is very different from working in Rookwood near Hyde Park or at the Cintas center near Xavier.

If you are working near Rookwood, I would strongly suggest that you look at Oakley. It is a neighborhood that has a lot to offer and you really could walk to work if you so desired. If you get a chance to walk the streets, check out Oakley Square on Madison Road. The western side of Oakley is no more than a five minute drive from any place in Norwood, and you get a lot of the convenience of Hyde Park at a discount.

[Sarah Perry]

There's a limited access highway called the Norwood Lateral which would get you from Northside to Norwood in reasonable time. I used to drive it all the time and it took about 15 minutes, but that wasn't at rush hour.

It feels like I have to end up jumping into threads often when Northside is mentioned. Possibly you've seen my other postings already, if you've been reviewing old threads. I don't live in Northside, but I'm pretty familiar with the area. Yes, it's distinctly the center of the GLBT community in Cincinnati. When people describe it as "urban" or "gritty," I'm not sure those are helpful adjectives for someone thinking about living there. You pretty much have to look at Northside street by street. There are streets populated by urban thugs making a living in the drug trade--along with the unfortunate poor people who end up having to live around them--and there are streets that have been largely gentrified. Northside's economic trajectory is upward, not downward. And the commercial district along Hamilton Avenue would probably offer you some enjoyable, appropriate avenues for eating, drinking and socializing.

[OlliesThoughts]

Northside. It's full of young people, socially progressive, and has lots of character. It's 10 mins from Norwood, 10 mins to Downtown. With the MOBO bike co-op, it's the center of Cincinnati's biking community.