SuzM

Atlantic Avenue in Oakley runs from Edwards Road to Millsbrae Avenue. Atlantic Avenue features neatly maintained single family homes and a few apartment buildings at the Millsbrae end of the street. It is very convenient to I-71 and all of the shopping in the Oakley/Norwood/Hyde Park areas. The homes are fairly affordable as they are located in Oakley, which has decent homes for less than something similar would cost in nearby Hyde Park.

Edroy Court is a dead-end street in Oakley right off of Edwards Road. It is very unusual in that both sides are completely lined by 4-family apartment buildings. It is a quiet, tree-lined street with sidewalks on either side of the street. There is on street parking in front of the buildings; however, covered parking for the apartments runs behind the buildings and can be accessed off of Edwards Road. Edroy is conveniently located to the Rookwood Commons/Pavilion shopping area and access to I-71. The only problem I would foresee with living on Edroy is getting onto Edwards Road can, I'm sure, at times be difficult due to the heavy traffic. I also imagine this will only increase as with the continuing development across the street.

Seal Street in Oakley runs between Isabella and Mt. Vernon Avenues. Other than an entry into the multi-unit building that sits at the corner of Isabella and Seal, Seal doesn't offer any housing. Seal is pretty much just an access point from Isabella to Mt. Vernon. From Seal you see the yards of the houses on the adjacent streets of Isabella and Mt. Vernon. Seal also provides access points to parking for the adjacent homes.

Stonecreek Drive is one of three "streets" in the Brookstone Village Apartments in Oakley. Brookstone is a large luxury apartment complex that is conveniently located to I-71 and shopping areas. Stonecreek Drive has apartment buildings on one side and green space with power lines on the other side. Brookstone Village Apartments features many luxury amenities and offers many community events, such as their annual pool parties.

Stonebridge Drive is one of the three streets in the Brookstone Village Apartments complex. It is a large luxury apartment complex with a convenient Oakley location. Stonebridge Drive has apartment buildings on one side of it and power lines on the other. Brookstone Village Apartments features a clubhouse, fitness center, and resort style pool area among other amenities. The community is very popular with young professionals. Stonebridge Drive is within close proximity to shopping and interstate access.

Brookstone Drive is the main road of the Brookstone Village Apartments, a luxury apartment community located in Oakley off Ridge Road. Brookstone is a large apartment complex with one and two bedroom apartments. The community features a clubhouse, fitness center, and resort style pool area. The community is very popular with singles and young professionals. Brookstone has a variety of community activities, including large annual pool parties. Brookstone is conveniently located within close proximity of access to I-71. It is also close to the Center of Cincinnati shopping area and the Madison Road business district of Oakley.

Millsbrae Avenue in Oakley runs from Madison Road through to Robertson Avenue. It is a relatively quiet residential street. There are a variety of housing options from single-family homes and duplexes to multi-unit apartment buildings (the smaller and older variety.) The street is part of a walkable neighborhood, with sidewalks lining either side of the street. There is on street parking available. Most of the homes have driveways with detached garages, as they are older homes that pre-date the era of attached garages. The homes on Millsbrae are neatly maintained and, because they are in Oakley, are more affordable than similar sized and type of homes in nearby Hyde Park. You can typically get a home on Millsbrae for less than $200K.

Millsbrae is conveniently located for access to the Oakley business district on Madison Road, as well as the shopping of Oakley/Norwood at Rookwood Commons and Rookwood Pavilion and at the crossroads of Madison and Edwards Roads. It also provides easy access to I-71. Millsbrae is centrally located and in close proximity to Downtown Cincinnati, the major hospitals and universities, as well as the northern suburbs and the Kenwood shopping area. Just one exit up from where you get on I-71, there is the Center of Cincinnati shopping area that features a PetsMart, Target, Meijer's and Sam's Club.

Madeira is a very nice Cincinnati suburban community. It has a variety of different types of residences, offers great schools, and features a variety of local businesses. Madeira is nestled between the very affluent suburb of Indian Hill, the bustling Kenwood community, and just up the hill from Madisonville and Mariemont. You are within close proximity to I-71, which takes you to all parts of Cincinnati, including Downtown Cincinnati.

