Neighborhood Help - Moving to Cincinnati (Columbus, Cleveland: real estate, buying a house, neighborhoods)

[CincyPitt1989]

Hi all! My wife and I grew up in Cincinnati and we moving back in the next few months. It's been almost 20 years since we lived in SW Ohio and we know many things have changed for the better in that time. I was hoping for some help on a few neighborhoods that seem nice but that I am generally a bit unfamiliar with.

Background: We have 2 young children with the oldest starting school in fall 2025. We are older millennials who have lived in the urban core of various cities (Pittsburgh, Cleveland, DC) for the better part of the last 20 years. We love the outdoors and like to run, bike, hike and play sports (volleyball, basketball and soccer).

Considerations: Our budget is ~$900k. We are looking for a single family home in a neighborhood with good schools and relative stability and safety inside the 275 loop. Closer to downtown is better but 10-20 minutes is fine although anything more than 30 minutes is a tougher sell. School quality is very important to us. We want a place with significant advanced placement courses and a challenging academic environment but beyond academics we would also like ample opportunities for our kids to engage with music, athletics and arts. We'd also ideally live in an area that is very family oriented. I think we'd like to live in a place where our neighbors are likely to have children as well and where our kids can run around a bit with other kids in the area without significant safety concerns.

Areas we are considering:

• Sycamore Schools
• Loveland Schools
• Indian Hill Schools
• Wyoming Schools
• Mariemont Schools
• Hyde Park/Mt Lookout -- Walnut Hills or private for HS
• Madeira Schools
• Forest Hills Schools (mostly Turpin HS side due to proximity)

Of this list I am probably least interested in Indian Hill.

Our dream area is probably a neighborhood with great walkability to parks/trails, strong community of families, excellent school with 200-350 students. A little wiggle room on either side is fine but over 500 kids is less desirable for us. A bit of economic diversity is a plus as well which is probably our biggest knock against Indian Hill and puts it towards the bottom of our list.

I know very little about Loveland and Forest Hills. How do they compare to Sycamore academically and in terms of amenities?

Specific Questions

• What neighborhoods have the best access to recreation (parks, trails, sports fields)?
• What neighborhoods have community fitness centers or pools?
• Are any neighborhoods particularly difficult from a daily living perspective (only street parking, no grocery in neighborhood, circuitous rather than direct routes around town)

Really anything else you can provide as far as insights is greatly appreciated!

[Karl Lagos]

All great choices. I would recommend Anderson Forest Hills. There's walking biking trials, parks, you can join the Mercy Healh Plex for sports. You can get to downtown via Beechmont to Columbia Pkwy or 275 to 471.

[kpl1228]

HS teacher here.
Mariemont all day, from this list. Sycamore too. Though proximity to downtown and your city enjoyment might be hampered by this. And live where your kids go to school. A 90 minute round trip daily schlep to pick up your kids at the "best school," private or not, until they're 18, is silly. Same with them living on a school bus for a long trip forever. Or a long work commute for you and your wife, come to think of it.
Agreed with your thoughts on diversity... but don't assume you'll get into Walnut Hills. Loveland is very exurb-y and sort of Wisteria Lane and a polar opposite.
I'd pick an inner suburb with diverse elements and solid schools, though I'd argue that Hyde Park is not truly diverse. Maybe Wyoming?
There's many other things besides schools that should be the choice for your selection, though agreed that's a biggie. The ultimate question: which area will make you and your wife and kids truly "happy?"
Good luck in the search! It's a complex situation. And don't forget about distance to your parents, for all parties concerned.

[CincyPitt1989]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

HS teacher here.
Mariemont all day, from this list. Sycamore too. Though proximity to downtown and your city enjoyment might be hampered by this. And live where your kids go to school. A 90 minute round trip daily schlep to pick up your kids at the "best school," private or not, until they're 18, is silly. Same with them living on a school bus for a long trip forever. Or a long work commute for you and your wife, come to think of it.
Agreed with your thoughts on diversity... but don't assume you'll get into Walnut Hills. Loveland is very exurb-y and sort of Wisteria Lane and a polar opposite.
I'd pick an inner suburb with diverse elements and solid schools, though I'd argue that Hyde Park is not truly diverse. Maybe Wyoming?
There's many other things besides schools that should be the choice for your selection, though agreed that's a biggie. The ultimate question: which area will make you and your wife and kids truly "happy?"
Good luck in the search! It's a complex situation. And don't forget about distance to your parents, for all parties concerned.

We're definitely the type that can be happy just about anywhere. We like things that are city-based and things that are more suburbs/exurbs and are pretty good about hopping in the car and going to things that we like if they aren't available right there in our neighborhood.

