Howdy,

 

My partner's job will be relocating us to Cincinnati from Montgomery, Al. I grew up outside of Cleveland, and lived in the Edgewater area of Cleveland many years ago, as well as a year in Columbus. But I don't know much about Cincy, other than King's Island. We are looking for a neighborhood that will be friendly both to us, and our dogs (there are 5 of them!). I've looked at the houses in Northside and am not that impressed, so not necessarily looking for the gay 'hood just where we won't be the only ones around for miles.

 

We do need some sort of yard for the dogs, so a downtown condo won't work, but it doesn't have to be large if there are parks nearby. The places so far of interest are Hyde Park, Mt Lookout, Clifton, Columbia Tusculum and Walnut Hills, with a price range of under 350K. We also used to live in South Beach, Miami. I am very much looking forward to again being in an area where I can walk to shops/restaurants etc. Out of these areas which really have the most places within walking distance? Which other area might be worth looking at?

 

And Which of the parks are dog friendly?

 

Thanks for any help!!

 

Steven

Hyde Park probably has the most within walking distance but Clifton has more practical destinations in walking distance. For example, you're probably not going to frequently walk to an art gallery or stationary store in Hyde Park. Clifton is great because it has an urban grocery store in walking distance. Have you checked out Oakley? The houses are really affordable and there's a lot in walking distance. Northside is definitely the most gay friendly but the neighborhood is still gritty. That should change with time though; the area is going through a transformation.

Clifton Gaslamp area. Safe, walkable, and reasonably priced houses.

 

You have Burnett Woods to dog walk in (ironically, it also happens to be a big gay cruising zone haha...) and you can walk to the Ludlow Ave biz. dist which has a decent sized grocery store, independent movie theater, CVS Pharmacy, some great restaurants, boutiques, coffee, ice cream a post office and a small library. This area also has good public transit via the metro bus to get into the city. 

 

I feel your pain about the gay issue...Cincinnati can be an intimidating city sometimes for us gay folk. Clifton is full of young people...lots of students, professors, liberal minded people, etc.

 

also, this area is within walking distance of a handful of parks, not just Burnett Woods, although that's definitely the biggest and closest.

Westwood, Cheviot, and Covedale (Gaslight Garden District) are all solid westside city neighborhoods less than 6 miles from downtown.   Most people are blue collar die hards that live and die in the same house.   With a population of near 200,000 people clustered together within a few miles, it has relatively little crime in most of the area's.   It has some less desireable streets, but most are a descent stock of big older homes which you can get alot for the money.   The Harrison corridor near McHenry in the Northwest corner of Westwood near Fairmount is the roughest.   One of the coolest areas of Westwood would be Boudinot and the area surrounding Mother of Mercy high School and the Westwood Town Hall.  Very stately homes with extremely walkable streets.   The town borders Mt Airy Forest which also has one of, if not the biggest dog park in the region attached to it.

 

http://www.cincinnati-oh.gov/cityparks/pages/-4327-/

 

Cheviot is the most walkable and sits next to Westwood.    Bridgetown (Green Township) borders Cheviot and has more of the upper class of suburbs with worse walkability, but the schools are some of the finest within the state.

 

I can't help you to much with the gay recommendations but can tell you that on my trip from the B-town/Cheviot line to I-74 everyday, I pass four houses with a gay pride flag hanging out front in a 3.5 mile stretch.    (I know that doesn't really mean much.) :wink:     But it's safe!

 

80% of these neighborhoods are in really good shape with alot of street activity at all hours of the days.  (Mass people walking dogs, jogging, and walking, even in the winter.)

 

 

Westwood                          http://www.cincinnatihome.org/neighborhoods/westwood/wstwood_main.asp

Westwood                          http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Westwood,_Ohio

Westwood                          http://www.westwoodcivic.org/

Cheviot                              http://www.cheviot.org/

Bridgetown (Green Twp)        http://www.greentwp.org/

Steven, welcome to the forum.

