Relocating to Fairfield - Could Use Relocation Info (Cincinnati, Hamilton: fit in, spring break)
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I took a good job offer in Fairfield, OH and will be moving there after I graduate from my university, in June. I am looking for a good neighborhood to live in, and after looking at apartment complexes in Fairfield I decided I could use some help from locals, since a lot of reviews online do not rate Fairfield apartments very highly. Here is my info:
-I am in my early 20s and a single male, so I would like to be somewhat close to a scene where I could get to know people, since I do not know anybody in Cincy/Fairfield at the moment. Some general feedback on apartments in Fairfield would be nice, as I am not sure how accurate those online reviews are?
-My starting salary is pretty good, and my research shows that rent in Cincy is generally cheap, so I would like to be in a good neighborhood between Cincy and Fairfield so I could be close to work but also close enough to downtown so I can enjoy my weekends. 1Br/2Br apartment or a house would be preferred, as I will be living alone
-I would prefer to be in a safe area, and I would say I would look to spend at most $1000/month, which should be plenty to get me a nice 1Br/2Br apartment. I do not have any kids and am interested purely of good neighborhoods that will be close to both work and nightlife
Thanks in advance for your responses! Let me know if you have any questions.
Offhand, I'll tell you finding people in your age range in or near Fairfield is going to be tough. There's a slight beginning of a community in downtown Hamilton centered around Ryan's Tavern and some lofts off High St., but not much to speak of. Your best option likely is to head into Cincinnati unless someone out there knows an excellent complex in Mason or something like that.
The primary communities in Cincinnati for someone like you are
Northside
Clifton
Over The Rhine
Downtown
Hyde Park
Oakley
Covington/Newport
Mt. Adams
What's your max commute? What exactly are you looking for in a community? All these communities, or at least the parts of them where you would live, are fairly safe. And your budget is doable in any of these. And right now your description seems to be a match to all of these places. Is there anything specific that could narrow it down?
Sharonville should meet your needs. It's much much closer than any of the other options as mentioned above. Also try Fairfield twp. You would be close to a popular shopping center Bridgewater falls.
SWOH, I would say that the maximum commute time I would want is around 15-20 minutes, but would consider at most 25 minutes if I really like the neighborhood. I am looking for a community which has a lot of events(not necessarily bars or clubs per se, but concerts/restaurants/festivals as well) going on, as well as a generally younger population, as I feel like that would make my transition into the area smoother, and knowing some people around my age easier. I hope that answers your question! So Fairfield is generally a community of older people?
Unusual, thanks for your feedback!
Would you guys say craigslist/zillow are good places for apartment hunting? I will make a trip to Cincy/Fairfield area on my spring break to look at apartments I like in person since I live only a few hours away right now, but I want to make sure I am looking at the right places to find apartments/small houses that would meet my needs. Are there any other websites I should be looking at?
All of those neighborhoods I listed earlier are about a 30-minute commute from the "industrial epicenter" of Symmes and Bypass 4, and unfortunately all of them, as I suspected, meet your criteria very well. In particular Hyde Park, Oakley, and downtown at The Banks.
To give you an idea, Fairfield is very typical '80's build suburbia. So comparable cities would be places like Reynoldsburg, OH, Aurora, CO, Livonia, MI, along with plenty of other suburbs out there.
To put it in perspective, I am about your age and currently attend Miami U about an hour NW of downtown Cincinnati and 40 min NW of Fairfield, and I only know one person who moved to Fairfield after graduation. I think she likes it ok, but I also get the impression she didn't make her friends there.
If you insist on the 15-20 min commute, you will have a couple decent options. My first recommendation would be to look around Mason, particularly in some of the newer complexes like the Mason Grand by Kings Island (if it is open yet) or ones off Mason-Montgomery near the Whole Foods. But these will probably be pushing 25 minutes rather than a neat 15-20 min.
And downtown Hamilton is not a bad option either. In particular this place: Hamilton Mercantile Lofts
rrtechno, a resident poster, lives there. Send him a PM for the best possible info there haha.
You have been given the generic list of places to live in Cincinnati, most of which will require living your life on I-75 commuting and not 15-20 minutes.
