East Side and Safety (Cincinnati, Washington: renting, crime, houses)

[veetzvino]

I'm trying to figure out as you go from Mt Adams and head east, which areas have some safety issues when it comes to crime. I know Hyde Park is nice. Is Mt Lookout just as safe? How about along the river? Does the area between Mt Adams and Hyde Park have problems?

I'm trying to pick a neighborhood as close to downtown as possible but that still has a safe feel to it. I don't want to have to worry about running at night or taking my son for a walk.

Thanks.

[progmac]

if you're worried about worrying about being worried when taking your son for a walk, you're going to worry, to some degree, regardless. however, you might be able to minimize that in mt lookout, hyde park, oakley, columbia tusculum, or mt adams. between hyde park and mt adams is walnut hills (more or less), and unfortunately, crime there is significantly higher.

in any of these places, or anywhere really with any level of population, i'd have to think that traffic is going to be your biggest safety threat when you are out and about.

[WILWRadio]

Speaking from personal experience and having lived in a couple of really BAD neighborhoods in the Twin Cities and Hartford in the 80's and 90's for a while, I never really had any problems with anyone during my stay's. Conversely when I moved to some nice areas such as Country Club Plaza in KC and then also a rural town in Missouri I had nothing but trouble with crime going on around me and also impacting my life directly. Have had some issues here in Indy too (presently renting here) which again is in an area that appears on the surface to be fairly good but is anything but. I have had a couple of issues at my home in Covington but have dealt with far worse in the other places mentioned.

With that in mind, I would say that it is hit or miss when it comes to picking an area where you may or may not have crime going on around you or impacting your life. Does not matter if the location is urban, suburban or rural these days. An area that may look good on the surface in reality may be anything but. And one that looks seedy may not be all that bad and you may never have a problem with crime.

[cincydave8]

Most of the east side is very safe. As pervious poster mentioned, safe areas are Hyde Park, Mt Lookout, Coumbia Tusc, Oakley. You could make a strong case for Pleasant Ridge, East Walnut Hills and Mt Washington.

I live in Hyde Park and there are people running along Erie and Madison every morning around 6:15am. I know this because I'm usually in Madison Park with my dog at that time.

[mimi in cinci]

Mt. Lookout is just as safe as Hyde Park.
The upper part (up the hill Tusculum/ Stanley) of Columbia Tusculum is very nice and very close to Columbia Parkway for a short drive into Downtown.
East Walnut Hills (where I live) is a beautiful neighborhood with an exploding entertainment district. It is a short drive into Downtown as well.

All three neighborhoods are full of runners, bicyclists, baby joggers, dog walkers etc at all times of the day and into the evening. They each have beautiful city parks.

What you type of house you desire/can afford may help you decide which neighborhood works best for your family.

[veetzvino]

In response to the first poster, I may have done a bad job with my initial post. I'm not much of a worrier but just wanted to make sure I knew where higher crime areas were (like Walnut Hills). Not saying that I shouldn't live there or go there, but just be aware of. I have lived in Cincinnati before, but in the northern suburbs where you didn't really have to think about much when picking a place to live, other than if you liked the feel of it. In all big cities, there are places that you are taking on more risk for potential crime than others, and I just want to educate myself more on those areas on the East Side.

[Wilson513]

I am not too good at using the crime mapping tools, but the one that is often linked in these discussions is here:

http://spotcrime.com/oh/cincinnati

See if you can make it work for you.

[t45209]

Originally Posted by labarbmb

In response to the first poster, I may have done a bad job with my initial post. I'm not much of a worrier but just wanted to make sure I knew where higher crime areas were (like Walnut Hills). Not saying that I shouldn't live there or go there, but just be aware of. I have lived in Cincinnati before, but in the northern suburbs where you didn't really have to think about much when picking a place to live, other than if you liked the feel of it. In all big cities, there are places that you are taking on more risk for potential crime than others, and I just want to educate myself more on those areas on the East Side.

Keep in mind, that even within Walnut Hills there are vast differences. Aside from the commonly referred to divide between East Walnut Hills and Walnut Hills proper, Walnut Hills south of E. McMillan is of a far different character (ie safer) than anything to the north. The areas that border Eden Park are quiet and increasingly filled with families and people out walking their dogs without any fear of being molested.

[kjbrill]

As you proceed east from the Mt Adams location, I feel anything along the hill tops is safe. This includes Hyde Park, Mt Lookout/ Columbia-Tusculum, etc. Of course I am speaking of the hills north of Columbia Parkway. Between Columbia Parkway and the river IMO all bets are off.

Once you round the bend on Columbia Parkway at Lunken Field you will begin to encounter some depressed areas. I hate to include Mt Washington but it seems to have lost some of its historical base compared to Anderson Twp. further east. Anybody have an opinion on this?

Another venture is Madison Rd from the Oakley area out to Madisonville. I recognize Oakley has gained substantially in reputation, I am still trying to figure out WHY. Tract built, small houses, now demanding high prices - interesting. Madisonville I will retain my opinion on, since much of it goes back to my early years when frankly I wouldn't be caught dead there. I know in the distant past Madisonville had a great base. But then it fell apart. I hope they are on the road to recovery as so often stated. But my basic instincts tell me no matter what the quality of construction the homes in Madisonville are beyond a reasonable redemption. This is a reclamation project in triplicate for the restoration people.

Now my definition of EAST is Madeira, Montgomery, Loveland, Milford, and Anderson Twp. before we cross I-275 into Clermont Co.

Amazing how our attitudes change. When I was a kid in Madeira, Milford was another universe. In between was Indian Hill, a not very small plot of ground. So we viewed an excursion to Milford as a trip.

[Ohky0815]

Youll be fine in those areas OP.