Some Numbers For People Moving To Dayton (Columbus, Oregon: condo, neighborhoods)

[Natural510]

Originally Posted by TomJones123

Personally, as someone who lived in Linden Heights just off of Xenia Ave and spent most of their short time in Dayton in Dayton proper, I think people have no idea what they are missing by not taking advantage of what's in Dayton. There is a lot there that most folks don't know about. Your initial post showed that right off the bat.

I agree...though I haven't made it down there much in the past couple years, the stretch from E. Fifth (Oregon District) down Wayne Ave to the UD area makes for a nice general area to live in. I think South Park Tavern and Tank's alone would keep me satisfied for a good six months without needing to find any other restaurants or bars in Dayton.

[CarpathianPeasant]

Originally Posted by Dayton Sux

The purpose of this board is to provide advice to people relocating to the Dayton metropolitan, and you have to tailor advice to what the relocatee is interested in.

The reason the south suburbs come up a lot is that the properties there hold their value, they are convenient, are in in good physcial condition, and have relatively good school systems.

I would venture to guess that 99.9% of the people posting inquiries would never think of asking which communities get their water from the aquifer. People ask about what they happen to think of or what someone has suggested.

Property values are relative to all sorts of things. The south suburbs are convenient to things in their area, and they are not the only place the housing stock is in good physical condition. While some may have relatively good school systems, ultimately education happens because of parental efforts and NO responsible college or university is going to turn down a student strictly on the basis of where he or she went to school.

The reason the south suburbs come up a lot is because people who live there post here.

Postscript: And, if I remember corrrectly, both Oakwood and Huber Heights did invest in wells, but neither place has them as deep as Dayton.

[TomJones123]

Originally Posted by Natural510

I think South Park Tavern and Tank's

Two of my favorite haunts. I also used to frequent Newcombs in the Oregon District because it was an 80s throwback bar.

However, next time you are in town check out the Century Bar on Jefferson Street in between 3rd and 4th streets.

Century Bar - Bars - Local - Dayton

It's an awesome place that I have closed on more than one occasion.

[bam989863]

I love Dayton, since moving from Houston, Texas to Columbus my wife, daughter, and I head down to Dayton a couple times a month. I think the people in Dayton are great. I love pulling up a chair at Kramer's, Clancy's, or Tank's to watch some sports and eat some good food with the locals. I still prefer Dayton Dragon games over Columbus Clipper games (or even Houston Astros' games for that matter). I love the random gatherings that happen around a backyard fire pit throughout East Dayton.

Growing up in East Dayton, I was a dreamer, I wanted a big house lots of money and to be famous. I thought people who stayed in Dayton were losers and not motivated. So my wife and I moved to Houston, Texas made a lot of money, lived in a 3500 square foot home in the burbs, and could afford anything we wanted. We then had a child and realized we were not where we wanted to be. Our daughter spent all day at Daycare while we worked, our suburban neighbors would get home park their car in the garage and you would not see them again until the morning when they pulled their car out of the garage, and all the restaurants and stores around us were chains that looked like every other generic store or restaurant. That is when we decided to move back to Ohio. My wife was fortunate to get a job as a professor at Ohio State and we came to the decision that I would stay at home with our daughter.

Now we make half as much money, live in a condo that is 1200 square feet, and have never been happier in our lives because we are back in Ohio and are enjoying many of the little things we always took for granted like the value system of mid-western people. I have lived all over and the people of Ohio are the best people and best neighbors I have come across. I love our neighborhood in Columbus where people are living in turn of the century homes and spend time outside gardening, playing catch, and taking walks as a family. I love the local establishments littered throughout Columbus, Cincinnati, and Dayton where you can find hard working, nose to the grindstone type of people enjoying a beer on any given evening. I also love going to Cincinnati and watching the amount of pride for the Cincinnati Reds and the thousands of locals who arrive 2 hours before the game to support the local establishments around the stadium. I love driving through the old neighborhoods in all of these cities and see how people have invested not just money but hours of sweat equity to take care of their home's which are truly cultural gems. Living in Houston was nothing but a huge money grab, filled with mcmansions and mercedes. People bought lots of material goods and subsequently threw a ton of stuff away to replace it with a newer shinier version of the same thing. It was a rat race. Many of the people on these threads complaining do not realize what they have. I didn't realize it either until I moved away.

I will concede that Dayton is struggling at the current time but the people are resilient and it will turn around in due time. Contrary to Dayton, I must say that Columbus and Cincinnati are doing great. If these cities, in such close proximity to Dayton are doing so well, Dayton will follow. While I will probably never be able to live in Dayton again because my wife is a professor at Ohio State, I will still take many visits and contribute to their economy. I love Ohio because of it's people. I didn't realize how much until I moved away. Be grateful, enjoy what Dayton, Cincinnati, and Columbus have to offer because they are truly unique.

