Yes, I know there is a place for "location" in everyone's profile, but that's not what I mean.  What I seek is a description of the setting, the type of housing, or whatever.

For example:  When I am not living in a dorm in the center of Delaware, Ohio, I live in a big house on a cul-de-sac in suburbia.  My house was built in 1991, and the street itself is perhaps two years older.  If I were to attempt walking beyond my own street, I would surely be run over by several cars.  My situation is likely to change later this year when I become a grown-up and move to some place of my own.

In Columbus, I live in a house built in the early 1900's near OSU.  In Dayton, a ranch in suburbia of doom thanks to mom "wanting to get the hell out of the ghetto city." 

I live about 15-20 minutes walk west of downtown Fort Wayne in a 1600-square-foot two-storey frame house that, as near as I can tell, was built about 1860 and then expanded several times between then and 1937. I've owned it since 1977 and lived in it since 1989. The neighborhood has a historic designation, but my house is on Washington Boulevard, an arterial that used to carry US 24 across town, amd traffic is pretty horrendous as a result of sprawl to the west, built in the last 20 years. I overlook the St. Marys River, and part of the city's rivergreenway system runs by my house on the cross street. There's almost no retail downtown, but I can walk to church, the library, any number of fast-food places and a neighborhood tavern. A city bus stops at the end of my block.

A bandbox apartment consisting of a bedroom, study (technically 2nd bedroom), living room with cutout 1/3 rooms for the bathroom and kitchen. All whitewashed cinderblock walls.

 

I live within 1,000 yds from all of LSU's sport facilities, and walk 10-15 minutes to all my classes.

I still drive (due to proximity and situation) to the stores (5-6 miles) or to DT Baton Rouge (which is a rare occasion).

 

I live on the fifth-floor of a mid-rise condominium, three streets south of the Gold Coast (where buildings range in height from two stories to 30). My building was built the same year I was (1967), and we're both starting to show our age. In the basement is a parking garage and a laundry room. On the top floor is an indoor swimming pool, sun deck, party room and one penthouse.

 

Out front of my building is Clifton, which sees a bus every 4-7 minutes during rush hours, and every 20 minutes off peak, with service from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. A 5-minute walk south is Detroit Avenue, which has a bus every 5 minutes during rush hours and every 10 minutes off-peak, with hourly service from midnight to 5 a.m.

 

Within a 15-minute walk of my building are the following basic services and amenities:

 

> the Rapid station (frequent service to Hopkins Airport, with community circulators from my neighborhood to the station every 20 minutes from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m.);

> three grocery stores (one of which is strictly organic foods);

> two inns (Day's Inn, Travelodge);

> four banks;

> post office;

> four churches;

> two coffee houses;

> three large drug stores (two of which are open 24 hours);

> one college (Virginia Marti College of Fashion and Art, which also has a nice art gallery storefront);

> two video stores (not including those in grocery or drug stores);

> several doctor/medical offices,

> three convenience stores (one is open 24 hours);

> lots of funky stores (Clifton Web, Flower Child, and others);

> a couple of laundromats/dry cleaners;

> six fast-food restaurants;

> 17 restaurants, of which several are open 24 hours (Pier W, Swingos on the Lake, Warter's Edge Deli, Gold Coast Cafe, Clifton Diner, Papa Nick's Pizza, Tick Tock Tavern, It's It Deli & Cafe, Kluck's Seafood, Truffles desserts, Diana's Deli, Friends Restaurant & Deli, Pizza Hut (should it be under fast food?), Shore Restaurant, Maria's Roman Room, Pepper's Italian Cafe, and some Chinese take-out joint I've yet to visit), with more restaurants coming as two car dealerships are giving way to the mixed-use Rockport Square;

> Seven live-music taverns/clubs:  Blind Lemon (rock), Phantasy Theater and Nightclub (concert club), The Chamber (goth/industrial), Symposium (dance club), Twist (gay dance club), Pepper Joe's (blues/rock), Hi-Fi Club (rock);

> Six "neighborhood-style" pubs:  Five o'Clock Bar, Remix Lounge, Good Luck Tavern,  Bassa Vitta Lounge, The Hawk, Elm's Bar;

> A wide variety of ethnic persons live in my building and the surrounding neighborhood. In the summer, from my balcony, I can hear parties in which Arabic techno music is played, disagreements in Hungarian are made, and greetings in oriental are relayed.

