Rlucky

To be a little closer to Howland, but still in Cleveland area, I'd recommend staying on the east side. Consider - Shaker Hts, Chagrin Falls, Aurora, Solon, maybe even Hudson. For more recommendations, check out this post: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,27869.0.html

The job market in general is pretty abysmal in the Cleveland area (not so bad in service industries & skilled labor). I know of a number of well-educated folks that lost jobs in 2009-2010-2011, that haven't been able to find work, and are still looking. For teachers, I agree with others above - most jobs are in rough districts, and most of the openings are either Special Ed or Science/Math. (I hope you find a job before buying a home out here) KJP - the dates my camera recorded for those photos are: 3/8/2008 for the deep snow photos, 3/20/2008 for the ice storm pics. I don't remember very well. These storms are not the norm, but they do happen once every year or 2. Most of the winter here is slushy, or lighter snow that melts in a few days. Lots of strip malls in North Olmstead, Parma & Avon, no?? (& Westgate, Fairview, etc) :wink: Pretty much anything south or west of Lakewood. M2S - Sorry, didn't mean to offend... I used to live just off the Square, on Kemper about 10 years ago, and lived the 1st 2 years of my life in a duplex on Buckeye (LONG time ago). I wasn't sure exactly where it starts to go downhill, but I know Buckeye is not where I'd recommend someone to buy a home. Solon does have excellent schools, and you might be able to find a scarce old farmhouse there, but it's not a walkable area at all. There's very much an outer suburbia feel to it. It's also about a 30+ minute freeway drive into Cleveland proper. I think you might be best off in/near the Heights areas, or the near West side (Shoreway, Ohio City, Tremont). The train system is pretty decent and convenient, especially if you live near the tracks (but there are Park-N-Ride stops, if you live a little farther out). Lastly, here's some photos from almost 2 weeks ago, the beach at Mentor Highlands. (my kids are pixelated, sorry) Didn't get many shots of just scenery, but it was a beautiful EAST SIDE day. :cool2:

March 2008: Here's a few pics from 2008, at our (then) home in Cleveland Hts. Couldn't get down the street that day. Then, we had an ice storm a few days later. [/img] Then, re: 1978 Blizzard - Remember these shirts? https://www.etsy.com/transaction/55265382

I agree! Anything farther West or SW of Ohio City/Tremont/Detroit Shoreway/Lakewood/Rocky River are WAY too strip mall central. I can't say I really like Rocky River all that much, and there's not affordable homes there. And, in response to an earlier post - the drive to University Circle from Chesterland is about 10 miles, but it does take about 25 minutes. (Wouldn't go thru Beachwood - too far south). These FAR east rural-suburbs are rather non-diverse, but the people are mostly very nice and accepting. There's not many issues with zoning, so there's lots of freedom to raise whatever animals you please, etc., but you're just not gonna be walking anywhere. I stick with my recommendations from earlier - Ohio City/Tremont/Detroit Shoreway, Shaker Square or Shaker Hts. (area near Shaker Lakes is Beautiful, but kinda Expensive), carefully Cleveland Hts (but schools stink), or maybe Chagrin Falls (some REAL nice & fairly priced homes right now, but not much diversity). On the Cleveland Metro Schools - report just came out today that there's been NO improvement in the district and the Cleveland Metro Schools will likely be in Emergency status when the next report comes out. Lots depend on a large levy on the ballot this Nov., but passage is iffy at best. RE: the link you posted to a home on Keswick - it's too close the the Buckeye neighborhood for my tastes. Buckeye used to be (40+ years ago) a very ethnic Hungarian & East European neighborhood, but the area has been very rough over the past 20 years or so. Lots of crime. That's reflected in the $44k price tag on that house. This street might not be too bad, but I'd stick north or farther east of here. There is quite an East vs. West thing, but it's a pretty benign teasing. The museums are east side. Many strip malls on west side. :wink: Hope you're getting some good info here. Good luck!!