 

I have to agree with mcadrenalin's recommendation of Clifton's Gaslamp area. Hyde Park offers a lot of charming spots for a fun night out, etc. but for day-to-day living and walkability, I'd go with Clifton - think Cleveland's Edgewater with narrower streets and a more compact commercial strip. What really surprised me was when my friend showed me around Northside and said "here's the gayborhood" - it was like an ungentrified Ohio City with some interesting shops scattered about. I'm sure it's changed and improved since then but it was hard for me to compare that to Edgewater, arguably one of Cleveland's more upscale neighborhoods within the city limits.

 

This isn't a slam against Cincy, but there's a palpable difference between the gay community in Cincy and Cleveland. I don't know if it's the recent history of Cincy (fortunately their bigotry ordinance was repealed) but the community doesn't seem to have as much visibility or political clout in Cincy. I would love to know why that is, or what factors contribute to that, or heck, if I'm way off base, I'd love to know that as well. Having spent quite a bit of time in Cincy over the past 10 years, it's just something I've noticed and I'd welcome any input.

Gay population might be more dispersed here. I think most of the gay bars/restaurants here are located downtown. I know a lot of people that don't even know Northside is known for having a large gay population and probably assume Mt. Adams has more.

Gaslight, Northside, East Walnut Hills/Mt. Adams near eden park (for the Dogs), Prospect hill. 

 

Columbia Tusculum, Mt. Lookout, Hyde Park, East End along the parks, Oakley, Pleasant Ridge

 

With five Dogs, college hill might work. 

I think Clifton should be at the top of your list, followed by Prospect Hill and College Hill  - and even Covington and Newport in Kentucky.

Prosepct Hill doesn't have much for yards but you should check it out. The neighborhood is VERY gay and dog friendly. We are currently working with a private property owner for a neighborhood dog park. PH is within walking distance of downtown.

I would echo some of the previous comments about Clifton.  You'll probably want to stay on the South side of Ludlow though where it is more affordable with smaller lots.  Additionally as much as I defend the Westside, I must say that given your preferences I would recommend more of a Center City or Eastside location.  It isn't that you will feel totally uncomfortable there (which there is a chance you might), but rather that the other areas are just more suited for your described wants.

 

Mt. Lookout is great and also don't rule out Downtown and Over-the-Rhine quite yet for the dog issue.  The City has made it a priority to implement a number of dog parks in the Downtown/Over-the-Rhine neighborhoods.

Welcome Honey.  How you doin'?  :wave:

This isn't a slam against Cincy, but there's a palpable difference between the gay community in Cincy and Cleveland. I don't know if it's the recent history of Cincy (fortunately their bigotry ordinance was repealed) but the community doesn't seem to have as much visibility or political clout in Cincy. I would love to know why that is, or what factors contribute to that, or heck, if I'm way off base, I'd love to know that as well. Having spent quite a bit of time in Cincy over the past 10 years, it's just something I've noticed and I'd welcome any input.

 

I would say that the gay community in Cincinnati just isn't as active as other places.  I volunteered my time/energies for the recent campaign to repeal that ridiculous ordinance.  I was just about the only straight person there I think, but there were a lot of motivated people involved.  I even learned about more parts of the gay community in Cincinnati that I didn't know existed.  I guess it is just a quieter bunch.

 

Additionally, there are a couple of very prominent local leaders that are part of the gay community.  That's worth something I guess.

Every large city/metro is going to have a decent gay population. Whether it is because of a job relocation, being raised there, or because of the amenities that accompany the city. Hence, Montgomery, AL.

 

Like others have pointed out, in Cincy, the gay population is spread throughout the city. The only area that I can think of that draws the GLBT community because of it's "advertisement" is Northside, but there are areas that have a large gay population ratio.

 

I'm not gay and I have quite a few gay friends, acquaintances, and co-workers that are gay or Bi. I don't spend my time in gay bars or clubs either. I am just one man out of over 2 million too. Saying an area isn't "gay'friendly" or overflowing with gays is somewhat subjective ... meaning I am just as right as you are by stating the opposite.