> Plus, there's the annual Clifton Arts Festival, held the first weekend of each June, in which the seven-lane-wide Clifton Boulevard is closed to traffic for several blocks and turned into a huge art gallery, food bazaar and live music venue. They also close Lake Avenue for the Cleveland Marathon (runners from around the world pass by in both directions, but the Kenyans always win) for one day each May.

> Oh, and a 15-minute bicycle ride takes you to Edgewater Park to the east, or Lakewood Park to the west....

 

Mine truly is a great, urban neighborhood. I really love it here (it was even better during the 2003 blackout when strangers got together for cookouts, fireworks, and star-gazing!). I've lived here for eight years and will stay even if I buy a new place. Below are some pictures of my neighborhood.....

 

KJP

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That's my condo building in the background, as viewed from the test run of a commuter train in 1997...

 

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Gold Coast high-rises, viewed from the party room on the top floor of my building....

 

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This pic gives a good overview of where I live. My building is three blocks south of the Lake Erie shoreline.....

 

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The Phantasy Theater, just south of me, on Detroit Avenue (there's a grouping of a half-dozen live-music clubs there)....

 

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A short crawl from the Phantasy is the Hi-Fi Club....

 

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An exhibitor at The Clifton Arts and Street Festival, held each year three blocks east of me....

 

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This is a restaurant at the Winton Place high-rise, hence the name Pier W, which has a great view of downtown....

 

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Windy nights can provide some great time-exposure views. This one was taken from my balcony, looking toward downtown Cleveland....

 

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I leave you with this view of my neighborhood, which is between downtown Lakewood and downtown Cleveland. This view was taken from the 15th floor of Lakewood Center North in downtown Lakewood....

 

 

That's all folks.

the pope lives in a 1910 woodframe in cleveland hts that is around the warrensville/mayfield intersection

I live on the top (4th) floor of an 1886 Italianate in Over-the-Rhine.  There are six residential and 2 commercial units (design company, bakery) in the building.  Nowhere near KJP's laundry list of amenities, but not too shabby either.

the same as colday's description for his columbus house...except i have more rowhouses around me :D

I live in a cookie-cutter ranch house from 1957 between Mt. Healthy and the Northgate Mall.

 

Do I like it?  No.  Is this where I'd choose to live?  Hell no.

I live in Harrison, Ohio.  It is about 20 mintues west of Cincinnati in Hamilton County, right on the Indiana border....yeeee-haw.  It is fairly rural although a lot of people are moving out there as it is some of the last developed land in the county.  I live on the highest natural point in the county :-D,(Marvin Rd.) which is pretty cool.  From my backyard, I can see the WEBN fireworksall the way from the Ohio River and also when the Reds used to win or hit a home run.  Now I think they just shoot them out of those tall stacks.  I can also see Rumpke Dump.  I bet if Cincinnati had Key Tower I would be able to see it from my house.  My house is in a rural setting kind of....I have neighbors a few hundred feet away, but it is 5 mintues from I-74.  My home is roughly 25 years old.  It is a fairly typical mid-size ranch.  We sit on 10 acres, expect unfortunately all around our property development has taken place.  Harrison has a nice, small downtown that has recently been re-done.  There are some nice street scapes down there.  Right now, I go to Ohio State. 

I live in a little box of an apartment, about a block away from Ohio State's campus.  It is a studio, one room setup.  When I first moved in it reminded me of a hotel - I felt like I was off someplace on vacation for the first few days.  But now it just sucks because there's no storage space, there's really not enough room for all the furniture I have in here, & it really doesn't feel private (can hear neighbors' tvs, music, arguments, etc.), and the heaters don't work all that well.  But I think I will be here at least another year, & possibly til I finish school.

 

One window has an ugly view of the alley out back (dumpsters and cars, a shed with graffiti), and from the other windows I see the side of the apartment building next door, about 10 feet away.

 

Sometimes I am awakened by people fighting or screaming outside and I have to decide whether or not to call the police: is someone getting raped or mugged, or is it just drunk idiots?  Usually it's just the latter.

