Troy, Ohio / Miami County (Columbus, Dayton: fit in, neighborhood, theater)

[Batt1eRatt1e]

I may have a job offer in a county government position for Miami County. I'm originally from Canton, Ohio but I've been in the Army for about 10 years and I'm getting out. Any thought or comments on Miami County / Troy, Ohio? I've never really been there. Things to do? Crime? Schools? I know all the apps and searches I can do, just looking for anyone with personal experience.

[dxdtdemon]

It's had a recent growth in population. There used to be some small chapters of white supremacist groups, but they're mostly gone, and the ones that are left in a neighborhood that's mostly cut off from the rest of the city. Troy has great parks and bikeways.

[Batt1eRatt1e]

Originally Posted by dxdtdemon

It's had a recent growth in population. There used to be some small chapters of white supremacist groups, but they're mostly gone, and the ones that are left in a neighborhood that's mostly cut off from the rest of the city. Troy has great parks and bikeways.

Would you say it's a good place to raise a family? Do you know if there's a Hispanic population? Wife is Mexican, just curious.

[SWOH]

Hey OP, I grew up in Miami Co... I could imagine few better places to raise kids and have a family to be honest.

First, the Hispanic population:
There is a decent sized migrant Hispanic population around due to some of the larger crop farms in the area (like Fulton Farms, for instance). This has been the case for generations, going all the way back to the Tip Top Canning and Springhill Nursery days.

But the majority of Hispanic people and culture seems to gravitate towards New Carlisle in Clark Co. for the eastern Miami Co. area at least.

So given your background you'd probably fit in best in Troy, and if you wanted to go to a mexican market you'd want to take a 20-min drive to New Carlisle.


Second, stuff to do:
For a town of 25k, there's a ton to do in Troy and nearby. You'll be lacking a decent suburban mall (and with online shopping those seem to be going by the wayside anyway) but otherwise you'll find few differences in amenities between Troy and Cuyahoga Falls, for instance.

Troy has a ton of great festivals each year, the most notable is the Strawberry Festival, which regularly brings a crowd of 200k people to the Levee. A few years ago, Mumford and Sons chose the city to host one of their four concerts of the year, and it was an amazing time to be in town! Kinda wish I had gone looking back on it.

The public square downtown has a lot of restaurants, some shops, an art theater, a couple museums, and of course great access to the the river and the bike trails that follow it. Which are really what makes Troy great IMO is the amazing bikeability paired with awesome canoeing/kayaking that can done on the river. It's a hard spot to beat!

If you are working in county government, depending on where you live it's an easy walk or bike ride to work since the courthouse and county government building are about 3 blocks west of the square.


Third, schools:

Personally, I like Troy Schools a lot, and they get consistently high ratings. Tipp City to the south gets slightly higher ratings, as does Miami East to the east, and Newton schools to the west are among the top in the state normally (the others are a solid top 20%). For each district it depends on the type of environment you are going for... Troy will be biggest / most opportunities, while Miami East / Newtown will have a more personal feel for your child. Depends on what you want out of their education. If possible I wouldn't go with Piqua schools to the north.

[Batt1eRatt1e]

Originally Posted by SWOH

Hey OP, I grew up in Miami Co... I could imagine few better places to raise kids and have a family to be honest.

First, the Hispanic population:
There is a decent sized migrant Hispanic population around due to some of the larger crop farms in the area (like Fulton Farms, for instance). This has been the case for generations, going all the way back to the Tip Top Canning and Springhill Nursery days.

But the majority of Hispanic people and culture seems to gravitate towards New Carlisle in Clark Co. for the eastern Miami Co. area at least.

So given your background you'd probably fit in best in Troy, and if you wanted to go to a mexican market you'd want to take a 20-min drive to New Carlisle.


Second, stuff to do:
For a town of 25k, there's a ton to do in Troy and nearby. You'll be lacking a decent suburban mall (and with online shopping those seem to be going by the wayside anyway) but otherwise you'll find few differences in amenities between Troy and Cuyahoga Falls, for instance.

Troy has a ton of great festivals each year, the most notable is the Strawberry Festival, which regularly brings a crowd of 200k people to the Levee. A few years ago, Mumford and Sons chose the city to host one of their four concerts of the year, and it was an amazing time to be in town! Kinda wish I had gone looking back on it.

The public square downtown has a lot of restaurants, some shops, an art theater, a couple museums, and of course great access to the the river and the bike trails that follow it. Which are really what makes Troy great IMO is the amazing bikeability paired with awesome canoeing/kayaking that can done on the river. It's a hard spot to beat!

If you are working in county government, depending on where you live it's an easy walk or bike ride to work since the courthouse and county government building are about 3 blocks west of the square.


Third, schools:

Personally, I like Troy Schools a lot, and they get consistently high ratings. Tipp City to the south gets slightly higher ratings, as does Miami East to the east, and Newton schools to the west are among the top in the state normally (the others are a solid top 20%). For each district it depends on the type of environment you are going for... Troy will be biggest / most opportunities, while Miami East / Newtown will have a more personal feel for your child. Depends on what you want out of their education. If possible I wouldn't go with Piqua schools to the north.

Thanks for the info. I noticed Dayton isn't too far either and it's the 4th largest city in Ohio so shopping and more activities aren't too far away.

[SWOH]

Originally Posted by Batt1eRatt1e

Thanks for the info. I noticed Dayton isn't too far either and it's the 4th largest city in Ohio so shopping and more activities aren't too far away.

Of course! Glad I could help.


You are right, Dayton's not far away, and there is a lot to do around there. That'll also be where your main "big box" shopping is located (specifically Huber Heights and Beavercreek). And there's even more if you're willing to drive an hour - 75 mins to Columbus or northern Cincy suburbia for stuff like Topgolf, IKEA, Kings Island, etc.

Overall it's a very comfortable, easy place to live. I'd highly recommend it. But it's worth a visit and if you don't already have family/friends here it makes it tougher just like anywhere else new you could move to.

[dxdtdemon]

Also, if your Army career was long enough that you get base priviliges and stuff, Wright-Patt Air Force Base isn't that far away and has a good hospital and the groceries at the commissary are much cheaper but just as good as the groceries at regular stores.