Cincy job offer/new to the area, HELP PLEASE! (Cincinnati: transplants, apartments)

[gls1974]

I have a question as I was offered a position in Cincinnati, pay is good(better than the pay I was offered in Fort Worth), but I lived in DFW for a couple of years and like the environment a lot better. Cincy is brand new and near Kentucky. I'm born in WI and live in the midwest most my life, not a fan of Milwaukee(besides my Bucks and Brewers) so TX while I know has been a red state, Cincy/Northern Kentucky feels more like a redder WI to me. Any advice on if Cincy is really not a great place being that I'm African American as well? I know the houses to rent or buy are very reasonable. I would be moving with my retired mother, no wife or kids to worry about right now. I heard how most are from the area and are either west or east Cincy residents. I also heard how segregated(I'm from Milwaukee so I know what that is like) the area is and how blacks have had some issues. I just want to make a good and safe decision for my family going forward. Thanks in advance.

[blickcd]

I'm a white guy and have only discussed race on a few rare occasions with black coworkers. What I learned from that is how you project yourself and treat others will depend a lot more on how others treat you than your race. You will probably run into a few jerks here and there, but people like that are in every city. As of lately, I think the media has really been making a person's race a bigger issue than it really is. Politically, I think Cincinnati is pretty much somewhere in the middle of the road, maybe leaning a bit to the conservative side.

My preference is to live someplace affordable close to where myself and my wife work. Always seems to wind up being a 20 minute commute for some reason. Not sure of your mom's age and health. There are several large hospitals with complexes of medical offices around the area, so you might consider having one of those not too far away if she has any health issues.

You'd have to research how the cost of living here compares with where you are. Maybe do an online search for rentals, find something you like, and search this forum for that location's name to see if you can find anything recent, and post a question if you can't. Be warned that the Cincinnati forum has been a bit slow, so it may be difficult to find current information.

If the move looks like it will be a good career choice, and the money makes sense, go for it.

[gls1974]

Thank you for your thoughtful reply to my question. I agree with you 100 about a lot of things. First, I brought up race in part as from my research. Cincy is a majority minority city. I did NOT knew that prior. My interviewer(potential boss, who is white BTW), in private, mentioned the history including the riots recently back in 2001. That turn on a red alert. No I'm liberal, mostly, but not a race talking fan, unless needed.

I have done some research on Zillow, looking at near my job, which I get you on being closer to work and home. This role would be in the Queensgate area, near downtown Cincy. I was looking in areas like Clovedale, Delhi, Bridgetown North. I also was checking local area reviews on places like the malls there. Some reviews in places like Western Hill Square and some Kroger's around these parts talk about a police presence which has me wondering wow is there really a stealing problem and such?

I definitely prefer a diverse environment. Young, old, in between, safe. Northern Kentucky is another option, but then I think about the red state thing again and the lack of diversity. Renting makes the most sense as everything here is new to us. I welcome all replies and again I thank you for your thoughts.

[wrightflyer]

I think you have done some good due diligence. Being a partial outsider to the Cincinnati region (I grew up in the suburbs of Dayton, OH, which despite being inside a geographical orbit of Cincinnati, doesn't like to necessarily associate with Cincinnati nor Cincinnati with Dayton - Dayton is its own MSA), I get coming in from another city is hard. I also get where you are headspace wise when comparing to Milwaukee, having travelled and worked with people across the country. I think you will find better options on the east side of town. The larger corporations tend to be on or east of the I-75 Mill Creek corridor. As a result, you will find a lot more transplants in those areas. The west side (especially true in far northwest suburban cities and townships) has seen a large demographic shift over the last 10-20 years. For better or for worse, that has led to white flight from many west side Cincinnati suburban areas. While nowhere near the levels of flight in the 70's and 80's from much of the city, it is still evident if you look at census data from 1990 - 2010 (most recent 2020 numbers are available but hasn't been easily laid out to digest yet). It is a very similar shift as parts of northern St. Louis County suburbs, in my view.

