Apartment Hunting in Cincinnati (Kent, Norwood: apartment complexes, lease, houses)

[BennettJ]

I'm a 23 year old woman who will be moving to Cincinnati for a job. I would appreciate any suggestions for a reasonably priced apartment (no more than $1500 for a 1 bedroom). From my reading, it looks as if Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout and Oakley are fairly close to my new job (Medpace) and seem to be safe areas. Madamore, One Rockwood and The Drexel at Oakley are possibilities. Does anyone know of any others they could recommend? Do you think these three could be possibilities? I'm not into the bar scene, so that's not a factor. Thank you!

[Nomomo07]

Originally Posted by BennettJ

I'm a 23 year old woman who will be moving to Cincinnati for a job. I would appreciate any suggestions for a reasonably priced apartment (no more than $1500 for a 1 bedroom). From my reading, it looks as if Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout and Oakley are fairly close to my new job (Medpace) and seem to be safe areas. Madamore, One Rockwood and The Drexel at Oakley are possibilities. Does anyone know of any others they could recommend? Do you think these three could be possibilities? I'm not into the bar scene, so that's not a factor. Thank you!

I can't speak to those specific apartment complexes but all three neighborhoods mentioned are completely safe and you shouldn't have many problems if any. They can be pretty pricey as well, so if that is a factor I would also recommend taking a look at Pleasant Ridge. Lots of affordable options there but some of the apartment buildings are hit or miss. If being around people in their 20's matters at all I would also suggest looking around the Clifton Gaslight area. I have lived here for 3 and a half years and have found it to be a good mix of professionals as well as international students and grad students. With your budget of 1500 you should be able to find a comfortable apartment in any of the neighborhoods mentioned.

[blickcd]

Those are all nice areas. You might also consider looking in Norwood. The real bargains in those neighborhoods will be smaller apartment buildings, six units or so, and older houses that have been converted into two-families. How freshly updated they are will be hit and miss. Those would probably be listed on craigslist, and maybe facebook marketplace.

[wrightflyer]

Oakley would be my first place of choice, though the big apartment complexes you mentioned can get pricy. I would also recommend the smaller multi-units in Oakley and Hyde Park. Mt. Lookout Square along Linwood and Delta have a lot of options like that as well. The market is tight, so if you see a place, you may need to pounce quickly, which may be hard to do from far away if you don't know your job situation yet, need to break a lease elsewhere, etc.

I would also throw Mariemont into the mix. There are some multi-unit buildings here as well. It is a cute suburb but small. Gorgeous town square done up in an old Bavarian village style. Also, fairly easy drive to Medpace's complex or downtown via US-50 / Columbia Parkway.

If you are flying for work quite a bit, it may also be worthwhile looking over the river in Newport or Bellevue and getting across the river during rush hour can be a bit of a pain. The main airport commercial airport for Cincinnati is actually on the Kentucky side of the river, off of I-275. Lunken is primarily general aviation, private business and some boutique airlines and charter flights. You will require a car to get to and from the airport in Northern Kentucky. Don't expect Uber or Lyfts to be available at 4am or 5am for a 6am flight. Trust me, I have tried. Crossing the river is not a crushing concern if it is only done each way once a week, but if you go in and out 2 or 3 times a week from CVG and drive during those high times, it could present a problem.