Moving to the Kettering area this summer or Another Post About the Dayton 'Burbs (Fairfield: apartment complexes, rentals)

[WhitCris2]

Hi everybody! My husband and I are moving to the Dayton area this summer. We're young-ish (hit the wrong side of 25 this year) and love cooking, EATING, beer, and hiking with our dog. We've been looking at Beavercreek, Bellbrook, and Centerville most specifically.

Here's a little bit more:

-Where you are working? Kettering Medical Center

-How much you are willing to spend on housing? Would love to keep it around $900 a month for rent for a 2 bedroom

-How long of a commute you're willing to tolerate? 20 minutes max

-If you have kids: Private school or public school? No kids

-What type of neighborhood environment you are looking for: small town feeling? small city excitement? suburbia delight? A mix between suburbia and small city...something with a small downtown would be good, but we definitely aren't the partying/clubbing type. More the eating/drinking/cooking type. Somewhere with a few good local eateries would be good.

-Community amenities important to you? Dog friendly, grocery stores nearby, safety, would love it if the location was somewhat walkable. As long as it's not the boring, sprawling, busted up strip mall and diner hell that was small town Long Island, NY

-Pie or cake? BOTH

Thank you for your help!

[SWOH]

Kettering, just northeast of Kettering hospital ironically, is probably the best possible fit. Take advantage of Oakwood's smaller town feel and Kettering's amenities. And the whole area is fairly walkable, especially if you live within walking distance of Kettering hospital + Dorothy Lane Market (Dayton's nicest grocery store).

Here's the only rental listing in the general area I was describing:
233 S Pelham Dr, Dayton, OH 45429 is For Rent - Zillow
... and its walkscore: 3500 Lenox Dr, Kettering OH - Walk Score

This was the actual neighborhood, if there was a rental, I was thinking you would like
3056 Hillside Ave, Kettering, OH 45429 - Zillow

Also, there are a lot of apartments behind Fraze Pavillion that would fit your requirements well. Not walking distance to Kettering, but they are within reasonable distance of the shops in southern Oakwood as well as Town and Country shopping center.

Other good matches would include Patterson Park (city of Dayton), Oakwood itself, South Park (possibly, might be too urban for your tastes), West Carrollton, and Belmont (city of Dayton).


Good luck!

[joe from dayton]

I also like the downtown feel of old Miamisburg.

[Natural510]

I second Kettering itself; Dorothy Lane Market, Trader Joe's, near The Greene, halfway between Dayton itself and the more southern suburbs (Miamisberg/Centerville). They'd also have quite a few of those large apartment complexes which are dog-friendly (with a significant deposit, of course). And just your luck, we've had nearly a dozen breweries open within the past two years in the greater Dayton area.

[teacherdad]

The Kettering Rec Center is also available. We lived in Centerville, but used to head there. Ice skating, outdoor pool, etc.

[wrightflyer]

More Kettering. Cannot go wrong in your case. As opposed to giving you more of the same, I'll give you reasons to scratch off the three places you mentioned. Nothing wrong with the three. They are great, but probably don't have everything you are looking for compared to the areas of Kettering mentioned thus far.

The problem with Beavercreek is there is little to walk too. Unless you live around the immediate Fairfield Mall, it is hard to walk anywhere. Lot's of apartments, but many have higher rents because of location to the base and Wright State (most are grad students with some undergrads). There is also no "true" downtown outside the artificial Greene Town Center. The Greene, as it is known locally, is sort of an island except for from a few complexes and neighborhoods on the far eastern edge of Kettering. Most of Beavercreek cannot just walk to The Greene (may biggest pet peeve).

The problem with Bellbrook is similar outside the immediate downtown, which isn't big to begin with. Because of Bellbrook's size, rentals are few and far between. There are also only two or three true apartment complexes, neither within walking distance to the downtown part of Bellbrook. Rent will also be high because of demand (good schools) and limited supply.

Centerville would probably be the best alternative to Kettering (at least the parts of Kettering close to and surrounding downtown Oakwood). While Centerville has a quaint and active downtown, much of the area, and its apartments and rentals, are not right there or are not walkable from point A to point B. Lot's of rentals though across numerous price ranges, so you will probably find something, but whether it is walkable to much other than a nearby strip mall is another question.

Keep in mind when apartment hunting, some of the multi-unit buildings along and around Shroyer can be a little run down. Others can be really nice. So make sure to look before you leap and sign that lease. Parts of Kettering also extend two blocks north of Dorthy Lane, so that may be a great area if you can find anything. Also, if you do find something in Oakwood city limits that you like, feel free to jump on it but be aware that income taxes between Oakwood and Kettering will be high.

