Rating the Burbs

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Home is where the heart is. In the American mind—especially among upwardly mobile professionals—home also is the bedrock of a family’s financial portfolio. And the value of a home begins with the real estate mantra: location.

 

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1. TERRACE PARK

Call this the little village that could. This relatively tiny municipality — incorporated in 1893 — jumped to the top of the heap by virtue of high property values, the No. 1 ranking in our safety rankings and, being in the Mariemont school system, superb education scores. What no statistics or number-crunching can accurately capture is the given charm or neighborliness of a community. Terrace Park has it all in spades. Sandwiched between Mariemont, Indian Hill and Milford, this affluent community (with its own historical society) is often compared to New England towns. Behind the charm of historical homes and facades, many Terrace Park homes have been expensively updated for the modern living of young families, whose children can walk or bike to Terrace Park Elementary. A full 95 percent of the housing in Terrace Park is owner-occupied; renters need not apply. And the population (37 percent English/Irish/Scottish and 34 percent German) of 2,000 is exactly divided—to a one, mind you—between male and female. What are those odds?

 

The maternal grandparents of Helen C. Barnett, 90, moved there on their honeymoon in 1896, three years after the village was founded and six years after the original construction of what is now the recently renovated Community Building. Her paternal grandparents lived there, too. Talk about stability and tradition.

 

2. INDIAN HILL

What can you say about the zip code that’s the second richest in Ohio after Cleveland’s Pepper Pike? This is the playground of the rich and famous, with a country club (Camargo) so exclusive that gazillonaire Carl Lindner had a hard time getting in. It’s a ’burb known for its sprawling horse farms and equine trails. And it’s a community that likely packs more Rolls Royces into its 20 square miles than any other place in Cincinnati. Once the hunting grounds of the Shawnee and Miami tribes, Indian Hill had become a farming community of 500 by the turn of the last century. It incorporated as a village in 1941, but its blood was running blue long before that.

 

3. MONTGOMERY

The town that Ted Gregory made. Well, not actually, though the Ribs King certainly did play a major role in the community through his Montgomery Inn restaurant. It was no less than Charles Dickens, though, while resting at the town center’s Sage Tavern stagecoach stop, who suggested someone ought to open “a Montgomery inn” because of the ideal location. Today, the Olde Montgomery city center is a charmer. The neighborhood streets are textbook Americana. At any moment, you expect the “Beav” to come bounding out at you.

 

4. AMBERLEY VILLAGE

Talk about a location with a flavor all its own. The village council spent decades successfully battling off encroaching strip malls and chain restaurants, preserving the rural character of Amberley. Among Hamilton County’s 48 political jurisdictions, Amberley ranks first in the percentage of children enrolled in private school (52 percent); first in the percentage who drive alone to work (93 percent) and tops in percentage of those who work in real estate (6 percent).

 

5. CLEAR CREEK TOWNSHIP

Clear Creek Township sits at the extreme northern top of Warren County (the best reference point for its location is that it's near the Dayton Daily News building off Interstate 75). Created by county commissioners in 1815, Clear Creek is the latest slice of farmland to encounter suburban sprawl, as Dayton and Cincinnati draw ever closer to each other to form one gigantic metropolis.

 

6. MASON

Mason: The Water Park Capitol of the World. No, that’s not this city’s official slogan, but it ought to be. Home to Kings Island theme park and adjoining Boomerang Bay sprayground, The Beach Waterpark, the Golf Center at Kings Island and now Great Wolf Lodge water resort, Mason is where the region goes to play. Named Palmira in 1815, the town took on its current moniker after the death of wealthy land-owner William Mason in 1832. These days, it’s home to such major players as Cintas Corporation, Mitsubishi, the Procter & Gamble Health Care Research Center, and Luxottica Retail.

 

7. WYOMING

This northern suburb traces its history back 125 years, and its historic district is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Architectural styles range from Victorian to modern, helping the community win a national “Prettiest Painted Places” award. With 14 parks and preserves, there’s a whole lot of green going on here. If this fact says anything about civic pride and concern for the environment, there’s more recycling done here than anywhere else in Hamilton County.

 

8. MARIEMONT

Quaint. Scenic. Stunning. These are just some of the words Mariemont residents use to describe their hometown. When philanthropist Mary Emery quietly purchased one square mile of orchards and cornfields in 1923, she envisioned what would become one of the first planned communities in America. The village square is peppered with Tudor businesses: the striking Mariemont Inn, Mariemont Theater, the National Exemplar restaurant, a Graeter’s ice cream parlor and the Mariemont Strand, an assortment of gift shops and gourmet eateries. In other words, postcard-picture perfect.

