(2012) Family of 3; looking for good areas to live

[benji55545]

I grew up in Kettering and was chuckling at the posts saying to avoid the east part of town. The majority of the nicer homes are on the west side, but there's nothing wrong over there. Same school district. Very little difference in crime between the two. Houses are in general a little smaller and closer together. You have the advantage of being close to the rec center, pool, and Indian Riffle park, which is amazing. The Greene is also over there if you need a shopping fix. The movie theater is very nice but has inflated prices.

Oakwood is doing fine. Great place but in my opinion not worth the inflated property values. Washington Township is a nice area. I've always considered it a part of Centerville, but I guess it's technically the other way around. The Washington Township and Centerville public libraries are amazing. I like downtown Miamisburg's collection of old buildings and small businesses. I can't really comment on the other areas you mentioned.

A previous poster suggested Huber Heights. Not a terrible area but I would avoid it. Brand new schools are a plus but they've got the same teachers and student body. Some schools are being combined, including the middle schools. I have a family member who works in the district and she is very worried about the transition.

[Dayton Sux]

Kettering is so big that it has a diversity of housing stock, built over a range of time and for different markets. Some of the place is older (WII and ealier) and some of the early postwar stuff are small crackerboxes built for factory workers. These are the areas that may become questionable as the regional economy continues to stagnate/decline.

That being said Kettering still is a good value, particularly for starter homes. And much of the suburb is a good location. Though "West of Far Hills" is the elite area, the Wilmington Pike corridor (east side of Kettering) is actually more convenient to I-675, with the new and better shopping.

[nickolaseposter]

I think the best options for an you are Oakwood, Tipp City, Centerville, Germantown, Springboro, or Vandalia. I would suggest looking in the nicer parts of Dayton city proper also.