Madeira has a variety of different homes from small to large and from old to new. In between, there are a variety of price points, making Madeira an affordable place to live. Miami Avenue is the main business area of Madeira. It is very walkable. Along Miami Avenue in Madeira you will find a public library, grocery store, small local boutiques, and several restaurants. There are also several churches and schools located along Miami Avenue. You will find a lot of businesses concentrated along Miami where it meets Camargo. Madeira is a relatively quiet community with lots to offer. I would definitely recommend a move to Madeira.

Orion Avenue in Pleasant Ridge is mainly a residential street that runs between Ridge Road and Dryden Avenue. At the Ridge Avenue end, there are a couple of commercial buildings and parking lots. After that, Orion is strictly residential. It is one street over from Montgomery Road, so is convenient to the main business district of Pleasant Ridge. The street consists of a variety of different styled single-family homes. Most of the homes on the street were built in the early 1900s; however, some of them date into the mid/late 1800s. There is on street parking, as a number of the homes don't have driveways. For the homes that do have driveways, most of them have detached garages as befits the age of the homes.

Orion Avenue is a relatively quiet street, despite being near such busy streets as Montgomery Road and Ridge Road. Orion is in a walkable neighborhood and features sidewalks on both sides of the street. You can easily access I-71 via Ridge Road.

Brazee Street in Oakley runs off Madison Road just up from Oakley Square. At the entrance to Brazee Street are two commercial buildings with shops and restaurants. On one side of Brazee are some very nice, single-family and duplex homes. On the other side is an old factory building which has been converted into the Brazee Street Studios. Brazee Street Studios is an artist community with more than 25 professional arts studios. After the art studio building are some more homes. Brazee Street curves around and ends in an industrial area on Enyart Avenue. Brazee is a relatively quiet street, although as it has on street parking on one side, can get some drive through traffic as people going to the Brazee Street Studio or patronizing nearby Madison Road businesses may try to park on Brazee. Brazee Street is conveniently located in the heart of the Oakley business district, which is a very walkable area.

West 4th Street runs from the east/west dividing line of Vine Street to Central Avenue. On West 4th you will find office buildings, residential buildings, shops, restaurants, bars, and other businesses. The end of West 4th Street which is closer to Central Avenue features smaller, older buildings, which are part of the West Fourth Street Historic District. The 32 buildings which are part of the West Fourth Street Historic District have been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. In this area you will find residential buildings, salons, bars, and other businesses. At the end of W. 4th is the newly constructed condo building, Parker Flats, a modern industrial style building, which runs the entire block along Central between W. 4th and McFarland Streets.

East 4th Street runs from Pike Street at the eastern end to Vine Street, which is the dividing line between street designations of East and West. West 4th Street start on the other side of Vine Street. At the eastern end of East 4th is Lytle Park and the Lytle Park Historic District, which consists of 28 buildings. The Cincinnati Literary Club is one of the historic buildings. The Greek Revival home is dwarfed by the surrounding buildings, which include the Residence Inn Cincinnati Downtown housed in the historic Phelps Building.

On East 4th Street you can find restaurants, offices, shops, various businesses, and residential buildings. You will also find Christ Church Cathedral, a large and impressive Episcopal church located at the corner of E. 4th and Sycamore Streets. As you traverse E. 4th Street headed west towards Vine Street, you will see a variety of architectural styles of both new and old buildings. Dominating one side of E. 4th, between Sycamore and Main Streets are the skyscrapers, Atrium Towers (Atrium I & Atrium II); this large office complex houses such businesses as Convergys and Cincinnati Bell. There are all kinds of businesses located in the office buildings that line E. 4th. Many of the buildings offer street level shops and businesses, including a Walgreens, a CVS, and a number of different banks.
Parking on E. 4th can be very difficult and traffic is usually pretty heavy.

Pike Street runs from East 5th Street to East 3rd Street, a very short distance. One side of the street sees a couple of imposing office buildings and the stately Palladian Style Federal architecture showplace that is now the Taft Museum of Art. The Taft Museum was built as a residence around 1820. The home, known as the Baum-Longworth-Sinton-Taft House for the various residents, is a National Historic Landmark. The last residents of the home were Anna Sinton Taft and her husband, Charles Phelps Taft. Charles Phelps Taft was half brother of U.S. President William Howard Taft who accepted his nomination fort office under the portico of the Taft House. The Tafts bequeathed their home and private art collection to Cincinnati and the home was opened to the public as the Taft Museum of Art in 1932. Across the street from the Taft Museum is Lytle Park, which features seasonal flowers and an 11-foot bronze statue of Abraham Lincoln. There is a residential building on the corner of Pike and E. Fourth Street

