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COMMUNITIES PLUS: First-rate Schools Safest Neighborhoods Best Property Values
INSIDE: 49 Top 10 Communities 51 Inside the Data 52 Top 50 Communities 58 Education Chart In our 13th annual Rating the Burbs feature, we look at our local communities to see how they stack up against each other. Where did your community fall in this year’s list?
Compiled by Bill Ferguson Jr.
Madeira
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60 Crime Chart 62 How We Did It
1 Madeira
After a year off, Madeira returns to the top spot in this year’s Rating the Burbs. The city of 9,149 has placed No. 1 or No. 2 among the Burbs since 2010, with the exception of one year. Madeira was strong across all categories, most notably an increase in the median home-sale price, which was up almost 60% to $340,000 from 2013 to 2018. Madeira City Schools are among the best in the state, and crime is relatively low, making this suburb an attractive place to live. Located next door to Kenwood Towne Centre, the 3.4-square-mile city is conveniently located off Interstate 71 about 12 miles from downtown Cincinnati. The Madeira Chamber of Commerce website lists 154 businesses, providing shopping, dining, doctors, dentists and other services for a population that lives in an area zoned above 90% residential. Incorporated in 1910, the 3.4-square-mile city was developed along the railroad line between Cincinnati and Parkersburg, West Virginia. For recreation, residents can enjoy three parks: Sellman Park (10 acres), McDonald Commons Park (17 acres), and Nelle V. Hosbrook Bird Sanctuary (2 acres).
Township 2 Union (Warren County)
Union Township is becoming a perennial top-five community, with eight straight years among the best of the best. Low crime, a strong housing market and good school systems all combine to make the township of more than 5,000 a magnet for residents. Union’s median home-sale price more than doubled between 2013 and 2018, to $422,855, the fourth-highest among Greater Cincinnati communities. The township, formed Jan. 3, 1815, from parts of Deerfield and Turtlecreek townships in the central part of Warren County, owns two parks—William H. Hackman Park and Willard E. Spicer Park—and is served by four school districts.
3
Morgan Township (Butler County)
While Morgan Township often appears in the list of top-50 communities, this is the first time since 2014 that it has made the top five. A high homeownership rate (93.1%), a good education system (Ross Local School District) and low crime moved the township from No. 21 last year to No. 3 this year. Named for Gen. Daniel Morgan, an American Revolutionary War officer, the township was formed March 4,
1811, when county commissioners divided it from Ross Township. In addition to 30 miles of roadways, the township maintains five cemeteries in the mostly rural area. Located in the southwestern corner of Butler County, the 36-square-mile township is on the state line with Indiana. The nonprofit Morgan Township Historical Society serves as a resource for the history of the township.
Township 4 Wayne (Warren County)
Similar to other Wayne townships in Ohio, the 46.3-square-mile township was named after Revolutionary War Gen. “Mad Anthony” Wayne. Wayne Township is one of the original townships in Warren County, created May 10, 1803, just nine days after the county began. The township, primarily served by the Wayne Local School District, has strong schools, good housing and relatively little crime. Residents have access to Caesar Creek State Park, which includes hiking, boating and camping. The Little Miami River flows through the township, and the Little Miami Scenic Trail passes through the township along the route of the now defunct Little Miami Railroad. Agricultural land makes up the largest portion of the land, with residential housing and parks making up much of the remainder. The 2018 median home-sales price of $239,000 was up 51.75% from 2013.
Township 5 Clearcreek (Warren County)
A regular top-20 community, Clearcreek Township continues to add residents, with a population of 32,849. Low crime, strong schools (Springboro, Lebanon and Wayne), and high homeownership keep attracting residents. At $358,500, it had the seventhhighest median home-sale price in the region in 2018. The township was established in October 1815, and by 1840, it was reported to have one of the best unpaved road systems in Ohio. Clearcreek Baptist Church, founded in 1797 in Ridgeville, is reported to be the first church in Warren County. The township operates several parks: Patricia Allyn Park (96.77 acres), The Hoffman Reserve (96.69 acres) and Diane’s Sycamore Reserve (6.796 acres), with plans for Harbaugh Park (142.2 acres).
6 Blue Ash
Blue Ash makes its second consecutive appearance in the top 10, experiencing a continued strong gain in the median sale price of its homes, along with a highly ranked education system (Sycamore Community School District). The city of 12,199 has invested heavily in its parks and recreation system, and hosts two premier summer events that draw people from throughout the region: SummitFest Country Music Festival in June (which began in 2018 after a 30-year run of Taste of Blue Ash ended in 2017) and Red, White & Blue Ash on July 4. Residents can find plenty of recreational and fitness opportunities in the more than 280 acres of parks and fields, including Blue Ash’s signature Summit Park, and a recreation center. Located 12 miles northeast of Cincinnati, the 7.7-square-mile city sees its population more than triple during the day because of its 2,300 businesses. Fifty Fortune 500 companies have some presence in Blue Ash, from manufacturing to offices to retail. Land use is divided almost equally, with residential at 35%, commercial at 35% and public use at 30%.
7 Montgomery
A strong school system (Sycamore Community School District), a high homeownership rate and a good housing market combined to keep last year’s No. 1 community in the top 10. The median home-sale w w w.
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The city has no stand-alone businesses and includes 75 miles of horse-riding trails and several parks and recreational areas.
Township 9 Milford (Butler County)
This Butler County Township is no stranger to the top-50 communities, but it’s the first time that it makes an appearance in the top 10. A high homeownership rate, good schools (primarily Talawanda City School District, with a portion in Edgewood City School District) and relatively low crime make this community of 3,714 an attractive place to live. The median home-sale price in 2018 climbed 46% to $203,000 from $139,000 five years earlier. Township trustees bought the former Marie Schmidt Elementary School (Collinsville School) for $1 from Talawanda and turned it into the Milford Township Community Center, with a playground and picnic shelter. In 2007, trustees bought 12 acres of adjoining land for expansion of the park or township administration uses.
