What is it like in Dayton Ohio

[hello1belmont]

Originally Posted by TravelerUSA45

I am researching Dayton. I understand that nearby Kettering or Beavercreek are better, safer areas, so I will also keep those areas in mind.

What is the job market like in the Greater Dayton area? I am finding a lot of openings in my field, which looks promising (Bachelor's degree in Business with 20 years experience, in the accounting/finance field).

What are the winters like in the area?

I see housing is oh so lovely and cheap - why is this? It seems too good to be true.

Anything else I should know about the area before I decide if I should move there?

Thank you kindly.

Hello there! I'm a realtor and recently moved back to the Dayton area after getting married and starting a family. I grew up in Beavercreek area and currently live in the city. I am very familiar with the nuances of the Dayton market.
If you need someone local to send you properties, answer your questions and/or provide any help please let me know. I like to specialize in out of town folks moving to Dayton as it is something that I personally experienced first hand! No matter what you do, good luck!

[TravelerUSA45]

Originally Posted by hello1belmont

Hello there! I'm a realtor and recently moved back to the Dayton area after getting married and starting a family. I grew up in Beavercreek area and currently live in the city. I am very familiar with the nuances of the Dayton market.
If you need someone local to send you properties, answer your questions and/or provide any help please let me know. I like to specialize in out of town folks moving to Dayton as it is something that I personally experienced first hand! No matter what you do, good luck!

I ended up choosing Corpus Christi, TX for my relocation. My house is in escrow and will close toward the end of this month -- then off I go to Texas.

[wrightflyer]

Good luck with the move! I liked Corpus in the times I went there for work. Houston is a few hours (or several) away depending on where in the Houston area you go. San Antonio is also a very cool city about 2 hours away.

Corpus provides lots of water and beach activities. I really liked Port Aransas for its beach homes and golf cart on dirt roads atmosphere. Mustang Island is very cool and Port Aransas is the north tier. A free ferry runs between Port Aransas and Aransas Pass.

Trekking much further down the coast, Baffin Bay is a cool place for nature. They also have a killer oyster house where I had some of the best Gulf oysters I've had anywhere in the Gulf Coast. Padre Island is also a great stretch of undeveloped barrier island.

Lot's of ranch and farm country outside Corpus proper. Only complaint from when I was there is it is flat.

On the flip side: One thing I will note is Corpus is a much smaller metro population at 350K (half of Dayton's [appx. 750K] and 1/3 smaller than Reno's [appx. 500K]). Keep in mind, Dayton's official boundary does not include the southern suburbs over the line in Butler and Warren Counties. So Dayton probably sits closer to 800-850K if you lop off the northern tier of Cincinnati's metro boundaries. And while Houston and SA are nearby, you don't have any other major cities in a 1 hour drive distance such as Cincinnati or even Columbus. So, if you are looking for a smaller metro, Corpus is probably a good bet. I would say though that Dayton has more amenities due to its larger size and closer to other major metros. Ultimately, it comes down to what you, the OP, is looking for in a community.

[westcoast_CA]

Originally Posted by wrightflyer

First, I guess it depends on what you consider affordable. Reno housing prices tend to be in the high six and even seven figures. I don't know about rent if you are renting in Reno, but it is a much better option to buy and sit on the building equity in a home as you pay it off in the Midwest, especially in the more desirable suburbs. Keep in mind that is different from appreciation. While that has been a factor with the current housing bubble, which will result in some upside down owners when prices cool, the overall meaning of home ownership and building wealth is keeping the home and paying off the mortgage. While depreciation can happen (look at inner cities in the 1970s and 1980s as people fled to the suburbs), most people who sell 10, 20 or 30 years after purchasing can reap their equity. Appreciation is just the icing on the cake and will happen more often than depreciation. But with any large purchase or investment, there is always an inherent risk. As a comparison, if my parents had stayed in our Beavercreek ranch they bought in 1990 for $110K, it would now be paid off and is valued at $230-250K.