 

 

Areas that I would check out (1-5 - 5, being more gay friendly in my opinion):

Prospect Hill (4 - Nice little park some yards. Tight community. Walkable)

Hyde Park (2-3 - Upscale, trendy, yards, expensive. Very Walkable)

Northside (5 On the rebound, some yards)

Clifton/Gaslight (5 centralized, mostly yards, parks. Very walkable)

Columbia-Tusculum (2-3, near parks, and yards)

Mt. Lookout (2-3, near parks, and yards. Very walkable)

 

Hope this helps and welcome to Cincy and Urban Ohio!

 

P.S. If you want to check out Prospect Hill, shoot me a PM and I'll show you around!

 

Yea the gay community is not as out and proud in Cincy as Columbus atleast; I cant say about Cleveland.  But when I moved down here and went to hang in Northside, I expected a similar feeling of being in the Short North, but not on that scale.  If I hadn't gone in to the neighborhood with some notion it was a gayborhood, I would have never known it was....it just doesn't have that feel and the populous doesn't scream it.  Just impressions really.  But yea, Clifton is nice, I live there and am gay :).  Theres definitely a gay population in the neighobrhood but its not obvious off the bat.  We have a gay bar too!  Steven, how old are you?  Clifton is nice because it has a mix of ages, etc. but there is definitely a strong presence of college aged and that may/may not turn you off. 

gayborhood

 

Ha, I love that.  I've never heard that term before...

^You're the third person in two days that I has said they haven't heard that term before.  I find this shocking.

^You're the third person in two days that I has said they haven't heard that term before.  I find this shocking.

 

Well he is fairly new to UO and outside of the forum/most gay ppl I know, I never hear anyone use the term.  I used the term to two co-workers at an old job and they stared at me having no clue what I was talking about.  And these were 2 ppl who lived in Italian Village in C-Bus as well. 

Well it's a great term...everybody should use it like they do Chinatown and what not.

Ok, a couple of comments . . .

 

I am not a real estate agent so most of what I am saying is just from what I've found & personal experience, from friends I have, etc.

 

Clifton:  Gay friendly with a great mix of people, including its own gay bar and art house movie theatre. Looked at homes there and as Rando said it can be expensive north of Ludlow and more reasonable south of Ludlow.  A reasonable house will have a small yard, maybe no garage, but obviously some of the larger homes have larger yards, etc.

 

Prospect Hill: Gay friendly again but even tighter yards in most cases and probably more expensive.  Great thing here as it is a walk or bike ride to downtown. I know may gays who live here.

 

Northside: Grittier and pockets of nice homes and not so nice.  I know many gays who live here and you can get more house for your money here.  A big dog park is at Mt. Airy Forest and easy access from both Northside and Clifton.

 

East side neighborhoods of Hyde Park, Oakley, and Mt. Lookout are all nice, generally gay friendly but more expensive in general if you want a yard, garage, etc. 

 

My ex and I looked at Pleasant Ridge and there were some great streets with nice homes and yards and small garages (garage was key for the ex) and pretty good prices.  However we ended up further north near Kenwood in Sycamore Twp (45236 zip).  It was central and near a lot of shopping, etc. with a nice yard, garage and while our particular neighborhood had only one other known gay couple that I knew of, everyone was great.

 

Just decide those things in the house that are important to you and my advice is that anywhere along the I-71 corridor, you will be fine in terms of gay-friendly.

Mulberry St.  134 Mulberry St. to be exact.  2 tiered, fenced in yard.  Almost all the neighbors have a dog, and it is very gay friendly, everybody friendly actually.  Mulberry is known as being one of the most social streets in OTR/Mt Auburn.  City views, 2 car tandem garage, 2 bedroom, hot tub on the rooftop deck.  Walking dist. to Main Street and Findlay Market.

 

Disclaimer, I am a real estate agent but this home is owned by  friends who are getting ready to put it on the market but it isn't listed yet.

Another reason to check out Prospect Hill, this dog park was talked about a couple of years ago. This is within walking distance.

 

BY KEVIN LEMASTER | SOAPBOX CINCINNATI

March 18, 2008

 

DOWNTOWN - Cincinnati City Manager Milton Dohoney has convened a committee of stakeholders to explore the idea of a downtown dog park, and the Downtown Residents Council (DRC) has pledged its support.

