Which side of Greater Cincy, Ohio or Kentucky? (Cincinnati, Beavercreek: apartment, house)

[EclecticEars]

I'll elaborate more on my thoughts later, I'm off of a hard day at work, don't feel like elaborating and I don't have internet in my apartment yet (lol).

Anyway, I just moved to Northern KY. Nice area with some decent communities, but I regret not giving the Ohio side of the river more consideration. As a young professional, the educational opportunities across the river are much better and more closely accessible (i.e.: Miami, UC, Xavier.)

Many of its suburbs, i.e.: Milford, Mason, Madeira, Loveland, Mariemont, have some wonderful and distinct small-town character. Covington and Newport have some charming character, sure, but there are a lot of "undesirables" in those towns.

Not to mention, I work in a position with a great deal of one-on-one public interaction with Ohioans and Kentuckians. Call me crazy, but the Kentuckians seem grouchier, more surly and just less cooperative (in general) than the Ohioans. (There are great and not great people everywhere, but just as a general rule of thumb.) Additionally, the friendliest people (and best times) I've had so far have been with the Ohioans.

So, I did elaborate a little bit (lol). Anyway, just wanted to get it off my chest, so to speak. I'm 23, single, male, and am just a friendly and laid-back type of guy who is up for anything from opera to hiking to jazz to southern music.

Which do you prefer, the Cincy or No. KY side of the river? Are there any parts of my observations that you agree or disagree with?

Thanks!

[Daytonnatian]

Well, gee, I'd always vouch for the Ohio side of the river, but Covington and Newport have really blossomed in recent years into quite nice cities. However, I will admit I know little about the actual citizens in these cities besides some generic statistics any idiot could pull off of this site or others in a google/yahoo/ bing(which is godawful, IMO) search. Nice to hear a local's opinion about those on each side of the river from a local who frequents each side of the river!!!!!

[EclecticEars]

Hey, I won't dispute that Covington and Newport have blossomed more in the last ten years. However much of that is due to federal and state renaissance funding in the immediate downtown areas.

Newport has cleaned up its act MUCH more than Covington, but some disgusting areas linger along the Licking River on the southside. Covington...well, yeah, the skyline in its downtown looks nice, and Licking Riverside and West Covington are great neighborhoods, but practically all of Covington west of Greenup St. and south of 4th St. (most of the city, in other words) has incredibly charming architecture with not-so-charming residents...to put it nicely.

Bellevue, Fort Thomas and Ludlow are decent, charming, old river towns. I especially like Fort Thomas, it has a great public school system and is incredibly quaint; but even that's not as nice as Milford, Madeira, or Mariemont, for example. Oh, not to mention, Columbia-Tusculum, Hyde Park, Mt. Adams, Mt. Lookout, parts of Norwood, and Sycamore Township are other beautiful old areas that the Kentucky side just really can't match.

Oh, and you Ohioans have Oxford, quite possibly the coolest small college town in the east (other than Charlottesville, VA and Oxford, MS.) I love that place!

[Ohiogirl81]

When I was house hunting, I looked at a few homes in Newport and Covington. Even though there are some beautiful homes and communities in Kentucky, I chose Ohio because there was more house for the money.

Also, I couldn't picture myself writing "Kentucky" on my return address.

Lots of friends "over there," though, and found myself crossing the river at least twice a day. If I were to move back to the area and were to consider living in Kentucky, I'd probably look in Newport, Bellevue, Park Hills, Southgate, places like that.

[PhillytoCincy]

I will not bring Kentucky down at all, but Covington and Newports' success is in large part to Cincinnati. If Cincinnati wasn't around, you would not have the cultural attractions like you do in the two "suburbs." They probaly would be two sleepy river towns.

Like you mentioned, most of the cultural ammenties are on the Ohio side of the border. Downtown Cincinnati is currently going through a building boom, the suburbs of Northern Cincinnati are booming, Cincinnati, OHIO is home to some of the best universities in the country (University of Cincinnati and Xavier). Cincinnati is home to an extremely diverse economy. Plenty of different oppurtunities for success.

Once you pass Covington and Newport, there really isn't much going on in NKY. Heck, if it wasn't for Cincinnati, the International Airport wouldn't even been in Kentucky. It still makes me wonder why they built the airport there, when the majority of the in-bound flights are coming to the state of Ohio.

The Ohio suburbs have a lot of rich history. You can find the older style suburbs, or the newer ones too that are rapidly growing. But you also have a bustling and beautiful downtown to consider living in, or one of Cincy's beautiful city neighborhoods.

Kentucky is nice, but I think the Ohio side has a lot more going on (large part due to much more people), but it also is more attractive, and has a brighter and much more diverse future.

[Cincy-Rise]

What do you mean by "undesirables?"

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

I
So, I did elaborate a little bit (lol). Anyway, just wanted to get it off my chest, so to speak. I'm 23, single, male, and am just a friendly and laid-back type of guy who is up for anything from opera to hiking to jazz to southern music.

Which do you prefer, the Cincy or No. KY side of the river? Are there any parts of my observations that you agree or disagree with?

Thanks!

Unless they have closed all of the bridges, there is nothing to keep a KY resident from crossing the river.

There are a lot of considerations - neighborhoods, taxes, proximity to your work - among other things.

[maestro]

outside of a few areas never the riverfront in Covington and Newport, I think most of Northern Kentucky is fairly basic (boring?) suburbia. For a 23-year old you should be in on the Ohio side -- Mt. Lookout, Mt. Adams, Hyde Park, downtown Cincy, etc.

[GearHeadDave]

Originally Posted by EclecticEars

Not to mention, I work in a position with a great deal of one-on-one public interaction with Ohioans and Kentuckians. Call me crazy, but the Kentuckians seem grouchier, more surly and just less cooperative (in general) than the Ohioans. (There are great and not great people everywhere, but just as a general rule of thumb.) Additionally, the friendliest people (and best times) I've had so far have been with the Ohioans.

Which do you prefer, the Cincy or No. KY side of the river? Are there any parts of my observations that you agree or disagree with?

Thanks!

There may be something to that... but it sounds like you are basing your assessment on comparing Covington and Newport to Ohio. If that's the comparison, I'm not surprised you are seeing that.

I really like Kentucky, but only when you get down to areas like Georgetown and Lexington. There I would say you start to encounter people that in general are friendlier than Ohioans. More of a Southern openness. Northern KY doesn't do much for me either.

[InLondon]

Originally Posted by Beavercreek33

Once you pass Covington and Newport, there really isn't much going on in NKY. Heck, if it wasn't for Cincinnati, the International Airport wouldn't even been in Kentucky. It still makes me wonder why they built the airport there, when the majority of the in-bound flights are coming to the state of Ohio.

Oh? Then what is the big housing boom that's been going on for several years now in Boone County?? Boone County, KY is having more growth than any Cincinnati suburbs.