Circumstances in my life have changed dramatically and I’ve found myself having to take action on a difficult decision. I’m seriously unemployed, and due to my less than stellar employment history, I can’t overcome the surplus of skilled labor younger than 52 with stable lives & work histories that are also job hunting here.
A friend has secured a job for me in Cincinnati, and I think I’d prefer (based on meager but continuing research) to live on the south side of the Ohio river. I’ve spent my entire life, excepting a stint in the military, in suburban Detroit, presently living in a northern suburb (Mount Clemens) with an approximate population of 17,000. This is what I’m used to.
This particular job will give me an income of approximately 35K. Yeah, I know. But I’m grateful to have anything at this point in my life.
Is Newport, KY a nice place to live?
Will I be another “damn Yankee” like I was during my only visit to North Carolina? Frankly, never having strayed from Metro Detroit, I’m pretty unsure of myself right now. Help? Suggestions? I’d be grateful
I have been to Florence, KY, and it was okay. Union is also nice. The Boone County school system and the Erlanger-Elsmere school system have good leadership.
Visits only, though- I wouldn’t live there. A bit too Fundy for me.
I used to live in Union (1992-1994) and it was a shithole. I was in 7th/8th grade and the school I went to was crap. I got through Algebra without learning what “squared” meant. (As in, “two squared equals four.”) There would be fights during lunch, and the resulting hairballs and blood splatter would be in the hall the rest of the week. Kids would drop out of school on their 16th birthday (I guess I might have given up too if I had been 16 and in the 8th grade, but still.) Crap crap crap crap crap.
That’s my two cents, YMMV considerably, etc.
love
yams!!
ETA: I spent a lot of time on the Ohio side of the river (swim teams were better in Ohio too) and wow, what a difference a river can make. Much nicer over there. (And I am sure there are other places in Northern Kentucky that are not shitholes. I was just disagreeing with the previous assessment of Florence and Union.)
I was raised right next door to Newport and I currently reside in Cincinnati itself. Basically my description would be a reasonably nice urban/suburban mix close to the Cincinnati city center. There are some places that are very low-income and show it, but all in all it’s a city on the rise, as well as being close to multiple other areas of interest (Cincy downtown, Covington Mainstrasse). You will NOT be a damnyankee, because we’re primarily of German/Midwestern stock. Consider Greater Cincinnati a small circle of rather conservative urbanity surrounded by Appalachia on all sides.
The good thing is that the cost of living is insanely reasonable all around the area, so $35K can take you pretty far if rationed wisely. I live on my own making $23K a year, so you should be financially secure if you’ve got no overwhelming debts or dependents.
My brother lived near there in Covington, KY while he was in residency. He hopes never to go back to Cincinnati.
I visited the place once and Newport on the Levy is a nice modern development (cinema, shops etc) and there is the “Purple People Bridge” for pedestrians to cross to Ohio. Very nice… Try Dewy’s Pizza.
Other than this, there are many signs of economic decay. My brother told me that on an average night in the ER, he saw roughly a dozen each of gunshot and stab wound patients… almost all from the OH side.
If you have to live there, the KY side is better than OH.
Welcome to the Tri-State Happy. I live in Boone County and work in down town Cincinnati. I’ve lived here since since I started at the Univesity of Cincinnati in 1989. It’s a nice place and if you’ve lived in metro Detroit you find it much smaller and safer.
Any particular reason you’ve picked Newport? It’s not the first place I’d pick to live on either side of the river. Frankly nearly all of Cincinnati has a small town feel.
If you’re looking for a real small town feel you’d be better served by some of the smaller communites along the river or some of the communites out in Boone and Kenton Counties. After looking at the pictures of Mt. Celmons I’d suggest you look at Mt. Lookout, Oakley, Obryonville, and Hyde Park (this last one’s rather pricey). All older orginal suburbs to the city and sort of little towns to themselves.
I’ve only been in Cincy for about three years, and I don’t have much insight on living in Newport. I live in Mt. Lookout, which does have a small-townish feel. The houses can be expensive, but if you’re looking for rentals, you can probably find something reasonable. And, you’ll be close to Zips, one of my favorite places in the city. I’ll buy you a pint if you wind up nearby.
The Clifton neighborhood in Cincinnati is a very trendy, collegey kind of place, so it might not be the scene you’re looking for. But, I believe you could probably find decent, inexpensive apartments there if you don’t mind being around noisy college kids.
Best of luck, and welcome to the area! Cincinnati really is a great city.
I lived in the apartment complex that over looks the UDF right there on Mt. Lookout Square as well as a house south of the square on Delta Ave. Rents are reasonable. At least they were.
I can second Zips fantastic burgers. There are few better places the the world than a window seat at Zips on a cold rainy fall night. A warm burger and fries and a nice beer. Man I’ve got to get back there. And don’t forget Alt Park
I’ve lived in several areas of Cincinnati (Fairfield, East Walnut Hills, Oakley and Blue Ash), and had friends and made frequent visits to the Kentucky side as well. I think it would help a lot to know which area in Cincinnati you will be working. If it’s downtown, then Newport or areas nearby (I’d go with Covington) would be fine. Newport has a Hofbrauhaus which is always convenient.
I can walk to Ault Park. I keep wanting to go to the Observatory, but I haven’t had the chance to yet.
Way Too Happy, is your move a definite go at this point? Do you know when you’ll be heading our way? Also, I notice your profile indicates your occupation is "Outreach Specialist at a Community Health Clinic ". May I ask - is your new employer a social services agency downtown on Fourth Street? If it’s who I’m thinking of, I used to do some voluteer work for them. A bit disorganized, but good people and a good organization.
