Why not move to N Kentucky? (Cleveland, Warren: 2015, credit, houses) - Cincinnati - Ohio (OH) - City-Data Forum

Chicago2Cinci · 06-22-2015, 11:57 AM

Good afternoon, everyone!

I am just a naive Chicagoan looking for guidance. My wife and I have been searching for homes in Hyde Park/Mt Lookout/Mariemont for the past couple months. We're ready to pull the trigger and my boss tells me that we should look at Ft Thomas, KY.

After some very basic research, I see that the schools are VERY highly rated (higher than Mariemont nationally), the property taxes are MUCH cheaper, and it's about the same distance to downtown.

Why would everyone not live there? What am I missing?

Thanks for your input!!!

cincydave8 · 06-22-2015, 01:05 PM

I grew up in Fort Thomas.

A big reason people don't live there or NKY isn't mention too much on this board is the crossing state lines thing. Basically, living in Kentucky means you pay KY taxes, represented by Kentucky politicians and things of that nature. KY still has a very negative stereotype for a lot of people. Right or wrong that's just the truth.

As far as Fort Thomas, it's a very nice town. 2 nice little business districts. Highland and Tower Park are very nice. Schools are the best in Kentucky and it's incredibly safe. You can leave your car unlocked and children can ride their bikes all over town without fear. Incredibly easy commute to downtown as long as there is not a wreck on a bridge, because a wreck on one bridge during rush hour will back up all the other bridges. Great old houses, sidewalks everywhere, mature large trees. Strong sense of community.

I'm 30 and have chose not to return to Fort Thomas. Mostly for reasons that people probably wouldn't care about. Fort Thomas is very very conservative. You can still smoke in most bars and restaurants in Northern Kentucky including the few bars that Fort Thomas has. Also, if your street needs to be repaved Fort Thomas will send the houses on the street a bill for the repairs, which still doesn't make sense to me. Finally, the cake chant. Highlands High School chant is "C-A-K-E CAKE CAKE CAKE." It's often proudly referred to as Caketown. The high school and town have embraced this. Basically, it's a play on the quote for the French Revolution "let them eat cake" or "we're wealthy and you're not." At least that's how I always saw it.

That being said, if those things don't bother you, then Fort Thomas is a great place to live and raise a family.

jlawrence01 · 06-22-2015, 01:51 PM

Before you make a decision, make sure that you understand the Ohio taxes. In many areas, you pay a LOCAL INCOME TAX to the city that you live and LOCAL INCOME TAX to the city you work in. There may be some tax credits between the cities but you get the drift. This is something that you DON'T find in Illinois.

When I relocated from the Cleveland suburbs to the Chicago suburbs, taxes were a major consideration.

Chicago2Cinci · 06-22-2015, 02:01 PM

Thank you @cincydave8 and @jlawrence01 - this is all very good info! I've heard about this municipal income tax for working and living in Ohio - it's all very complicated to figure out. Looks like Kentucky is just 6% income tax if you make over $75k? Not sure how up to date that information is?

...and what is the car tax in Kentucky!? Never heard of that before!!

...and living in Ft Thomas? You get a property tax and a school tax?

Why can't it just be simple!

ms12345 · 06-22-2015, 03:04 PM

I've lived in both. I lived for 15 years in NKY and now two years in Warren country. Both are great places to live. NKY has much cheaper property taxes but that is about the only difference in suburban living.

NKY continues to grow. There are now close to 400,000 people choosing to live NKY, ~20% of the metro population. I don't personally think there is any bad reputation involved. Some life long locals in Ohio try hard to convince themselves that living on the Ohio side is somehow better. But then those same people, when they ask what school you went to, are actually talking about local high school, not college. So take it with a grain of salt.

jlawrence01 · 06-22-2015, 03:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago2Cinci

Thank you @cincydave8 and @jlawrence01 - this is all very good info! I've heard about this municipal income tax for working and living in Ohio - it's all very complicated to figure out. Looks like Kentucky is just 6% income tax if you make over $75k? Not sure how up to date that information is?

...and what is the car tax in Kentucky!? Never heard of that before!!

...and living in Ft Thomas? You get a property tax and a school tax?

Why can't it just be simple!

If you are a reasonably highly compensated employee or couple, it really pays to consult with a CPA who specializes in taxes to determine what the impact on your income taxes will be.

I will say this. When I relocated from St. Louis to the Cleveland suburbs, the increase in taxes nearly wiped out the salary increase that I received.

progmac · 06-22-2015, 07:14 PM

NKY is AWESOME. It really is. There is such a huge variety of urban, suburban, and rural places to live within 30-45 minutes of downtown. If you have no emotional or other ties to being in Ohio, it is a wonderful choice.

cincydave8 · 06-23-2015, 05:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Chicago2Cinci

Thank you @cincydave8 and @jlawrence01 - this is all very good info! I've heard about this municipal income tax for working and living in Ohio - it's all very complicated to figure out. Looks like Kentucky is just 6% income tax if you make over $75k? Not sure how up to date that information is?

...and what is the car tax in Kentucky!? Never heard of that before!!

...and living in Ft Thomas? You get a property tax and a school tax?

Why can't it just be simple!

The Kentucky car tax is for your little sticker that goes on your license plate once a year. In Ohio, it's a flat rate around $60. In Kentucky, you pay based on the value of your car. For instance...a 2005 Toyota Corolla might run you $30 but a 2015 Ford F-150 might run you $200.

Yes, in Ft Thomas you pay city and school tax on your property. City rate of $3.60 per $1,000 and $9.50 per $1,000 for schools. Basically you pay $13.10 per $1,000 on your property. Also make sure your street is well paved because the city will charge the homeowners to repave it.

Chicago2Cinci · 06-23-2015, 07:42 AM

Thanks to everyone who replied! We really appreciate all the input.

Stupid question, if we live in NKY do we have to pay taxes to Ohio for working in downtown Cincy? Or does that only apply to Ohio residents?

We also heard there is a 6% automobile tax when registering your car in Kentucky for the first time. Like if we have a $20,000 car, we have to pay $1200 to register our car!?! That's crazy!!

flashes1 · 06-23-2015, 10:46 AM

I think it only matters to people who identify with being an Ohioan or a Kentuckian. There's people on both sides of the river who would never dream of living on the other side. That said, I do think the quality of the high schools and universities are far better in Ohio---and sports are also much better in Ohio at all levels. Youth sports, high school, college and pro----are all better in Ohio.