Looking into moving to Troy- which neighborhoods? (Cleveland, Dayton: for sale, apartments)

[purrfectplace]

Hello,
A little about us:
My family and I are thinking about moving closer to family in Troy. We are coming from a very nice neighborhood in NYC filled with quaint shops from all different nationalities. We will miss it however, our small boys need room to play and we need our families help more and more. Also it will be so much less than renting here! Our budget is under 125k. We would like to have a small mortgage to travel more. My husband works remotely.

What we are looking for:
We would like to keep our walk ability, have a nice sized yard, and kids in the neighborhood for our littles. After seeing homes I noticed that some of the downtown was a little bit hit or miss. Also how bad is the train tracks and sewer plant? We love homes with character, however not sure if the neighborhoods with those homes are all that great. Are we destined to a ranch in a suburban neighborhood!?

Also, if you think Tipp city is more of a fit for us please chime in.

Thank you kindly

[wrightflyer]

First, and you probably realize this but it bears repeating: Troy and the Dayton region (or pretty much most of Ohio with maybe some exceptions of Cleveland's metro) can't rival NYC's offerings in terms of shops, diversity, amenities, etc.

But of course, with those things comes a price, a really, really high price. And I understand why you want to move. Troy is a great little town, but it is not a NYC neighborhood. It is very much middle America main street, so fair warning.

As far as homes and locations, I haven't heard much complaining on CD here about train noise in Troy. It's something you'll get used to though. And coming from NYC, it fades pretty quickly into the background, as you probably already know.

If I recall, $125K max may stretch the budget, even in a place like Troy, especially within its historic downtown. You would be best to have a Realtor and check the home before hand. If you've done this, you're on the right track. As far as streets/neighborhoods, there are others on here better able to answer to specifics. I just wanted to give fair warning. Just in case.

If you mind my asking, why Troy in particular? If you can branch outside Troy (you mentioned you're spouse works remotely), perhaps Germantown in southwestern Montgomery County would be an option? Or Waynesville in northern portion of Warren County? Germantown has a better value based on house for the money, has just as good of schools, and has a quaint downtown, though not as developed as Troy's. Waynesville has a wonderful Main Street with antique shops and a good school district. It may be a little better too in regards to streets being better kept. And no trains. If you can find something in Tipp under $125K anywhere, take a good hard look, as that would probably be a place needing TLC.

[purrfectplace]

Thank you wrightflyer,
My husband's parents live in Sidney so we want to be closer to family. I know its not NYC but, as much as we do love it here...we really hate it at the same time. Trying to do what is best for our family, and the pros outweigh the cons.
I'd love to hear more about the neighborhoods from someone who lives in the area.

[wrightflyer]

Originally Posted by purrfectplace

Thank you wrightflyer,
My husband's parents live in Sidney so we want to be closer to family. I know its not NYC but, as much as we do love it here...we really hate it at the same time. Trying to do what is best for our family, and the pros outweigh the cons.
I'd love to hear more about the neighborhoods from someone who lives in the area.

OK. Just wanted to prepare you for potential culture shock, but since you have family out here, it won't be noticeable much. Hope you can find something! Welcome (and welcome back to your husband) to Troy and the Dayton area.

[curzon_dax]

Tipp City is typically considered "nicer" but it is also smaller and less diverse. If your $125k limit is a hard limit, you may want to stick to Troy. Don't forget to factor in property taxes. Personally I know I could be comfortable in around 1500sqft and you can definitely do that in Troy on your budget. One of those trains isn't active anymore and the other one isn't too bad if you are at least a block or two away from it. The slice of town I recommend looking into would be bounded by Main St to the N, Crawford to the E, Racer to the S, and Market to the W. Be careful about the back pocket of the bit of neighborhood in the SE where Race street dumps into Floral. As you approach that it gets rougher, and for good reason - it stinks to high heaven constantly. Growing up the "Hollywood" area - basically just a few blocks SW from the skate park - had a bad reputation. I don't really know why, honestly, other than there seemed to be a few more blacks there than normal at that time. I wouldn't think too much of it if somebody warns you.



I think Troy could be a great place to grow up. I've been at Kay's Hamburger shop as kids get out of school and all go get milkshakes and hang out. Very quaint. I think this is a problem bigger than just little old Troy, but I feel obligated to caution you that heroin is becoming a problem in the area.