 

As far as "amenities," being near campus helps.  There's a post office and a branch of my bank on campus.  I can walk to campus in five minutes (reach my classes within 20 minutes at the most) or to any number of fast food places (there are 3 Wendy's within like, two miles of one another).  The "Ghetto Kroger" (as it's locally called) and branch of Columbus Metro library are within a 15 minute walk.  Downtown is about 20-25 minutes away by bus.

I live in the Patterson Park neighborhood in Dayton, which borders both Kettering (the old Gentile Station) and Oakwood.  It's a pretty typical post-WWII neighborhood.  I live in a 2 bedroom garden apartment building that was built in the late 40's.  There's a number of other apartment buildings around me, but most of the nighborhood is cape cod houses.  It seems to be a popular neighborhood for city employees because of the residency requirement. 

 

Somehow, I can still manage to get lost in my neighborhood at night.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that there is a Broadview Blvd and a Broadview Blvd. South (two separate streets) or that every streets also seems to change names around every bend in the street.  Also, I'm not sure what's up, but there are a number of streets that just end...it looks like they were planning on connecting with other streets or maybe they used to.  I dunno.

Kendall, you live in an old Itallianate above Shadeau Breads?  I envy you!!!

I live in a 1922 Arts & Crafts bungalow (not a true bungalow, since there's a full 2nd floor).  Lots of simple woodwork, hardwood floors, and all the lovely creaks of an old house.  No floor is flat, no corner is square...the previous owners re-fi'd a land contract in 1987, so the furnace, A/C and kitchen are all late-80's, and it shows.  Wet basement and wet garage, but lots of character, and since it sits on a hill, lots of extremely interesting views.  We're right near Eden Park, so we have a short walk to great river views...we're wildly in love with our place, even when our cars are broken into, even after our house was robbed, even though the retaining walls are failing, and the driveway blows ass...

Hey Dfly!

You might want to try again with the map.

how many of you Cincinnati guys/gals live in OTR?  And Grasscat, why don't you live in the urban core!!!???

how many of you Cincinnati guys/gals live in OTR? And Grasscat, why don't you live in the urban core!!!???

 

Trust me, I would love to...and I will at some future point.  It's just not possible right now.

how many of you Cincinnati guys/gals live in OTR? And Grasscat, why don't you live in the urban core!!!???

 

Trust me, I would love to...and I will at some future point. It's just not possible right now.

 

ahh, jenny still has that restraining order?

BWAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!!!

Basically I live about one-half mile east of KJP and one street north in a 1920s Tudor-style apartment building. Fortunately I don't have to pay the outlandish RITA (suburban income tax) that he does.

 

Oh, KJP - just so no one gets confused - the Hawk is a... um... well... it's a neighborhood bar alright but more geared towards "my people" of the blue-collar variety  :wink:

Mayday,

 

Hi neighbor! I thought it might be more interesting if people unfamiliar with the neighborhood checked out some of the places on that list. And, if they stepped into the Hawk, they might find out for themselves.  :-o The Chamber is equally a "cultural experience," but since I like a lot of industrial music, I've gone there a few times. If you don't wear something black, they probably won't let you in! Twist used to be trip before they remodeled it, but I can't deal with guys dancing around with their shirts off. I'm not anti-gay (or I wouldn't live around here!), but that place was just a little too much for me....  :oops:

 

KJP

The Chamber - haha, that's awesome... I've been there a few times. Not a lot of gay guys listen to (or like) industrial music so I haven't been there in a long time.

 

About the Hawk, you're right, but I know some of the forumers - and I wouldn't EVER wish the Hawk on them ;) Mind you they wouldn't have to pay for a drink the entire night but  :-o

 

Twist was atrocious before they re-did it - it's too small of a place to have a true dancefloor. The new layout is much better and I love the front 'garage' doors in the summer with the patio on Clifton. If you go back, you probably won't see any shirtless types, and the basement lounge is pretty mellow.

I live in a lovely 4 bedroom, 3 bath tudor in Mt. Lookout, about a 1/4 mile from the square; indoor plumbing, electricity, all the latest conveniences!  Anyone in Hamilton County can post their home's pic from hamiltoncountyauditor.org.

