Relocating for work in Beckett Ridge (Cincinnati, Green: for sale, rentals, condos)

[pbertin]

My husband and I are relocating to the Cincinnati area and he will be working in Beckett Ridge. We are young with 2 dogs and planning to start a family in the next year or two. I'd prefer to live in a walkable community with unique shops, restaurants, etc. so from what I've seen online, that seems to rule out Westchester and Mason. My husband would like to stick to around a 20 min commute. Any location suggestions? We would like to buy, but might decide to rent for a while first (we will be given a very short 'house hunting' trip and may not want to commit to buying when we're under a time pressure). Where we live now, all rentals lock you into a 1 year lease and most don't accept pets. Is this the case in Cincinatti as well?

[Wilson513]

I'd live in Glendale if I worked up there.

[progmac]

Greenhills was one of three master planned communities in the US after WWI. There was Greenbelt, Maryland, and Greendale, Wisconsin. They were specifically planned to be walkable and to be surrounded by a circle of greenspace to separate them from adjacent tract-style development.

It's about 12 miles / 20 minutes from Beckett Ridge. Check it out. I would also prefer the school district there to West Chester's.

[Sarah Perry]

Originally Posted by progmac

Greenhills was one of three master planned communities in the US after WWI. There was Greenbelt, Maryland, and Greendale, Wisconsin. They were specifically planned to be walkable and to be surrounded by a circle of greenspace to separate them from adjacent tract-style development.

It's about 12 miles / 20 minutes from Beckett Ridge. Check it out. I would also prefer the school district there to West Chester's.

Curious why you say you prefer Winton Woods district to Lakota. Could you explain?

I know Greenhills well. I can't say this often enough or loudly enough about what appears to be a misconception on the part of people who haven't driven around the area with their eyes wide open recently or even in the last 5 or 10 years. THERE IS NO RELEVANT WALKABLE RETAIL LEFT IN GREENHILLS. A minit mart. A diner. There are a few service businesses and a library. Otherwise, pretty much nada. In otherwords, the character of the community is completely different from what it was when it was built, and even from what it was 15 years ago.

All that said, I don't think it's a bad choice especially for someone just starting out. But in terms of walkable amenities, it's pretty slim.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by Sarah Perry

Curious why you say you prefer Winton Woods district to Lakota. Could you explain?

I don't. I thought it was in the Princeton SD. Shows you what I know! I don't know anything about the Winton school district.

[Jen35]

I second Glendale. If you love older homes, you will be in heaven, although you can find newer ones tucked in as well. Cute walkable downtown with restaurants, etc. Close proximity to major retail as well up in Springdale (next town North). I would think it would be no more than 10 minutes to work each day up in Beckett Ridge. Only drawback to Glendale are schools, but you don't have kids yet, so no issue for you. Elementary school is very good (it is a local elementary school for Glendale), but above that, you are at a consolidated middle and high school within Princeton Schools (Glendale, Springdale, Lincoln Heights, Woodlawn and Sharonville all go to Princeton). You may be ok with the district, but it's not one of the top in the area and wanted to just point it out so you have all your facts while looking.

I live close by (in Wyoming - 2 towns south of Glendale) so any questions on this side of town, feel free to ask... We considered Glendale on our initial move to Cincinnati (7 yrs ago), but ended up elsewhere. It's an adorable town...

[insightofitall]

Originally Posted by pbertin

My husband and I are relocating to the Cincinnati area and he will be working in Beckett Ridge. We are young with 2 dogs and planning to start a family in the next year or two. I'd prefer to live in a walkable community with unique shops, restaurants, etc. so from what I've seen online, that seems to rule out Westchester and Mason. My husband would like to stick to around a 20 min commute. Any location suggestions? We would like to buy, but might decide to rent for a while first (we will be given a very short 'house hunting' trip and may not want to commit to buying when we're under a time pressure). Where we live now, all rentals lock you into a 1 year lease and most don't accept pets. Is this the case in Cincinatti as well?

West Chester is walkable, despite beliefs to the contrary. It's just not as walkable as urban neighborhoods. Within walking distance of SR 747 and Smith Road, you'll find a lot of great neighborhoods filled with young couples. The shops within that area aren't exactly galleries and boutiques, though. So depending on what kind of unique shops and restaurants you want, you're really going to be limited if you still want to be within a 20 minute commute to BR. If you're talking galleries, boutiques, and sidewalk cafes, you're pretty much only going to find that in certain places such as Hyde Park, Mariemont, and Mt. Adams.

This is one of those situations where you really have to decide what's more important....being within a close commute to where your husband will be working, or being within walking distance of shops and restaurants that the younger crowd considers "hip".

[kjbrill]

I concur Westchester and Mason do not meet the definition of walkable. Downtown Mason is walkable but it is small and not much there. Same goes for Olde Westchester.

To work in Beckett Ridge, but go all the way to Hyde Park, Mt Lookout, etc. to live to me just does not make sense. They are in the CPS district which certainly is no better than Princeton Schools, actually worse.

I second the vote on Glendale. There are some very attractive older properties with nice yards, etc. as it was an affluent area. It is quiet little village, very pleasant place to live. The Princeton School district is improving. They are in the process of building a new high school. The portions of Sharonville which are in the district are pressuring for improvements. You have several years prior to being really concerned about schools.

You may consider looking at rental property up on Beckett Ridge itself. There are some quite nice condos which I believe accept pets. You are in Lakota School district there, and just a drop down over the hill to work. It is not walkable to shopping, but a very pleasant environment wrapped around a golf course with nice walking trails, etc. And when you want the restaurants, Union Centre Boulevard is also just a drop down the hill.

[pbertin]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I definitely don't need to be able to walk to high end boutiques; I'd just like to be able to get to a coffee shop, drug store, park, etc. Also, I'd prefer not to be the only one in the neighborhood that is walking...some place that is pedestrian friendly and not only car-focused.

I'll keep Glendale in mind...it doesn't seem to have that many houses for sale at the moment. That's probably not a bad thing for a neighborhood, but it might take a bit of luck to find something available when we are 'hunting'. Are there any other villiages around Glendale that would be similar?

Also, originally I had been looking at Loveland...google maps said it was only 25 minutes to Beckett Ridge, but is it much farther when you factor in traffic?

[kjbrill]

The only thing walkable in Loveland is the original downtown along the Little Miami River and any residential there is quite old and not a lot of it. Much of what is attractive downtown is geared to people using the Little Miami Scenic River bike trail, coffee shops, ice cream parlors, etc. Loveland is quite sprawled out, much of it up on the hills surrounding the river valley. I would say 25 minutes to Beckett Ridge is a stretch, as there is really no direct route.