New Job in downtown Cincinnati - Rent Options (Findlay, Norwood: transplants, apartments)

[cortelyou]

Hello,


It seems like everyone here is super helpful and informative to those who are moving into Cincinnati. I appreciate your advice in advance!

I was recently offered a position in a company located in Downtown Cincinnati (Central Business District). I am a bit concerned about transportation being that I do not own a drivers license, so I will not own a car anytime soon.

I come from New York City, therefore I prefer public transportation. (Do people bike in Cincinnati?) In addition, I am a young single female, therefore I would prefer a safer neighborhood. I would also like stores in walking distance. As for my price range, I would say . . . give or take $600 for a single bedroom apartment?

What are my options?

Once again, your help is greatly appreciated!

[cincity]

For $600 you're looking at a studio apt with your other criteria being met. Coming from NYC that might be doable for you. Not many studios downtown...

[t45209]

Unfortunately, the most walking friendly neighborhoods in Cincinnati are not within walking/biking distance to downtown. Certainly, there are nice neighborhoods near and even in downtown, but they all suffer from a lack of nearby shopping. For the ultimate walking neighborhood experience, you need to go to Oakley, which is several miles (about 10 minutes driving) from downtown. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but it would be a challenging daily commute on a bike.

[progmac]

at $600 for a walkable community, you'll have to make a tradeoff - either giving up some of the safety element or giving up some of the proximity element.

if you're willing to give up some sense of quiet and "safety," look in Corryville and CUF, and Northside. The first three are just up the hill from downtown and where all the university students live. Search for UC threads for more thoughts on the areas.

if you're willing to give up some proximity to downtown, look towards the neighborhood centers of Oakley, Pleasant Ridge, Westwood, Hartwell (not sure about rents there), and maybe the close-in suburbs of Norwood and Silverton. In these places, make sure you are on an express bus route for sub 30 minute rush hour commutes (the centers of each have an express going through)

yes, people in Cincinnati bike. it is hilly so good luck.

[Wilson513]

You will end up in one of the large buildings along Madison Road between Erie and Mooney, or at the Ravenswood in East Hyde Park. Nothing else will fit your needs. Its the only safe place with good bus service to downtown in that price range.

BTW, how is it that a budget from NYC which must have been three times the $600 must be downsized so drastically? Seems fishy to me. Most NYC transplants come here expecting to spend more than twice that for a studio.

[neilworms2]

If you want to feel more like your in NYC I'd recommend the gateway quarter Vine and Main Streets below Liberty Street in OTR, but keep in mind its a neighborhood that is literally in the first stages of gentrification - its still a bit shaky, and I know you were looking for a safe neighborhood, but very much on an upward trend. Shopping still is a bit sparse but is growing. This might be an area to keep an eye on for the future.

Not many people in Cincinnati ride bikes, the culture is behind a lot of major cities like Chicago and New York, but is just starting to develop. Check out cycle cincy for a good community. Queen City Bike is the local bicycle advocacy group. The most bicycle oriented neighborhoods are Northside and OTR.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by Wilson513

...BTW, how is it that a budget from NYC which must have been three times the $600 must be downsized so drastically? Seems fishy to me. Most NYC transplants come here expecting to spend more than twice that for a studio.

Her post says she's coming from NYC and her budget is $600. It says nothing about her current living arrangements. She could have been living with relatives, or she could have several roommates. She says she's young: she could have even been living in a college dorm. Why would you make any kind of assumption about what rent she's paying now, or even assume she's paying rent at all?

To the OP: I unfortunately have no advice to offer you, other than to say that you may find life here more challenging without a car than it would be where you come from. But please know that not all Cincinnatians are so eager to label your questions as "fishy." They seem perfectly reasonable to me.

[Wilson513]

No one bikes to work downtown. From the east side maybe 10 people per day. Or 20. Its just dangerous, undependable, etc. NYC is flat as a pancake. Everywhere in Cincinnati is up a hill. Try a 500 foot rise over two miles. That's fun in rush hour traffic.

[Chemistry_Guy]

I would look into apartments on Milton Street or Boal in Prospect Hill. The price may be a little over 600, but not much, especially if you don't have a cityview. The area is safe and very convenient.

[Chemistry_Guy]

Before we got married, my wife lived on Milton Street with a roomate. My wife had a car, the roomate didn't. The roomate worked at the downtown library, and my wife worked at P&G. My wife would go weeks without driving her car, shopping at Findlay market on Saturday mornings, walking to work, and . They didn't cross over to the other side of Sycamore on Liberty, but they walked down Sycamore and then cut over to Main street late at night all the time with no issues. Their neighbor was a single female nurse that worked up the hill at Christ Hospital and walked up the hill to work every morning.

The whole four years they were there, they had two 'interesting' encounters with unsavory characters. The one time some guy from rural KY decided to shoot heroin and pass out with his car in neutral uphill from a parked car in front of their apartment, and the other time someone stole all of their potted plants and then tried to trade them for beer at a local bar.

I don't think the area is unsuitable for a young woman living alone, but I would agree that there are safer, yet less convenient, locations for someone working downtown without a car. One thing that was key for my wife and her roomate was that they got to know their neighbors very well. Anyway, for a complete transplant with no friends or contacts in the city and no car, I might lean towards sacrificing a little convenience and living with the college and graduate students in CUF near a bus stop, as it would help you meet other people in a similar situation.