Lytle Street is not really much of a street and is more like a drive with parking around the Anna Louise Inn. It runs from Pike Street around to East 3rd Street. The Anna Louise Inn, operated by Cincinnati Union Bethel, has been a safe, affordable housing institution for single women since 1909. Today, it is the only single room occupancy residence for women in Cincinnati. Lytle Street runs arounds a portion of the Anna Louise Inn. On the other side of it sits Lytle Park, a 2.31 acre park featuring seasonal flowers and an eleven foot tall statue of Abraham Lincoln. It is part of the Lytle Park Historic District, which has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1976. Under this area is the Lytle Tunnel, which takes I-71 under the park.

Garfield Place runs between Vine Street and Elm Street from east to west and is between W. 7th and W. 9th Streets from south to north. It offers a a green oasis in the center with Piatt Park, Cincinnati's oldest park. Prior to it being named Piatt Park, it was called Garfield Park due to the statue of Ohio native and U.S. President James A. Garfield, which faces the Vine Street entrance to Garfield Place and Piatt Park. At the opposite end of Piatt Park and Garfield Place is a statue of another president from Ohio, William Henry Harrison (although a native of Virginia, Harrison moved to Ohio upon his marriage.) Garfield Place interrupts the flow of E. 8th Street to W. 8th Street (a one-way street); Garfield Place actually runs both west and east on either side of Piatt Park.

At the corner of Garfield and Vine is a unique hotel, Garfield Suites. Garfield Suites Hotel offers large suites at a reasonable rate. A little further down Garfield Place is the Cincinnati Club, once a grand hotel and private club, now an event venue operated by Davis Catering. The Cincinnati Club offers an elegant site for weddings and all kinds of receptions and events. There are several different apartment buildings along Garfield Place offering Downtown living in a relatively quiet area.

Garfield Place has on-street parking at meters, but parking can be rather difficult and the meters aren't long ones. Garfield Place is a green oasis in the middle of the city, making it a pleasant place to eat lunch or just pass the time. With several apartment buildings on Garfield Place, it also offers a variety of convenient living options, although at a relatively high price. Garfield Place is a convenient location to live for those who work Downtown. It is near a number of dining and nightlife options, not too far from a variety of shopping and by the main branch of the Public Library of Cincinnati and Hamilton County.

Government Place in Downtown Cincinnati pretty much is just the secured alley way behind the government building that contains the U.S. District Court. It runs between Walnut Street and Main Street and is secured on either end by security gates. There is no public access to Government Place.

Hazelwood has a long history in the northern part of Cincinnati, at one time, it was a rural African-American community. Though many homes were built in the early-to-mid-1900s, the area remained a poor one for many years. The Hazelwood community was annexed by Blue Ash in 1959, but it was thanks to the efforts of a group of residents that Hazelwood moved into the modern era. Today, Hazelwood still has a predominantly African-American population with many of the older houses still remaining. However, recent years have seen many new homes built, including those on Florence Avenue. The Florence Avenue homes were mostly built within the last six or seven years and are a good value for being in the Sycamore School District. One of the three churches in the Hazelwood community is located on Florence Avenue. Because of the newness of the homes on Florence Avenue, it is one of the nicer streets in Hazelwood. Florence Avenue is located one street over from Cornell Road, which provides close access to I-275 via Reed Hartman Highway (and thus, easy access to I-71). It is also located close to a number of restaurants and other businesses at the intersection of Cornell and Reed Hartman.

My grandparents used to live on Mandery Avenue in South Fairmount. At one time, it was a nice, working class neighborhood. My grandparent's house sat on the corner of Mandery and Fairmount Avenue on what was a relatively quiet street. While it has been many years since my grandparents lived in this neighborhood, it had already started to decline before they moved to warmer climes.

At the bottom of Mandery Avenue runs Fairmount Avenue, which features woods on one side making Manderey still a relatively quiet street. Mandery Avenue has on street parking and sidewalks on both side of the street. It is made up of single-family homes primarily built in the 1920s. Because the South Fairmount neighborhood has one of the largest concentrations of section 8 housing in Cincinnati, property values tend to be pretty low. If you aren't worried about resale nor about kids going to school, it might be a good place to score a real estate bargain.