Township 10 Hamilton (Warren County)
High homeownership, good schools and low crime keep Hamilton Township at No. 10 for the second year in a row. The township promotes itself as being a place for “the perfect blend of quiet, rural living and the conveniences of modern life.” It offers almost 600 acres of parks: Big Foot Run Dog Park, Marr Park, Mounts Park, Munitions Park and Testerman Park. A portion of the Little Miami Scenic Trail— the Loveland section—runs through the township. Little Miami Local Schools serves as the primary district, with Goshen Local, Kings Local and Loveland City making up the others. The median home-sale price jumped to $239,150 last year from $171,000 in 2013, a 40% move. The township of 25,996 population sits just east of Interstate 71 at the crossroads of US Route 22/ Ohio 3—also known as the “3C Highway” (Cincinnati-Columbus-Cleveland)—and Ohio Route 48.
Honorable Mentions ADA KUANG
ADA KUANG
price in Montgomery was $432,000 in 2018, up 31% from 2013. That price was the third highest in the region, behind The Village of Indian Hill and Terrace Park. Between 2001 and 2017, the city saw 258 teardowns, in which builders demolish smaller homes and typically build larger ones in place. The 5.3-square-mile city of 10,746 was settled in 1796, when six families moved from Orange County, New York, became a village in 1910 and incorporated as a city in 1971. Dulle Park, Johnson Nature Preserve, Montgomery Park, Pfeiffer Park, Pioneer Park, Swaim Park, Triangle Point Plaza and Weller Park provide 96-plus acres of protected green space, with playgrounds, baseball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, basketball courts, sand volleyball, picnic shelters and a pool for residents’ recreation and relaxation. The parks are connected by more than 10 miles of sidewalks and bike paths.
8 The Village of Indian Hill
Settled as a farming community in 1795, The Village of Indian Hill became incorporated in 1941. While its population of 5,874 qualifies Indian Hill as a city, it still goes by the name “The Village of Indian Hill” on its website—a pitch for its rural feel and 100% residential makeup. Even the U.S. Census Bureau uses that as the official name. The almost-20-square-mile community ranks highly for homeownership, its education system and low crime. Indian Hill has Rating the Burbs’ No.1 public school system, the Indian Hill Exempted Village School District, which has ranked at the top for four consecutive years. Even though Indian Hill’s median home-sale price, $1.05 million, is by far the top price in the area, that amount was up a modest 8.8%. The Indian Hill Rangers, the police department that dates to 1903, help maintain a relatively low crime rate. 50
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Newtown Last year, we added the Honorable Mentions category to capture communities that did not place among the Top 50 Communities, but did place in the top 25 in at least two categories among the 138 communities of 1,000 or more population. This year, those communities are: Cold Spring, Ky.
Reily Township (Butler)
Evendale
St. Bernard
Franklin
Washington Township (Warren)
Highland Heights, Ky.
Wilder, Ky.
Newtown
Woodlawn
Oxford
Madeira Reclaims No. 1 as Housing Keeps Gaining By Bill Ferguson Jr.
M
is up 9% to 11% ($242-$246). Oxford, in Butler County, was the other double-digit increase, up 10%, adding about $130 a year. “If you look at the levies, there were some big ones on there,” Rhodes says. New fire/ EMS levies, school levies, etc., add to the cost of property taxes. P roper t y t a xes overa l l i n But ler, Clermont and Warren counties in Ohio; Boone, Campbell and Kenton counties in Kentucky; and Dearborn County, Ind., remained relatively stable or even fell a bit, depending on tax laws such as reduction factors and exemptions. An analysis of all data finds that Madeira returns to the top spot in Rating the Burbs, replacing 2018’s Montgomery. Madeira has been No. 1 or No. 2 in the ratings continuously. While the city performs well across almost all categories, its median home-sale price last year was a primary driver—up 59.62% to $340,000. Tom Moeller, who started as Madeira city manager in March 1989, says the city just completed its first comprehensive city plan, in which housing, community facilities/parks, the business district/economic development and transportation were the key topics. The community participation was strong, he says, and the plan is expected to be finalized this summer. In housing, the city is updating its zoning to allow a residential/commercial mix in which buildings can go to two or three stories, with retail or office on the first floor