 

9. WEST CHESTER

West Chester’s motto, “Where families grow and businesses prosper,” rings true in many ways, beginning with its ideal hub location and multiple access points to I-75. Commerce here has transformed the economic base from primarily light industrial to upscale retail and office development, technology businesses, and regional medical facilities. West Chester is all about growth—for families and for jobs. The fast-growing Union Centre retail center adds flavorful restaurants and yupscale shopping to the mix.

 

10. TURTLE CREEK TOWNSHIP

Established in 1804, the township was named after Turtle Creek, a stream that was in turn named for Native American chief Little Turtle. In the past 20 years, Turtle Creek has joined a rare fraternity of neighborhoods where average income has leap-frogged up more than 20 percent (even after adjusting for inflation).

 

11. HAMILTON TOWNSHIP

Hamilton Township is one of the original four townships created when Warren County was divided in 1803. It's centrally located, bounded on the north and west by the Little Miami State and National Scenic River, on the east by Harlan and Salem townships, and on the south by Clermont County.

 

12. GLENDALE

The streets of Glendale practically scream old-world charm, and few who’ve ever enjoyed a meal at Grand Finale or the Iron Horse Inn would doubt this is culinary central, as well. Children stroll to school along gas-lit avenues, moms and dads push baby carriages while walking the family dog, and Deputy Barney Fife is found hanging out at the barbershop…Well, not quite. Actually, “Mayberry” never had it this good.

 

13. MADEIRA

Originally developed along a railroad line linking West Virginia with points west, this city finally incorporated in 1910. Today, Madeira’s bustling business district—fronted by the vintage railroad depot—is a favorite for many shoppers and diners, with its unique storefronts and eclectic assortment of eateries. Homeowners choose to live here for its central location, schools and vibrant community spirit.

 

14. SYMMES TOWNSHIP

The township bears the name of John Cleves Symmes who, in 1788, made the “Miami  Purchase”—which led to the founding of Cincinnati. The community is rightfully proud of its Camp Dennison Nature Trail, Harper’s Station Greenspace,  Seven Gables Park,  Lake Isabella, and other attractions.

 

15. VILLA HILLS

This Kentucky community is so proud of itself that it adopted the slogan “A Special Place to Live.” And Villa Hills is certainly that: Overlooking the Ohio River, its residents include many Cincinnati sports stars and television personalities. Its origins were modest. Thanks to a $300 loan from the Villa Hills Civic Club, the community was incorporated in 1962. Landmarks include Villa Madonna Academy and Saint Walburg Monastery.

 

 

 

Behind the Numbers

Our overall rankings were formulated using raw data converted into points for home values, education, safety and other factors.

 

The survey began with communities where the 2006 median sale price of a home was $190,000 or higher, and was limited for data-gathering purposes to communities designated as political subdivisions (city, township, village) or a Census-Designated Place (CDP).

 

These statistics were not calculated in the rankings: population, median sale price 2001, 5-year change in median sale price, property taxes.

 

The Hamilton Township statistics do not include Maineville. Lawrenceburg/Greendale in Indiana combines data for the city of Lawrenceburg, Greendale and Lawrenceburg Township, including the community of Hidden Valley.

 

Property tax information for Ohio was derived from Ohio Department of Taxation records and confirmed by the ODT. Indiana and Kentucky tax information was reported by state and county tax officials. Because property taxes can very considerably with special taxing districts, credits, reductions and rollbacks, confirm actual taxes for a specific property by contacting the county auditor or treasurer’s office.

 

For the Commuting category, the numbers indicate the average drive time to work as reported in the 2000 Census by residents in these communities.

 

 

HOMES

Median home sale prices provided by the Multiple Listing Service (MLS) staffs of the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors, the Northern Kentucky Board of Realtors and the Southeast Indiana Board of Realtors. The 5-Year Change in Median Home Price is not a reliable indicator of property appreciation.

 

 

SAFETY

Greater Cincinnati has some 200 villages, hamlets, townships, towns, small cities and municipalities. That means 200 different police departments, each with unique methods of record-keeping. Cincy Business collected 2006 information where available and attempted to even the playing field by only comparing apples to apples in the major crimes reported: murder, rape, assault, robbery, burglary, theft and auto theft. All of these communities are relatively safe in terms of violent crime, which is why we gave more weight to property crimes, and this guide is meant for people who are choosing where to live. Crime statistics were adjusted to rates per 1,000 residents.

