For a city split between Butler and Hamilton counties, Fairfield has slowly gained a reputation for being the home of the largest wine collection in the United States; all thanks to Jungle Jim's International Market.
Fairfield is a medium-sized city in the state of Ohio. With its 42,730 individuals split into ten neighborhoods, Fairfield sits pretty as the 26th largest locale in Ohio. Covering an area of about 54.55 square kilometers, and enjoying an average climate of 75 degrees Fahrenheit, this city has attracted more people in a short time than the news of the Obama presidency. The latest unemployment rate of 5.8%, as of April 2013, has also afforded Uncle Sam a few smiles this year.
Finding an Apartment in "The City"
Getting places to live in this city is not so difficult. The vacancy rate in the different neighborhoods makes this city very renter-friendly. One way of going about getting a house here is making the internet your first port of call. With such a powerful tool, you can easily get blown away by an avalanche of properties in a matter of seconds.
How much will it cost?
Rarely will you find a neighborhood like this in the US. The average cost of renting a place here is differentiated by very small figures but on the whole it's very inexpensive!
When to rent
Forget it! There are no seasonal houses here to take advantage of. House rentals here are fairly low in relation to other neighborhoods in the US. So much that waiting for peak seasons or off-seasons is foolhardy. Where will you be staying while you wait for rent to go down by $50? You're better off trying to get in as soon as you can by paying the asking price.
What you will need
Common sense dictates that you treat getting a house like getting a home loan. So arm yourself with a favorable credit score. You should also sweet talk your current landlord for a favorable referral and convince your employer that a bigger paycheck and referral letter will improve your productivity.
Fairfield Neighborhoods
If you are convinced that this is the place to be, then what comes next will actually lead you closer to that ideal house. Below is a list of the different neighborhoods in this city:
Stockton:This neighborhood boasts of numerous small and average sized apartment complexes. But one can also find a place in one of the high-rise apartments or single-family homes that crop up in this area. The real estate vacancy rate here is stuck at 6.9% and average rent demanded is around average for the area. What really makes this neighborhood employer-friendly, is that employees have no excuse getting to work late. It takes roughly 15 minutes from an employee’s door step to an employer’s workplace.
Pleasant Ave:This neighborhood runs up to Augusta Blvd and is mainly contains medium sized to large family houses and apartment complexes. Because of this and a few other reasons, the average house rent is very inexpensive. Not bad, especially if the vacancy rate remains at 9.8 % or changes in favor of renters. Expect to know everyone and be known here. If you thought the desperate housewives in Wisteria Lane are nosy, wait until you get here.
City Center:This suburban neighborhood is geographically not really at the center of Fairfield but its close enough. Average rental prices here are mid-range and the real vacancy rate is somewhere close to 4.3%. Anticipate getting an average sized or small single-family house or apartment. 25 is an important figure to jot down here as it the average amount of minutes it will take you to get to work from home. And even though driving alone to work is what most people do here, walking or taking a bus is not frowned upon.
Indian Springs:This neighborhood is mostly composed of small to medium sized apartment complexes and single-family homes. The average rent average for the city and the vacancy rate is 7.9%. Not so bad huh! Your home search will not be so daunting with figures like that. And better yet, your daily commute to work will take 25 minutes or thereabout. $$$
Dixie Hwy area: This neighborhood stretches up to Ross Rd and is between a rectangle and trapezium in shape. Average rent demanded here is slightly higher than the rest of town and to live here, be prepared to squeeze your belongings into a small studio apartment or a two bedroom house. Premier apartments and Row houses are also in plenty. But be prepared, with a vacancy rate of 9.3%, there is no telling what size of house you will get. A 15 to 30 minute drive to work also awaits you every week.
Symmes Rd: This neighborhood ends at Dixie Highway. With average prices, you should be able to pick out a medium sized single-family house or studio apartment. And if the time taken getting to work is to be deducted from the normal working hours, starting today, you will not be able to get a lot of free time. Tax paying employers have calculated that it takes around 15 to 30 minutes to get to most work places.
Winton Rd/Resor Rd: Average rental rates in this suburban community are on the high end. If you can fork out this amount, you get a medium sized to huge single-family home or apartment to call home. But the present vacancy rate of 0.0% means your karma doesn't want you staying here. Otherwise you would take between 10 to 30 minutes getting to work.
Symmes Corner: Average rental prices in this suburban neighborhood are moderate. For the money you spend, you can live in a medium sized or large single-family house or apartment. And with a vacancy rate of 8. %, this could very well be your next neighborhood. According to most commuters, the time taken to get to work is around 23 minutes give or take about 7 minutes. $$$
Life in Fairfield.
For a city of this size, one cannot fail to notice the serious attempts by the town planners to ensure that people get to live the American dream.
There are many attractions that will keep the local citizens busy for days. One suggestion is to join the thousands of residents that flock to Jungle Jim's International Market. This thriving supermarket packs in many things that an average household would love to see in their house and, most importantly, on the dining table. One gets more than 180,000 products, 60,000 of which have been sourced internationally. This place is famed for the largest wine collection in the US. And according to the owner, over 82,000 consumers visit this place every week to dine, eat and shop.
If this is not enough, how about enjoying a night out, courtesy of the many events organized in this city. There is the Wine, Women and Song Series, EnterAct Family Series, Sojourner Concert Series, Playhouse Off capital, Miami Valley Ballet Theatre and Jazz Alive just to name a few.
For sports lovers there’s Wake Nation among other activities. Wake Nation Cincinnati is a fully sized cable wake park. Here you can wake board, knee board, wake skate, water ski, sleep skate or even walk across the 10-acre lake if you so can.