Young Professional looking for place to live around Cincinnati (Dayton: best neighborhoods, 2014)

[DreamSput]

I'm 22 years old and just accepted an engineering job offer in Monroe/Middletown, OH. I will be moving to the area this coming June/July (2014) and was hoping to find a fun neighborhood to live in around Cincinnati.

I've done some research and know that Hyde Park, Mt. Adams, and Oakley are the best neighborhoods for young professionals to live in, but these are a bit far for me to commute to and from for my job everyday (~40mins w/o traffic)....

Are there any similar neighborhoods to live in North of Cincinnati/closer to Monroe?

[progmac]

that's going to be tough. middletown/monroe is very suburban to rural and i can't think of anything within 20 minutes that offers anything other than soccer mom or quiet rural living. look at a map, it's smack dab between dayton and cincinnati. it is what it is.

you might look into clifton or northside, that would at least save you the trouble of crossing the city to get to i-75. if in oakley, look for something very close to highway 562 so you aren't spending 10-15 minutes in traffic.

[SWOH]

Probably the best option is somewhere in Cincinnati, like OTR, Clifton, Oakley, Northside, downtown, etc. differentiating between those would be easier if we knew your interests better.

The Oregon District, Webster Station, or Downtown Dayton might be a good fit too, and if you are in Middletown it is a fair amount closer than the Cincinnati options. From Monroe the difference is more marginal, but they are still worth a look.

Honestly though, downtown Hamilton still might be your best overall option. Check out the Historic Merchantile Lofts Facebook page for some more info. There's quite a bit going on there now, and it's a whole lot closer to Monroe/middletown than Cincinnati or Dayton. I will post some links once I'm off the iPhone

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by DreamSput

I'm 22 years old and just accepted an engineering job offer in Monroe/Middletown, OH. I will be moving to the area this coming June/July (2014) and was hoping to find a fun neighborhood to live in around Cincinnati.

I've done some research and know that Hyde Park, Mt. Adams, and Oakley are the best neighborhoods for young professionals to live in, but these are a bit far for me to commute to and from for my job everyday (~40mins w/o traffic)....

Are there any similar neighborhoods to live in North of Cincinnati/closer to Monroe?

If you follow the theory of what attracts young professionals no, there is nothing North of Cincinnati which fits the bill. Monroe has enjoyed terrific subdivision growth since it is some of the cheapest land left in the area. But there is very little else there. When you say Monroe/Middletown that covers quite a bit of territory itself, so exact location determines how long to get to/from I-75.

Sticking with the YP motto, I would suggest Oakley. As you say it is not a short commute and you would want a location near 562 (Norwood Lateral) to limit the time to I-75 north. But take the plunge and get the experience. If/when you decide it is not worth it, you will have a much better knowledge of the area in order to make a decision on somewhere else. If you are truely a YP then your income should provide a nice place in Oakley and bear the cost of the commute.

I just can't identify the Clifton area as being a congregation of YPs. Too much the influence of UC plus the hospitals. Sure there are many grad students there, but they are not yet YPs as they are still in school, hoping to be YPs. Northside to me is similar, much more a collection of Bohemian Artist types, mostly broke, than YPs.

I my case I never considered the YP scene very much. Was married within 5 months of graduation from UC (we had dated for almost 5 years and were hot to trot), had a bun in the oven within 6, and needed a house in less than 2 years with arrival of the 2nd kid. The wife was not overly concerned about the YP scene either, just get me out of this GD apartment and into a house with central air conditioning, laundry facilities for this mountain of diapers, and a car so I am not stuck here while you chaise the golden ring at work.

When I look back, our kids, obviously influenced by us have followed the same route. All 4 are college grads and married shortly after graduating. One had a failed marriage with thankfully no kids, but the other 3 are like looking in the mirror. They all have families and I can say were never affected by the YP visualization of fun and life is one big party.

When you graduate from college and consider the tag of YP, everything looks rosy. So run with it and chase the image. Circumstances will tell you soon enough whether you have selected the right path or not. If you want to go for broke then select Mt Adams and its happening scene.

But forget Hyde Park, that is an old money neighborhood which happens to have some lower cost apartments on its periphery like along Madison Rd due to the traffic conjestion. But I am sure the rest of Hyde Park does not even consider that section part of Hyde Park. I keep hearing it is a concentration of YPs. If you want to live in a 2nd class apartment located on the fringe of an old money neighborhood, then consider it. Far as walkability, once you get past the relatively small Hyde Park Square there is no place else to go. The older Hyde Park Plaza where the Kroger and other shops are located is a distance I would not want to walk, even when younger.

