Moving Back to Dayton (Warren, Beavercreek: felony, townhomes, neighborhoods)

[Skierflyer]

Hello all,

I've spent a majority of the day going through these forums. I grew up in Centerville and am looking to move back to the Dayton area. I'm amazed at how things change and how it seems things have also remained the same. I've lived all over this country and it's amazing how I now want to come "home."

We're trying to decide where to live and honestly Oakwood is really standing out to me. I'm going to be joining the Ohio National Guard and the commute seems reasonable. For anyone that lives in this area- is this area still thriving and is the area around UD still thriving- ie. Brown Street. What about the Oregon District- is it still a good, safe place to go for a night out??

We also considered living in Beavercreek- but honestly there is something about the historical charm in Oakwood. For anyone who does live in Beavercreek- do you like it- are things walkable or are you more constrained to your car? Where would you recommend living in order to have more of an urban, walkable feel to it?

I can't wait to go back to some of my favorite haunts- Marions, Milanos, Skyline chili- yum!!

I appreciate any information!!

[wrightflyer]

Go with what you want, and that sounds like it would be Oakwood. For walkable, stay around the Shops at Oakwood which is the strip on the southern side of Far Hills. This is where DLM is located. I always found that area easy to walk.

As far as Beavercreek, I am in a location that allows me to walk to certain locales, but since Beavercreek is so spread out (something like 27sq mi), a car is a necessity. Biking is an option as well, but paths are still being put in place, some of which use neighborhood side streets to shuttle cyclists through town. That and there is still no reliable RTA/bus service (for now/I don't count Greene CATS).

[bam989863]

The are around UD is doing really well they have redone quite a few of the neighborhoods and there are a lot of shops and restaurants. Oakwood is still a very nice area as is Patterson Park in Dayton both are similar minus the schools. Most kids in Patterson Park go to Holy Angels as opposed to Dayton Public. I just moved back to Ohio from Texas and it feels great being back. Dayton still has some of the best pizza to be found on this continent.

[Dayton Sux]

The Oregon is in transition right now, since one of the anchor restaurants just closed due to financial problems, and another might be (the owner was just convicted of felony charges, but the place is being operated by recievers).

From what I can tell the district is still safe, though a younger crowd than I am. The Dublin Pub is pretty reliable for pub food...the do do a good job with UK/Irish style grub.... and if you like that irish/celitc music (I do) they have that on occasion.

The new places are Lucky (sort of a gastro-pub but not really focusing on food as much as beer) and another new place whos name escapes me, in the old Blue Moon location. These are closer to the Wayne Ave. side of the district.

On Wayne, just around the corner from 5th, Press is a relatively new coffeehouse and has garnerd national attention (being on a "10 best" zagat list)....they do make good coffee (as in latte, cappucino, etc), very proffessional operation but the crowd is a bit too hipster for me (I just go there for coffee and a pit-stop, used to meet a freind there). One of the owners is a graphic artist and print maker (I bought some of her work before she & her husband opened the shop), so they operate the place as an art gallery as well as coffee shop.

A new micorobrewrey is supposed to open on the north side of 5th in one of the old porno places, but they are delayed due to issues with the building inspectors...

For music, I usually go to the old reliable Trolly Stop, and sometimes Blind Bobs (the old Night Owl)(not really my scene), and sometimes Tumbleweed, which is starting to seem like a more fun place than I used to think.

There is an opinion that The Oregon is getting tired and the hot new location for going out is The Greene, the new shopping center @ I-675 and Indian Ripple (AKA Dorothy Lane), which is made to look like a small town buisness district. It has it's detractors but I am not one, as the developer did a great job here and it really is very nice. Good selections of eating & drinking places. Adobe Gilas is the most popular Greene location.

@@@@

Brown Street is being rebuilt as we speak. The city is rebuilding the street to make it more pedestrian-friendly.