and housing in the upper floors. As for the big gains in home prices in Madeira, Moeller says, “The majority of that increase is attributable to the in-fill building”—developers buy ing lessexpensive homes, tearing them down and then building homes that are much more expensive. “In the past nine years, we’ve done 200-plus of those. Then you couple that with a couple of new, small developments where the homes are in the seven, eight, $900,000 range, and it’s going to pull that average home sale up fairly dramatically.” The main drivers of housing are education—Madeira City Schools, which is one of the top-performing districts in Ohio—and the central location of Madeira. As in years past, several communities moved into or out of the top 50 (16 this year), and half of the top 10 has changed this year compared with 2018. n
HIGHEST-PRICED BURBS, 2018 n ia ed M ale S e- e c om Pri 18
H 20
COMMUNITY
ld So es 18 om 20
H
ore than half of the 138 communities in Rating the Burbs experienced median homesale price gains of one-third or higher in 2018, compared with the five-year-earlier prices, and that factor helped Madeira return to the No. 1 spot among the Top 50 Communities. Woodlawn, site of the Home Builders Association of Greater Cincinnati’s 14th CiTiRAMA in October 2017, led the gains last year—skyrocketing 291% to a median sale price of $226,611 from $58,000 in 2013, data from local boards of Realtors and county auditors showed. The Woodlawn Meadows development featured 43 singlefamily lots with homes in the $200,000 to $375,000 price range. Three Clermont County areas—Batavia, Williamsburg and Washington Township—followed closely behind with gains of 287%, 256% and 215%, respectively. Although closings were down 1.6% last year, Michelle Billings, president of the Cincinnati Area Board of Realtors, said in a news release that “2018 home sales remained one of the top three strongest in over 10 years.” Prices continued up throughout the year. The Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors reported that sales were up 1.35% to 7,293 in 2018, a record, while median prices were up overall by 6.29%. Meanwhile, property taxes in Hamilton County also climbed overall. County Auditor Dusty Rhodes says that while many think that the 2018 full reappraisal of properties was behind the increases, that’s not true. “People are voting for levies,” Rhodes says. “That’s it.” Rhodes noted that the county must do a full appraisal every six years, with an update every three years in between, but the tax rates are rolled back to equal the money collected that was voted in the levy. New levies, however, add to the tax bill. The largest property tax increase occurred in Milford (Clermont and Hamilton counties), with gains of 17% to 23% in 2018 vs. 2017, depending on the tax district, adding $385 to $424 in costs for every $100,000 in value. Montgomery added 16% to 17.5% (an extra $325-$343), and Delhi Township
1
The Village of Indian Hill
121
$1,050,000
2
Terrace Park
44
$434,250
3
Montgomery
165
$432,000
4
Union Township (Warren)
35
$422,855
5
Mariemont
74
$414,000
6
Symmes Township (Hamilton)
167
$375,000
7
Clearcreek Township (Warren)
135
$358,500
8
Mason
421
$342,500
9
Madeira
187
$340,000
10
Wyoming
137
$330,000
Sources: Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky Multiple Listing Service, Southeastern Indiana Board of Realtors w w w.
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Madeira
Union Township (Warren)
Morgan Township (Butler)
Wayne Township (Warren)
Clearcreek Township (Warren)
Blue Ash
Montgomery
The Village of Indian Hill
Milford Township (Butler)
Hamilton Township (Warren)
Massie Township (Warren)
Fairfax
Springboro
Terrace Park
Hanover Township (Butler)
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
COMMUNITY
17
20 Sa fe ty
8,679
2,289
18,610
1,707
1,210
25,996
3,714
5,874
10,746
12,199
32,849
9,006
5,796
5,169
40
9
33
15
44
87
4
32
5
6
19
42
1
14
om
H
Talawanda (also Edgewood, Hamilton, Ross)
Mariemont (also Indian Hill)
Springboro (also Franklin)
Mariemont (also Cincinnati)
Clinton-Massie (also Wayne)
Little Miami (also Goshen, Kings, Loveland)
22
3
11
3
26
18
22
1
Indian Hill (also Cincinnati, Madeira, Mariemont, Sycamore) Talawanda (also Edgewood)
7
Sycamore
7
11
6
Wayne (also Clinton-Massie, Lebanon, Bellbrook-Sugarcreek, Xenia) Springboro (also Lebanon, Wayne)
14
22
2
Ross (also Southwest)
Kings, Lebanon (also Little Miami, Mason)
Sycamore (also Princeton)
HOUSING
OTHER
86
44
121
28
11
514
33
121
165
161
135
69
37
35
187
ed
M
$173,075
$434,250
$285,000
$162,825
$147,200
$239,150
$203,000
$1,050,000
$432,000
$275,000
$358,500
$239,000
$271,000
$422,855
$340,000
M
$121,250
$410,000
$225,000
$85,000
$68,000
$171,000
$139,000
$965,000
$329,900
$176,000
$278,000
$157,500
$184,325
$193,000
$213,000
42.74%
5.91%
26.67%
91.56%
116.47%
39.85%
46.04%
8.81%
30.95%
56.25%
28.96%
51.75%
47.02%
119.10%
59.62%
90.08%
93.18%
84.30%
76.85%
79.41%
91.55%
88.43%
96.62%
88.38%
73.50%
90.00%
80.29%
93.15%
80.27%
86.84%
26.70 31.94 29.97 21.49 22.99 25.04 28.42
$1,441$1,679 $1,382$1,936 $1,127$1,672 $2,610$2,992 $1,439$1,641 $1,751$3,000 $1,357$1,668