Hyde Park has some beautiful old homes and estates, and is the home of Cincinnati Country Club and Hyde Park County club, both prestigous private golf clubs. But aqain, as I stated this is an old money section of Cincinati. As a natural concentration of YPs I cannot see that.

[Chemistry_Guy]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

Hyde Park has some beautiful old homes and estates, and is the home of Cincinnati Country Club and Hyde Park County club, both prestigous private golf clubs. But aqain, as I stated this is an old money section of Cincinati. As a natural concentration of YPs I cannot see that.

I disagree with this. I have some close friends that all bought houses in Hyde Park in their mid twenties, lived there for almost ten years, and then recently got married had a kid and sold them. They were all stereotypical YPs (Two lawyers and an aerospace engineer). The houses were on Burch, Monteith, and Portsmouth, which are solidly Hyde Park, not periphery. When they sold their houses, they said that 90%+ of the prospective buyers were under 30.

I believe that there are still some areas in East Hyde Park as well as the Observatory corridor that are old money, but the area between Wasson and Erie is Yuppie central, and the bars and dining options around that area certainly support that assertion.

[kjbrill]

Originally Posted by Chemistry_Guy

I disagree with this. I have some close friends that all bought houses in Hyde Park in their mid twenties, lived there for almost ten years, and then recently got married had a kid and sold them. They were all stereotypical YPs (Two lawyers and an aerospace engineer). The houses were on Burch, Monteith, and Portsmouth, which are solidly Hyde Park, not periphery. When they sold their houses, they said that 90%+ of the prospective buyers were under 30.

I believe that there are still some areas in East Hyde Park as well as the Observatory corridor that are old money, but the area between Wasson and Erie is Yuppie central, and the bars and dining options around that area certainly support that assertion.

You may very well be right, as I have not had a reason to be active in Hyde Park for some 30 years. But they would do the community a service if they then disconnected that area from Hyde Park and made it part of Oakley, where it more rightfully belongs.

I just remember Hyde Park from years ago and the prestige it resonnated. If it has degraded to a YP enclave, that doesn't say much for the overall prestige of Cincinnati.

So I have a question, are Cincinnati Country Club and Hyde Park Country Club still viable operations? Or are they sucking air and living on last second oxygen? I am aware that federal law changed what could be deducted regarding membership to a country club and also the costs for inviting business guests. What was the old clique, the 3-martini lunch which went by the wayside?

The clampdown on business expense deductions has affected the majority of golf courses in the US, and many of them are struggling. Having a company paid membership to a country club used to be common, not so today. Taking a few customers out to a golf course where you picked up the entire bill, golf, lunch and maybe dinner, bar, etc. was also common. Very infrequent today, which I believe is for the best.

[natininja]

Clifton has a lot of young professionals; not just college students and grad students. Hate to say it, but you should take everything kjbrill says about Cincinnati neighborhoods with a huge grain of salt.

I agree with OHKID and the idea of looking at downtown Hamilton and Dayton. Also you might take a look at downtown Middletown itself.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

I just can't identify the Clifton area as being a congregation of YPs. Too much the influence of UC plus the hospitals. Sure there are many grad students there, but they are not yet YPs as they are still in school, hoping to be YPs.

Wow. This is just plain wrong. I just moved from Clifton last April and can say first hand that there are NUMEROUS young professionals throughout the neighborhood. Also, many families with kids. Who'da thunk it?

[natininja]

You moved from Clifton Heights, not Clifton. (They aren't even physically connected.) :P And the statement kjbrill made is more true of Clifton Heights than it is of Clifton.

There are students in Clifton (the real Clifton, centered around the Ludlow business district), but to say the neighborhood is heavily colored by the presence of UC is totally wrong. It's a factor, but it's in no way dominating. Young professionals, students, and families are all present in Clifton. Though it is not a trendy neighborhood like it once was -- that momentum shifted to Northside -- I consider it more YP-friendly than Hyde Park, which is more family-focused and lacks the youth brought by students. In part because it's much closer to Northside, OTR, etc., and with good transit access to those areas.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by natininja

You moved from Clifton Heights, not Clifton. (They aren't even physically connected.) :P And the statement kjbrill made is more true of Clifton Heights than it is of Clifton.

I was referring to Clifton Heights. I agree that it's more true of Gaslight than CUF, but there is def. a palpable presence of YPs all throughout the neighborhood(s). It's def. more college oriented the closer you get to the campus, but even then the neighborhood is mixed. Heck Joe Tucker of Tucker's and his wife Carla live north of Warner in Clifton Heights. Not YP, but just pointing out that all walks of life live there. That probably stands out to me because I lived there for 2.5 years and wasn't a student. When you aren't a student you blend into the real neighborhood, the homeowner types (and others) who more or less hold the place together.