[AkiraK]

Hi there purrfectplace,

Wrightflyer is correct - the selection of shops in downtown Troy is nothing like NYC. However, it seems like it's become more diverse and "eccentric" in recent years. There's an olive oil shop that just opened up.

There are also quite a few of these little shops that sell used "vintage" items. I don't really want to call them "thrift stores" because that's not really what they are; they're a bit more upscale than that.

If you move to the downtown area, be sure to check out the Troy Meat Market on Drury Lane. Their hot capicola is to die for, and they also have baskets of local fruits and vegetables for sale.

There are not many areas of Troy that are properly "dangerous", but there are a few unsavory spots that would be unpleasant to live in:

- The area bordered on the south by West Main Street, bordered on the east by North Elm Street, bordered on the west by North Ridge Avenue, and bordered on the north by the fairgrounds. This area is informally referred to as "Hollywood".

- The area bordered on the west by Union Street, bordered on the north by East Main Street, bordered on the west by Dye Mill Road, and bordered on the south by a giant quarry.

Other than that, the whole area of the public square will be decent. The southwest quadrant has some VERY nice houses; that's where I live. All along South Main Street are some very luxurious homes for those who can afford them.

[SWOH]

hi purrfectplace,

Welcome! Troy is a very nice, classic Ohio small town. The posters prior to me have done a great job summing up Troy, in particular AkiraK for providing exactly the info you were looking for on neighborhoods within Troy, so I don't know if there is all that much more I can add.

I would say for Troy that you'd be better off NOT going with the ranch in a suburban neighborhood. Those houses for the most part are isolated from Troy itself and do not have great access to all of Troy's amenities (although if that's the lifestyle you really want, the stuff over by Stonyridge on the NE reaches of town might work, but I get the impression you'd rather have a place closer in to town). One of my favorite stretches of town for your price range would be the area around E. Main St. and E. Franklin St. Both streets are lined with very nice, cute, well kept homes.

Good luck!

[Icemodeled]

I live in troy and very much like it. With your budget, it may be harder to find what your looking for. N dorset area is very nice, walkable area with some nicer homes mixed in. I have family living in that area who loves it. Also, areas off stoneyridge can be nice but watch certain areas, there are many rentals and apartments with more crime. My parents live around skylark and had police chasing a man through their backyard (he lived in apartments nearby)

Tipp is very nice as well but lacking amenities.

[purrfectplace]

AkiraK

- The area bordered on the west by Union Street, bordered on the north by East Main Street, bordered on the west by Dye Mill Road, and bordered on the south by a giant quarry.

Yikes was looking at a house in this vicinity. Why not so good here?

Thanks to everyone who replied. Lots of help!

[curzon_dax]

Originally Posted by AkiraK

Hi there purrfectplace,

Wrightflyer is correct - the selection of shops in downtown Troy is nothing like NYC. However, it seems like it's become more diverse and "eccentric" in recent years. There's an olive oil shop that just opened up.

There are also quite a few of these little shops that sell used "vintage" items. I don't really want to call them "thrift stores" because that's not really what they are; they're a bit more upscale than that.

If you move to the downtown area, be sure to check out the Troy Meat Market on Drury Lane. Their hot capicola is to die for, and they also have baskets of local fruits and vegetables for sale.

There are not many areas of Troy that are properly "dangerous", but there are a few unsavory spots that would be unpleasant to live in:

- The area bordered on the south by West Main Street, bordered on the east by North Elm Street, bordered on the west by North Ridge Avenue, and bordered on the north by the fairgrounds. This area is informally referred to as "Hollywood".

- The area bordered on the west by Union Street, bordered on the north by East Main Street, bordered on the west by Dye Mill Road, and bordered on the south by a giant quarry.

Other than that, the whole area of the public square will be decent. The southwest quadrant has some VERY nice houses; that's where I live. All along South Main Street are some very luxurious homes for those who can afford them.

Sorry, but I do take issue with the reputation that Hollywood has held for years now. I have never found that it is in reality any more prone to criminal behavior than any other part of town.

I do agree with the other area you highlight West of Union - it smells something awful over there. There is a convenient connector to the bike path, but I always dread using it because of the smell.