Looking for a diverse neighbourhood with good schools. (Cincinnati, Kent: fit in, mortgage)

[underwaterchico]

Hello everyone. I am currently in an interracial relationship and live in Northern Kentucky (Fort Wright) with my white girlfriend. We have decided to buy a home but we are not familiar with cincinnati or northern Kentucky to be honest with you. Could anyone please advise us on areas with good school districts that are more open minded. We were considering Forest Hills SD for a while but I read on these forums that we may not be "welcomed" with open arms.

She works in Cincinnati near UC and I work in Covington. Your advice would be greatly appreciated.

[yayoi]

I hear Finneytown and Lakota are pretty good and diverse.

[cincylifer]

Pleasant Ridge is a great neighborhood for interracial couples...I used to send my son to the summer camp there, and met a few mixed couples...HOWEVER you will not get a great neighborhood school, you will be in Cincinnati Public Schools, so you will have to try to get in one of the magnet programs...another However...CPS is building a new school in Pleasant Ridge and I am not sure of the type of program it will house so you probably should check into it..

[CincinnatiGirl]

Deer Park is also a good area. It is quite diverse and the school district isn't too bad either!!

http://www.deerparkcityschools.org/website/index2.asp?webpageid={C026FD8D-0D85-4C2A-9DC1-1F1039D3A5F7}

[plath]

Hi there,

I am weighing in as someone who totally needs and appreciates diversity; also my husband and I did our Masters work at UC. Honestly, I would stay away from Kentucky--based on what I've seen of that area (i.e. the area right across from OH) and know. But you know, Clifton (right by UC) isn't really that bad for diversity and overall quality of life/embracing "otherness." Have you thought about the area by campus?

Many good wishes and good luck to you both.
Sandy

[underwaterchico]

Thank you guys for your advice it has been very helpful so far. After doing my research I have found that areas like Wyoming, Madeira and Loveland have excellent schools. Does anyone have an opinion on these areas.

Sorry to be so picky but where I send my kids to school is very important to me.

[cincylifer]

Originally Posted by underwaterchico

Thank you guys for your advice it has been very helpful so far. After doing my research I have found that areas like Wyoming, Madeira and Loveland have excellent schools. Does anyone have an opinion on these areas.

Sorry to be so picky but where I send my kids to school is very important to me.

I have lived in cincy my whole life, Black female, 3 kids, graduated from a private school in Indian Hills... and I have worked in No. Ky for the last 15 years,so here is my take....

Wyoming is a great area, the schools are great, but the housing is VERY expensive by cincy standards

I personally would never move to Madeira, the schools are great, but housing is overpriced and small. I personally was stopped by cops there in highschool, as I had to cut thru Madeira to get to Indian Hills, and they wanted to know why I was there, this was about 20 yrs ago, needless to say , it left me very jaded about Madeira.

Loveland is a great area, with good schools, and reasonable housing, however, Loveland and Anderson, are NOT diverse..

I would suggest Sycamore Schools, which has several feeder neighborhoods...Montgomery, Blue Ash, parts of Kenwood and Symmes Townships..I live in Montgomery, which can be pricey, but with the housing mkt in the slumps, you can find great housing everywhere,its a buyers mkt...I too was looking for diversity, being Black, I was looking for a good school with some diversity. Sycamore is about 70 white/30 other(asian, indian, blk etc)

Sycamore is also ranked as one of the top districts in the area..check out this article.
http://www.wlwt.com/news/11407003/detail.html?subid=10100221 (broken link)

I am not a realtor, but you can check out sibcycline.com, because you can search for houses by school districts...

Lastly, having worked in No.KY for the last 15 years, I definitely wouldnt live there.

The Ohio Dept of Education's website http://dnet01.ode.state.oh.us/DistrictRatings/Districts.aspx (broken link) will also give the schools districts ratings, the it gives a breakdown of ethnicities in each school.
I hope this helps, please feel free to PM if you have more questions.

[Nur Jemal]

I live in Florence...we have a lot of diversity....and a *serious trump card over Ohio is the low low low Boone county KY taxes! In Ohio, esp areas like Finneytown, you will pay $250 a month on a mortgage for a 100,000 house! Only 700 and something will be your mortgage but 250 on top of that for taxes! NOT WORTH IT! Here in Boone county, KY it'll only be $80/month on a mortgage for the same price house! What do you get for those higher Ohio taxes? NOTHING! Especially in Finneytown, where I have friends....they report the taxes go up by 2% every year! Insanity!
I am muslim, I wear traditional dress, and thus far have fit in fine here in Florence. We have a good mix of all types of people....and here in Union, in the Ryle school district is top-notch. I highly recommend it. It's all new housing, and it's definitely got diversity.... we are actually 11% Japanese!

[Nur Jemal]

I'm sorry "plath", but what you've seen in Covington right across the river is not really representative of the Northern KY community as a whole. It is cheaper to live here bc of the previously articulated tax issue, it is also much much safer than Cincinnati. Even for people of color or minorities like myself, you can't go wrong really living here. All of the stereotypes of KY really don't apply esp here in Florence. We have many different types of people from all over the world because of the Toyota motor corporation's North America headquarters being here, the international airport is here, along with several other international companies. I live in a compound full of Germans and Japanese! Really, the only place I might advise staying away from could be Covington.

[Nur Jemal]

I stand corrected. Finneytown's property taxes for all of you not-so-lucky homeowners has been going up by 4 % a year, not 2% as I previously stated!