22.67
$2,181$2,457
22.59
19.61
$1,830$1,864
$1,382$2,614
24.58
$1,525$1,797
30.85
$1,368$1,422
25.81
25.28
$1,670$1,969
$1,163$1,795
20.00
$1,580$2,455
20 Av 18 W era 5 e i O uc or g n -y di pe Pr w ia a M ea es k eC at ne 20 r op (in o ed r Pr n H Pr n H io So $ r 1 e S % n ia 10 rt ic om ic om 7 O a m mm ld R e e cc H le n C y in u an 0 e e H ha 20 20 20 T o u P ut te , a 00 x pi m ki ric om ng es t 18 Sal 13 Sal 18 ng e e e 0 d e e s e e e s ) o
Ed
Madeira (also Cincinnati, Indian Hill)
Pr im D ar is y tr S ic ch t( o s) ol
EDUCATION
135
ng
ki
an
R
9,149
n
la tio
pu
Po
SAFETY
THE TOP 50 COMMUNITIES
Ross Township (Butler) Liberty Township (Butler) Fort Thomas, Ky. Lakeside Park, Ky. Mariemont Crosby Township (Hamilton) Salem Township (Warren) Madison Township (Butler) Wyoming Anderson Township (Hamilton) Edgewood, Ky. Mason Greendale, Ind. Oxford Township (Butler) Carlisle Ohio Township (Clermont) St. Clair Township (Butler) Harlan Township (Warren) Goshen Township (Clermont) Delhi Township (Hamilton) Alexandria, Ky. Amberley Village Fort Mitchell, Ky. Southgate, Ky. Williamsburg Township (Clermont) Union, Ky. Waynesville Deer Park Washington Township (Clermont) Hidden Valley Lake, Ind. Greenhills Villa Hills, Ky. Harrison Monroe Township (Clermont) Maineville
16 (tie) 16 (tie) 18 19 20 (tie) 20 (tie) 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 (tie) 37 (tie) 39 40 41 42 43 (tie) 43 (tie) 45 46 47 48 49 50
1,070
8,137
11,300
7,437
3,597
5,344
2,357
5,679
3,081
5,895
5,907
3,892
8,248
3,778
9,438
29,686
16,095
5,153
7,254
5,370
5,336
25,254
4,417
33,235
8,720
43,969
8,536
8,871
4,819
2,808
3,433
2,745
16,263
39,333
8,821
3
92
66
12
29
10
94
28
37
13
52
24
55
7
71
63
46
50
72
51
23
2
26
22
21
53
30
77
62
73
31
27
17
34
65
Little Miami
New Richmond (also West Clermont)
Southwest
Kenton County
Winton Woods
Sunman-Dearborn (also Lawrenceburg)
Felicity-Franklin (also Bethel-Tate, New Richmond)
Deer Park
Wayne
Boone County
Williamsburg (also Batavia)
Campbell County/Southgate Independent
Beechwood Independent (also Kenton County)
Cincinnati
Campbell County
Oak Hills (also Cincinnati)
18
28
35
32
62
29
47
36
6
30
39
48
10
61
25
17
24
18
Little Miami (also Blanchester, Clinton-Massie, Goshen) Goshen (also Little Miami, Loveland)
33
28
23
22
41
Edgewood (also New Miami, Ross)
New Richmond (also West Clermont)
Carlisle (also Franklin)
Talawanda (also College Corner)
Lawrenceburg
5
32
Kenton County (also Erlanger-Elsmere Independent) Mason (also Kings, Lebanon)
9
4
Wyoming (also Cincinnati, Finneytown, Winton Woods) Forest Hills (also Cincinnati)
38
18
35
3
32
15
16
14
Madison (also Edgewood)
Little Miami (also Lebanon)
Southwest
Mariemont (also Cincinnati)
Kenton County (also Beechwood Independent)
Fort Thomas Independent
Lakota
Ross
25
77
169
118
69
105
24
123
54
548
36
67
85
74
319
402
214
68
50
22
58
34
65
421
115
675
137
82
44
48
74
39
227
681
72
$182,000
$151,500
$199,900
$227,500
$126,000
$206,900
$143,539
$151,000
$177,000
$285,922
$139,950
$102,000
$260,000
$326,550
$218,000
$135,000
$166,700
$219,250
$86,000
$268,000
$151,950
$210,000
$149,900
$342,500
$222,000
$250,000
$330,000
$182,500
$245,000
$318,443
$414,000
$221,000
$223,500
$299,000
$288,000
$145,000
$89,000
$123,950
$190,000
$84,000
$162,000
$45,500
$115,000
$135,000
$237,750
$65,000
$66,800
$184,900
$253,800
$150,000
$99,750
$120,000
$146,500
$35,001
$145,500
$112,900
$156,000
$103,000
$288,500
$180,000
$191,750
$305,000
$87,000
$153,400
$202,500
$304,000
$157,000
$175,250
$225,000
$185,000
25.52%
70.22%
61.27%
19.74%
50.00%
27.72%
215.47%
31.30%
31.11%
20.26%
115.31%
52.69%
40.62%
28.66%
45.33%
35.34%
38.92%
49.66%
145.71%
84.19%
34.59%
34.62%
45.53%
18.72%
23.33%
30.38%
8.20%
109.77%
59.71%
57.26%
36.18%
40.76%
27.53%
32.89%
55.68%
78.01%
83.66%
72.26%
85.51%
72.20%
89.76%
88.37%
64.60%
58.71%
94.06%
67.45%
59.96%
50.39%
93.64%
83.32%
80.94%
85.52%
83.22%
71.75%
72.62%
73.48%
36.96%
78.24%
81.21%
89.19%
85.56%
84.59%
86.00%
76.83%
90.42%
62.16%
66.06%
68.98%
89.93%
87.47%
26.62
$1,141$1,357
34.29
$1,408$1,754
28.60
26.79
$1,883$2,027
$1,774.41
23.82
$1,409
21.64
31.58
$1,473$1,816 $3,271
43.47
20.03 $1,140$1,406
$2,842
22.83
28.08
$1,412$1,765
$1,918
20.47
20.43
22.31
25.87
$2,139
$1,249$1,453
$2,640
$1,434
25.39
$2,522$3,000
26.89
$1,358$1,669
28.52
29.13
$1,240$1,586
$1,656$2,196
24.46
$1,599$1,645
37.00
15.66
$1,361$1,467
$1,159$1,796
24.54
23.75
$1,521$2,108 $3,000
21.27
$1,364$1,688
25.70
$2,309$2,692
28.02
$1,570$1,644
21.34
27.75
$1,713$2,001
$2,507$3,424
26.86
$1,775
23.84
19.50
$1,426$1,630 $2,451$2,832
19.45
26.91
29.99
$1,857
$1,919
$1,472
This is the inside Template is 6.5” x 11.125” Including the Bleed (In Red) Finished size is 16.25” x 10.875” (In Blue) Live Area is 15.25” x 9.875” (In Yellow) Pretrim the 1.25” Face before binding in Cincy Magazine
Pretrim .125” Face Before Binding into Cincy Magazine
8.25”
8.”