 

I live on the west side in a 50's ranch style house.  I can be downtown in 12 minutes on a good day, usually not longer than 15. 

Anyone in Hamilton County can post their home's pic from hamiltoncountyauditor.org.

 

I don't want you freaks knowing where I live!

I don't want you freaks knowing where I live!

 

You've posted pictures of your house before - during the snow and subsequent shoveling!  Oops...was I not supposed to mention that?

...of course I can't find it now...

I live in Kentucky.....enough said.

I live in a lovely 4 bedroom, 3 bath tudor in Mt. Lookout, about a 1/4 mile from the square; indoor plumbing, electricity, all the latest conveniences! 

 

So, how much do you pay your butlers?  :evil:  :-D

I now live in Broadview Hts, in a new development on the borders of Brecksville and Richfield.  It's called New Hampton, and is rated in the top 100 developments nationwide.

 

It's definitely suburban, but we needed a bigger house on a bit more land than what's available in West Park.  Also, since we want to start a family we needed to consider school districts.

I have a harem of hot 19 year old girls that clean my house in exchange for certain favors.....

...of course I can't find it now...

 

I believe I've since moved the photo or something.

 

I'll just give you one off of the auditor's website, in all its craptacularness:

Take a look-see here for photos taken this morning:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=2221.0

we live in the west village in new york city in a 500sqft 1bdrm on the 3rd floor for ten years (14th st & 8th ave). it is on the borderline of chelsea and the meatpacking district. our apt building is a totally typical nyc six floor walk up that was built in 1900. i know two families that raised two kids in these apts, that is four people, kids or adults sleep in pull outs in the living room -- yikes! the building's only and slight claim to fame is the young beat writer jack kerouac supposedly lived here before he went "on the road." 

 

you may or may not be surprised there are five other apts on our side of the building that i know of with people from cleveland and greater cleveland and yet another guy who moved out a few years ago. also a guy from cinci who moved out a while back after many years. it's rent stabilized or we would not be here as the nabe has recently exploded with gentrification (meatpacking is the new soho for shopping). area 1bdrms are now $3k/mo!!!

 

i work all over the city so this has been a nice central location for me. spouse now works one block way (see my port authority building photo thread) which is a fantastic 1 minute commute no?!? in fact she could even walk into the subway on our corner and walk underneath to a special pa building enterance and not even have to wear a coat if you can believe that!

 

our building is right in the middle of the photo, it is the double building across the street from the little white chimney in the foreground.

 

 

 

ps --- i forgot to add that on the street level of our building we have a pizza place, a dry cleaner (they send out, so no fumes), a chinese joint (fumes!), our pharmacy (non-chain thank you) and a turkish restaurant. living above retail is often under-appeciated elsewhere, but let me tell you it is an important and convenient perk!

 

mrnyc- Great neighborhood!

 

Living above retail is a great thing. Although I have to walk a couple blocks to stores and restaurants, living above retail is a staple of residential living along the commercial districts in Lakewood. When someone asks where you live, you can just tell them, "I live above Chain Link Addiction" in Madison Village or "I live above Pepper's Italian Cafe" on Detroit Ave., etc. etc.

 

Fortunately, I think a lot of the younger generation are starting to appreciate the conveniences of these kinds of neighborhoods, and the sense of community they create. I noticed that you know that backgrounds of your neighbors, which tells me you have a chance to communicate with them in chance meetings on stairwells, sidewalks, etc. rather than a shallow "wave" through windshields.

 

I know the first and last names of most of my neighbors (unlike several other places in the 'burbs where I've lived). We meet in the elevators, walk to the bus stop or to the corner store together, and once had a paper airplane fight from balcony to balcony! We all look after each other, and some have been in my building since it was built 37 years ago. So, when I go out of town, and need someone trustworthy to look after my pets, all I have to do is walk down the hall...

 

KJP

kjp exactly true. about half the people on our side have lived here many many years, some since the sixties. the others are young people usually new to the city who come and go.

 

i do see living above street level retail coming more into vogue again all over and that is a good thing. for example west palm beach and san diego come to mind from recent visits. its funny but its nothing different than a re-appreciation of what was once typical anytown mainstreet usa!