[Dayton Sux]

A mix between suburbia and small city...something with a small downtown would be good, but we definitely aren't the partying/clubbing type. More the eating/drinking/cooking type. Somewhere with a few good local eateries would be good.

Community amenities important to you? Dog friendly, grocery stores nearby, safety, would love it if the location was somewhat walkable. As long as it's not the boring, sprawling, busted up strip mall and diner hell that was small town Long Island, NY

Dayton has quite a few suburbs that grew up around small towns or country villages, which have a little main street or commercial corner. Two that are nice are Centerville and Bellbrook. Also Miamisburg. All these places are quite walkable and bikeable.


You will find generic strip mall sprawl land in the area but it doesnt go on and on and on....so things are somewhat more humane here than you'd might find elsewhere. It's suburbia but somewhat planned and tidied-up suburbia. From what I've seen in other parts of the US Dayton really does have some of the more pleasant & humane suburban environments, even for srpawly postwar suburbia.

Dayton is not really a foody place for eating out, but it rocks if you both like to cook and are looking for good sources for ingredients. Plenty of good places to shop. Even the chains have good selections (the higher end Kroger on the south side Centerville and the Meijer in Kettering have good produce, and the Kroger has a cheese/olives/antipasto section to die for).

Also keep and eye out for farmers markets and food stands on the country roads around town. Fresh ingredients during the growing season are very close at hand!

Centerville and Miamisburg also have some ok restaurants in their old parts of town...and "The Burg" (what we sometimes call Miamisburg) has a new microbrerw, if you are into craft beer (the craft beer scene here has exploded

Kettering is menioned. Eh.

It's really just big carpet of (mostly) postwar suburbia interspersed with little shopping centers and such. Despite that there is quite a bit of diversity in all that (the housing ranges in size from crackerbox to mansions, from pre WWII bungalows and foursquares to very new construction) and it is actually somewhat walkable/bikeable (belive it or not)...the sububurb has been making a big effort to put in bikeways and enhanced sidewalks and such. Sort of trying to retrofit suburbia for pedestrians.

Groceries arent really walkable unless you live close by a supermarket.

If you lived in the Kettering Village part of Kettering (Stroop and Shroyer) you would have a Trader Joes and Krogers in walking distance. If you lived in Oakwood you'd have Dorothy Lane Market (a local high-end supermarket chain). Most people will drive to go grocery shopping, and the shopping isn't too far to drive to, if that makes sense. Your best bet for this type of short shopping trip environment would be Kettering and Centerville and perhaps Bellbrook.

Dont know much about dogs. I know they have to be on a leash while in a park but that isnt enforced too tight (at least not in some of the parks Ive been to).

So sure, if you are looking for more the small town suburbia plenty of that here!

[WhitCris2]

Thank you so much, everyone! Definitely into craft beer and fresh ingredients. Awesome! Will look into the areas mentioned. Is Kettering relatively safe? Any areas that should be avoided as a female relatively small in stature?

[AndyMac1407]

Originally Posted by WhitCris2

Thank you so much, everyone! Definitely into craft beer and fresh ingredients. Awesome! Will look into the areas mentioned. Is Kettering relatively safe? Any areas that should be avoided as a female relatively small in stature?

Crime in Kettering is pretty typical of any suburb USA. No need to fear walking through a neighborhood late at night.

If you are looking in Kettering, I would stay in West Kettering. You will need to drive through and look for apartments with, for rent signs, most are older and won't be listed online, Far Hills / Dorothy Lane area. If you live in that area you will be to walk to Dorothy Lane Market, the shops and restaurants in Oakwood, and the Dayton Beer Company. There are also several apartment buildings in Oakwood behind DLM.

If you wanted to walk to work, but drive everywhere else - There are lots of apartments off Dorothy Lane, between Southern and Southdale, near Southdale Elementary and Community golf course. Again, you would probably need to drive through to see what was available.

When I was looking for apartments 4 or 5 years ago I thought the apartments at the Fraze were overpriced for what they were, maybe they have updated them since then. You could get lucky and find a house to rent for $900 off Shroyer near Van Buren or Fairmont.

Miamisburg can be hit or miss. But, it does have a good downtown with a wine bar, craft brewery and some good restaurants. Not sure how many rentals are available in that area. Word of caution if searching online. There are a ton of apartments listed with Miamisburg addresses, most are close to the Dayton mall, no where near downtown Miamisburg and definitely not walkable.

Centerville also has some apartments behind Bills Donuts off 48. You would be within walking distance to Bills Donuts, Marians pizza, downtown Centerville, City BBQ, Graeters Ice Cream, Sweeney's Seafood, Panera, and some small shops.

[weatherphotographer]

Originally Posted by joe from dayton

I also like the downtown feel of old Miamisburg.

It has the rep of being "white trash", but that stretch by Bullwinkles isnt that bad really.