Moving from Philly to Cincy (Cincinnati, Kent: sale, real estate, apartments)

[PhillyK]

My husband and I might be moving to Cincinnati sometime later this year. We have been living in downtown Philly for the past 4 years and want to find a neighborhood that has at least some of the things we love about living in center city Philadelphia.....older homes with small(if not non-existent) yards; parks, playgrounds, stores, entertainment...all within walking distance; a diverse community; minimal commuting. Of course, downtown Philly has it downsides....ridiculously expensive real estate, a relative dearth of decent public schools, high priced private schools, and of course the crime. But overall we love it and would miss our urban life here. Given all that...what neighborhoods should we check out.....can we replicate at least some of our almost car-free existence in Cincinnati?

[maestro]

It's funny, I've met so many people from the Philly area since I moved out to Ohio 9 years ago (I'm from NYC originally).

Anyway, I've been to Center City in Philly and I lived in Cincinnati for several years, so here's my "expert" opinion:

I would say that the first thing you'll have to get used to that Cincinnati doesn't have the same downtown bohemian areas, and you are going to need a car. That's just the way most of Midwestern cities are (except for Chicago). Most of downtown Cincy is not residential, it's mostly businesses and the sidewalks roll up at 5pm.

With that said, there are some really cool city neighborhoods just a few miles from downtown:

1. Mt. Adams -- It's up on a hill, many of the houses/apartments overlook the city, and there is a very active bar and restaurant scene. Located just east of downtown. Pretty pricy. Most of the crowd is 22-30yrs old.
2. Hyde Park -- MY FAVORITE. Maybe 4 miles northeast of downtown, this is just as pricy if not more pricy than Mt. Adams. However, it's got a great little downtown area, several bars and restaurants. The crowd in Hyde Park, and its neighbor Mt. Lookout, can be just as young (22-30) as Mt. Adams but it has a more suburban feel -- you'll see moms pushing baby strollers and stuff. Still, it's not suburban in a "cookie cutter homes" sense.
3. Clifton -- this is the neighborhood of the University of Cincinnati. This is probably the closest to the urban feel you'd get in Center City. Located a few miles north of downtown. Plenty of bars, but it's very college student or grad student driven.

I didn't spend a ton of time in Covington or Newport (just over the Ohio River in Kentucky), but there are a few cool streets over there that may warrant a trip.

Hope this helps.

[XdesIDtrans]

Wow, Philly to here huh...

I've been to Philadelphia to visit one of my friends at UPenn and fell in love with it...If I can think of any areas of Cincinnati that could replicate what I saw in Philadelphia I'd say

Mt. Lookout - Older than Hyde Park, but a lot like it, pricy, but great views and generally a classy population

Hyde Park - The most expensive urban neighborhood along with East Walnut Hills just to the west (only Indian Hill is more expensive in Southwest Ohio) but has a big price range...classy, old homes, big old trees, sidewalks, a very nice square, apartments, old churches, polite

Mt Adams - Young crowd, best night life in Cincy for young professional crowd, stunning views, pricey

East Walnut Hills - like Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout but even closer to the city...very old, expensive but like Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout there is a big price range. A bit less community like than the other areas.

Clifton - Old Clifton near Ludlow is right above the University of Cincinnati...great atmosphere, beautiful old housing, younger crowd...


Clifton and Hyde Park are the best of the areas I've suggested to live without a car as almost anything you would need is within a 10 minute walk.


Check out these and other areas yourself though here:

http://www.pbase.com/cincyimages/cincinnati

it is the best site I've found that documents the neighborhoods

[XdesIDtrans]

Just a side note, if Over-the-Rhine ever cleaned up (it's the city's toughest ghetto right now) it would probably be the most like Philadelphia (at least near UPenn). It's a shame but OTR does seem to be making a rapid revival recently, sale prices in the area have doubled.

[cincylifer]

I would agree with prior posters...Hyde park, or Mt Lookout, is probably the area for you

[lydunn]

Do you ever miss NYC. I know it had to be a change coming to cincinnati

Originally Posted by maestro

It's funny, I've met so many people from the Philly area since I moved out to Ohio 9 years ago (I'm from NYC originally).

Anyway, I've been to Center City in Philly and I lived in Cincinnati for several years, so here's my "expert" opinion:

I would say that the first thing you'll have to get used to that Cincinnati doesn't have the same downtown bohemian areas, and you are going to need a car. That's just the way most of Midwestern cities are (except for Chicago). Most of downtown Cincy is not residential, it's mostly businesses and the sidewalks roll up at 5pm.

With that said, there are some really cool city neighborhoods just a few miles from downtown:

1. Mt. Adams -- It's up on a hill, many of the houses/apartments overlook the city, and there is a very active bar and restaurant scene. Located just east of downtown. Pretty pricy. Most of the crowd is 22-30yrs old.
2. Hyde Park -- MY FAVORITE. Maybe 4 miles northeast of downtown, this is just as pricy if not more pricy than Mt. Adams. However, it's got a great little downtown area, several bars and restaurants. The crowd in Hyde Park, and its neighbor Mt. Lookout, can be just as young (22-30) as Mt. Adams but it has a more suburban feel -- you'll see moms pushing baby strollers and stuff. Still, it's not suburban in a "cookie cutter homes" sense.
3. Clifton -- this is the neighborhood of the University of Cincinnati. This is probably the closest to the urban feel you'd get in Center City. Located a few miles north of downtown. Plenty of bars, but it's very college student or grad student driven.

I didn't spend a ton of time in Covington or Newport (just over the Ohio River in Kentucky), but there are a few cool streets over there that may warrant a trip.

Hope this helps.

[Bigbluelandrover]

Hyde Park...and there are a few streets in Oakley (right next to Hyde Park) and cheaper....

Here is one many people forget ....EDEN PARK....


Mt Lookout

There are a few streets in OTR..right off Sycamore that have really nice Townhouses for great prices, a city view and right on the busline. I am sure the police patrol heavily. Some of the places are under $175k.. and young execs live there. There are some new developments downtown..don't rule them out...most of the people on here only go downtown for a Reds game..They couldn't tell Pendleton from Over the rhine from Mt Auburn.