Hi Brightdreams. I agree with a number of posters above. Detroit/Shoreway, Ohio City & Tremont are all very cool areas that meet many of your wishes, but are neighborhoods in the city of Cleveland, and the Cleveland Metropolitan School System stinks. (yeah, they're trying to improve, but they've been trying for YEARS and it just gets worse) There are a few charter schools that are doing ok, but it's not the rule. If you move to these areas, count on sending your kids to private schools. I think it might be worth it, cuz these areas are just that awesome. Lakewood is a city on the west side. Pretty nice, decent schools, right on the lake, meets just about all your requirements, I think. For some reason, though, it just doesn't appeal much to me, personally - can't explain it cuz I'm not sure why. Maybe too many up/down duplexes for me? University Circle is a neighborhood in the city of Cleveland (same CMPS school issues already mentioned), it is walking distance to many excellent museums, great restaurants, and 2 of the best hospital systems/health care facilities in Ohio. The neighborhood shifts quickly in the area, though, so you gotta be careful if buying property/choosing a home. Seems like areas much north of Ashbury (close to Superior Rd/Rte 6), west of MLK Jr. Drive, or east of the train tracks, gets dicey pretty quick. There's a lot of blight & foreclosed homes just beyond the region "IN" University Circle. Avoid East Cleveland (separate city) like your life depends on it. Maybe check out the Collinwood neighborhood, in Cleveland city (Cleveland Metropolitan Schools), NE of University Circle. Collinwood has old houses (that are pretty cheap), close to museums/shopping, public transit, some really neat arts & music communities popping up. This area wasn't too great a few (>10) years back, but it is improving - might be well on it's way to gentrification in a couple years. But - still private schools for the kids. The city of Euclid might be worth considering. It gets overlooked a lot. There's old homes, it's east of Cleveland, on the lake, very walkable, public transit, etc., and pretty close to University Circle & museums, music. Euclid was originally a very ethnic working-class area (Polish, eastern European) Not sure about the schools, though. (probably a little better than CMPS) Little Italy neighborhood is just SE of University Circle - it's nice, old, but yards are TINY, and Cleve Metro School System. Just past Little Italy is Cleveland Hts., which is a separate city & is getting a number of mentions above. Houses are cheap because there's LOTS of foreclosures there. Some sections of Cleveland Hts. are awesome, some are almost blighted. I think they're working on improving some of the not-so-good areas, so might be better in a couple years. The school system is better than Cleve Public, but still pretty bad. Slid into academic watch a few years ago, missed (well, denied existence of) my son's pretty obvious learning disability. We lived there 6-7 years, moved away 3 years ago because of the schools & our neighborhood were going downhill - abandoned houses & my teen stepson was mugged and beaten for the $3 in his pocket while walking home, on our street. I miss our cool old house, walk-ability, proximity to lots of cool stuff to do, but we now have a yard, feel safe & kids go to a great school. (more on that in a bit) University HTS is a separate city, east of Cleveland Hts - they share a school system, but more consistent neighborhoods. Now, Shaker Hts (separate city) is similar to Cleveland Hts, but with better schools. There's also some very good private schools nearby. I'd recommend eastern side of Shaker Hts, or the area right by Shaker Square (which is on the edges of Cleveland city & Cleveland Hts). The RTA rides right through. I don't know much about these areas' regulations about chickens & bees, but you could likely find out more online pretty easily. There's not much south of these areas that have old homes and walkability. Chagrin Falls is much farther east - it has a LOT of what you're looking for (Excellent schools, very safe, cool old houses, walkable, quaint downtown area with good restaurants and shopping, public events, very strong community-vibe here) but there's no public transit (unless you drive 15 minutes to a park-n-ride), and music venues & museums are about a 20-30 minute drive. It is surrounded by lots of beautiful parks. Just outside of Chagrin Falls, there's South Russell (quite rural, farms and large yards), Bentleyville, Solon (newer suburb, good schools, houses mostly 1950+), Aurora (Great schools, a few older homes). Not much public transit in any of these areas. We moved to Chesterland/South Russell area in Geauga County about 3 years ago. It's beautiful out here, some cool old farm houses, many folks have chickens, animals, farms (big & small), the schools are great, and it's very safe out here. But, it's just that - OUT here. I miss walking to restaurants & shopping. But - museums & the more concentrated areas of Urban life (in Cleveland) are only about 10-15 miles away. Hope this helps. Good luck!