Question for anyone that lives in Dayton or a Dayton suburb

[WLKjr]

I finally graduated college about a week ago and now have a job down in Dayton. Right now I am going to be driving 80+ miles one way to get to work and I don't want to do that for too long. I am thinking seriously about moving down there but have no idea on where to start looking. I am working on the south end of downtown around the hospital, and not being a big fan of city driving, would like to be no more than 15 miles away if possible. What does a normal rent there cost around there for a decent clean apartment with 1-2 bedrooms and a place to park my car without getting it busted up cost?

I am not moving right away I am just trying to gather information that may be helpful later on.



Thanks all in advance!

[AngryOldDem]

1. It's not exactly cheap

Be prepared for rents upwards of $500 in south Dayton (within the city limits) as well as in the south suburbs. Last summer I was helping someone look for a place, and I recommended the complex in South Dayton where I lived before I got married. It was nicely kept, parking was literally at your door, and it was going for about $350/mo. I was shocked when my friend told me that they were asking about $525 a month now for the same setup, but I guess I shouldn't have been surprised since it's been quite a while since I lived there.

There are a lot of apartment/condo complexes south of the city. If you give me a general idea of what you want amenity- and otherwise, I can look into it for you. A lot of these places seem to be constantly running "rent specials," where you get the first month free, etc.

And congrats on graduating.

[WLKjr]

5. here's what I would like

one to two bedroom, a little roomy but not too big kitchen w/dishwasher, washer dryer hookups would be nice but not necessary and a place to park my car (close if possible or in a parking garage) and places close by to do things.

[Kolesar]

2. I wonder if you can plan on commuting on the bike trails

Xenia and Dayton are connected with bike trails. I am not saying commute from Xenia, but you may set up a cool commute. I did a quick search. There are a lot more sites than this, but traillink is a great start.

Here is a traillink url to start.
http://www.traillink.com/TL_Active_Pages/TrailSearch/default.asp?Action=DisplayDetails&ID=6122133&Trail=Creekside+Trail+%28H%2DConnector+Project%29&SearchQueryString=Action%3DStateSearch%26Keyword%3D%26State%3DOH%26Activity%3D%26UseOther%3D%26AS%5FState%3D%26AS%5FCounties%3D%26AS%5FActivities%3D%26AS%5FSurfaces%3D%26AS%5FLength%3D

a map--ww.traillink.com/maps/creekside.jpg It's huge, so I took off a W

Miami Valley Trails--Super Site!
http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/

[WLKjr]

6. if it was close to OH 48 I would have it made

I would ride a bike all summer long.

[cmd]

3. Check out Germantown

It's about 15 miles south of Dayton, perfectly safe and had some reasonably priced apartments a few years ago when my daughter lived there. You might also find something in downtown Miamisburg. Some of the buildings are very old, but much cheaper than the new apartment complexes. The Boreal Avenger is right. Montgomery County has some great bike trails. Good luck.

[WLKjr]

7. I will keep that in mind, thanks! n/t

[Kukesa]

4. You might try Miamisburg,

if you're looking for somewhere south of town. Oakwood, Centerville, and Washington TWp. are expensive, but you might find a bargain.

What we call "south of town" is usually safe for you and your car.

Get yourself a Sunday edition of the "Dayton Daily News" and start looking.

And, congrats on your graduation!!!

:toast:

[WLKjr]

8. Have looked at the DDN paper, and some websites

finding some pretty good places, but I would be there are a long waiting lists for those, they seemed really nice.

What about Kettering?

[Kukesa]

9. Kettering is fine.

I work in Kettering and it's a nice place . . . for the most part.

If you'd live near I-675 you'd have easy access to I-75 so you could get to work.

Try Kettering.

[AngryOldDem]

10. Depends on what part of Kettering

Kettering is nice, don't get me wrong. It's a good place to start out, on your way to moving onward and upward. There are times when I wish we had moved there when we returned to Dayton from Indianapolis in 1997. (We live in Washington Twp.) The trouble with Kettering is the creeping urban blight from Dayton and the aging housing stock. This is especially true in pockets on the east side of Kettering, especially the further afield you get from Far Hills Avenue. (East side and west side are delineated by Far Hills Avenue.) The west side, where I would love to live, is still very nice, but the houses that we can afford are small, too small for us. But getting back to apartments...there are some nice buildings on the west side of the city. As for rents, I have no idea. A quick perusal of the DDN ads, especially in the Sunday real estate section, can give you a good idea.

If you want some very nice apartments, try Oakwood, as has been suggested, as well as Dayton's Patterson Park area, which borders both Oakwood and Kettering. Patterson Park has been lucky in that the crud that is slowly overtaking East Dayton has been kept out, mainly because of its proximity to Oakwood and stability of homeownership. It is a **safe** neighborhood of people who have been there for upwards of 40 to 50 years, in some cases. The apartment I spoke of earlier was in Patterson Park, and after I married I moved into a house not far from that complex. Patterson Park is the only section of Dayton I would live in.

(And for those who live in Kettering, I mean no disrespect by my comments -- as I said, there are times when I think I'd feel more at ease in Kettering than in the township.)

[Kukesa]

11. AOD's correct; good advice regarding Kettering. n/t