Places such as Forest Park, Springfield Township and portions of Colrain Township shifted and continue to shift in demographic make-ups. Blacks tend to be the majority here in the shifts and are the typical majority minority demographic in the region. These areas of tension also tend to be further north (north of I-74) than the area you are searching. This is where most of the tension lies in my opinion, especially the Colrain Ave. corridor north of Mt. Airy, a longtime Cincinnati neighborhood with high crime and lots of public housing. Whether that same concern spills towards Harrison and Glenway Avenues, I don't know, but the fact most of those Harrison and Glenway blocks are Cincinnati Public Schools already, I doubt it will be the same level of tension. Keep in mind, CPS has two large and successful magnet schools, resulting still in many residents of educational attainment staying inside many Cincinnati neighborhoods. As well, the Colrain Ave corridor areas are suburban public schools, where tensions can be more pronounced when parts of the district still pull from areas majority white. The schools have also suffered here in performance and revenue as many white families that stay send their kids to the large and strong performing Catholic schools in the neighborhoods. As a result, schools get dinged in grading due to higher minority populations and lose funding as families vote down levies to fund schools they no longer use.

As for your workplace, here is my two cents:

Queensgate is a rather industrial or commercial warehouse heavy area. It is not a place I would live or walk around alone, though I feel comfortable driving through there during the day. Lots of businesses there, and I believe the popular with families Cincinnati Museum Center is technically in the northern reach of Queensgate. The place just feels deserted and not pedestrian friendly.

If you are intent on the west sides of Cincinnati, here is my input. Shopping options on the West Side, including Western Hills, the Glenway Ave and Harrison Ave corridors have plenty to offer, but it acts sort of as a line between poorer minority (including growing Hispanic populations) and wealthier (and whiter, though still diverse and growing more still) blocks. The real dividing line really runs through the middle of Westwood in my mind. Areas near and west of Harrison Ave north of Werk's intersection is nice. Westwood itself has even seen some influx development in recent years, with Nation opening an outpost in the center of Westwood (the restaurant is best known for its OTR location, another area that has seen redevelopment, though at a much higher gentrification level of investment). Areas south of Werk are better as you go west of Ferguson, as east of Ferguson, especially along Queen City and Harrison Avenues, there are a lot of apartments, many from the 60's and 70's and needing rehabbed or torn down. While there are nice blocks of West Price Hill, a lot of that neighborhood has seen increases in crime, especially in blocks closer to East Price Hill, which has always been a poor neighborhood with one group of immigrants or poorer racial or ethnic populations living there. Think Lower East Side pre-2010 in Manhattan before Manhattan became just uber wealthy residents unless you live in a rent-controlled unit. While unfortunate and needing addressing with better educational and social services, crime has been a problem in East Price Hill for a long time.

In the three areas you mentioned, I like Covedale and Bridgetown areas better than Delhi. Add Westwood blocks between Harrison and Glenway and west of Ferguson. Delhi while nice, has seen some performance dips in its neighborhood schools, though Oak Hills Local Schools are still well regarded. A lot of this is from Hispanic families moving out of Price Hill neighborhoods to nearby locations. Covedale and Bridgetown are CPS schools but are closer to much more shopping and dining options, especially around Western Hills Shopping Center. You also have the Dent shopping centers running north all the way to I-74 at Rybolt.

For the east side, I would also consider looking at downtown and OTR, though expense and parking may be a problem, especially if you want to have a car. But if you limit yourself to one car, you can likely find an apartment or condo for rent for the interim before buying anywhere a practice I recommend to anyone before buying in a foreign metro. Also, your mother would be able to walk to many places. There is a Kroger on Central Parkway between downtown and OTR. There are also lots of restaurants and the place has seen a boom in the last 10-15 years. OTR, where the core of the 2001 riots took place, are a different place altogether, though there can still be blocks, especially north of Liberty St. towards McMicken that can be crime ridden or feel plain deserted.

