Rating the Burbs 2019

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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.

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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”

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EDUCATION

PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEMS pi

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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

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1,977

R

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(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

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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

59

ed at sa t

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(2017 statistics)

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COMMUNITY

A

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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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(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.

m a g a z i n e . c o m : : J U N E /J U LY 2 0 1 9

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

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62

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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