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I'm starting a PhD program @ Miami later this year, and I have been trying to figure out where to live. I am married with two kids (2 yr old and a new baby). We're looking to rent a house (~ $800/month) in a safe part of town (no small feat). Our main goal is to get an affordable place with plenty of elbow room. My wife is tired the apartment complex life - sharing washing machines, cramped quarters, and paper thin walls separating us from from the neighbors. I have not had much success looking in Oxford. It seems harder to find family friendly places to rent that aren't super small, as everything seems geared for the typical single college student.
I think I could manage a 15-20 minute commute to Miami if I need to. I have read many posts about the greater Cincy area and surrounding towns such as Hamilton, but I haven't found much information about Oxford. Right now we're thinking that maybe somewhere on the west side of the river of Hamilton would work for us. We're not too concerned about being able to get to Cincy or anywhere else in a hurry besides Oxford. We do like the idea of living somewhere with a strong sense of community and having things to do for kids within walking distance, but these are secondary to price, space, and safety.
I would really appreciate any advise I can get regarding my situation from the collective wisdom of those of you on this forum.
Specifically,
1. There's not much info on this forum about Oxford. The town seems great, but am I correct about the difficulties in finding good family housing for a growing family in Oxford that is not too expensive?
2. Are my housing qualifications realistic for somewhere like west Hamilton? If not, what are more reasonable qualifications?
3. There is a long thread about the safe vs not safe Hamilton debate. It seems the consensus was that Hamilton is like any city - there are some places you want to avoid, but by and large its a nice enough place. This is especially true of the west side. Is this correct?
4. How difficult is the commute from Hamilton to Oxford? Is public transportation reliable? What about in the winter?
5. Are there other options within reasonable commuting distance I should consider?
Sorry for the length of this post, but I figure it helps to be specific up front. I've never set foot in Ohio before, but I'm looking forward to it.
I can't answer all of your questions, as it's been a long time since I've lived in the area. But, I was raised in the Hamilton area. I would really try to find a place to stay in Oxford, rather than Hamilton. I know that your money might get you less, but the payoff would be better, at least in my opinion. Because of the college you will be exposed to more cultural activities, better schools for your kids (if you stay long enough) and a nicer community. Oxford is a very cute college town with a good vibe, but also a very nice place to raise a family. To me, even the nicer areas of Hamilton are a bit redneck (most of my family still lives there) and lacks any kind of hope. Just really depressing. I couldn't imagine someone not growing up there, finding Hamilton as a nice place to relocate to. Again, that's just my opinion based on being born and raised in the area.
Good luck at Miami. It's a WONDERFUL place for higher education.
Thanks for your comments... I agree that Oxford does have a lot of good cultural pull to it. The honey festival sounds pretty cool. Do you think you could elaborate on the redneck aspect of Hamilton in your assessment, and why it is bad? I'm not sure what that really means, as I'm not from the area - and I've never really listened to jeff foxworthy's stuff.
Redneck and other such terms probably do not deserve a definition, as they are inherently intended to be derogatory in nature. Let's just say there are some who consider the pursuit of a higher education a waste of time, interfering with their beer guzzling.
Some years ago, when Hamilton had the paper companies and other hard working factory jobs which at least paid a livable family income, it may have been a little rough on the edges but many found reason to call it home. Today, it only appears to be trending downward, no matter what their PR department says.
My vote says stay in Oxford, even in a smaller environment, and enjoy all of the cultural amenities which surround you. Hamilton does not know the meaning of cultural, let alone amenities.
Both my sons have lived in Hamilton since graduating from Miami, one in 98, the other in 01. Neither one wants to move out at this time. The younger one works in Mason and prefers to remain in Hamilton because he likes his neighborhood. There are several rental houses in his neighborhood, most of them owned by his neighbors, who take pride in their area. Yes, there are bad areas, but to condemn the whole town because of them is wrong. Check into them without prejudice.
You may find that the cost difference in a nice area is significant in Hamilton, and you are less likely to end up living next to a house full of college students, on their own for the first time, who like to "unwind" after class.
In regards to your question about rednecks, a search on the net found this definition at Answers.com - Used as a disparaging term for a member of the white rural laboring class, especially in the southern United States.
In my experience, most of the people who use this term seriously have little tolerance of anyone below their own socio-economic status. Personally, even though I have a college degree and worked in the education field for 32 years, as the son of a bricklayer who taught me a strong work ethic, in some ways I would prefer to associate with many of the "rednecks" I have known.
I don't know Hamilton's various neighborhoods, but after spending a month earlier this year working with the congregation of one of the downtown churches, I can testify that there are plenty of educated, middle class people there. Yes, overall it comes across as a pretty gritty place and no center for the arts and culture, but for the OP's purposes I certainly wouldn't write it off.
Every town has good and bad neighborhoods, even Hamilton. I wish I knew more about the city to help you, but I haven't been there since applying for a job at the Hamilton Journal 15 years ago (and I didn't think the city was as bad as advertised ... ).
Don't worry about the commute in the winter. It really doesn't snow all that much in southern Ohio.
Thanks for your comments... I agree that Oxford does have a lot of good cultural pull to it. The honey festival sounds pretty cool. Do you think you could elaborate on the redneck aspect of Hamilton in your assessment, and why it is bad? I'm not sure what that really means, as I'm not from the area - and I've never really listened to jeff foxworthy's stuff.
People of higher education tend to be drawn towards other highly educated people. It's just a case of sharing common interests. I would say that a PHD candidate would represent a very small minority of the Hamilton population. Sure, there are educated middle, even upper class, people living in Hamilton, but I would say (I have no stats to prove - just personal experience) that the vast majority of people living in the city are below the middle class socio-economic line, and usually lack any type of education beyond high school.