If you are willing to look at a similar commuting distance to Queensgate as Bridgetown, I would consider Oakley or Norwood as well. The area has seen an influx of newer, younger residents (who tend to be more open, liberal and in many cases, mixed or minority couples), and Oakley in particular offers a lot to do. Most everything is within a short drive. Shopping at the popular Rookwood Commons and Rookwood Pavilion is also a plus. If in Norwood, I recommend areas east of Montgomery Road south of the Norwood Lateral (also signed as OH-562). Just north of this going up Montgomery Road is Pleasant Ridge, which is a mixed neighborhood that has been popular and growing more so, with its highly parental involved local Montessori elementary school. I recommend the blocks north of the two rail lines, though there are some trouble apartments near the UDF at Ridge and Montgomery. This is close to the popular shopping at Kenwood Towne Centre, which is the premier shopping mall (think Stonebriar level of shopping with most mainline mall stores plus LV, Tiffany, etc.).

Don't discount the Kentucky side, but yes, I understand. I live in slightly more progressive than other NKY suburban areas Campbell County (thanks NKU) and next to Covington and Newport, and the area does feel more insular and not very diverse in certain ways. There are black populations in parts of Newport and Covington has a large black resident base, but I don't really know if there are pockets of professional black communities, or if the majority live on the other side of the river. Also, unless you are in a historical district in Covington or Newport, the areas that are more desirable get further from the river and make for a longer commute. Plus, commuter bridge traffic can be tricky, especially during construction season. Most of the people who fled west side suburbs for their own reasons tended to leave the metro altogether or moved to Boone County in KY. I do not recommend Boone County as I don't think you will feel very comfortable there. Boone County also puts you both across the river commuting as well as in a very white, very Republican area of the region.

Whatever you do, I think you can make Cincinnati and its metro work. But if you choose DFW, I can understand that as well, especially given the familiarity. Good Luck!

[blickcd]

I never knew we were a majority minority city either. Looking it up I found a top 10 list of such cities and we weren't on it. I'm not saying you are wrong, but a quick search didn't turn up anything for me. You will find diversity here.

The 2001 riots, I personally don't consider to be recent, as it was just over two decades ago and we haven't had anything really close to that since. About two years ago, every major city had some rioting or protesting going on, and we had some as well. On that last occasion, the mayor and police chief seemed to get things under control better than other cities.

With that in mind, I don't think we are more susceptible to riots or that tensions are high. Working in Queensgate, that is a small and mostly industrial area just west and somewhat isolated from downtown by I-75. In the worst case scenario of a riot breaking out while you were at work, assuming you knew it had hit fan, you should have time to escape the area, heading west on River Rd.

I think most of Delhi and Bridgetown are pretty good areas and would make for an easy commute to Queensgate. Someone from the west side may comment, but my impression is that some areas on the west side have really deteriorated. I know some people who used to live near that Kroger you mentioned and they moved to Bridgetown a few years ago because the area was getting too rough for their taste.

Can't comment on northern KY other than traffic crossing the bridges at rush hour, its always a bottleneck. I would hate to deal with that every day. Pull up a Google map around the time you think you be heading to and from work and show the traffic detail. You will see what I mean.

Renting the first year is certainly the smart thing to do.

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by gls1974

I have a question as I was offered a position in Cincinnati, pay is good(better than the pay I was offered in Fort Worth), but I lived in DFW for a couple of years and like the environment a lot better. Cincy is brand new and near Kentucky.

Unlike most other states, municipalities in the state of Ohio are allowed to assess a city income tax. And depending on the area where you live and work, you might be paying that income tax to both the municipality where you work and the municipality where you live.

There are a number of unincorporated areas in Hamilton County that do not assess local income taxes.

Before choosing where to live, make sure that you understand the tax consequences.

[Seeking_4_Seasons]

Hello! Can I get in on this conversation too? I posted a new thread, West Price Hill, a few minutes ago. Perhaps you’ll give me some insight too? Thanks!