Moving to Wright-Patt (Columbus, Dayton, Kettering: real estate, apartments, renting) - Ohio (OH) - City-Data Forum

wckdstepmother · 07-06-2009, 12:46 PM

Just got word we're moving to wright-patt - I'll sift through the forums but any info would be greatly appreciated. Relocating from Fl so weather will be an adjustment I'm guessing

Crew Chief · 07-06-2009, 02:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wckdstepmother

Just got word we're moving to wright-patt - I'll sift through the forums but any info would be greatly appreciated. Relocating from Fl so weather will be an adjustment I'm guessing

Yep, hurricanes will no longer be a concern for you!

Seriously, I believe you'll find WPAFB a nice assignment! Never served there but am retired USAF and we get on base every once in awhile. The area here has good housing at reasonable cost and cost of living really isn't too bad. Welcome!

wckdstepmother · 07-06-2009, 03:12 PM

I'm thinking it will be a good move. we originally had orders to Cannon AFB but or orders got changed. I will miss Florida though. I can't imagine having to scrape my windows/windshield. I'm guessing I'll have to do that in Oh.

wrightflyer · 07-06-2009, 03:22 PM

You already seem to be doing the first thing I would recommend, and that would be to sift through the other Dayton forums. As for advice, there's a ton of it. It varies on what you want in the place you live. There's downtown lofts and apartments, complexes in the suburbs, small historic homes, pre-WWII housing (1920's and 30's), plenty of post WWII housing, and many newer developments. Then there is the school factor if you have children, and of course how much you want to pay in taxes.

My one thing of advice now would be to watch out for community property taxes. This is the tax on the amount your property is worth and certain percentages of what is collected is allocated to different government entities (schools, roads, municipal, parks, etc). It varies from one city to the other and sometimes is much less in a township than a city. Someone else who actually lives in a township might be able to explain why that is better than me. Figure this into your housing costs when buying.

Depending on where in Florida you are coming from, taxes can be an adjustment. My grandparents are used to their homestead exemption and pay taxes on their house based on the amount the paid for it in 1993, not on the county's appraised value of your home as in Ohio. Not sure if that is a statewide thing in Florida. Some people (for state tax reasons) keep their residency in Florida or another state. This is evident through the numerous cars with out of state plates near Wright-Patt. But again, that is for state tax reasons.

Hopefully you will enjoy your time in Ohio at Wright-Patterson. I have known many people who have come here and decided to stay as well as others that just keep moving onwards. It just depends on what you want and if you can find it here. Other than that, welcome to the area! As for the windshields, almost every home in Ohio has an enclosed garge, so unless it snows/ices while you are at work, you won't be doing too much scraping.

lilfoxi · 07-06-2009, 04:54 PM

Welcome to the area in advance! If you aren't looking forward to car scraping, I would recommend renting or buying a place with a garage....it has saved me a million times!

wckdstepmother · 07-06-2009, 06:14 PM

How much snow do y'all get? How cold does it get? How long does winter last? How hot does it get in the summer? I don't really have kids to worry about (they're all teens and we only get them for summer and christmas) so school isn't an issue. What area's should I stay away from when looking for housing? Our taxes are rather high here in Fl.

wrightflyer · 07-06-2009, 06:43 PM

I'd say it can be cold to quite cold (highs in the 40's to 0) from Nov. to March. It starts cooling off in October and begins to warm up again in April. We usually get 4-10 days in the winter/early spring of snow that effects travel, work, schools, etc.

The area is not well known for keeping side streets clear of snow and ice (can take days after a major snow to completly clear side/country roads in certain areas), but they do a decent job of keeping the main roads clear.

Summer weather lasts usually from late May till mid-late September with temps in the 70's to 90's in July and August. July and August tend to also be rather humid, but not nearly as bad as inland Florida. Pools, however, are few and far between in the Dayton area, so the ones we do have can become quite crowded. Pools are only open from Memorial Day to Labor Day.

*Note: Places to start your search are in bold.

The only places I'd stay away from with certainty are parts of North Dayton proper and Harrison Township and West Dayton proper. East Dayton proper can be spotty when it comes to finding a decent area but some good neighborhoods that housing can be found rather cheap is Belmont, Oregon District, Downtown, South Park, and Patterson Park.

The suburbs are expensive but only in comparison to Dayton proper real estate values (excluding some of the historic districts). Compared to what you would get in Florida (or the coasts in general), real estate prices are cheap here in this part of Ohio. $150,000 can buy you an older ranch in any of the suburbs with about 1,800 sqft. $250,000 can get you a new house with about 2,200 sqft. Some places in the suburbs to look at would be Beavercreek, Bellbrook, Centerville, Kettering, Oakwood, Riverside, Sugarcreek Township, Vandalia, and Washington Township. Fairborn, which is right next to the base has some nice areas, but also has some not so nice areas, so just keep that in mind when looking there.

tgasper · 07-06-2009, 08:42 PM

Everyone is doing a great job of providing you with a wide range of options, so I'll just say welcome to the area. I think you'll enjoy Dayton - the people are very friendly and helpful, it's easy to get around, the cost of living is very affordable and if you want some entertainment variety, we're within an hour of Cincy, Columbus and two hours from Indy. If you get the urge to go back to FL for visits, AirTran has some great flights at very reasonable rates.

We may not have oceans or mountains, but we have great outdoor facilities in MoMBA (a new mountain bike trail not far from downtown), kayaking, bike trails, etc. Check out Five Rivers Metro Parks.

If you want a historic district, my personal favorite is South Park (www.historicsouthpark.org) but that's because I grew up there and have restored many homes (www.fullcircledayton.com). The Oregon District is cool because it's got a good concentration of bars & restaurants - all of which are locally owned independents.

Daytonnatian · 07-06-2009, 09:07 PM

Any housing requirements, wckdstepmother? (love the posting name, btw)

This would help immensely in giving advice, although I must say that great advice has been given above.

PhillytoCincy · 07-07-2009, 06:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wckdstepmother

I'm thinking it will be a good move. we originally had orders to Cannon AFB but or orders got changed. I will miss Florida though. I can't imagine having to scrape my windows/windshield. I'm guessing I'll have to do that in Oh.

I am originally from Philly. I moved to Dayton about 4 years ago because my job relocated here. I love the area. We are the perfect sized area with so much in the forms of eating, shopping, schools, parks, etc.

Most of my family has left the Philly area, and many moved to Florida. My sister was actually one of them. She and her husband and three kids lived in Jupiter, Florida just north of West Palm. My brother-in-law got a job with Nationwide Insurance based in Columbus. They ended up moving to Hilliard (a suburb).

They love Ohio! They love the change of seasons, they love the school systems, as their kids do not have to be in a private school to get a good education like so many do in Florida. They do not miss the terrible heat, and the constant air conditioning. They do not miss the hurricanes, and having to fix their house up somehow because of them. They like it very well in Ohio, and I hope you will too.

BTW, I just got back from Florida. That heat you guys are going through is terrible. Also, seems like Florida is loosing its "heydays". I know many people from Florida that have moved here to SW Ohio in recent years to get away from the problems of Florida.

I am sure you will like it up here in Ohio. It is a very livable place, and the school systems are great. Check out the Beavercreek area, I like it alot here.