Like kjbrill said, at one time Hamilton was a paper mill town. It even had a branch of a steel mill nearby. But those days are gone and so are the jobs that don't require a formal education. Unfortunately, many of the people in the area have not caught on to the concept that education is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
Most areas, not all, are very run down and not taken care of. Un-kept lawns, trash and broken down cars in the yard, etc. Again, not all neighborhoods are bad, but I'd say most are.
So what is redneck about the town? When I think of Hamilton, here's what pops into my head: Middle aged white person collecting unemployment because their union job has laid them off, yet they have plenty of money to spend on their cases of Bud Light every single night. No education beyond high school, no skill beyond their past job (again, which they are laid off from) yet no intentions of correcting the issue. The car they are driving is about 10 years past being considered a turd. They are usually overweight, but that does not keep them from showing off their random old boyfriend's name tattoos collected on their chest and shoulder blades.
They go to church every Sunday, yet every person with a Spanish last name is a 'stupid job stealing Mexican that should learn how to speak American and start paying taxes so that they can continue receiving their government assistance'. Every black person they see is a 'thug gansta looking to rob them of their cigarette money and prized Beany Baby collection'.
A big night out requires that they break out their nicest pair of sweat pants, Cincinnati Bengals sweat shirt and their throwback denim jacket and head straight to Texas Roadhouse (which is actually quite good - I'm just saying ). If they are feeling real frisky they might even put a little gel in their mullet.
I'm just saying...if you want to feel young again, move to Hamilton. You will go back in time at least 25 years, because it's still 1985 there.
Now, were these blanket statements? Absolutely. Do these comments reflect everyone that lives in Hamilton? Nope. But do they accurately describe a large percentage of the population? Unfortunately, yes. Matter of fact, that description just made me miss a lot of my family members.
Nice areas of Hamilton can be found…if you look hard enough. The surrounding countryside is absolutely beautiful, but I would imagine finding a rental in the country would be a bit challenging.
Again, I’d try to stay in Oxford...in a non-student housing area if you could.
People of higher education tend to be drawn towards other highly educated people. It's just a case of sharing common interests. I would say that a PHD candidate would represent a very small minority of the Hamilton population. Sure, there are educated middle, even upper class, people living in Hamilton, but I would say (I have no stats to prove - just personal experience) that the vast majority of people living in the city are below the middle class socio-economic line, and usually lack any type of education beyond high school.
Like kjbrill said, at one time Hamilton was a paper mill town. It even had a branch of a steel mill nearby. But those days are gone and so are the jobs that don't require a formal education. Unfortunately, many of the people in the area have not caught on to the concept that education is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.
Most areas, not all, are very run down and not taken care of. Un-kept lawns, trash and broken down cars in the yard, etc. Again, not all neighborhoods are bad, but I'd say most are.
So what is redneck about the town? When I think of Hamilton, here's what pops into my head: Middle aged white person collecting unemployment because their union job has laid them off, yet they have plenty of money to spend on their cases of Bud Light every single night. No education beyond high school, no skill beyond their past job (again, which they are laid off from) yet no intentions of correcting the issue. The car they are driving is about 10 years past being considered a turd. They are usually overweight, but that does not keep them from showing off their random old boyfriend's name tattoos collected on their chest and shoulder blades.
They go to church every Sunday, yet every person with a Spanish last name is a 'stupid job stealing Mexican that should learn how to speak American and start paying taxes so that they can continue receiving their government assistance'. Every black person they see is a 'thug gansta looking to rob them of their cigarette money and prized Beany Baby collection'.
A big night out requires that they break out their nicest pair of sweat pants, Cincinnati Bengals sweat shirt and their throwback denim jacket and head straight to Texas Roadhouse (which is actually quite good - I'm just saying ). If they are feeling real frisky they might even put a little gel in their mullet.
I'm just saying...if you want to feel young again, move to Hamilton. You will go back in time at least 25 years, because it's still 1985 there.
Now, were these blanket statements? Absolutely. Do these comments reflect everyone that lives in Hamilton? Nope. But do they accurately describe a large percentage of the population? Unfortunately, yes. Matter of fact, that description just made me miss a lot of my family members.
Nice areas of Hamilton can be found…if you look hard enough. The surrounding countryside is absolutely beautiful, but I would imagine finding a rental in the country would be a bit challenging.
Again, I’d try to stay in Oxford...in a non-student housing area if you could.
Best of luck.
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While I have never lived in Hamilton myself, we have made many trips there since 98 when our first son moved there, and I must say I have not seen a very large percentage of residents there who fit the description just given. No more than any other area. Hamilton has an MU branch, the Fitton Center for the Arts, Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park, etc. There are some nice old historic areas, populated by professionals (lawyers, doctors, architects, etc.) who are working to restore these areas.Would a community that is as "bad" as you have painted it support those things. Apparently Hamilton wasn't for you and you decided to leave. As you say, it was your choice. We have also decided that Hamilton is not our first choice when we move to SW Ohio, but that is because it is too big for us. We are more "small town folks".
I stick with my original suggestion to the OP. Go in with an open mind and check out both areas. There are good and bad spots in both places. I just feel that the chance of finding something nice at a reasonable price, without student neighbors may be better in Hamilton
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). Our main goal is to get an affordable place with plenty of elbow room. My wife is tired the apartment complex life - sharing washing machines, cramped quarters, and paper thin walls separating us from from the neighbors. I have not had much success looking in Oxford. It seems harder to find family friendly places to rent that aren't super small, as everything seems geared for the typical single college student.
redneck?