 

ps--i know well where you live. i even lived on 102nd and clifton one summer. and of course hung out all around there when i was in hs (old hennesey's/alter house! phantasy! the detroiter! chelsea's vintage clothing! tick tock!). my step bro has a surf record store called hodad's on lorain---that particular strip is another new very hip few blocks for younger people. the lakewood-clev borderland is all still a great stable area i would recommend.

 

I'd like to see a photo essay of your NYC neighborhood sometime, and I'd like to do one for mine (more than the brief one I did earlier). There aren't many neighborhoods in Ohio like mine where there's 20,000 people living in one square mile. It's one of the few places in this state where you can get along just fine without a car (and might even do better without one!).

 

KJP

The vast, bland, suburbia of Indianapolis. 

The vast, bland, suburbia of Columbus.

Kind of embarrased to admit I live in a fairly rural ex-urb of Wash DC.  I'm in Maryland 2 miles from the Chesapeake Bay.  Here's a pic of me and part of the house from a couple of years ago:

 

 

It's a 20 year old split foyer, in the woods at the end of a cul-de-sac.  So much for my old urban ways.  I guess marriage and parenthood will do that to ya sometimes. :roll:

Something I've noticed in recent pictures posted on this site.... Look at all the damn snow! It's everywhere! Chicago, Cleveland, Columbus, Maryland and, of course, Boston...all are pictures posted recently which show huge mounds of snow all over the place.

 

I haven't seen the news yet today to see if Punxatawney Phil gave us a break! But I heard it was sunny in western PA this morning so....  :shoot:  SIX MORE WEEKS OF WINTER???

 

(Of course there's going to be six more weeks of winter -- the start of spring is March 21 and, thus, about six weeks away. That stupid rat!!!)

 

KJP

...all right I will play.

 

 

Wowzers mrnyc, $3K a month... 

 

To think what my folks old place in North Babylon, Long Island would be worth today?  They sold it in 1985 for $90K before the boom.  Although they originally bought it in 1976 for $38K so still made some money off of it.  With plans to venture back to my home state this summer, I don't think I will want to leave.  It has been too long since I was last in New York.

 

As for now, I currently own a 1900 sq ft. 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath house with a 2 car garage in Mason.  One of the last affordable neighborhoods left in town.  Current median home value is encroching $300K in Mason.  While I l honestly do enjoy Mason, I ultimately want to live in the city.  Preferably in an old 1930's tudor in Mt. Lookout.  In all honesty, if City West ever stabilizes (crime lowers) I would really love to live in one of those fabulous town homes in the West End.  But before any of that happens, I will need to change jobs as I commute to Dayton for work.  Mason was about as far south as I was willing to live in the Cincy Metro while still commuting to Dayton.  Ultimately downtown Cincy is were my heart is at...

 

Hey monte glad to see there are people like you who want to move from the burbs into downtown. Those of us who live in the core are trying our best to clean it up so there will be more people like yourself who will take the plunge. Together we can make it a great place to live work and play!  :-D

In suburban hell on the westside of Columbus  :cry:

Hey monte glad to see there are people like you who want to move from the burbs into downtown. Those of us who live in the core are trying our best to clean it up so there will be more people like yourself who will take the plunge. Together we can make it a great place to live work and play! :-D

 

Yeah but I am not the sole decision maker in the family.  It would be hard to convince my wife to pull my daughter out of Mason schools to move into the city.  It would have to be a sweet deal for that to happen where we could afford private school.

Isn't it odd that a large number of you live in the burbs but would rather live in the city? Yet, some ultra-conservatives would have you believe that the outward shifts in population prove that people don't like city living and would rather live in the suburbs. These are the same people who claim "smart growth" is a government intrusion on people's individual choices of where they want to live. While I think they got the government intrusion part right, they incorrectly identified what parts of an urbanized area (the sprawl-burbs) benefitted from it and which portion (the core) was decimated to the point of it being unlivable.

 

KJP

Mentor, OH. Spwraltastic

I would say, KJP, that it is true that more people would rather move out of the city into the burbs then live in the burbs and move to the city (as evidenced by actual population shifts).  Since this is an urban site, we probably don't represent the norm when it comes to this issue.