Stratford manor / madisonville houses (Cincinnati, Fairfax: neighborhood, purchase, theater)

[dtbrooklyn]

Good morning all.

I'm a newbie here, and have received a job offer in cincinnati. I´m originally from the philadelphia area, and am in my early 30's and will be moving with my wife (no kids).

As a generous offer from the company I have the possibility of living in the old Stratford manor area (ellemarie road etc...) between Red Bank Road and I 71. It seems like it is closest to the Madisonville neighborhod, but even that looks a bit depressed and lacking in services to me. Financially it would be great, but I don't know about living in that area (or Cincinnati in general).

Can anyone comment on the safety, accessibility, nearby services (groceries, restarunts, etc...)

I would prefer to live in a walkable community, and am not a fan of cars. However, for financial reasons this would be the best fit for me.

thanks in advance,

dt

[progmac]

unfortunately, that is not a walkable area. if you have a car, it is a short trip to the new stores and restaurants on red bank (wal mart, izzies, etc. - technically in madisonville, i think)) and a short drive to more stores and restaurants and theaters and boutiques than you could ever want in hyde park, oakley, pleasant ridge, kenwood area, etc. madisonville has a mostly dead business district and is unlikely to be a frequent destination unless you have friends that live there.

the neighborhood (or couple of streets) should be plenty safe if a bit dated. if walkability is your thing, you may find more happiness in nearby oakley, pleasant ridge, or silverton.

[Ohiogirl81]

There's not much to walk to from Ellemarie Drive, unless you work at the nearby business park, or unless you don't mind walking down Red Bank Road. But it's perfectly safe, a nice little neighborhood of Cape Cod houses.

Honestly, housing is a huge expense. If you can get a deal on a place to live, snatch it.

[kjbrill]

Frankly I cannot see why that pocket is still there other than the fact noone desired to purchase it and buldoze it like the rest of Stratford Manor to build commercial. It is stuck in a sort of noman's land overlooking expressway ramps. There is virtually nothing walkable about it and nowhere to walk to within reason.

I am curious as to how it came into the mix as a contender for you to live. I would much rather look at Fairfax or Madison Place for lower cost housing but not stuck in a one street bottleneck.