As far as the region and its attractiveness, Dayton proper has improved a lot since I grew up there in the 1990s and early/mid-2000s. The downtown area is much more active now and some of the surrounding urban neighborhoods have rebounded. It is a liberal city surrounded by mostly conservative suburbs. So if political leanings matter, keep that in mind.

For a city its size, traffic is very manageable. Living in NKY across from Cincinnati, you don't appreciate being able to drive anywhere in the immediate metro inside 30 minutes with multiple routes available. Speaking of Cincinnati, with Dayton you are close enough to daytrip into Cincinnati and its offerings (about a 1 hour drive) or Columbus (1-2 hour drive).

Back in Dayton proper, there has been a flurry of new builds in both apartments and owner-occupied condos/townhomes in and near downtown proper over the last 5-10 years. If you would rather be in the suburbs, most singles tend to gravitate towards apartments or condos in Austin Landing (south suburbs of Dayton including Washington Township, Springboro and Miami Township) or Beavercreek. Most are YP's out of college into their 30s and 40s but Beavercreek, especially near the Mall at Fairfield Commons, will skew younger (college and graduate students) due to nearby Wright State University.

If you were coming from SF or LA or Seattle, I would say you would be disappointed, as there is stuff to do in Dayton, the Dayton metro and nearby Cincinnati and Columbus on a constant basis, but the breadth just isn't the same as a major metro, which makes sense due to Dayton's smaller size. But Reno probably offers little in culture and entertainment (?) or has similar levels of that as Dayton at best. I don't know much about Reno but know it is not a big city and it is simply casino centered. I could be wrong on those counts, but that is my understanding. You also don't have another major metro until you reach either Vegas on Highway 95 or Sacramento on I-80.

However, outdoor activity wise, hiking and boating won't compare to the Lake Tahoe area or access to National Parks in California and other western sites, but with wildfires threatening the Lake Tahoe area (and much of the West's lands), who knows its viability. Regardless, it just isn't the same. But we do have great metro parks for simple hikes. South of the Ohio River, Kentucky and Tennessee offer great hiking and boating opportunities, though they would be weekend trips from the Dayton area. Everything is much, much more green here than even relatively arid California (outside the northern redwood reaches and some coastal areas of course).

Finally, keep in mind humidity levels are much higher here than in Reno, which is very dry and a desert climate. Summers aren't horrible in Dayton and it can be tolerated and adapted to. We probably have 14-21 days of high humidity and oppressive 95-105 Heat Index days. This year has not been as bad. Keep in mind that while our high may be 85-95, the humidity makes it feel much hotter. Dangerous, but not as dangerous as the dry heat in Vegas or Phoenix. But it also isn't as soupy feeling as the deep south, Florida or Houston. Those locations are unbearably hot and humid solid from June well into September. Snow can be a problem but if you are south of I-70, it tends to be only 3-4 storms a year if that. As mentioned up-thread, it has not been too terrible the last few years. I think last winter was a little harsher with snow. But when it reaches wind chills between 20 and -10, those are maybe account for 20-25 days a year in all reality. Most winter days are wind chills between 20 and 30 to 35 degrees. Still cold, but much more tolerable. Personally, I'll take the 2-3 months of cold over 3-4 months of constant heat and humidity.

Business climate wise, a lot of the business/accounting/finance jobs will be government, especially defense, in nature. With US Air Force Material Command being as large as it is, you don't necessarily need a security clearance but one is certainly a plus when applying. Besides the USAF and DOD, there are TONS of defense contractors on and around the base, especially in Beavercreek and Fairborn. So, if you have government experience and have or even held a prior security clearance, you should be golden. But even then, there are likely still opportunities to find something. Just don't expect Fortune 500 level corporate campuses in the metro.

An amazing post with lots of valuable information. Anyone looking to move to this area will benefit from it. Thank you!

[Gringo73]

Originally Posted by TravelerUSA45

I ended up choosing Corpus Christi, TX for my relocation. My house is in escrow and will close toward the end of this month -- then off I go to Texas.

Ever been to Corpus Christi? In Sommer? Reno and Corpus Christi are on opposite poles. Moderate climate vs. hot and humid. I mean humid like 90% or more.