Fold
EDUCATION
PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS pi
l/
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$15,142
2
Madeira
1,449
3
3
Mariemont
1,621
4
4
Wyoming
1,926
5
Mason
6 7 8
g in at
ng
1,977
R
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Indian Hill
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1
ed ag nt va ad is D r he ac y te r e ala ag s er Av ith w rs ve he bo ac A Te or r’s io te at R as r M he ac Te
Pu
Pu rPe
(Top 35 of 70) (2017-18 data)
t en llm ro En
DISTRICT
A (Performance Index)
12.36
91.4%
$77,872
5.1%
$11,224
A (Performance Index)
15.75
78.7%
$78,079
7.5%
$12,387
B (Performance Index)
13.18
82.5%
$70,173
9.8%
5
$11,787
B (Performance Index)
14.59
75.1%
$76,930
6.5%
10,257
5
$9,770
B (Performance Index)
19.17
82.7%
$77,667
8.6%
Wayne
1,393
3
$8,661
B (Performance Index)
17.63
72.0%
$61,643
16.7%
Sycamore
5,334
7
$11,996
B (Performance Index)
14.73
69.8%
$71,577
14.7%
Loveland
4,462
6
$9,425
B (Performance Index)
17.57
84.9%
$75,224
14.0%
9
Forest Hills
7,318
9
$9,939
B (Performance Index)
16.52
74.6%
$70,299
8.6%
10
Beechwood Independent, Ky.
1,377
3
$14,248
N/A
16.49
56.3%
$54,359
19.3%
11
Springboro Community City
5,853
6
$7,619
B (Performance Index)
19.71
68.6%
$60,007
7.1%
12
Bellbrook-Sugarcreek
2,508
4
$10,150
B (Performance Index)
16.83
74.5%
$69,089
14.0%
13
Kings
4,534
6
$9,253
B (Performance Index)
17.11
64.9%
$68,804
16.8%
14
Ross
2,658
4
$8,526
B (Performance Index)
17.15
70.7%
$60,423
24.4%
15
Fort Thomas Independent, Ky.
3,082
5
$14,327
N/A
17.32
50.0%
$61,160
11.2%
16
Lakota
14,954
20
$9,803
B (Performance Index)
19.73
72.9%
$70,238
19.6%
17
Oak Hills
7,409
9
$8,575
B (Performance Index)
16.95
63.0%
$68,514
21.0%
18
Little Miami
4,492
5
$8,805
C (Performance Index)
17.41
64.2%
$56,851
18.0%
19
Milford
6,345
8
$9,078
B (Performance Index)
17.58
76.4%
$67,647
20.0%
20
Walton-Verona, Ky.
1,663
3
$13,895
N/A
16.15
58.0%
$51,196
38.8%
21
Monroe
2,691
4
$7,244
B (Performance Index)
17.94
56.6%
$55,247
30.0%
22
Talawanda
2,828
5
$10,728
C (Performance Index)
14.88
64.9%
$65,764
32.0%
23
Carlisle
1,533
4
$9,813
C (Performance Index)
16.31
70.2%
$60,652
31.2%
24
Goshen
2,759
4
$8,250
C (Performance Index)
17.35
73.0%
$62,171
51.4%
25
Campbell County, Ky.
4,793
8
$14,140
N/A
15.98
55.6%
$52,177
47.5%
26
Clinton-Massie
1,749
3
$7,886
C (Performance Index)
18.61
54.4%
$54,451
21.6%
27
Bethel-Tate
1,528
4
$7,285
C (Performance Index)
15.43
74.7%
$54,997
37.2%
28
New Richmond Exempted Village
2,361
5
$8,824
C (Performance Index)
16.06
73.3%
$62,056
41.4%
29
Sunman-Dearborn, Ind.
3,803
5
$11,306
B
19.50
56.4%
$52,453
23.7%
30
Boone County, Ky.
20,133
26
$14,769
N/A
15.34
60.1%
$53,681
39.3%
31
Lebanon
5,311
5
$7,953
C (Performance Index)
19.97
60.6%
$61,661
21.6%
32
Kenton County, Ky.
14,622
19
$13,901
N/A
18.20
57.6%
$54,693
43.6%
33
Edgewood
3,510
5
$8,375
C (Performance Index)
16.64
69.7%
$60,237
36.4%
34
Blanchester
1,555
4
$8,806
C (Performance Index)
15.71
64.8%
$52,899
45.3%
35
Southwest
3,581
6
$8,883
C (Performance Index)
18.18
64.7%
$69,071
43.1%
N/A — Not available or not calculated. *About academic ratings: Ohio and Indiana use an index to rank their schools, but the indexes are weighted differently, so the states’ scores do not compare directly. Indiana uses 100 as a top score; Ohio uses 120. Kentucky is revamping its overall scoring system and did not report overall index scores for 2017-18. **About ACT and SAT averages: Ohio did not report ACT or SAT scores for 2017-18 on the School Report Cards. Through a publicrecords request, Cincy obtained scores from the Ohio Department of Education; however, the department provided only scores it received from ACT and the College Board (SAT). It said the scores were not for all students and should not be compared with previous years’ scores. SAT scores, but not ACT scores, were provided for Indian Hill and Princeton. Kentucky students take the ACT; some take the SAT, and the state does not report SAT scores.
