Anderson is declining? (Cincinnati, Washington, Williamsburg: cul-de-sac, for sale, apartment complexes)

[kjbrill]

Some 30+ to 40 years ago I had grown up in Madeira, went to UC, graduated, was married, and bought my first house in Madeira. Why? Because I knew and liked Madeira. Several of my coworkers had done virtually the same thing with respect to Mt Washington. The neighborhood was all neat and well maintained. You could tell people took pride in their property. My wife and I left Madeira because we desired a much bigger home and I felt I could not afford the larger homes in Madeira. Some of my coworkers began to leave Mt Washington, not necessarily for larger homes. When I would inquire why they were leaving I would get the response because the people now moving in just do not seem to have the same pride in the neighborhood. That is a judgement which is hard to qualify. Some said they were leaving for better schools. Back then CPS did not have the freedom of school selection, magnet schools, etc. it now has.

[bertwrench]

Of course I'm biased because I live in Anderson Twp, but I don't see any decline. I think all the shops in Anderson Towne Center are now full, and the city has put in a lot of trees lately to line some of the streets. We have friends from work who have moved here recently because of the value of house you get for the money plus the location to the highway.

Yes, the architecture does not hold the same charm as some of the 100+ year old houses in other parts of the region, but for the most part, it seems like what has been built here is good quality. You can find some of those older houses in Mt. Washington.

Beechmont is most definitely chain store and restaurant heaven, but there are some unique places if you look close enough. For example, the Pelican Reef and Original Pancake house (yes, the latter is a chain but not one found frequently). There is also Latitudes which is locally owned and the chef puts together some great food for what is otherwise a bar. There are a few more along or just off Beechmont as well that are locally owned, so it's not all chains. Plus, I like living so close to everything. Anything I need is 5 minutes away including my doctors and a hospital, and if you know how to avoid Beechmont by taking side street, you avoid most of the headache.

[t45209]

I did see a a rather depressing article about Mt Washington in the Enquirer recently, and it was a story of increased Section 8, significantly increased drug use, and a spike in crimes like burglary. I don't want to debate cause and effect here, but these are the facts. The residents in the article stopped just short of describing Stanbery Park as a needle park, because of all of the open drug use. CPD said that Mt Washington's location lends itself to trafficking because of relatively easy access to outlying areas. They also attribute crackdown on dealing in Madisonville as a reason for the increase in Mt Washington.

I have a very good friend who lives just outside of Mt Washington on the fringe of Anderson Twp, and while it isn't an upscale area, it was always a rather quiet, unremarkable neighborhood. However, just in the last three years or so, several houses have gone bad, and the character of the neighborhood has changed significantly. I was over at his house one night about a year and a half ago, and I looked out the window for a moment because I noticed an odd glow coming from around the corner down the street. I yelled, "dude! your neighbor's house is on fire!!" He just groaned, and said, "nah, those a-holes like to put sofas out in the front yard and build bonfires."

[jlawrence01]

I also believe that there is a racial component to a lot of the perceptions on Mt. Washington. When parts of the area were low-income white folks, no one said much.

[t45209]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

I also believe that there is a racial component to a lot of the perceptions on Mt. Washington. When parts of the area were low-income white folks, no one said much.

Who cares what color people are? The numbers bear out that crime and drug activity are on the rise in the neighborhood. Race is incidental. Bad behavior is bad behavior.

[unusualfire]

^That's what he means. No one was up and arms 15 years ago as they are today.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by t45209

Who cares what color people are? The numbers bear out that crime and drug activity are on the rise in the neighborhood. Race is incidental. Bad behavior is bad behavior.

In Cincinnati (as well as other parts of the state), race makes a BIG difference in perceptions of a community. For example, in the Cleveland area, I was steered away from one school district with higher rated schools to one with lower rated schools largely due to racial issues.

Unless Cincinnati has changed immensely in the past twenty years, you could pretty much score drugs in Hyde Park Square or Oakley as you could in Anderson or Mt. Washington. And believe it or not, some of the Indian Hills kids had more access than anyone I met in Walnut Hills.

Of course, it is easier to sick your head in the sand and claim there is no problem.

[Bhiggins]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

I also believe that there is a racial component to a lot of the perceptions on Mt. Washington. When parts of the area were low-income white folks, no one said much.

Times have changed, the racial barrier between who is good and bad based on color is just a stereotype that is completely false and ignorant. Whites can be just as bad and even worse than blacks in any situation, etc etc etc, lets not start a flameriot over racial stereotypes.

Anyways I believe I have room to add my 2 cents here having lived in Cincinnati for a long time until last year when I moved to Florida for my job (plan on retuning to Cinci this year hopefully).

It's a known fact across our nation that the American suburb is being bashed more and more by the media as opposed to urban living which is glorified. These bashings are not ill-informed or bias, most in my opinion are true, especially when making the claim that inner-ring suburbs are on the decline, this seems to be what's happening in Cincinnati (or at least before I left due to this and my job) in areas such as eastern Colerain, Green, Westchester, Fairfield, and Delhi townships... All mostly westside areas since it seems Cincinnati dumps all the section 8 over on that side of town, just take a look at the section 8 planned for Green Township.

I was a westside resident before I left but can vouch for Anderson as I had plenty of coworkers who lived near the Ivy Hills and Lawyer Rd areas. I believe that your investment in buying a house in Anderson is solid, but I can definitely see the western fringes of the township along the Cincinnati city line going downhill in the near future. I don't think it'll be too dramatic, but it will be noticeable. If I had any suggestions for where to buy in Anderson, I would buy around the eastern or central areas of the township where your home value will either stay the same or increase. These sections of the township seem to be the most safe and well kept, and the schools are awesome. The above poster(s) are right that the school system for a suburb is often what can make it or break it. Just be careful and always get a good look around the neighborhood, you can never be too careful with your home purchase, consider how well kept the yards are, and also consider if there is a highly apparent amount of homes for rent/sale, this is an obvious sign of decline. I'm confident you'll find a great area to live even if you decide on the western parts of the township, I'm sure there are perfectly fine areas near Mt Washington to live in and feel safe in.

[n8buckeye08]

The other thing I would add... there may be some inceased drug- and or poverty-related crime near the Section 8 Housing when you look at crime maps, I get the impression that this is not some colossal urban decay.

Frankly, I'm hopeful that the home prices will welcome many first-time buyers that can renew the area. It's a quick shot down Beechmont Levy to Columbia Parkway, many excellent built homes, nice landscapes, and the makings of a nice main strip. I'm not saying I think this is likely to happen, but a little positive momentum could really do a lot for the neighborhood.

[t45209]

Originally Posted by unusualfire

^That's what he means. No one was up and arms 15 years ago as they are today.

No one was up in arms 15 years ago because the problems weren't there 15 years ago. If this thread starts taking a racial tangent, then I'm off it. I get sick of the implication that people come down harder on crime just because it's one group or another committing the crimes. I don't know if that's what is happening in Mt Washington. I really don't care. All I do know is that crime of all types is up, and there is justified concern among residents of that neighborhood about what that means for safety and property values.