There is a collection of newer things on Brown north of Stewart, new buildings and retail spaces with a number of chains....one of these, Panera Bread, has a nice spot though. Slightly off Brown is Deweys Pizza which is a great example of infill architecture with "ok" pizza. One of the best examples of how to do this in Dayton. Further north on Brown the old Walnut Hills Tavern/Jimmys Cornerstone (corner bar at Brown & Wyoming) has been torn down due to Miami Valley Hospital expansion, but the venue has been reborn as Jimmys Ladder 11, in a restored old firehouse kittycorner across the street. This place is neat! Stage, large interior, side-patio. Pretty popular new spot.

Further south on Brown, vicinity of Milanos, that area is pretty much the same as it ever was.


And yes, Oakwood continues to be a popular place to live, holding value, and the business district on Far Hills closer to Dorothy Lane continues to thrive.

[Ohiogirl81]

Last time I was in Dayton I barely recognized Brown Street -- you know that weird feeling you get when you know where you are, but if the street signs weren't the same, you'd swear you were lost? There's a lot going on there these days; it's good to see the business district growing. I was meeting a friend at Milano's and she neglected to tell me that it had moved down the block. Classy place now -- carpeting, TVs, tables and chairs, wait staff ... the whole nine yards. That kinda added to the sense of awe-inspired disconnect. LOL

[TomJones123]

University of Dayton has done an excellent job filing the void left in that part of town caused by NCR's departure. Hopefully, some of the retail vacancies along Brown Street will soon fill. It's much improved but still not what it could be.

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Last time I was in Dayton I barely recognized Brown Street -- you know that weird feeling you get when you know where you are, but if the street signs weren't the same, you'd swear you were lost? There's a lot going on there these days; it's good to see the business district growing. I was meeting a friend at Milano's and she neglected to tell me that it had moved down the block. Classy place now -- carpeting, TVs, tables and chairs, wait staff ... the whole nine yards. That kinda added to the sense of awe-inspired disconnect. LOL

HA! This reminds me of seeing a 1971 aerial photo of Beavercreek's northeast quadrant. Boy, did it look bare. Just forest and farms. Some of the neighborhoods were starting up, but far from its build out to today.

As a frequent user of Brown Street (and a UD student), I have heard plenty of "horror"/nostalgia stories from alumni. I believe that with the development of the student "townhomes" on the old Frank Z dealership as well as GE's Research Facility on the west side of campus (corner of Stewart and Patterson), the place will begin to fill back in with retail and restaurants. MVH's expansions don't hurt either.

One thing I would like to see is Marriott update their property. Might happen since GE is going in, but they could just as well sell the place too.

[wrightflyer]

One move that is worth noting is Coco's Bistro. They are moving to Warren just south of US-35 across from the old Benham's(?) restaurant and catering. They are renovating a building that has been vacant for quite some time. Interesting to note in the aspect that this restaurant is moving from the Oregon District towards the Brown Street corridor (Warren turns into Brown at MVH).

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by wrightflyer

HA! This reminds me of seeing a 1971 aerial photo of Beavercreek's northeast quadrant. Boy, did it look bare. Just forest and farms.

Yep. Downtown Beavercreek was a carry-out, the Beavercreek News, and a gas station. The idea of Beavercreek being a reasonably well-off suburb is as jarring to me as Milano's dining room, LOL.

As a frequent user of Brown Street (and a UD student), I have heard plenty of "horror"/nostalgia stories from alumni.

If they didn't sell it at the University Drug Store, you didn't need it ... and then the drug store closed. *sigh* I started at UD just as NCR -- and every other manufacturing plant in town -- started to wind down, some more rapidly than others. Stewart Street once was lined with NCR's yellow-brick factories, and their demise probably contributed to the empty storefronts. There was very little on Brown Street except a few bars, a sub shop or two, Red Barn and Frisch's, 7-11 (now UDF), a really filthy laundromat, Second Time Around, and a head shop. There were a handful of bars and a record store on Wayne Avenue we'd walk to as well. I used to visit friends at other schools and marvel in envy at their off-campus neighborhoods.

I believe that with the development of the student "townhomes" on the old Frank Z dealership as well as GE's Research Facility on the west side of campus (corner of Stewart and Patterson), the place will begin to fill back in with retail and restaurants. MVH's expansions don't hurt either.

UD was lucky to be able to purchase NCR's property, because it was even more hemmed in than the hospital is.