GOLF MANOR - Two years ago, Kenny Colvin opened a barber shop on Losantiville Avenue - Kenny C's - in this little town he calls home.

''I see a community changing,'' said Mr. Colvin, 46. He left his former shop near the Hamilton County Courthouse downtown and moved here to live and work ''for the peace and quiet out here. I hear the crickets at night.

''There's lots of houses for sale,'' Mr. Colvin said. ''Older folks are selling to younger folks. More blacks are moving in. It's becoming a melting pot: diverse racially . . . religiously.

''I see Asian families, Middle Eastern families, integrated couples. I enjoy different cultures.''

Long a home to many Jewish families - the Orthodox Golf Manor Synagogue dominates Stover Avenue - Roman Catholics and Protestants have found Golf Manor a nice place to live, too.

Add to that the many families of Russian Jews who have immigrated. Their families are provided furnished apartments and job opportunities BY Jewish Family Service.

Young couples of all races and religions, in search of a ''first house,'' are finding sturdy housing stock at an average cost of about $70,000, Village Administrator Steve Tilley said.

While the city is diversifying, the key to its future is to develop a unity of purpose, Mr. Colvin said.

''While we come from different cultures, we need to stick together to keep this a nice place to live. We can't permit citizen disinterest . . . and we need to work at keeping undesirables out.'' Golf Manor - one mile square - celebrates its 50th anniversary of incorporation this year.

It is a quiet village - its narrow streets lined with closely spaced two-story Cape Cods, many built in the 1930s and 1940s at the height of the pre-World War II exodus to suburbia.

Others came after the war. Lawns are neat. Mulched flower beds sprout early summer blooms.

There is no major thoroughfare here. No state route passes through, although the village lies between Interstates 75 and 71 and has easy access to both.

Geographically, the town is surrounded BY socioeconomic diversity, too: Upper- to upper-middle-class Amberley Village lies to the north; Ridgewood - an appealing Columbia Township subdivision - and Pleasant Ridge abut to the east. Other culturally and economically diverse neighborhoods - Roselawn and Bond Hill - lie to the west and south.

A long-standing cornerstone in the village has been the bank at Losantiville and Elbrook avenues. It opened in 1951 as an Apollo branch bank, then became Amerifirst, and, finally, Star Bank earlier this year.

Bank Manager Karen Janos has set new goals for the branch to address the changing community.

''Our old customers are still our bread and butter. They are retirees in their 70s and up. We do not see a lot of young people, and it's a market I'd like to get into. They are moving here,'' she said.

Chris Grimm is one of them. He is a full-time Colerain Township firefighter and paramedic and a volunteer here. Mr. Grimm, 29, and his wife of four years, Kathy, decided to buy their first home here. They plan to start a family.

The Grimms looked to Golf Manor. ''We came here because it's a place where the residents care for each other. We walk the dogs and stop and talk to neighbors. It's a small-town atmosphere in the middle of Cincinnati. And, it's affordable,'' Mr. Grimm said.

Hattie Kahsar mirrors the Golf Manor resident with deep roots and a love for this community. She is 83 and has called Golf Manor home since she and her late husband, Fred, bought their new house on Hammel Avenue 54 years ago.

''It is changing racially, but it is not a problem. This is still a nice community and the change is good. New people - blacks and whites - are moving in and taking care of their properties. I think children are coming back - and I so want to see young families with children return. These are nice, small homes in a wonderful place to raise a family,'' she said.

Mr. Tilley said seniors comprise 35 percent of the village population. The number is dwindling as age takes away the ability to maintain a house and yard.

''One of our concerns for the future is schools,'' Mr. Tilley said. ''Many new families are attracted here BY the affordable homes, but they are unhappy with the (Cincinnati) public schools,'' he said. Still, there are other schools.

Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic School is just across the border in Roselawn. Cincinnati Hebrew Day School is the only school in the village. Some send children to Summit Country Day School in Hyde Park, Mr. Tilley said.

Hannah Ostrow, principal at Cincinnati Hebrew Day School said the school with about 150 students - preschool to eighth grade - is flourishing because of its central location.

