BY RANDY McNUTT
The Cincinnati Enquirer
WAYNESVILLE -- For most of its two centuries, Waynesville -- named for Gen. "Mad" Anthony Wayne -- has sat quietly. The northern Warren County village has remained small while its contemporaries, Cincinnati and Dayton, have grown in size and prominence.
Yet this decade, an interesting development has occurred: People have sought out Waynesville for its quieter lifestyle and slower pace. Their arrival means a new era for the once-rural village.
In the past six years, its population has grown by 24.4 percent -- an increase of 475 people from the 1990 figure of 1,949. Its population has grown faster than those of surrounding Wayne Township and the neighboring village of Corwin.
Waynesville, in the heart of Caesar Creek State Park country, is growing partly because of its good location -- on U.S. 42, not far from Interstates 71 and 75. Then there is the antiques trade -- the town bills itself as the Antiques Capital of the Midwest -- and the town's picturesque appearance: an orderliness about old Main Street, Victorian homes on a hill, sidewalk benches, plenty of trees (seedlings by the hundreds), planters, old-fashioned lamps and street-square signs.
The place has caught on, and people have done the rest. It's an old refrain: They want a small-town atmosphere but one not too far from Dayton and Cincinnati. Montgomery County is closer, only about a 20-minute drive on I-75; Hamilton County is about 30 to 40 minutes away.
Though newcomers seeking to move in to homes worth $200,000 or $300,000 might have trouble finding housing in Waynesville right now, they can find quality homes for more than $100,000.
"A lot of the people who are moving into my neighborhood, Thatcher Hill Estates, are executives who are moving up through NCR and Mead or some other major employer in the Dayton and Cincinnati area," Village Manager R. Kevin Harper said.
"These folks tend to come from more urban or suburban communities, not so much from the rural. We do have a small percentage of people who are moving in from a more rural lifestyle in the township, people who can't keep up with their property anymore and want more services."
On the other hand, a few people fear that increasing housing prices could eventually leave the lower-income locals without hope of affording a home. Even the older Victorian homes have become popular with outsiders, they say.
Mr. Harper said, however, that he has not heard many long-time residents complain about housing costs.
To better understand who is leaving and coming and why, village officials place survey post cards in doors when houses come up for sale. The overwhelming reason for departure is transfer, not dissatisfaction with the town, Mr. Harper said.
When it comes to suburban life, Waynesville doesn't automatically come to mind. In Warren County, Mason does. So does Springboro. They are suburban beacons these days while Waynesville still retains its small-town image.
But that is slowly changing. Inside the village, most of the growth is in the new subdivisions -- Oakwood Farm Estates, a subdivision of more than 30 homes so far, Thatcher Hill subdivision, a four-phase development with an anticipated 100-120 homes, and Rosewood Estates, for which council recently approved the plans for about 64 homes.
"There's potential for another subdivision with a recent annexation. It's a good market," Mr. Harper said.
That could come soon with the annexation of the William LeMay farm on Ohio 73. The project, approved by county commissioners last month, will provide an industrial base and increase the village's size by 25 percent to 30 percent, Mr. Harper said.
"It's what we've been hoping for for years," he said. "What we've been working for has finally begun to bear fruit. This project will really open things up. . .and show that Waynesville is a good place to work in and do business. And, it will stabilize the schools." The Community Improvement Corp. (CIC), the development arm of the village, will use the farm's 500 acres for a commercial and industrial project.
Such uses should attract more prospective residents, who move to Waynesville with certain expectations -- village water service, sewers, trash pickup and good police and fire services. Newcomers also want to get involved in local government.
"They also expect a strong school system, and that's one of the more attractive things about our community," Mr. Harper said. "The growth hasn't been so overwhelming as in Springboro and Bellbrook, where the schools are under pressure."
Interestingly, newcomers hope the town does not become so popular that it loses its small-town flavor. But the presence of subdivisions means that some change is certain.
Officials predict the growth will continue for about the next 10 years, although such predictions are difficult to make.
"In the past there have been cycles of growth followed by cycles of downturn," Mr. Harper said. "So we'll have to wait to see what happens here."
If more people like Tim Kruse, 56, a grocery store executive, and his wife, Margie, continue to arrive here, though, growth is certain to continue. They like what they see.
"I chose the area for several reasons, after living in the Kenwood area for many years," Mr. Kruse said. "I work out of Xenia, so I wanted good access to the interstate system, and someplace that is upscale but not in the middle of everything. I loved Kenwood but I wanted to be some place that's a little more family-like. We looked all over -- Wilmington, Centerville, Lebanon -- and settled on Waynesville.
"It was closest to work, too, but more importantly we liked the type of people we found in Waynesville. They are moving in here from areas like the one I came from. They want a more quiet, slower pace of life and opportunity."
Such an atmosphere also appeals to Pam Allen, 45, who seven years ago moved here with her husband, Dave, and two children. Since then she has become the executive director of the Waynesville Chamber of Commerce.
"I was raised in a small community," she said, "and I liked Waynesville because it reminded me of home. We were living in Oakwood, near Dayton, and we wanted to find a new town with comparable schools.
"The trouble with small towns is that it's easy to be an outsider in them. Waynesville is not that way, though. We both got involved quickly. If we had stayed in Oakwood, we probably would not have gotten so involved."
Citizen involvement is what appealed to newcomer Jeff Richards, 31, who moved his family from Houston so that he could work for Shell Oil.
"My neighbors are all from suburbs like Bellbrook and Beavercreek," he said. "They moved here because they were disenchanted with urban life. They wanted to escape. Things got too tight."
In Waynesville, they found anti-growth and pro-growth factions, and citizens who actually attend council meetings. He said they also found a community that paid for its own amphitheater and park near the high school.
