Cincinnati is very affordable...for a reason!
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4/6/2017
Cincinnati has one of the most affordable housing markets in the nation. This is good on some levels. (We bought a three bedroom, three bath house on half an acre with an in-ground swimming pool four years ago, in a very nice neighborhood, for less than $150,000.) The only thing wrong with this house is, it's in Cincinnati!
The air pollution and water pollution are horrible. Plus, the weather here sucks. The humidity is ridiculous. If you have any allergies, they'll become worse when you move here; if you don't have allergies, you're almost certain to develop them. And sunny days are about as rare as good hair days for Donald Trump.
The city should be divided into two cities: West Cincinnati and East Cincinnati. The two areas are COMPLETELY different. West Cincinnati is clannish; the people are generally less-educated and incredibly rude and unfriendly. East Cincinnati is generally more well-to-do, more diverse, more liberal, and MUCH more welcoming. When we moved from the West Side to the East Side, I was pleasantly surprised at how I could smile and say "Hello" to someone I passed on the sidewalk, and they'd actually smile and say "Hello" back to me!
The public schools, as in most cities, are fine in the more expensive suburbs; if you can't afford to live in one of them, then lots of luck to your kids. My daughter attended a public school until halfway through her first grade year. She was the victim of merciless, constant, racist bullying (she's white, and the bullying was from black children.) The last straw was when she came home with a black eye she received from a child who swung his chair at her as she bent down to pick up a dropped crayon. (The boy who hit her explained his actions by claiming that he "hated all white people.") After that incident, we shelled out $10K a year for the "privilege" of having her attend a rather mediocre private school (The Waldorf School). Luckily, she's smart, so she was able to test into Walnut Hills High School, the top-rated academic high school in the state, at the start of her 7th grade year. The student body there is relatively diverse, and they are too focused on their studies--and too intelligent--to waste their time on bullying and racism.
There is a very vibrant arts scene in Cincinnati. I read somewhere that Cincinnati has more community and professional theaters than any other city of its size. Many of these theaters are very good (we regularly attend performances at Playhouse in the Park, Know Theater, and Ensemble Theater.) The city also has its own ballet company, an excellent symphony, and some pretty good art museums that are affordable or even free.
Despite the affordability and the opportunity to enjoy the arts that is sometimes only possible in much larger cities, I am ready to move on. My daughter will graduate from high school in a couple of years, and I don't plan to stay. I'll move somewhere that doesn't have such strained race relations, such horrible weather, and has more than an average of 174 sunny days per year.
And I'll feel as though I've been paroled from prison!
B.C. | Cincinnati, OH