 

 

EDUCATION

Note that this examination and ranking of Tristate public school systems included only those districts serving the communities that made our final survey list based on property values and other criteria. This means some exceptional local school districts, such as Oak Hills (see story below), or Fort Thomas in Kentucky, were not examined this time.

 

For communities served by more than one school system, data was used from district serving the most students in that community. Pierce Township in Clermont County, for example, is split between the West Clermont and New Richmond school districts.

 

Data not used in rankings: per-pupil spending, school taxes, percentage of economically disadvantage students, percentage of gifted students.

 

Information was gathered from state education department report cards and other public records. This information was derived from a Cincy Business survey of school districts: SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test) average score, ACT (American College Test) average score, National Merit students (commended, semifinalists, finalists and winners), Advanced Placement (AP) classes offered, percentage of seniors taking AP exams, percentage of AP exam scores of 3 or higher (5 is the maximum score), number of school-sanctioned extracurricular programs, and number of interscholastic boys and girls sports (varsity, junior varsity and junior high).

 

Indicators: Ohio has 25 school performance indicators. The number indicates how many of those indicators each Ohio district met last year. Indiana and Kentucky schools have different, but similar, measures that were calculated to match with the Ohio benchmarks.

 

Performance Index: Ohio creates this measure using state proficiency test results in all grades and subject areas, and compares it to a scale of 0-120, with 100 being the goal. We compared the PI for two years, and credited school districts for progress they made. For Indiana and Kentucky, a comparable scale was created for comparison purposes. Kentucky schools, for example, student performance test results fall into four categories (Novice, Apprentice, Proficient, and Distinguished) and translate into a scale of 0-140, with 100 being considered proficient.

 

AYP: Other data was used in the rankings, such as the Annual Yearly Progress (AYP) reports mandated by the federal No Child Left Behind Act. For school districts that already score exceptionally high in the academic achievement measures used, it is difficult to raise those numbers significantly every year.

 

 

What about Western Hills?

 

Ask someone to define the boundaries of Western Hills—even a person who claims to live there—and you discover this place is more a state of mind. But there's nothing imaginary about this: Western Hills has neighborhoods that are gems—and some of the best values in the Tristate.

 

The average home sale price in Western Hills last year was $232,826. That’s a 44 percent increase in five years, and a 2006 value that’s 41 percent higher than the average price for all of Green Township.

 

Like other Cincinnati suburbs that boomed in the 1960s, parts of Western Hills show their age. There’s still evidence, though, of that West Side virtue of taking care of your property, no matter how modest it is. Venture near Western Hills Country Club to see sprawling estate homes that would fit comfortably in Indian Hill.

 

Western Hills is a community identified by the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors in its MLS (Multiple Listing Service). The area ranges from urban Glenway Avenue to rural Devil’s Backbone Road, with Bridgetown, Cheviot and Westwood to the north, and Covedale, Delhi Township and Delhi Hills to the south.

 

Mercy Hospital Western Hills and Gamble-Nippert YMCA are valued community resources, as are Oskamp Playfield, Kuliga Park and three public golf courses. New shopping centers reinvigorated the retail options for residents. Landmarks include Western Bowl on Glenway Avenue and pizza king Buddy LaRosa’s original location on Boudinot Avenue.

 

Much of the Green Township area—served by township police and county sheriff personnel—is considered secure. Crime rates have been a rising concern, however, in some west-side Cincinnati neighborhoods.

 

As for public education, the small city part of Western Hills is served by Cincinnati Public Schools. The sparkling new Midway School on Glenmore Avenue covers grades PK-8. Old “West High” on Ferguson Road is now two 9-12 schools on one campus: Western Hills Design Technology and Western Hills University. The bulk of the community is covered by the highly regarded Oak Hills School District, which earned an Excellent rating from the Ohio Department of Education for five years straight. With a high proportion of Roman Catholic families, Western Hills has numerous parochial schools, including Seton and McAuley high schools for girls, and the venerated Elder High for boys.

 

 

OTHER ‘MLS’ COMMUNITIES

Many other Tristate communities have a community identity and an MLS listing name, but are not official political subdivisions or Census Designated Places. Many would rank high in our survey if we could statistically compare them to others. Examples: Beckett Ridge (which was included with West Chester), Kenwood (included with Montgomery), Kings Mills, Landen, Miami Heights and Monfort Heights. In Miami Heights, west of Bridgetown, the 2006 median home sale price was a hefty $271,535.

