Looking to buy in the area (Cincinnati, Norwood: apartment, renting, buying a house)

[WontYouBeMyNeighbor]

We are currently renting in Mariemont, and it’s been about a year past year. Before that, we were outside the Cincinnati area. Mariemont is great and all, but we’re looking to buy now – and it is out of our range.

There’s me, my wife, our preschooler and our newborn. My wife works downtown, and I work in Fairview. She’s an urbanophile and loves having restraunts/shops/public places close by. She’s also a huge fan of the charm and character of some of Cinci’s older homes. Ex: Northside

I am looking for something affordable for us (160k or less) in a reasonably safe neighborhood (at or better than the Cincinnati average), with decent public schools (average ratings or better). Ex: Finneytown. We are willing to shoulder renovation work if needed.

We are both willing to make compromises, but we have been looking for several months now with nothing to show for it.
There’s over a dozen towns/villages/neighborhoods we’ve investigated, and this forum has been very helpful, but I thought it might be simpler for my meager mind if we broke it down by comparing two neighborhoods at a time.

Hartwell vs Northside

Northside:
Seems like there’s two Northsides overlapping each other in the same place, like a Necker Cube community. How exactly does that work? Is there strength in the diversity or volatility in the extreems?
Everyone says Northside is ‘block by block’ – what does that mean? What are the extreems? How extreme are they?
Recommended magnet schools? Fairview German Language or bust? Commute might be a problem anywhere else.

Hartwell:
How is the assigned elementary school? Any recommended nearby magnet schools to try for?
How would you rate the safety of this neighborhood? I assume it beats out Northside in that does it? What do you consider safe? Would you feel comfortable taking the stroller for a stroll at night? Certain streets?
Which city’s houses have more character generally?

[flashes1]

Oakley would be a good fit for you. Kilgour is a good school....one of my wife's co-workers sends her kids there and likes it. Price point fits your needs....just need to find a place within walking distance of Oakley Square.

[mimi in cinci]

If you are interested in Oakley your public school options are both very good. Depending on where you live you are either Kilgour or Hyde Park School. Both are very nice.

[t45209]

The thing you have to remember on the schools is that there is a difference between the schools for Oakley kids, Kilgour and Hyde Park, and Fairview German. Fairview is a magnet school and just because you live in Clifton doesn't mean you kid gets to go there. You have to camp out with the rest of the poor schleps to get in there. In Oakley, you are assured your kid will go to a decent school.

Oakley is by far the most walkable neighborhood in the city. Clifton is ok, but in Oakley you have many more of the basics of daily living a relatively easy walk depending on which corner of the neighborhood you live in. If you live anywhere from, say, Taylor Avenue over to Hyde Park Avenue in Oakley, you are golden.

[Wilson513]

There is nothing to walk to in Amberely.

Wyoming was built on the flood plain of the Mill Creek (an industrial sewer for 200 years) and is below the level of the busiest expressway within 500 miles meaning that the air quality is abysmal. I75 is about 1/4 mile from the "town center". Valley communities are most always more polluted, less desirable. The houses are more expensive than they deserve. Good schools.

But, the houses up on the hill (west of Vine St.) are OK. Just not walkable to anything.

Both are poor choices for your checklist. But, if I had to choose one, it would be Amberely, hands down.

[WontYouBeMyNeighbor]

goyguy, I apologize for bombarding the message board with similar threads. For what it's worth, I've read many of your posts from similar inquiries and got a huge amount of value from them. I wouldn't have thought about Finneytown for example if not for reading one of your posts.

The reason I went this way, was because I used the city-data site searching town by town - and so each thread I came upon was based on looking for information specific to one neighborhood. By focusing on a couple of neighborhoods at a time means that someone coming upon this thread later would actually get information on the towns their investigating, and dive deeper than a brief mention for several different neighborhoods with little reference point for comparison. In fact, it was an attempt to get more posters to provide the depth of information goyguy typically provides.

I do understand it bombards the board with parallel conversations, and perhaps my intent won't be realized, no offense taken - just taking a shot at a different approach than I've already seen.

[Ohky0815]

We rented an apartment in Mariemont before buying our house in Norwood. We loved Mariemont too but it was way too much for buying a house. We have my great grandparents house now. We love Norwood. Its quiet and quaint. The only thing I miss is a good park, but maybe i just havent found the hidden gem in Norwood yet.

Ive never rented or bought in Monfort Heights.

[Yac]

5 nearly identical threads merged later, I have to clarify since apparently it's not clear to some (and I don't mean the op : it's not ok to cross post the same message like the op did. It's also not ok to discuss moderation in public, yes even if this discussion is somewhat justified like it was here

Now please, focus on helping the OP find a suitable place.
Yac.

[WontYouBeMyNeighbor]

Thanks Yac

Ohky0815, do you notice much of a difference between the Oakley end of Norwood and the north or west end? Does it matter in your opinion?

t45209, that brings up a good point of discussion with the magnet schools. I have a preference for the neighborhood schools partially because when she goes to play with friends, it will be in our neighborhood and not across the city. Also at Fairview I believe you need to get admitted there before kindergarten or first grade, because your chances being admitted in subsequent grades drop off significantly. At Fairview, are many of the students from Clifton or is it pretty widely dispersed? I get that their admission is open to all and geography does not play a factor (other than assigned school performance) - but it seems possible families physically closer to that school are more likely to apply to that school.

Another note on schools Kilguor has gotten praise so far in this thread, but I have seen others dismiss it - specifically when talking about the superiority of Pleasant Ridge Montessori. Is that basically because they are fans of the montessori approach in Pleasant Ridge over the traditional approach? Or maybe it was a handful of years ago and things are different? Can anyone elaborate on that divide? I know what the test scores/ratings say - and they indicate Kilguor is doing well. Pleasant Ridge - it's not so clear...but that's far from a full story.

Wilson513, now that the threads have merged and Wyoming/Amberley were perhaps not good fits for my checklist. Do you have anything in mind that would be?

Lastly, the latest neighborhood/village/city I've been thinking about is Reading. Anyone have comments there?

[TKNYC]

I think Reading is a sweet little neighborhood. My sister, currently living in St. Bernard, likes it a lot. She has a boutique in the Grand Antique Mall, which is in Reading (or adjacent? Not really sure). In any case, if she ever sells her dusty old Victorian in St. B, she would likely purchase something there. I am only in Cincinnati about once a year but from what I've seen, it is a nice community.