 

The dog park, which would likely be located on city-owned land off of Eggleston Avenue, would give dog owners a place to socialize.

 

Chris Wiedeman of the DRC says the idea emerged after dogs were banned from Fountain Square.

 

"One of the first things people ask when they consider a move Downtown is, 'Where do you take your dog?'", he says.  "We think of our dogs as part of our family."

 

Mic Foster, owner of the nearby Pet Athletic Club at 818 Reedy Street, says one would be hard-pressed to find a thriving mid-sized city that lacks a dog park.

 

"As cities go, Downtown Cincinnati is not dog friendly," he says.  "If we want to be successful as a city, that needs to change."

 

Foster also believes that the proposed site is an eyesore and that a dog park would be in the neighborhood's best interests.

 

"The location will draw attention to my business, and that part of town as a whole," he says.  "I think it will be one of the busiest dog parks in Cincinnati."

 

Foster is currently working on a website, www.downtowndogpark.com, that will launch within the next two weeks.

 

Until the website is up and running, donations to help fund the park are being accepted at the Pet Athletic Club.

 

Sources: Mic Foster, owner, Pet Athletic Club; Chris Wiedeman, Downtown Residents Council

That is pretty cool.

I know you said that you are looking for dog friendly with a yard and said that a downtown condo won't work.  Before you make up your mind you should really check out some of the new condos/lofts in Over the Rhine.  Some of those buildings have courtyards included with them that are very dog friendly.  My wife and I own 2 medium sized dogs and are moving to Bremen Lofts in 6 weeks.  We will have access to a rather large courtyard with plenty of grass and its gated from the street so we'll be able to let them run around off their leashes:)  Additionally, the new Washington Park renovations are going to include a dog park, which is right around the corner from where we will be living.  Over the Rhine is a really amazing place and is going to continue to improve over the next few years, especially if the streetcar project happens.  I would highly recommend at least visiting a few places down there before making up your mind for elsewhere.

However, if you absolutely aren't interested in Over the Rhine, my next suggestion would be Northside.  Though its not as pretty on the outside as some of the comparable neighborhoods in Cleveland, its definitely one of the most comfortable gay friendly neighborhoods you'll find and definitely affordable.  There are so many great people that live there and a very nice mix of different types of people.  There are also quite a few great restaurants, bars, and coffee shops.  My wife and I would have picked that neighborhood if we hadn't found out about all the revitalization going on in Over the Rhine.

Good luck with your move!  We're happy to have you in Cincy!

Good choice Jacksparrow! Bremen lofts are sweet. OTR, Prospect Hill and Northside are wonderful neighborhoods.As far as having big dogs in the inner city, there is a renter in Prospect Hill that has 3 Bull Masiffs and a chihuaha and seems to be doing fine. You can get alot of excercise in a short walk because of the hill and public stairways. I walk my dog around a mile everyday and get a super workout on this hill!! The only problem I ever come across with my dog walks, you'll soon notice there are chicken bones everywhere around OTR, Tinas at liberty and walnut sells chicken wings, people buy them and eat them walking down the street and throw them on the ground...A neighbor of mines dog died from eating a chicken wing on the sidewalk.

Max, I think you had him at "dog died... on the sidewalk" :wink:

The only problem I ever come across with my dog walks, you'll soon notice there are chicken bones everywhere around OTR, Tinas at liberty and walnut sells chicken wings, people buy them and eat them walking down the street and throw them on the ground...A neighbor of mines dog died from eating a chicken wing on the sidewalk.

 

LOL ... Where's ColDayMan???

Jacksparrow82, that's awesome!!!

The only problem I ever come across with my dog walks, you'll soon notice there are chicken bones everywhere around OTR, Tinas at liberty and walnut sells chicken wings, people buy them and eat them walking down the street and throw them on the ground...A neighbor of mines dog died from eating a chicken wing on the sidewalk.

 

LOL ... Where's ColDayMan???

 

Sorry, I don't leave bones on the ground like some westsiders...

^It's all that Bojangles/Church's I've been getting in to...thanks for nothing ColDayMan.

so Mr. Bamato, any further comments or questions?  One post and you generated a lot of conversation.  Keep us updated on your decision.