CWRUnewbie

Hi, everyone! My move has been delayed, but I am still searching for an apartment near CWRU. I have inquired about some of the rentals in the Coventry, Little Italy and Cedar-Fairmont areas, but have not gotten responses. :-( I did get a response from The Concord, which is located here http://goo.gl/maps/Tq32j . It's a bit further than the above neighborhoods, but still close to CWRU. Is this area of Cleveland Heights a safe one? I would think it would be since the police station is located next to it, but I wanted to get your opinions. Has anyone heard anything about this particular apartment complex? I've also looked at Shaker Heights. Has anyone heard about Shaker Park East apartments located here: http://goo.gl/maps/WmWVj or Shaker House apartments located here? http://goo.gl/maps/bu5FS Again my biggest concern is finding an apartment in a safe area and any specific comments you may have on these particular apartments. Also if you have any other recommendations for the Cleveland Heights/Shaker Heights area, I would really appreciate it. :-)

Thanks everyone for the recs. I've been poking around in other threads and apartment rental sites and have a couple of more questions. I know a lot of the apartments in Little Italy, Cedar/Fairmont and the other neighborhoods are in old buildings. Being from Michigan, I know the winters can be a bit rough in Cleveland. Does anyone have any idea how the heating is in these old buildings? I've read some negative online ratings/reviews for Montlack Realty, which owns many of the apartments near University Circle. Things like how the heat is never turned up enough during winter, poor, rude management, maintenance, etc. I'd really be interested if anyone has specific buildings they would recommend or on the other hand stay away from.

Thanks for your reply. :-) A question about the parking. Is parking free in city lots? Can I leave my car there for long periods of time? If I have to pay, do you have any idea how much it would cost? Most importantly, would my car be safe? I don't want to risk having my car broken into, especially if it might be parked there for long periods of time.

I will be starting a new job at CWRU in a couple of months and am looking for a 1BR/1BA apartment to rent. I have done some research and have debated about whether to choose something close to CWRU such as Cleveland Heights/Shaker Heights, or something in suburbs such as Mayfield Heights, Rocky River, or Fairview Park. I will be commuting back and forth between Cleveland and Michigan every couple of weeks for the weekend, so I need someplace with parking (preferably a garage). My number one priority is safety. Next is ease of commute (my workdays will start around 6:30-7am). I have never rented an apartment before, so I don't know what the average cost of monthly utilities would be, but I'm looking in the range of $600-$950 (total for rent+utilities). Also if possible I'd like to be close to public transportation in case my car is out of commission. Any recommendations, especially specific apartment buildings would be really appreciated.