Middletown

Good morning Billiam.

I was born and raised in Middletown 64 years ago. I attended Middletown schools in the 60's when they were respected and decent. Miami-Middletown was the key educational opportunity after I left high school. Middletown's school system has deteriorated over the years as to quality of education IMO. I left in 1968 for the military and stayed away until 1985 when I returned with my family. It had changed dramatically by then, a shadow of itself as to any logic or common sense in operation, growth and opportunity for the people living here. The city has totally changed, going from a tremendous family oriented/business friendly/prosperous/respected town in the area to one of desperation, non-logical development, inept attempts at growth, control by a few for the benefit of a few with the majority left out of the picture, business UN-friendly, low income saturated Section 8 stagnation. It is not respected anymore. They, and the poor economy have driven out the better paying jobs (with the exception of AK Steel) and we are left with low wage retail/service oriented opportunities for the people living here.

If your intention is to start a business in town, I would suggest you read some of the topics on this forum. It will indicate that there is a major roadblock in initiating a new business from one Marty Kohler, the Planning Director. He has his hands in most business affairs and there has been discussion pertaining to his desire to sponsor only business development of his choosing. The discussion suggests that if he doesn't think your business "fits" into the "plan", he will make it difficult to gain any traction here. There is a stubborn nature to this city government as they listen to only those they deem worthy of listening to. A tendency to place people on "non-level" playing fields when dealing out policy. Friends of the city get special favors that others do not is the feeling here.

This assessment is not balanced. It wouldn't be from my experiences in following the city leadership for over three decades. Alot of bad things have happened to a once prosperous city......and alot of it the fault of the leadership and their inept decisions. I wouldn't locate a business here and I like this town for what it used to be and am sad at the current state of affairs. They have ruined it for everyone. All JMO.

I have lived here for a handful of years and must say, it is not as bad as the outside perception.  There are things that will drive you mad, but things that make it a better place to live than other places I have been.  First, the bad (then we can go over the good so we finish on an upswing):

Billiam:

Billiam: I'm curious: you mention Princeton Township which is in New Jersey (there is no Princeton Township near Middletown Ohio---only Liberty Township that has a crossroads area named Princeton/Road/Pike, etc.).  Could you or your friend actually be thinking of Middletown, New Jersey (which is 29 miles from Princeton Township/Princeton, New Jersey)?  chmoore

Neil Barille wrote: If you're as close as KNY, why don't you just drive up here and look around?  One thing is certain, if you're spooked by a little crime in NKY, you may not like Middletown.

itsamee wrote: I have lived here for a handful of years and must say, it is not as bad as the outside perception.  There are things that will drive you mad, but things that make it a better place to live than other places I have been.  First, the bad (then we can go over the good so we finish on an upswing): 1. No leaf pickup (irritates me to no end, im a bit of a hippy when it comes to yard waste, I also do not understand the street cleaner who gets the roads wet....and nothing else) 2. A lot of things are on a miniature scale. The Kroger Marketplace is nice, but smaller and less selection. Same with Meijer, Target, and Lowes. 3. Speaking of Lowes, they are pretty bad at customer service. The other option in town is Denny's lumber, but they close early on Saturday, when you need them most. 4. Stray dogs. Either a) owners do not care about their pets, or b) there are a ton of dogs that are breeding somewhere making for a lot of strays. I  chase about a dog a week out of my yard. 5.  Property taxes. We shoulder, as homeowners, the entire burden of the school district, or so it seems. I pay more semi-annual in taxes than I would on a home in many of the suburbs of Dayton and Cincinnati.  Now the good: 1. Small town prices (not on property taxes).  Building permits are cheap, house inspections are free (or, they were when I was moving in). 2. Your neighbors (at least in my area) care and will look out for you.  When we moved in, four different neighbors came over and dropped off a key the prior owner gave them to watch their dog when they were not in town.  Most of the block came and introduced themselves and have been great to us. 3. Access to interesting things in different locals.  Sadly, some of the fun things exist in communities outside middletown. Monroe outlets, Franklin for some fun dining, and more.  4. Excellent park systems (not just middletown). Like hiking, check the Germantown parks. Sunset park is a good place to play with pets and kids, you are close to a bike trail and more.   5. Lots of runners and fitness nuts. If being active is your thing. there are many run-friendly places to go. There are two YMCA branches, and like I said above, hiking and a pretty nice bike trail. 6. Nice local places. You have to discover some of them (thanks Yelp) but when you do, you will find some gems. For example, you like micro brews? check the smoke shop downtown.  If you have any more questions let me know. I will say, I started a landscaping business here two years ago and it took off (I had to close it due to time constraints, but had I kept it going, it would have been huge by now). We made around $20,000 in one quarter in our first year. I will say, I never dealt with anyone else about it. I had people who helped with licenses and taxes. I never sought help from Middletown to make it run.  I do not know how they help / hinder small businesses. Good luck.

Richard Saunders wrote: Billiam:   There are a lot of very nice houses for sale in Middletown very cheap, yet they have been on the market for a long time.   Perhaps you should ask yourself why.

I just had my livingroom window shot out while I was watching TV

midd town 29 writes
Most of the naysayers on MUSA are just negative people that make statements which are not based on fact. ooo boy that's really funny... I also was born and raised in midd town,(50 years) my mother was born and raised in midd town, she's 82 now...moved out of Middletown almost 7 years ago because of the crime that was going on then all around me, its only worse now!!!  Middletown was a decent city at one time!! not so now!!! the big wigs that have ran this city for all these years have made Middletown over taxed and useless!!! was making trips once in awhile to midd town but really have no reason to return anymore, nothing there IMO unless your looking for some of those fancy hoes downtown, or a fix to shoot up your arm... you can go east, west,north and south of midd town city limits and its all useless...NOPE I won't be returning.... and that's a fact...

itsamee wrote: Once you pass the street Belmont (off Central headed toward downtown) you get a lot more petty crime (vandalism, items stolen from vehicles, etc.) From what I understand, you also see an increase in domestic disputes (not like its crazy or overwhelming, it is just more noticeable). The Alemada and Sunset park areas are great for central locality and nice, easy living. I know, well, because that is where I live.

bumper wrote: midd town 29 writes Most of the naysayers on MUSA are just negative people that make statements which are not based on fact. ooo boy that's really funny... I also was born and raised in midd town,(50 years) my mother was born and raised in midd town, she's 82 now...moved out of Middletown almost 7 years ago because of the crime that was going on then all around me, its only worse now!!!  Middletown was a decent city at one time!! not so now!!! the big wigs that have ran this city for all these years have made Middletown over taxed and useless!!! was making trips once in awhile to midd town but really have no reason to return anymore, nothing there IMO unless your looking for some of those fancy hoes downtown, or a fix to shoot up your arm... you can go east, west,north and south of midd town city limits and its all useless...NOPE I won't be returning.... and that's a fact...

things have changed a lot in 13 years