Brentwood - Cincinnati, OH

The Finneytown area only housed approximately 50 families until after World War II when the G.I. Bill allowed veterans to return home. During that time, Cincinnati’s industrial industry picked up speed trying to satisfy the high demand for consumer goods that were postponed during the war, and hoards of baby boomers started moving away from the city into newly developed suburbs. By the turn of the 21st century, Finneytown’s population had grown to over 13,000 people, with approximately 2,000 of those people residing in Brentwood.

Nearby neighborhoods house the Mount Healthy Historical Society, The German Heritage Museum and Heritage Village Museum. Also, the Holy Trinity-Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church on Winton Road in Finneytown hosts the annual Panegyri Greek Festival. Held in June, the festival features authentic Greek food, music, dancing and an art show.

Winton Road houses the majority of the restaurants in the area. A mixture of family-friendly restaurants such as Applebee's, fast food restaurants and pizza joints sit near State Route 126's Winton Road exit, with a handful of locally owned restaurants slightly north. South of the highway, you'll find a combination chain restaurants, fast food restaurant, cafes and Cajun restaurants.

Taj Mahal serves the best Indian food in the city according to the locals. The restaurant, which sits in a small strip mall, features a lunch buffet as well as dinner. If you don't want to dine at the restaurant, you can call in a pick-up or delivery order. Regulars recommend the restaurant's garlic naan, chicken tikka masala and saag. Located inside the Brentwood Bowl bowling alley, Steak Nina Restaurant and Tavern has a reputation for serving inexpensive, flavorful steaks and above-average bar food. The restaurant also has affordable lunch and dinner specials daily. Start your meal with an order of potato rags or Saratoga chips, both local favorites.

When you want Chinese food, China Wok features inexpensive lunch specials and a large variety of food. Similar to typical Americanized Chinese restaurants, China Wok serves large portions of food. Regulars recommend the garlic chicken, egg foo yung and sesame chicken. Brentwood has limited evening entertainment options; a handful of neighborhood bars make up the entire nightlife scene. Locals grab a beer at Lu Lu's Tap Room or Sundy's Pub in Winton Road, or opt to have a few beers at Steak Nina Restaurant and Tavern while they bowl.

Brentwood sits on the eastern portion of Mount Healthy, one of the famed seven hills surrounding Downtown Cincinnati. This makes it difficult to walk or ride a bike to your destination. The area doesn’t have bike lanes, but traffic slows in the residential portion of the neighborhood and the streets do have sidewalks. People do enjoy walking and bike riding as leisurely activities.

The majority of Brentwood residents rely on their own vehicles for transportation. Direct highway access and ample free parking make driving the most convenient option. When you need to take advantage of public transportation, the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority operates several bus routes through the area that travel between Cincinnati, its suburbs and the outlying counties. Alternatively, you can call a local cab company or use your Uber app to arrange a ride.

Brentwood’s only park, Brentwood Park, sits on Monsanto Drive. The free neighborhood park opens from sun up until dusk, and allows leashed dogs. A great place for a family picnic, the park features picnic tables, a grill, swings, a playground, a creek and a baseball field.

A short drive north on Winton Road takes you to Winton Woods, a 2555-acre park with miles of walking trails, campgrounds and a golf course. Visit the park to go horseback riding, hiking or fishing. Spend the day at Winton Harbor located on the northern banks of Winton Lake. It features a paved hiking trails, a playground for the little ones, basketball courts, a snack bar with an outdoor dining area and a boathouse that rents boats, kayaks and bicycles. Winton Woods also houses the popular Parky’s Farm, a 100-acre educational site with live animals, wagon and pony rides, an indoor play area and a playground.

The average cost of living in Brentwood sits approximately 4 percent higher than Cincinnati’s average cost of living. Expect to pay an average of $629 per month to rent a one-bedroom apartment. For a beer at a local bar, residents pay around $3 a pint. A one-way bus ride to Downtown Cincinnati costs $2.65. However, the fare to travel into the area’s outlying counties costs between $3 and $4.25. Area gas prices typically hover around 1 percent lower than the national average.

Residents travel into Downtown Cincinnati to shop at high-end retail establishments, such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany & Co., but they can purchase necessities from high-value stores closer to home. The majority of nearby businesses may be found in clusters along Winton Road or Route 127/Hamilton Avenue, where numerous stores, including boutique and specialty stores of varying sorts, lie in roadside plazas.

Located on Winton Road in Brentwood Village East, Maverick's Baseball Cards specializes in sports memorabilia, rare books and comic books. However, the store also carries an excellent selection of DVDs and collectible action figures. Regular customers travel from all over the Cincinnati area to shop at Maverick's because the owner is very friendly and extremely helpful.

Purchase a unique gift at Living Words Pottery & Gifts, located on Larry Avenue in North College Hill. The store sells one-of-a-kind handmade stoneware. Each piece of pottery features unique textures and colors that reveal the medium used when it was created.

Brentwood residents can do most of their grocery shopping at Food Mart on West Galbraith Road in Finneytown. They can also buy fresh produce from Country Fresh Farm Markets on Vine Street in Hartwell. The year-round farmers market sells high-quality produce and small bundles of fresh spices, plus it carries an unexpectedly extensive wine selection.