 

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It is sort of odd to see Clear Creek Township listed as a Cincinnati suburb. 

Ask someone to define the boundaries of Western Hills—even a person who claims to live there—and you discover this place is more a state of mind. But there's nothing imaginary about this: Western Hills has neighborhoods that are gems—and some of the best values in the Tristate.

 

This is a very true statement...no one really knows the West Side neighborhoods/communities.  So often times West Siders just say that they live in Western Hills...most people know of Western Hills.  The same can not be said for: Dent, Bridgetown, Cheviot, maybe Delhi, etc

Kenwood and Landen always fascinate me because there is no such thing as either.  Kenwood is merely a rebranding of Sycamore Township by the Cincinnati MLS.

^

I vaguely recall that Landen was a 70s- or 80s- era planned development of some sort, near Kings Island?

 

Of the 15 only 1 is in northern Kentucky, and five are in the Butler/Warren County area..newer suburban areas.  Most of the Hamilton County ones are nice older suburbs. 

Mariemont is my favorite suburb.

I came across a print edition of this magazine and was leafing through the Crime Rankings section and the West Chester line had a double asterisk next to it.  I read the bottom of the page and it says:  "Theft numbers adjusted to reflect location of a mall in a community and associated shoplifting, car break-ins and other non-homeowner related larcenies".

 

WTF!  No other community with a mall or retail center got their numbers adjusted.  I am writing an email to the magazine asking for the rationale behind this.  I bet the editor lives in West Chester.

^ This has been a big complaint in Oakley for years as they cite the crime at the Hyde Park Plaza boosts their crime stats but many people think the plaza is in Hyde Park for some mysterious reason. Meanwhile, Hyde Park, with a serious lack of retail, has very low crime stats.

I wouldn't say Hyde Park has a serious lack of retail.  That's not even close to being an accurate statement.

 

Interesting that they made Terrace Park number one. Its not a neighborhood that many people know about but it is very affluent and all residential. Its like Indian Hill with smaller lots.

 

I wouldn't say Hyde Park has a serious lack of retail.  That's not even close to being an accurate statement.

All they have are some boutiques on the square.

That square makes Hyde Park. I don't think property between HP Square and Wasson would be valued so highly if not for the excellent square since that portion of the neighborhood isn't much different from Oakley. East Hyde Park has the most beautiful houses in the city, IMO. I wonder if Hyde Park was named after the affluent Hyde Park in London.

 

Not in HP, but Keys Crescent is also one of the best streets in the city.

I disagree about Hyde Park not being much different from Oakley.  While Oakley is one of my favorite neighborhoods, don't kid yourself in comparing Oakley to Hyde Park.  Oakley is a former blue collar community with smaller homes that is now the #1 neighborhood in the city for hipsters and young professionals outside the CBD.  Hyde Park on the other hand was affluent from the start of the community, the homes are very stately and on a prestige level, Hyde Park would rank #1 of all the city neighborhoods with it's close neighbor Mt. Lookout being #2.

 

Now I know there are smaller homes in Hyde Park but overall they are at the core they are very different.  Also there is no such thing of East Hyde Park other than some branding flags on telephone poles.  East Hyde Park is part of Hyde Park.  The neighborhood was named after Hyde Park New York which was named after Hyde Park London so while it wasn't directly named after Hyde Park London, there is a link.

 

And that disclaimer about West Chester is an absolute joke.

Did I say overall? No, I mentioned a very specific portion of it and praised other parts of it. There is such a thing as east Hyde Park because east is a cardinal direction...

Oakley is a former blue collar community with smaller homes that is now the #1 neighborhood in the city for hipsters and young professionals outside the CBD

....and OTR.  I like to refer to myself as ghetto-hip but I will never say I am CBD-near.

Contrary to popular opinion, North Avondale (IMO) has the best large housing in the city.

Not in HP, but Keys Crescent is also one of the best streets in the city.

 

I was introduced to Keys Crescent years before I moved to Ohio, via the Cincinnati chapter in Stephen Birminghams' "The Golden Dream, Suburbia in the 1970s", which is a light journalistic take on various cities and their top-notch suburbs.  From what I recall the book discussed Indian Hill, Glendale, but also in-town areas like Clifton, including a very favorable mention of Keys Crescent and the Grandin Road area to its east.

 

So after moving to the area I had to check it out.

 

After visiting the place I certainly was impressed.  That part of Cincinnati is one of the most fabulous I've seen.  I had the good fortune to attend a garden party on a little modernist house tucked back in there, off of Grandin, on the grounds of the Lazarus estate.

