A Sustainable Community

   For many residents of St. Anne's Hill, choosing to live here represents a commitment to what preservationist Thomas Hylton calls "saving our towns and saving our lands." We see the high costs of suburban sprawl in Dayton and elsewhere. These include the destruction of farmlands, woodlands, and landscapes to make way for unsightly highways, malls, and parking lots. This is particularly severe in Dayton where, according to the Dayton Daily News, "suburbs consumed 118 percent more land while adding just 22 percent more people, knocking down trees and corn stalks at a rate one-third higher than the national average" between 1970 and 1990.

   Suburban sprawl is the direct cause of the decline of vibrant urban communities and services for people of all ages, incomes, and backgrounds. Ever widening belts of speculative, sterile, disconnected, and automobile-dependent subdivisions with costly yet poor public transportation and service infrastructures are also leading to a decline of the quality of life within suburbs themselves. Living in St. Anne's Hill offers an alternative to such unsustainable development.

   St. Anne's Hill offers beautifully restored or restorable existing housing stock within walking, biking, or short public transportation distance of most businesses, cultural centers, higher education institutions, libraries, post office, hospitals, religious institutions, recreational facilities, and nightlife in downtown Dayton and other historical districts.

    It provides an excellent view of the downtown Dayton skyline and is adjacent to Bomberger Park, with playing fields, tennis courts, and a public swimming pool. Along and behind the restored homes on its tree-lined streets are some of the finest flower gardens in the city, which are showcased during the biennial garden tour.

   Other community events include the biennial Christmas Tour and monthly social events such as potlucks and porch, patio, and deck parties. Neighborhood meetings are held monthly to share information on neighborhood issues and improvements. Fourth of July celebrations, Oktoberfest at the Liederkranz German Club, and exhibits at the Dayton Society for Artists and Sculptors Gallery on High Street can also be enjoyed here.