I live in Mason, and while I certainly know where Fairfield is the only reason I have to go there is visit Jungle Jim's International Market on Dixie Highway, a truly unique store. I just wish it was closer to me. Since we are on a simple shopping trip travel time is not a major factor. But there are several options to get from Mason to Fairfield none of which require an Interstate unless you just love I-75 and I-275, which admittedly are quicker. I would estimate a 30 minute commute as very typical, including those peak travel times.
Mason does have the brand new Mason Grand apartment complex which is quite large. As the name implies they label it resort living. Since it is very close to the Kroger where I shop on OH-741 near I-71, I can definitely state it is open and people are moving in there. The immediate locality has several restaurants and watering holes and is just a few minutes from Deerfield Twp to the south on Mason Montgomery Rd where it will take at least a month to try all of the eating/drinking establishments. OH YES, the next door Kings Island Drive is the north entrance into Kings Island.
Mention was made of Liberty Center, a mixed use brand new development just NW of Mason in Liberty Twp. It is a large $350 Mil development currently under construction. They keep saying 2015, but since they are integrating the apartments right into the retail buildings, I doubt whether anyone is living there yet and doubt if I would want to with all of the ongoing construction. But if an operation with a movie theater also serving dinner is your idea of up and coming, check it out.
Mention has also been made of Sharonville. This is definitely the closer commute to Fairfield. Sharonville is an older suburb dating back to before I-75, I-275, etc. were even built. It is in Hamilton Co. virtually the northern edge. A portion of the city actually extends into Butler Co. which is where Fairfield is located. Bordering right on Sharonville is Sharon Woods, a large Hamilton Co. public park. Hamilton Co. is famous across the nation for its public park system. Sharon Woods has a small lake for recreational boating and fishing, but I am not sure where privately owned craft such as canoes or kayaks are welcomed. There is a large, regulation 18-hole golf course and scads of picnic groves and jogging trails. It was purposely created out of a wooded and hilly terrain, so preserves the outdoor feeling.
Just a few miles to the west, not far from I-275 is Winton Woods, another Hamilton Co. park. Similar scenario with a much larger lake, 18-hole golf course, and all the expected picnic, etc. functions in again another wooded and hilly terrain. BTW, my son is a graduate of UC and happens to be the Engineer for the Hamilton Co. Park District, his life-long job. The park district just goes on and on, with the largest park being Miami Whitewater Forest over on the west damn near in Indiana. Now I know that lake has a boat dock and supports private boats.
If you go west to the Colerain exit off I-275, US 27 and go north you will encounter Miami U in Oxford, again almost the Indiana border. A lot is said about Miami U, including it is in the boonies. But very little is said about the fact that right next to the campus is the Ohio Hueston Woods State Park. The official address of Hueston Woods is College Corner, OH, so that must be where Miami U is also. It is a good sized park with the usual trappings of the 18-hole golf course, the lake, and all of the other woodland fixtures.
You may note a repeating feature of these parks is a golf course. For years I was an avid golfer and have played all of these courses many times.
As an alternative, from Sharonville you go east on I-275 to I-71 and then north to Ohio Caesar Creek State Park in Waynesville, OH, not so far north of Lebanon. Now this is a big and deep lake, I believe allowing a very high horsepower rating. So you must recognize some big boats may be around your tiny kayak.
Another alternative is to go further east on I-275 to the OH-32 exit and then further east towards Batavia. BTW you will now be in Clermont Co. You will encounter the entrance road to Ohio East Fork State Park. As implied they got the name from damming up the east fork of the Little Miami River. Another big and deep lake, supporting large boats. But the 4,870 acre park also supports a variety of outdoor activities.
So to try and recover, Cincinnati is NOT an area where you just say direct me to a place to live with a lot of events and OBTW I like outdoor sports. In Cincinnati the events you speak of are typically generated downtown.
But to work in Fairfield and live downtown? Many others do the reverse, living in Fairfield and working downtown. That usually has a viable conscript. But to volunteer for the other - WHY?
You can find other alternatives to live. Most will not have scheduled events. If you want to pursue this event driven idea, then home in on Blue Ash They have more events than just about any suburb around here. But I will be surprised if they have openings for a single, renter. If you can find something there grab it!