As far as commutes and convenience around town to friends, family and careers I would say Indian Hill, Madeira or Sycamore schools would be the winner. We also have many friends and family members in Columbus which would make Loveland a decent option as well. Those inner suburbs just tend to be a bit more expensive, and I am trying to decide if the schools/communities really provide a 30-50% premium over Forest Hills or Loveland (or 20% over Wyoming). Fundamentally, I really struggle to believe that a family that values education will get much worse outcomes at a "good" school instead of an "amazing" school. Plus, if we feel disenchanted with the less expensive areas it's a bit easier to write a check for CHCA, Moeller or Summit compared to if we are paying the mouthwatering Mariemont taxes. Tough decision.

The root of my coming here really centers on Loveland and to a lesser extent Forest Hills. We'd probably look in that western pocket in Symmes Township if we go for Loveland. As a teacher, do you know anything about the schools that would give you concern? I know HS doesn't have buses but that's about 10 years down the road for us.

Right now, our inclination is to wait for spring selling/buying season and aim for something in the area north of 126 and east of 71 in either Sycamore or Indian Hill schools. Preference is Sycamore at the moment but in this market you can't be too picky either.

[Karl Lagos]

Regarding the 30-50% real estate premium over Forest Hills and Loveland (or 20% over Wyoming) ...... likely no. These are HSs not elementary but a decent benchmark.
Best Ohio HSs
#3 Mariemont
#4 Indian Hill
#5 Wyoming
#14 Turpin
#15 Madeira
#17 Sycamore
#35 Loveland
#39 Anderson (2nd Forest Hills school)

https://www.usnews.com/education/bes.../ohio/rankings


Not sure what 900K gets you in Indian Hill these days? Wyoming being over by I-75 is a negative for me. Spending some time driving around in these hoods would likely be very helpful.

[KathrynAragon]

I love Loveland and if there had been a great home there, I would have bought it, but my situation is completely different. Schools are not a big deal to me, but cultural things are.

I ended up buying a house in Xenia Township about 20 minutes outside of Dayton. But I looked hard at properties in Loveland too! Ask me about builders - LOL.

[SonnyDaze]

Originally Posted by CincyPitt1989

We're definitely the type that can be happy just about anywhere. We like things that are city-based and things that are more suburbs/exurbs and are pretty good about hopping in the car and going to things that we like if they aren't available right there in our neighborhood.

As far as commutes and convenience around town to friends, family and careers I would say Indian Hill, Madeira or Sycamore schools would be the winner. We also have many friends and family members in Columbus which would make Loveland a decent option as well. Those inner suburbs just tend to be a bit more expensive, and I am trying to decide if the schools/communities really provide a 30-50% premium over Forest Hills or Loveland (or 20% over Wyoming). Fundamentally, I really struggle to believe that a family that values education will get much worse outcomes at a "good" school instead of an "amazing" school. Plus, if we feel disenchanted with the less expensive areas it's a bit easier to write a check for CHCA, Moeller or Summit compared to if we are paying the mouthwatering Mariemont taxes. Tough decision.

The root of my coming here really centers on Loveland and to a lesser extent Forest Hills. We'd probably look in that western pocket in Symmes Township if we go for Loveland. As a teacher, do you know anything about the schools that would give you concern? I know HS doesn't have buses but that's about 10 years down the road for us.

Right now, our inclination is to wait for spring selling/buying season and aim for something in the area north of 126 and east of 71 in either Sycamore or Indian Hill schools. Preference is Sycamore at the moment but in this market you can't be too picky either.

The Sycamore district checks the most boxes for me personally (metro location, neighborhood amenities, school quality, relative diversity) so I think you've done well to identify it as a top choice.

Otherwise, you seem to have a good idea of what you want. It doesn't seem like you should have much reason to expand your search outside of NE Hamilton County.

[blickcd]

All of the areas you listed are great. Not sure about Walnut Hills for high school though. Although Loveland is also great IMO it would be the farthest commute from downtown, really pushing that 30 minute limit on days with rush house snafu's.

Shouldn't be any street parking only in the $900k price range.

[WVNomad]

Originally Posted by CincyPitt1989

We also have many friends and family members in Columbus which would make Loveland a decent option as well.

FWIW, the difference in travel time to Columbus from Loveland vs. Mariemont, Indian Hill, Blue Ash, etc. is negligible. I wouldn't let Loveland's location relative to Columbus be a driving factor in your decision where to live.

I live in Loveland and my son lives in Mariemont, and my parents live in Blue Ash. I think all 3 are very nice communities, and you could have a very happy lifestyle in any of them. You may find it challenging to find a home in Mariemont---not many are on the market, and when one becomes available, they go quickly. The Mariemont schools have a reputation for being exceptional (and I think that reputation is certainly deserved), but given the lack of business/industry in Mariemont, the residential property taxes are noticeably higher than in either Blue Ash or Loveland. Sycamore (Blue Ash) schools are also very good---on a "value basis", I would say Blue Ash represents the better buy from a schooling perspective. Loveland schools are solid, but not at the same level as Blue Ash or Mariemont.

Indian Hill is a remarkable neighborhood. If you have the resources and desire to have a large house/lot and all that goes into maintaining such a property, it would be a wonderful place to live. If you join Camargo Country Club, let me know. I've been trying to finagle a way on to the golf course there my entire life.