Mandery Avenue is relatively convenient to interstate access and not too far from Downtown Cincinnati, the major hospitals and universities. From Mandery Avenue, you can head down the hill on Fairmount Avenue which, several streets later, connects you to Queen City Avenue. You can also exit onto Harrison Avenue from Knorr Avenue, which is one street over from Mandery. Harrison Avenue will connect you with the Western Hills Viaduct and access to I-75. Just down the hill from Mandery, you will find schools part of the Cincinnati Public Schools (and where my grandmother used to work as a school lunch lady.)

Hamilton Avenue runs through a large portion of Cincinnati, but the portion that runs through College Hill runs from about Hollywood Avenue at the north end and about Ashtree Court on the south end. The main district that is the heart of College Hill runs just south of W. North Bend Road. Here you will find several shops, restaurants and other businesses in a very walkable area. Some of the businesses have been around for many years. Schwartz Jewelers has been in business for over 70 years and offers a wide selection of jewelry, decorative, and other items.

The area of Hamilton Avenue that is north of W. North Bend is primarily residential. The homes in this area are primarily nice, middle class, single-family homes of decent size with yards, driveways, and plenty of trees. There are some small multi-unit buildings in this area, as well. There are sidewalks running along both sides of Hamilton Avenue and plenty of bus stops. Traffic on Hamilton Avenue can be very busy, especially during rush hour times.

South of the central business district that is just south of W. North Bend, you will find more businesses that are a little more spread out, but still walkable. Along this stretch of Hamilton Avenue is the Cincinnati Black Theatre Company (CBTC), a non-profit theater whose mission is to "keep alive the spirit of Black Theatre." CBTC offers a variety of opportunities, besides just theater performances; they offer education, workshops, summer camps and after school programs, as well. A little further down Hamilton Avenue, you will find Summit Academy School. Summit is a non-profit school for alternative learners. Summit is a school to specifically work with students who have AD/HD, Asperger's Syndrome and similar disorders offered all for free for those qualified to attend.

As indicative of its name, College Hill is, indeed, on a hill. So, as you proceed south on Hamilton Avenue, you will be heading downhill. As you head down Hamilton Avenue, the area becomes residential again. There are a number of smaller apartment buildings on one side of the street while the other side sees many larger homes spaced out on larger lots. The homes reflect a variety of architectural styles and many of the homes here are very large and lovely. The area also gets a lot greener as you are closer to Mount Airy Forest. However, as you descend on Hamilton Avenue you will find the Twin Towers retirement complex, with its distinctive and imposing central building. The Twin Towers campus is set off of Hamilton Avenue in a wooded setting. Opposite of Twin Towers on the other side of Hamilton Avenue is the Six Acres Bed & Breakfast and Laboiteaux Woods. Six Acres B&B is located on six lovely landscaped acres off of Hamilton Avenue in a home built in the mid-1800s that once served as a stop on the Underground Railroad. Laboiteaux Woods offers over two miles of walking trails, a small nature center, and a library offering education nature programs.

Overall, Hamilton Avenue in College Hill runs the gamut of diversity in both terms of business and residential, as well as the residents of the community. While traffic can be heavy due to Hamilton Avenue being a main connector road in Cincinnati, it still offers nice residential areas and lots of trees. Hamilton Avenue also offers easy access to most of the Cincinnati area via it's connection to I-75/I-74 at the south end and Ronald Reagan Highway to the north (both just outside of the College Hill neighborhood.)

Windemere Way winds through the Twin Towers Campus in College Hill. It runs off the main entrance street from Hamilton Avenue of South Ridge Drive. Windemere Way runs along the back side of the central complex for Twin Towers, circumventing the main parking lot for these buildings and winding behind this part of the retirement campus until it comes back out on South Ridge Drive past all of the main campus buildings and parking areas. There is another street with independent living patio homes that runs off of Windemere Way, Towerwoods Drive.

Because Windemere Way winds around the large central complex of the Twin Towers retirement complex, it is a little busier than South Ridge Drive, because it goes through and around the central parking lots of the complex. The central area of Twin Towers contains the main building, some apartment areas, and the administration building among others. As there are many employees working in these areas, there are several parking lots. This areas is a little less quiet, clean, and green than the streets taking you through the independent living cottage areas.

Windemere Way is part of the Twin Towers retirement complex campus in College Hill and, as such, is still conveniently located off Hamilton Avenue within close proximity to major interstates and Downtown Cincinnati.