Anderson is declining? (Cincinnati, Green, Washington: middle-class, section 8, apartment complex)

[thatswanlady]

Hi everyone,

I posted here about 6-7 months ago, trying to get all sorts of advice on areas to rent, commuting downtown, and everything else under the sun. You all were so helpful and gave me great advice -- thank you.

Anyway, it's six months later and we're halfway through our lease in Anderson -- south of Salem near Sutton Rd. We love the area, and are very happy in Cincinnati overall. We're kicking around the idea of buying a house within the next year or two, and are considering several options. We'd love to stay in Anderson (actually, we'd really love to stay in our specific neighborhood), but I've read a few times in these forums about the deteriorating state of Mt Washington and subsequently Anderson, most recently from a thread from last week or so.

Is that true? I drive through Mt Washington fairly regularly at all times of day/night, and it seems fine. Perhaps a bit run-down in spots, but not in a dangerous sort of way. I have friends that live in Mt Washington, and they seem pretty happy with their houses and neighborhoods -- some concern about schools, but not really about safety.

Anderson itself seems more than fine -- I can't imagine it really deteriorating. The schools seem great, people seem to take pride in their houses. It's possible that, coming from Memphis where crime and neighborhoods seem to evolve differently (and not positively), I have a different view on this entirely. Or else I'm just too new to Cincinnat to know any better -- which is why I'm glad you're all here!

I guess my other question is -- if I bought a house in Anderson, specifically around where I live now, would I live to regret this decision 7-10 years down the line? Where are some comparable areas with less concern?

Thanks for your help!

[n8buckeye08]

My wife and I are closing on a house in Mt. Washington, right around the area you described, in May. We're not crazy about the area as there are some neglected properties, but we're getting a great house for the money. I'm hoping that as the housing market improves, we'll see more young homebuyers in the area that take better care of some of the beautiful houses there.

I think the biggest problem Mt. Washington has is the only part that people really see is Beechmont, which has a lot of Section 8 housing and other larger older apartment buildings. So, while I think overall, it is a nice, quite middle-class community on the outer edge of city limits, the view people get is a just of the crowd walking to and from the bus-lines on Beechmont.

You'll probably find this informative. http://www.plancincinnati.org/docume...7%20shrunk.pdf

On a side-note, has there ever been a movement for Mt. Washington to separate from the city? It really seems strange as it's nearly an island. I'm not necessarily advocating it, but more curious as I'll soon be a homeowner there.

[Montrell]

We were lucky enough to sell our house in Anderson (right off Beechmont) this past summer. It was on the market for nearly a year. I wouldn't say Anderson is declining to an extensive extent just yet but it is in the beginning stages. I remember going into Target on Beechmont and Kroger numerous times just before we moved and almost every time we went in there they had police there arresting grown women who were stealing and/or using their little children to steal. It's something that I never saw when I first moved there. It is a slow process but where it is now did remind me of what I remembered happening to Westwood when I lived there in the 80's and the beginning of the decline in Mount Airy / East Colerain in the late 90's.

A lot of it does have to do with Mount Washington spill over which is in a state of decline. My wife lived in a Mount Washington condo before we were married and that area has changed drastically in just the last 5 years. One of our best friends still lives in an apartment complex in Mount Washington and she was told by her landlord subsidized housing / Section 8 in a number of the nearby complexes had increased from 8% in 2007 to over 50% in 2012. Again it is a slow process but Mount Washington now is not the same as it was just 5 years ago.

There was a post by someone on the Colerain Township thread who I think nailed it with his/her comparison of Cincy and Atlanta and how Cincy is headed down the same path of Atlanta where everything inside their loop (275 here) is going to be in a perpetual state of decline over the next 20 years because of its rapid spread of Section 8 housing.

[thatswanlady]

Originally Posted by Montrell

We were lucky enough to sell our house in Anderson (right off Beechmont) this past summer. It was on the market for nearly a year. I wouldn't say Anderson is declining to an extensive extent just yet but it is in the beginning stages.

If you don't mind me asking, where did you move to after you sold your Anderson house?

[Montrell]

Originally Posted by thatswanlady

If you don't mind me asking, where did you move to after you sold your Anderson house?

We moved to Green Township / Bridgetown. I grew up in Westwood so we always planned at some point to move back to the west side of town. I'm probably one of the few on this site who has actually lived on both sides of town.

[kjbrill]

I have been trying to assist my daughter in finding a place to live on the east side. The company she works for will be moving to the Eastgate area and I am advising her to stay close to the location. We have been looking for a few weeks now, and from what I see Anderson Twp is holding up just fine. I attribute that to Forest Hills school district. Virtually every realtor listing starts off with Forest Hills Schools, they sell that bigtime, as well they probably should. I just do not see any indicators Anderson Twp is declining, at least not to the extent of Mt Washington.

[Montrell]

Originally Posted by kjbrill

I have been trying to assist my daughter in finding a place to live on the east side. The company she works for will be moving to the Eastgate area and I am advising her to stay close to the location. We have been looking for a few weeks now, and from what I see Anderson Twp is holding up just fine. I attribute that to Forest Hills school district. Virtually every realtor listing starts off with Forest Hills Schools, they sell that bigtime, as well they probably should. I just do not see any indicators Anderson Twp is declining, at least not to the extent of Mt Washington.

It's definitely not declining to the extent of Mount Washington. It's actually the spillover from Mount Washington that has caused the issues, which are still relatively small at this point for Anderson.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Montrell

It's definitely not declining to the extent of Mount Washington. It's actually the spillover from Mount Washington that has caused the issues, which are still relatively small at this point for Anderson.

I am unfamiliar with Mount Washington, but was under the impression that it was a nice area. How is decline quantified in this case?

[n8buckeye08]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

I am unfamiliar with Mount Washington, but was under the impression that it was a nice area. How is decline quantified in this case?

Again, I think it's a generalization of the larger area based on the highly visible portion, but that it's a lower-rent part of town with lower-rent folks in it.

That said, from talking with my in-laws who've lived in the area for a long time, the Section 8 housing and other negative attributes of the area have been there for a while. So, my gut feeling is that Mt. Washington isn't so much declining as it's been perpetually not as nice as it should be for the last 30+ years.

From Skytop to the end of the main strip there on Beechmont, you have the Skytop center that is, intermittently vacant. Then, a bunch of Section 8 and/or older apartments, then the main strip is basically fast food, Krogers, couple of banks, and a few smaller stores that you wouldn't grab your eye unless you were looking for them.

Without any experience or research on the matter, it would seem like Mt. Washington would be at a disadantage in that it's basically a suburb with city taxes and schools. I'm not knocking city schools, but typically, suburbs along the outerbelt thrive or die based on their schools. I'm not a fan of Anderson Twp's architecture, Beechmont's a mess, the options for shopping and dining are pretty cookie-cutter, but the area has retained its value well by having a great school district.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by n8buckeye08

Again....

Thanks so much for the answer!