58
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2018 BLUE RIBBON SCHOOLS The National Blue Ribbon Schools Program, which started in 1982, honors public and private elementary, middle and high schools throughout the U.S. Recognition is based on schools’ overall academic excellence or progress in closing achievement gaps among student subgroups. Schools are honored in one of two categories—Exemplary High Performing Schools or Exemplary Achievement Gap Closing Schools, each of which include several criteria. A total of 300 public and 49 private schools nationwide were honored in 2018. Each school was recognized at a November ceremony in Washington, D.C., and received a plaque and flag signifying their status. The schools serve as models of achievement for schools throughout the U.S. Locally, seven schools were selected: • Bishop Brossart High School, 4 Grove St., Alexandria, Kentucky • Immaculate Heart of Mary School, 5876 Veterans Way, Burlington, Kentucky • John Foster Dulles Elementary School (Oak Hills), 6481 Bridgetown Road, Cincinnati, Ohio • Mariemont Elementary School, 6750 Wooster Pike, Cincinnati, Ohio • St. Andrew-St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic School, 5900 Buckwheat Road, Milford, Ohio • St. Cecilia Elementary School, 5313 Madison Pike, Independence, Kentucky • St. Joseph School, 4011 Alexandria Pike, Cold Spring, Kentucky Source: U.S. Department of Education
Information for the education chart was collected primarily from the 2017-18 Ohio School Report Cards, 2017-18 Kentucky School Report Cards, Indiana’s school-data reporting system and data available from the state departments of education websites or public-records requests. N/A means the data were not available, not calculated, not reported or not applicable. For academic ratings, Ohio uses 120 as a top score and Indiana uses 100. Kentucky is currently revamping its data reporting and did not issue academic ratings for 2017-18.
d ca
ic em
da an St rd s et M
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rs ke Ta * st ** Te ve o P A ab r % or be 3 um g N ting in or a or s cip * te rti ** Sc ua Pa st ad s Te Gr nt P e A s of ud n t a se % S n i as of Cl ** P * A 8) of 7-1 # 01 (2 * e* or Sc CT A e ag * er e* Av or Sc T SA e ag ) er (% Av e at R n io at du ra ) G (% e at R e nc ol da ho en sc ndtt A gh e hi ng lish of si g s n % pa E e ol ts rs ho en ou sc ndud f-c st o gh e hi ng ath of ssi M % pa se r ts ou en -c f ud o g* st in at R
A
e at St 49.8%
24 out of 24
108.85
89.4%
91.5%
95.9%
97.7%
1190
N/A
34
79.6%
76.5%
43.2%
23 out of 24
108.432
90.8%
94.2%
96.3%
98.1%
N/A
24.50
21
80.6%
53.9%
24.6%
22 out of 24
107.265
86.2%
94.1%
95.2%
94.9%
N/A
24.03
18
66.9%
42.7%
42.9%
23 out of 24
107.292
91.2%
92.8%
95.6%
98.2%
N/A
26.03
34
88.9%
79.0%
36.0%
23 out of 24
105.273
90.9%
87.9%
96.5%
96.4%
N/A
24.40
44
75.3%
54.1%
29.8%
22 out of 24
104.639
86.0%
86.3%
96.0%
98.6%
N/A
21.48
12
16.4%
26.2%
39.5%
20 out of 24
103.694
86.4%
78.3%
95.9%
94.3%
N/A
24.11
36
60.9%
48.6%
31.6%
19 out of 24
99.452
86.3%
83.6%
95.5%
97.4%
N/A
22.72
25
43.2%
35.8%
27.3%
16 out of 25
100.231
85.6%
85.4%
95.7%
95.2%
N/A
23.01
52
61.8%
45.3%
20.4%
N/A
N/A
87.3%
79.4%
96.8%
96.4%
N/A
25.30
22
386
58.5%
38.2%
21 out of 25
101.373
91.2%
89.1%
96.8%
96.3%
N/A
23.25
22
36.4%
15.8%
29.7%
21 out of 25
101.971
82.8%
80.7%
96.2%
96.4%
N/A
22.50
14
29.6%
20.4%
21.8%
16 out of 24
99.757
84.9%
75.6%
95.3%
95.2%
N/A
22.40
23
12.8%
42.0%
21.4%
17 out of 24
98.563
87.4%
75.1%
95.7%
96.6%
N/A
19.38
12
26.6%
22.6%
16.4%
N/A
N/A
72.2%
77.3%
97.3%
95.9%
N/A
24.10
40
966
62.7%
39.4%
18 out of 24
98.586
80.5%
84.0%
96.1%
94.4%
N/A
21.37
50
41.2%
24.9%
19.1%
13 out of 24
96.997
78.5%
79.3%
94.2%
94.6%
N/A
19.70
39
52.8%
32.3%
22.7%
12 out of 24
95.778
81.4%
80.1%
95.6%
97.4%
N/A
20.96
10
32.0%
23.9%
25.6%
15 out of 25
98.09
64.3%
78.8%
95.5%
95.3%
N/A
21.30
41
54.1%
37.6%
13.2%
N/A
N/A
56.6%
64.5%
96.1%
99.2%
N/A
21.80
2
8
25.0%
15.8%
16 out of 24
96.912
69.9%
81.8%
95.3%
97.2%
N/A
19.11
3
42.4%
22.7%
23.8%
8 out of 24
93.015
80.0%
74.7%
95.1%
93.8%
N/A
20.20
8
29.5%
16.5%
15.6%
6 out of 24
90.618
76.9%
79.2%
95.4%
97.6%
N/A
18.49
3
8.3%
0.8%
21.3%
7 out of 24
92.45
75.9%
70.4%
93.6%
95.5%
N/A
19.52
8
26.3%
19.4%
15.6%
N/A
N/A
54.6%
57.3%
95.6%
97.2%
N/A
20.60
24
