There is one Cincinnati neighborhood where crime is down 22% from last year – and the housing stock is new and affordable.
People are noticing and moving in.
Workers are adding new streetlights.
New restaurants and shops are opening.
“I love going to places like Washington, D.C., Charleston, South Carolina and parts of Miami where you have the old buildings – and they’ve been restored,” said Paul Graves. “And this gives you that feel that we can have that same thing here.”
There are freshly painted 100-year-old facades – and modern, high-end lofts and homes.
“You’ll notice you have all types of people walking down the street,” said Graves.
This place is attractive to all types of people, including Graves, who is a Cincinnati police officer.
It’s Over-the-Rhine, specifically what’s called the “Gateway Quarter,” north of Central Parkway – a place that was once one of the toughest addresses in town.
“These same buildings four years ago were empty,” said Graves. “So, now it's good to come through the neighborhood and hear hammering and drilling because that's a show of progress. That the neighborhood is coming back.”
Streetscaping is nearly complete.
And homes here are selling for as low as $100,000 – with some that will soon be on the market for $400,000.
When you think of Over-the-Rhine, you might think “crime, drugs,” maybe even riots.
But if you ask folks around here, they’d say things are changing in Over-the-Rhine – and it’s time to give it a chance.
When asked what kind of reaction Graves got when he told people he was moving to Over-the-Rhine, he said, "I got talked about. I was told I was crazy.”
“I was told by one particular friend, 'Paul, OTR is not you. You is Kenwood, Blue Ash. That's you'. But the thing is, you don't get this feeling, this vibe out there,” said Graves.
Realtors say young professionals, empty nesters – even families are moving in.
Stores are here – including Gloria McConnaghy’s “Little Mahatma.” She opened a year ago and hasn’t had one brush with crime.
"People think they'll be physically in danger if they come down here,” said McConnaghy. “The reality is, it's not true."
“And that's because the streets are being populated by more people and you get more people populating, you get more eyes on the street,” said Graves. “So, it becomes safer for everyone.”
Sheila Baker lives in the suburb of Landen and was visiting a friend and doing some window-shopping, but she says it’s been a while since she was in the area.
It's just very impressive what's being done and everything looks so, really nice,” said Baker. "I'm impressed. I'm excited."
It’s an attitude shift that Paul Graves says needs to happen more often – and won’t happen until folks come down to Over-the-Rhine and see for themselves.
“Give it a chance. It's a beautiful place. It's coming back,” said Graves. “It's going to be the place to live within the next five years. I guarantee you.”