The school also is continuing the deep Jewish roots here and in Amberley Village, she said.

''It's accessible to Amberley, Roselawn and not too far from Blue Ash . . . where we need to be and where most of our students live. But, it's also central to the entire area. We have students from Milford, Fairfield, Loveland and Dayton - the farthest,'' Ms. Ostrow said.

Mayor Donna Faulk said the village's industrial base is healthy with a handful of midsized light industrial operations each employing 60 to 100.

''Our two key needs are redevelopment of our commercial business district along Losantiville Avenue and recreation,'' Mrs. Faulk said.

Mr. Colvin's barber shop, the only open storefront in a small strip shopping center, is soon to be joined BY a beautician and a caterer specializing in weddings - a redevelopment start, the mayor said.

''We really need a nice family restaurant for those who work here and for our residents - a place to walk to for a family meal or a piece of pie,'' Mrs. Faulk said.

''Since we have no major road through the village, any commercial development will be a small enterprise to serve our village.''

To address recreation needs, ''We have applied to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources . . . for a grant for park improvements. We need to provide for the children of our growing young family population,'' the mayor said.

Mr. Tilley and Mrs. Faulk agree the successful future of the village hinges on maintaining services and keeping the housing stock attractive BY promoting home ownership and dissuading absentee property owners.

The village offers its own garbage pick up - although that service is being reviewed. It has its own police, fire and paramedic departments. It operates a community swimming pool and park.

About $1 million has been earmarked for street improvements over the past year ''because it's important to maintain our infrastructure. That provides a good, positive view when people visit our community,'' Mr. Tilley said.

Housing codes are strictly enforced. The village has a home inspection program required of houses that are put up for sale to ensure there are no code violations to surprise new buyers, the mayor said.

''Property values are staying about the same or going up a little, and that's good,'' Mrs. Faulk said.

Mr. Tilley said he thinks changes already being seen will continue, but slowly.

''I do not see a mass exodus in the future. But, this community will continue to be a melting pot - flavored with religious and ethnic diversity.

''People are getting along great now, and there's as lot of civic pride. The common complaints I hear are the dog barking or the dead tree that has to be removed,'' Mr. Tilley said.

''So, it's the dead tree, the dog - not race or diversity - the people here are concerned about.''

The talk of Golf Manor

''I think this is a great town. It has nice, friendly neighborhoods and things are well kept. They have facilities for the kids to play. I'm a grandmother and we need that.''

- Emma Frye, 56, Stover Avenue

''The police are around - patrolling on foot and bicycles and in cars making sure things are running right. You feel safe to go out without having to worry about someone bothering you. There are friendly neighbors - many who have been here years and years.''

- Jeanne Maas, 40, Graceland Avenue

''We have lived here seven years . . . The (community swimming) pool is great. The police department is good. There are very good services. Golf Manor has a lot to offer and we have enjoyed living here.''

- Juliet Scott, 29, Mayflower Avenue

''It's a good community and it's a place where I feel safe no matter what part of the neighborhood I'm in. You see police all the time and you see no violence. It's peaceful.''

- Leevell Mills, 20, St. Albans Avenue

Golf Manor at a glance
History

In the 1920s, developers started building modest single family homes in a subdivision called Golf Manor because it was situated between Losantiville and Crest Hills country clubs. In the 1930s, demand for affordable suburban housing increased to a point where builders had buyers waiting for houses to be finished. BY the 1940s, the community had grown to about 1,500 residents. The community - an area of one square mile - was incorporated in 1947.

Touchstones

Losantiville County Club between Losantiville Avenue and Langdon Farm Road sits on the southeastern edge of this community, mostly in Cincinnati. It is the only remaining course of three which surrounded Golf Manor 50 years ago and led to its name. Golf Manor Hobbies on Losantiville Avenue is among the region's largest hobBY shops for model train enthusiasts.

Population: 4,154

Population BY race

White 61%
African-American 39%
Other 1%

Population BY age

Under 17: 1,035
18-44: 1,696
45-64: 686
Over 65: 737

Households 1,762

Home Value:

Median: $55,500

Source: 1990 Census