[Dayton Sux]

I will concede that Dayton is struggling at the current time but the people are resilient and it will turn around in due time.

This is a metro area of around 800,000 people or so, so there is enough inherent momementum to keep the local economy afloat to some degree, at a low rate of growth or at least treading water. The city of Dayton is pretty much dead meat (excepting a few neighborhoods), but the region as a whole will continue to survive, economically speaking.

Many of the people on these threads complaining do not realize what they have.

The Dayton region is pretty good, actually, if you have a job and prefer a more suburban/small town lifesytle, or enjoy doing light outdoor rec, like cycling, hiking, and paddling (canoe or kayak), and perhaps fishing.

It has a slower, laid-back pace and is (mostly) unpretentious, and fairly low-cost.


If one prefers a more urban/bohemian/"creative class" environment or lifestyle, this area is lacking (though one can get ones' "fix" of this kind of scene in Cincy or Columbus).

Also, the job market here is pretty weak, so that is a negative if one is unemployed or coming here without work.

[Rebek56]

[quote=bam989863;26660255]
Now we make half as much money, live in a condo that is 1200 square feet, and have never been happier in our lives because we are back in Ohio and are enjoying many of the little things we always took for granted like the value system of mid-western people. I have lived all over and the people of Ohio are the best people and best neighbors I have come across. I love our neighborhood in Columbus where people are living in turn of the century homes and spend time outside gardening, playing catch, and taking walks as a family.

bam, where are you in Columbus? My spouse and I are getting ready for retirement in a few years and are considering heading to one of Ohio's cities for the amenities. We would love an affordable condo in a neighborhood of older homes, but such places aren't always easy to find.

[bam989863]

rebek,

We live just outside of Grandview Heights. It is nice because we are minutes from all the shops and restaurants in Grandview but we are technically located in Columbus proper. It is a good Condo complex with great neighbors. There are plenty of condos in Columbus that would fit your interests as Columbus has a lot of great urban neighborhoods.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Ohioan58

I grew up in a single generation GM family in Dayton. My father started with GM a few years after WWII and retired from GM in 1981. About 1/3 of the families in my neighborhood worked at GM.

Besides that, my dad's generation had a strong anti-Japanese bias. A friend from the neighborhood bought a Toyota and his father sneered at the "j.a.p. rice burner." I think that bias was drying up in the Dayton area by the late 1980s but it stuck around a looong time (when I moved out of Dayton to California for my first job, I was amazed at how *few* domestic cars were on the road there.)

You are correct about the anti-Japanese bias.

I actually bought a Chevrolet Chevette (made in Wilmington, DE). I asked a couple of guys at a bar in Cincinnati if I could get a jump start ... They took one look at the car and THOUGHT it was a Toyota and I thought they were going to swing at me. I had to point out the logo.

[Ohioan58]

Originally Posted by jlawrence01

You are correct about the anti-Japanese bias.

I actually bought a Chevrolet Chevette (made in Wilmington, DE). I asked a couple of guys at a bar in Cincinnati if I could get a jump start ... They took one look at the car and THOUGHT it was a Toyota and I thought they were going to swing at me. I had to point out the logo.

Thanks for that anecdote. A guy I worked with in Dayton had one of the first Honda Preludes (this was 1978, I think), and he had it parked on the street in Kettering. One morning he found it keyed.

I remember very well the nasty, unthinking, redneck racism and xenophobia that was so very common around Dayton when I was a kid growing up in the 70s. Today I wince at the anger being generated by partisan politics in this current election cycle. You reminded me of a time when there was the same level of anger - it was just directed at completely different targets.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by Ohioan58

Thanks for that anecdote. A guy I worked with in Dayton had one of the first Honda Preludes (this was 1978, I think), and he had it parked on the street in Kettering. One morning he found it keyed.

I remember very well the nasty, unthinking, redneck racism and xenophobia that was so very common around Dayton when I was a kid growing up in the 70s. Today I wince at the anger being generated by partisan politics in this current election cycle. You reminded me of a time when there was the same level of anger - it was just directed at completely different targets.

I drove a Toyota Corona in Dayton in 1981. Since my parents could only afford really OLD BEATERS, they always had the dimmer switch on the floor activated by the feet. I was pulled over 2x in one night as I could not figure how to turn off the brights. Fortunately the police officer was kind and showed me how.

As for Dayton. I lived there for five years. It was simply the most pessimistic place that I ever lived. I almost felt that if i stayed, I would adopt that attitude.

It was also very rough in the areas I frequented. It was a fact I did not like bit prepared me well for my jobs working in the projects in Detroit and St. Louis.