I doubt if you will find utopia, and frankly feel you are observing Cincinnati as something it is not. Walkable communities, they disappeared about a half century ago.
Here is a link to information about RiversEdge Amphitheater in Hamilton. We were able to make it to the last few concerts last year. In the winter, there are a lot of concerts and activities at the Fitton Center and other locations around town. Many of these are within walking distance of downtown Hamilton. There are a number of restaurants now in downtown as well as a new food market opening later this year. It could be something to check in to. I believe there are currently openings in the Mercantile Lofts and I know there will be at least one apartment opening up there very soon. These are located right next door to the new ArtApace artists community opening up this spring.
Here is a link to information about RiversEdge Amphitheater in Hamilton. We were able to make it to the last few concerts last year. In the winter, there are a lot of concerts and activities at the Fitton Center and other locations around town. Many of these are within walking distance of downtown Hamilton. There are a number of restaurants now in downtown as well as a new food market opening later this year. It could be something to check in to. I believe there are currently openings in the Mercantile Lofts and I know there will be at least one apartment opening up there very soon. These are located right next door to the new ArtApace artists community opening up this spring.
rrtechno ... Seems like you are a wealth of knowledge on the immediate area, which is expected since you live there. I remember Hamilton from many years ago when I used to make trips there to discuss or start up new machines with companies there. The same thing was true in Middletown. In my observation both Hamilton and Middletown lost considerable image from the manufacturing plants either leaving or closing there. At the same time, being retired 12 years now the only reason I have had to go to Hamilton is to drive through on my way to Hueston Woods Golf Course near Oxford. I will take that back, there is a nice golf course on the NW side of Hamilton by the name of Twin Run which we have played quite frequently. But again, drive to the golf course and drive home. You can tell much of my knowledge of the area results from golf courses. Still wondering what is going to happen to Weatherwax in Middletown.
Honestly my categorization of Hamilton has been as Little Appalachia, back when the coal mines in central/eastern KY were beginning to fail. I observed many people coming to areas like Hamilton and Middletown looking for factory work. But those same factories began to fail, reducing job opportunities hereabout.
I have been reading much on this forum and other sources concerning the revival of Hamilton. Certainly hope it is happening. With the surgence of activity along I-75 from Hamilton northward certainly believe it should happen. The new Liberty Center NW of Mason and near Hamilton should provide good growth. And that appears to be a modern, spend your life, facility.
So I am wanting to join you in encouraging this young person with a job in Fairfield to consider Hamilton for living. Bridgewater Falls, Liberty Center and other newer developments are going to breathe economic life there. So why waste time and mostly money in areas further south when you are so close to the new happenings in the Butler Co and Warren Co region? You can get that short commute and savings on commute expenses between Hamilton and Fairfield. You can apply the commute savings to an occasional trip to the Cincinnati area. But believe me once you determine how many less expensive establishments there are out here for a good time, case solved.
Thanks to all of you for the vast amount of information, I really appreciate it! I would love to be close to Mason since i am a huge tennis fan as well, but I do believe it might be a little ways too far. I am intrigued at Hamilton and will check it out. Are apartments in that area upscale and nice, or are they older? I definitely would like to find a nice apartment that has been taken good care of. Any more information about how a young person like me would be able to fit in Hamilton would be appreciated!
Thanks to all of you for the vast amount of information, I really appreciate it! I would love to be close to Mason since i am a huge tennis fan as well, but I do believe it might be a little ways too far. I am intrigued at Hamilton and will check it out. Are apartments in that area upscale and nice, or are they older? I definitely would like to find a nice apartment that has been taken good care of. Any more information about how a young person like me would be able to fit in Hamilton would be appreciated!
Hamilton is an OLD town. It was around long before I was born, and I am 74. But don't let that discourage you. Mason was a podunk and old town before Kings Island was built. But look at it now. Quit worrying about location. It is a very short distance between Hamilton and the tennis complex in Mason. Hamilton and its revival has to have a combination of old and new. Just stay where the rehabbed and new places are happening. You will be fine.
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