959
57.7%
24.5%
12 out of 24
93.495
72.5%
74.1%
95.4%
94.4%
N/A
20.27
0
0.7%
0.0%
17.8%
4 out of 24
90.769
59.8%
72.1%
94.8%
97.4%
N/A
19.38
2
8.9%
2.3%
16.1%
8 out of 24
90.588
58.7%
78.0%
94.5%
96.2%
N/A
19.65
6
18.9%
10.7%
12.8%
N/A
89.5
50.8%
70.4%
95.6%
96.3%
1109
23.30
13
25.4%
16.1%
12.3%
N/A
N/A
53.6%
55.2%
95.7%
94.0%
N/A
20.70
58
1,977
59.2%
21.4%
10 out of 25
92.247
71.8%
66.2%
96.1%
98.4%
N/A
20.54
18
44.2%
21.9%
22.1%
N/A
N/A
51.6%
53.3%
95.8%
93.9%
N/A
20.5
40
958
69.7%
10.4%
5 out of 24
88.899
73.3%
79.5%
93.6%
90.2%
N/A
18.44
9
35.7%
14.7%
10.0%
6 out of 24
88.567
70.7%
81.4%
94.8%
90.2%
N/A
18.62
5
0
2.2%
16.4%
9 out of 24
92.907
69.3%
60.1%
93.9%
89.2%
N/A
18.68
18
46.5%
24.0%
***About Advanced Placement: Some schools have quit offering AP classes, replacing them with other dual-credit options. Kentucky provides numbers of students taking AP courses, not percentages of graduates. Data anomalies exist for some districts on Ohio report cards, and the Department of Education says there could be an issue with how the student data-reporting system is flowing the information onto the report cards. The number of AP classes are collected from test provider College Board. w w w.
m a g a z i n e . c o m : : J U N E /J U LY 2 0 1 9
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ed at sa t
y
e
ul
ap
r be ob
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R
R
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e/ im cr p t po en 0 ol 0 Vi 10
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t en lig r eg te nn gh no lau & ns a r e/ de m im cr op ty p er 00 op 10
Pr A
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y en rc
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(2017 statistics)
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COMMUNITY
A
ur M
CRIME SAFEST COMMUNITIES 1
Terrace Park
2,289
0
2
0
0
0.874
0
0
0
0
0.000
2
Oxford Township (Butler)
25,254
4
16
5
0
0.990
0
0
0
2
0.079
3
Maineville
1,070
1
1
0
0
1.869
0
0
0
0
0.000
4
Clearcreek Township (Warren)
32,849
8
63
3
0
2.253
1
2
0
8
0.335
5
Morgan Township (Butler)
5,796
4
26
0
0
5.176
0
0
0
1
0.173
6
Union Township (Warren)
5,169
1
14
1
1
3.289
0
0
0
6
1.161
7
Amberley Village
3,778
1
28
0
0
7.676
0
0
0
0
0.000
8
Harrison Township (Hamilton)
15,547
16
31
8
1
3.602
0
2
0
3
0.322
9
Hamilton Township (Warren)
25,996
9
36
0
0
1.731
0
21
0
3
0.923
10
Hidden Valley Lake, Ind.
5,344
2
20
2
0
4.491
0
2
0
0
0.374
11
Miami Township (Hamilton)
16,040
16
45
5
0
4.115
0
2
1
5
0.499
12
Villa Hills, Ky.
7,437
7
30
2
1
5.379
0
1
0
1
0.269
13
Union, Ky.
5,895
6
29
1
0
6.107
0
1
0
1
0.339
14
Springboro
18,610
15
105
2
0
6.556
0
5
0
5
0.537
15
The Village of Indian Hill
5,874
5
35
3
0
7.320
0
2
0
0
0.340
16
Newtown
2,662
5
16
0
0
7.889
0
0
0
1
0.376
17
Fort Thomas, Ky.
16,263
17
88
11
1
7.194
0
2
4
2
0.492
18
Franklin Township (Warren)
31,811
36
135
9
1
5.690
1
2
4
36
1.352
19
Madeira
9,149
9
68
6
0
9.072
0
0
1
2
0.328
20
Independence, Ky.
27,634
33
102
14
0
5.392
0
11
8
6
0.905
21
Edgewood, Ky.
8,720
10
61
9
0
9.174
0
0
0
1
0.115
22
Mason
33,235
31
321
5
0
10.742
0
5
3
4
0.361
23
Carlisle
5,336
11
33
0
0
8.246
0
1
0
2
0.562
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A ed at lt
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e
r be ob
u sa as
R ap
e/ im cr p t po en 0 ol 0 Vi 10
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A
t ef th
ft he /t
ry
n tio
a gl
la
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B
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(2017 statistics)
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COMMUNITY 24
Southgate, Ky.
3,892
3
15
7
0
6.423
0
0
2
1
0.771
25
Lemon Township (Butler)
15,136
20
126
6
0
10.042
0
1
2
2
0.330
26
Greendale, Ind.
4,417
5
12
3
3
5.207
0
1
3
0
0.906
27
Lakeside Park, Ky.
2,745
5
19
1
0
9.107
0
0
1
0
0.364
28
Deer Park
5,679
4
44
3
0
8.980
0
1
0
5
1.057
29
Greenhills
3,597
4
38
1
0
11.954
0
0
0
1
0.278
30
Wyoming
8,536
15
68
2
0
9.958
0
0
3
0
0.351
31
Mariemont
3,433
5
34
2
0
11.943
0
0
0
0
0.000
32
Wayne Township (Warren)
9,006
11
34
6
0
5.663
0
0
0
20
2.221
33
Milford Township (Butler)
3,714
3
48
1
0
14.001
0
0
0
0
0.000
34
Liberty Township (Butler)
39,333
32
433
8
1
12.051
0
6
4
6
0.407
35
Amelia
4,970
2
58
3
0
12.676
0
0
0
3
0.604
36
Highland Heights, Ky.
