I can live anywhere between Cincinnati and Dayton and NKY, so give me some advice! (Springfield: sales, neighborhood)

[kavm]

If small town is what you want - try Yellow Springs. Close to Dayton as well. Never lived there but liked visiting.

[skeddy]

Antioch College is in Yellow Springs. Wife/gf at the time did some kind of internship there. I used to visit ...nice little town.

[KathrynAragon]

If I have time I will check it out. I have been there several times but not looking for property. LOL Lordy.

[flashes1]

If your primary reason to move is to be close to someone, I strongly encourage you to live as close as possible to them. If they live in Lebanon then why not live in Lebanon? There's a lot of housing stock in your price range and taxes are reasonable.

What you don't want to do IMO is to move somewhere further away for whatever reason and then 2-3 years later (after the novelty has worn off) you will visit your granddaughter less and less because it's a "hassle" driving back and forth or there's "bad weather" etc.

If it were me, I would look for a house which has a nice playground within walking distance so you can take your granddaughter there when she's old enough. I drove by a really neat looking playground a few weeks ago in downtown Lebanon called Harmon Park which is on East Street. I was driving but I remember seeing a big playground area and walking trails and big, mature trees. Would be a perfect place to take an infant on a stroller ride.

Additionally, it's a 5 minute drive to Countryside YMCA which is as nice, or nicer, than any Lifetime Fitness and it's close to all the downtown restaurants and shops.

Costco opened a store on the West Chester/Mason border ~1 year ago and Dorothy Lane Markets (a high-end independent grocer) is building a new store in Mason which should be open 1 year from now.

Like anywhere else in this great country, you will be welcomed if you have a good attitude. If you're a closed-minded dick and aren't willing to actively 'blend-in" with the people and you move to San Francisco and bring an outward MAGA or die attitude-----then guess what, I don't think you're going to be warmly embraced by the locals.

The flip side holds true, too. If you're a rabid progressive wanting to defund the police and aren't afraid to tell everyone, then don't expect to be warmly embraced by most Ohioans outside the big urban areas.

And of all the criticisms I've heard about Cinti, this is the first I've EVER heard about anti-Catholic biases. It's downright laughable! Cinti area is one of the heaviest concentrations of Catholics in the USA. Again, you usually get in return how you treat others. I'm sure you can go anywhere in the USA as a Catholic and start running your trap about it that you'll find some Protestants/Jews/Hindus, etc that are going to have some problems with you.

[on3]

Find a township like deerfield or liberty where you aren’t paying city taxes to support a school system despite not having kids that go to said school. This applies to retirees that have work income that is subject to taxation.

Weather isn’t bad here 11 months out of the year and Mason community center blows away any YMCA, but again taxes may be a concern. I’m sure there are other community centers in townships that may be of interest.

[Kandy]

Originally Posted by on3

Find a township like deerfield or liberty where you aren’t paying city taxes to support a school system despite not having kids that go to said school. This applies to retirees that have work income that is subject to taxation.

Weather isn’t bad here 11 months out of the year and Mason community center blows away any YMCA, but again taxes may be a concern. I’m sure there are other community centers in townships that may be of interest.

I was happy to see this comment. We will be moving to Liberty Township next month after a whirlwind house hunting trip earlier this month. It was our first visit to the area and we are hoping we chose a good fit for us. It felt right anyway. I didn’t know about the city tax thing. Is there a significant tax savings living in Liberty Township?

[on3]

Originally Posted by Kandy

I was happy to see this comment. We will be moving to Liberty Township next month after a whirlwind house hunting trip earlier this month. It was our first visit to the area and we are hoping we chose a good fit for us. It felt right anyway. I didn’t know about the city tax thing. Is there a significant tax savings living in Liberty Township?

In Ohio, townships do not levy an income tax on residents. If you live and work in a township, you will pay no income tax (assuming your business is not within a Joint Economic Development District). The township's residential taxpayer funding comes generally through property taxes.

The JEDD contract calls for the levy of a 1.5% income tax on individual earnings as well as business net profits derived from businesses and employees within the JEDD.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Kandy

didn’t know about the city tax thing. Is there a significant tax savings living in Liberty Township?

Generally, township residents pay a higher millage in property taxes because the townships can't levy income taxes. Your mileage may vary.

[KathrynAragon]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Generally, township residents pay a higher millage in property taxes because the townships can't levy income taxes. Your mileage may vary.

It's so complicated My advice is to live wherever suits you best and may the chips fall as they will. Two things are certain in life - Death and taxes. I mean, Ohio is right up there among the best states for taxes in general. YMMV.

[Kandy]

Originally Posted by KathrynAragon

It's so complicated My advice is to live wherever suits you best and may the chips fall as they will. Two things are certain in life - Death and taxes. I mean, Ohio is right up there among the best states for taxes in general. YMMV.

Property taxes are a bit of a gut punch after living in a low property tax area. But I’m sure we pay in other ways here. The tax collectors always have their hands in our pockets.