What Dayton area cities will see the most growth in 2010's? (Fairborn: teaching jobs, magnet school)

[JefferyT]

Is Germantown a suburb? Seems to me its far enough out to be its own little town.

..oh it is a small town, but I meant that most of the people who live there dont work there and would have to do most of their shopping elsewhere (there is an IGA in town, though). A suburb in the general sense of the word.

And I agree with yout about Fairborn. I actually like some of the older parts of town, off Central and Maple, and Xenia Avenue. Some nice old houses and tree-lined streets.

[Crew Chief]

Originally Posted by nickolaseposter

Well unfortunately no one with a sense of sanity wants to move to Dayton right now because we have had three of our top employers leave and our mayor is still blazing.

Oh, I don't know about that. We enjoy our Washington Twp. home but I find myself thinking that we dismissed living in Dayton too quickly before we bought a home here...

[Billy from Dayton]

nickolaseposter and many others in this region seem to hold onto this false notion that everybody has the same tastes as them. Vandalia is nice, but I'd never live there - it just isn't my style. I did live in Washington Township for my first two years in Ohio... in the quintisential 3000 square foot home on half an acre on a cul-de-sac - and learned quickly that this wasn't my style either. I've lived in the heart of downtown Dayton for almost six years now, and despite being more aware of the challenges here than most people who look at the city from the outside, the city is the only place I'd live in this region. I fully understand that I am part of a tiny minority in this region, but I am hardly alone.

Having said that, I'd never criticize anybody for where they choose to live, whether it is rural, suburban or urban. And that is the great thing about this region - we have it all.

So to nickolaseposter and everybody else on this forum - please understand that not everybody coming on here looking for advice as to where to live here in the Dayton Region shares your tastes or opinions. There is absolutely nothing wrong with promoting whatever town you live in and love, but you lose all credibility when put down other places that are different.

As to the thread topic - have people not figured out that growth for growth's sake is in fact a bad thing that is simply unsustainable in the end? Steady population growth can be a positive thing but hyper-growth is not (just ask Warren County in a few more years). Improving schools, income, amenities and overall quality of life are the kinds of "growth" that we should be striving for.

[JefferyT]

So to nickolaseposter and everybody else on this forum - please understand that not everybody coming on here looking for advice as to where to live here in the Dayton Region shares your tastes or opinions.

People on City-Data are often families with school age children and are looking for a good school district. DPS's poor peformance excludes Dayton from consideration for these newcomers, unless they are willing to send their kids to private schools. Even if there was some sort of growth control to curb sprawl the subpar public schools would disqualify Dayton for this market.

For empty-nesters, young couples, and singles Dayton, or parts of it, would be a good choice. The obvious locations are the downtown & inner neighborhoods. However, some of the outer neighborhoods like Ohmer Park and Linden Heights are good buys. I have an aquaintance who recently bought a four-square in Linden Heights, and spent some time and money updating the interior and repainting the exterior, and the place really shines. Big windows and air rooms. Really shows you what is possible with these older houses. These places are just the right size for singles, couples, and even as starter homes for small families.

[Daytonnatian]

Extremely good points, Billy From Dayton. If only more people would understand that!!!!!

[Daytonnatian]

Originally Posted by JefferyT

People on City-Data are often families with school age children and are looking for a good school district. DPS's poor peformance excludes Dayton from consideration for these newcomers, unless they are willing to send their kids to private schools. Even if there was some sort of growth control to curb sprawl the subpar public schools would disqualify Dayton for this market.

Stivers and the new Pointz vocational school are very comparable to what the suburbs offer. Some of the charter schools in the city, like the Dayton Early College Academy, are stellar, as well. Still, as a whole, DPS is weaker on elementary education, a huge area of concern for many young families, but the district as a whole really can't be discounted.

[Billy from Dayton]

Thanks Daytonnatian... and I should have made it clear that I'm not just talking about people bashing the City of Dayton (though that is where most of the bashing happens), but anybody that bashes any other city, town, suburb, etc.

As for the schools, I think people have gone a bit wacky over these so-called "school ratings". I acknowledge that Dayton Public Schools have a long way to go before most people would be comfortable moving back into the city and sending their kids there, but there are decent schools as Daytonnatian mentioned. Stivers dropped in their rating because the school was forced to take in more special-needs students, which obviously affected their overall scores. Is that fair to the talented instructors and gifted students that thrive in that school? (I think I heard somebody say that a similar thing happened to Kettering) Point being - IMO the school rating system in Ohio is flawed and simply doesn't tell the whole story.

[nickolaseposter]

Originally Posted by Billy from Dayton

Point being - IMO the school rating system in Ohio is flawed and simply doesn't tell the whole story.

I apologize and I accept that I was wrong. I think I meant more that Dayton isn't exactly "thriving" rigth now and I'm angered because there ARE people in the suburbs that don't care. But I totally agree with your quote. I think not only the grading system is flawed, but our whole educational system is flawed! We need to be teaching more technological, job oriented classes and not forcing kids to learn so much about things they won't use. I understand students don't understand that they WILL use of some of the stuff their taught in high school. But keyword- SOME. We need to educate kids for the future job market. If there are large masses of kids that have basic knowledge in technology, that simply attracts companies to Dayton. I think it would be smart to turn Dayton's Public Schools into a more pro-technological, goal oriented type atmosphere rather than shoving Shakespear down these kids' throats. The truth is, whether it's important or not, most DON'T CARE. Their grades prove it.

[JefferyT]

Stivers and the new Pointz vocational school are very comparable to what the suburbs offer.

Stivers is not comparable to a typical suburban high school. Stivers' program is centered on the visual and performing arts. It is a magnet school. As far as I know there are no suburban high schools centered around a specialized program like this in the Dayton area.

[dayton_ohio]

Originally Posted by nickolaseposter

I apologize and I accept that I was wrong. I think I meant more that Dayton isn't exactly "thriving" rigth now and I'm angered because there ARE people in the suburbs that don't care. But I totally agree with your quote. I think not only the grading system is flawed, but our whole educational system is flawed! We need to be teaching more technological, job oriented classes and not forcing kids to learn so much about things they won't use. I understand students don't understand that they WILL use of some of the stuff their taught in high school. But keyword- SOME. We need to educate kids for the future job market. If there are large masses of kids that have basic knowledge in technology, that simply attracts companies to Dayton. I think it would be smart to turn Dayton's Public Schools into a more pro-technological, goal oriented type atmosphere rather than shoving Shakespear down these kids' throats. The truth is, whether it's important or not, most DON'T CARE. Their grades prove it.

Fast-growing companies don't want employees with basic tech skills -- they want employees who can think and learn. For better or worse, coursework in advanced math, science, English, history, and the arts is the best way to teach critical thinking and learning skills. "Job-oriented" classes are great for some kids, but they won't necessarily help attract companies to Dayton and certainly won't allow us to replace the professional jobs lost as big corporations leave Dayton.