7,100
7
45
6
0
8.169
0
1
5
1
0.986
37
Waynesville
3,081
5
28
3
0
11.685
0
0
0
0
0.000
38
Pierce Township (Clermont)
14,863
28
118
5
3
10.361
0
2
1
2
0.336
39
Washington Township (Warren)
2,984
4
13
2
0
6.367
0
0
1
5
2.011
40
Massie Township (Warren)
1,210
2
6
2
0
8.264
0
0
0
1
0.826
41
Reily Township (Butler)
2,746
6
20
1
0
9.832
0
1
0
0
0.364
42
Hanover Township (Butler)
8,679
13
77
5
0
10.946
0
3
0
1
0.461
43
Trenton
12,912
18
94
5
0
9.061
0
8
2
2
0.929
44
Montgomery
10,746
8
139
5
0
14.145
0
2
1
1
0.372
45
Loveland
12,770
25
79
7
1
8.771
0
6
1
5
0.940
46
Goshen Township (Clermont)
16,095
32
118
15
1
10.314
0
5
1
1
0.435
47
Wilder, Ky.
3,064
2
32
2
0
11.749
0
1
1
1
0.979
48
Deerfield Township (Warren)
39,728
24
390
22
1
11.000
0
6
2
63
1.787
49
Taylor Mill, Ky.
6,765
13
46
10
0
10.200
0
2
0
1
0.443
50
Harlan Township (Warren)
5,153
9
28
7
0
8.539
0
2
0
4
1.164
w w w.
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61
Deep Dive Into Data Finds Best of the ’Burbs By Bill Ferguson Jr.
Cincy’s 13th annual “Rating the Burbs” project examined hundreds of spreadsheets and websites in gathering the thousands of data points to determine the Top 50 Communities, 35 Top Public School Systems and 50 Safest Neighborhoods in the eight-county Greater Cincinnati region. We began with the most recent available data from the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey and Population Estimates Program, which update the 2010 decennial census annually in several categories. Most data were updated through 2017 for this year’s survey. We sift through data on more than 270 villages, cities, townships, Census County Divisions and Census Designated Places
in Boone, Butler, Campbell, Clermont, Dearborn, Hamilton, Kenton and Warren counties, leaving almost 140 jurisdictions of 1,000 or more population. The Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati, the Northern Kentucky Association of Realtors and the Southeastern Indiana Board of Realtors provide median home-sale prices. For communities unavailable through those three organizations, sales are gathered from county auditors. Crime statistics are based on the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. The FBI lists four categories of property crime and four categories of violent crime, with the breakdown of the latest community
numbers coming from 2018. For areas not reporting to the FBI (reporting is voluntary), we check community and state websites, and contact our county sheriffs’ offices and township, city and village police departments. County auditors, treasurers and property valuation administrators supply propertytax data used to compare taxes in each area for a $100,000 house. Seventy school districts serve students in the eight-county area, and we scoured state report cards, state education department websites and school district websites for data, and we also made public-records requests to the state departments of education themselves. n
City Home Prices Continue to Soar Over Past 5 Years By Bill Ferguson Jr. ge an Ch e % om ar n H ice Ye ia Pr 5- ed le M Sa in
le Sa e 3 om 1 H 20 n e ia ic ed Pr
M
18
20
AREA
le Sa e 8 om 1 H 20 n e ia ic ed Pr
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ld
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maga zine.com
es
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62
H
Evanston again tops the list of city neighborhoods with the largest gains in median home-sale prices—for the third year in a row—during a period in which home prices in city neighborhoods continued big gains. Evanston’s 2018 median price skyrocketed more than eight times the 2013 median price, to $102,450 from $12,000. Twelve city neighborhoods experienced at least a doubling of prices from 2013 through last year. In addition to Evanston, four neighborhoods—Spring Grove, Avondale, Price Hill and Hartwell—all tripled or more in median prices. Each year, the Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati (MLS) provides home sales for the City of Cincinnati for our “Rating the Burbs” cover story/project. Most statistics that we use to evaluate the suburbs—all areas outside the city limits—are not readily available on the micro level for the 52 city neighborhoods. The MLS breakdown consists of 38 areas, which do not correspond exactly to the 52 neighborhoods, but some areas are true neighborhoods. To the right are the 15 city areas with 20 or more sales that experienced the largest price gains from 2013 to 2018:
Evanston
58
$102,450
$12,000
753.75%
Spring Grove
24
$114,000
$26,600
328.57%
Avondale
74
$153,000
$44,750
241.90%
Price Hill
172
$62,000
$18,500
235.14%
Hartwell
36
$105,500
$34,125
209.16%
Madisonville
160
$139,250
$50,750
174.38%
Bond Hill
67
$76,000
$28,000
171.43%
Roselawn
43
$102,500
$38,500
166.23%
Fairmount
23
$24,000
$10,000
140.00%
Sayler Park
55
$109,000
$50,000
118.00%
Westwood
283
$100,000
$46,100
116.92%
City
50
$329,500
$160,000
105.94%
Kennedy Heights
62
$148,950
$78,000
90.96%
College Hill
133
$122,900
$64,500
90.54%
Northside
163
$181,000
$99,500
81.91%
(Downtown / OTR / Pendleton / Queensgate / West End)
Source: Multiple Listing Service of Greater Cincinnati