 

 

Contrary to popular opinion, North Avondale (IMO) has the best large housing in the city.

 

Yes North Avondale is lovely but if you haven't kept up with Cincinnati news/crime, North Avondale has its work cut out for it.  It is still a solid neighborhood but anytime you share your city name with a lesser respected neighbor, it will inevitably hurt property values.  Avondale has become more dangerous than OTR and is becoming the #1 most dangerous neighborhood and reputation in the city.  OTR is changing, money is being invested into it but not much is happening in Avondale.  The criminals are relocating, we are witnessing a shift in crime statistics in Cincinnati.

I strictly meant large housing in terms of quality, architectural value, and setting.  I know it's not exactly in the greatest of areas...

That square makes Hyde Park. I don't think property between HP Square and Wasson would be valued so highly if not for the excellent square since that portion of the neighborhood isn't much different from Oakley. East Hyde Park has the most beautiful houses in the city, IMO. I wonder if Hyde Park was named after the affluent Hyde Park in London.

 

Uh, Oakley has a Square too, pretty much just like Hyde Park (it's not 3 steps up though), called "Geier Esplanade".  So does Mout Lookout, albeit they use theirs as a parking lot.  Hyde Park Square is nice mostly because they managed to keep out all fast-food chains.  Think how much nicer Oakley would look without that Arby's and Subway there, or even that Skyline.  I'm curious when and who built those apartment builings on the south side of HP2.  They are truly what gives the place its charm.

 

Hyde Park was planned to be a wealthy community, as far as I'm aware.  I'm pretty sure the developers consisted of a few guys named Zumstein, Mooney, Burch and Stettinius (sp?) as well.  Cincinnati Observed should tell you more. 

on a prestige level, Hyde Park would rank #1 of all the city neighborhoods with it's close neighbor Mt. Lookout being #2.

 

I'd just throw Mt. Adams into the mix - living up there is just about as prestigious as it gets.  I don't have the numbers right now, but I ran total assessed value vs. area at some point, and Mt. Adams was something like double its nearest competitor...

 

Of course, it depends on the definition of prestige, and I'd imagine you have more executive types gravitating towards Hyde Park and Mt. Lookout than towards Mt. Adams, so your order might be right...

 

Oh, and overall, I found myself so utterly turned off by this analysis...I can't think of something more completely unhelpful to me...but, it wasn't written for me!

 

I cant remember if HP or Mt. Adams has the highest value but it probably is Mt. Adams because the views really drive up the price and quality of development.  It seems like a lot of older people who have kids that have already grown up and moved out, move back into the city to Mt. Adams, and older people tend to have more money. HP is the neighborhood in the city that can easily be labeled the cliche "nice place to raise a family" and because its a city neighborhood that is relatively VERY safe, having nice houses with a lot of character, there is a huge demand for such places. 

This article is based on what someone transfering into the area would be looking for, not what someone who lives here all the time would look for.  Many studies have identified housing desires of transferees.  These include: 4 beds/ 2 bath, ability to sell quickly when you move out again in 4 years, new housing because you are working lots of hours on your career and don't have time to do maintenance, excellent schools and neighborhoods with lots of kids because most transferees have school-aged children, proximity to shopping & schools because of very busy parents, places with lots of other non-locals so everyone is new to the neighborhood social group, etc. 

 

In other words, most buisness transfered people prefer new subdivisions.

 

^Interesting...because it has been my knowledge that the population trends in the Cincy metro have been people in the city moving to the 'burbs and the new people in the region moving into the city and neighboring communities within Hamilton County.

 

Since our region has an anemic in-migration pattern right now that reflects the population loss of Hamilton County.  Those moving into the county are not out pacing those that are leaving the county.  I would think that most people that are moving around want to live close to their jobs, and I would bank that their jobs are either in the CBD or Uptown (numbers are in my favor in this case).

Many studies have identified housing desires of transferees.  These include: 4 beds/ 2 bath, ability to sell quickly when you move out again in 4 years, new housing because you are working lots of hours on your career and don't have time to do maintenance, excellent schools and neighborhoods with lots of kids because most transferees have school-aged children, proximity to shopping & schools because of very busy parents, places with lots of other non-locals so everyone is new to the neighborhood social group, etc. 

 

You are pretty much describing Clear Creek Township/Springboro, and also (for Dayton), Sugarcreek/Bellbrook and Beavercreek.

 

The place in Dayton the generates the biggest # of transferees is Wright-Patterson AFB and its contractor community.