TommyD

Thanks Rock. Much appreciated! I'll pass it along to the Boss. My wife will start work the first week of November. She and I will be flying to Cleveland in a week or two so we can find a place to live and I can find work. Once we're set up we'll send for the munchkins. It looks like we're going to have to go for Cleveland Hts. after all. Between rent prices and proximity to her job we don't really have much choice at the moment.

Thanks Rock I'm out of the country at the moment so driving around town looking for properties really isn't an option at the moment. :-D I wasn't sure if the snow removal thing was something that the city charged or not. I'd rather not pay for snow removal seeing as how I have perfectly healthy children who will do it in exchange for food and shelter. :whip:

The search for a rental continues. I've seen a few properties that look promising. We're looking at getting a 3 bedroom home so I was wondering approximately what the utility bills might look like. Obviously bills will change from family to family, house to house, and depend on how much gas is used. Just trying to get a ballpark figure. I was also reading about snow removal fees being as high as $100 a month! As always thanks for any and all assistance.

Actually diversity isn't even a factor for my family and I. We're looking for a safe neighborhood, good schools, relatively short commute to work, affordable property, local amenities. In that order. If my kids can ride their bikes to the park without being offered drugs and without getting shot then I could care less about the racial/ethnic mix of the neighborhood. Nostalgia is pulling me toward Lakewood but ultimately we're going to live somewhere that is best for our kids. Thanks for all of the advice an input everyone. It is very much appreciated! Trulia is a new one for me! Mostly I've been using ClevlandHomeFinder. com as well as Homes.com, realtor.com, and Zillow. Even Craigslist (which I am very nervous about using) But I'm expanding my search every day and am definitely heading the good advice from the members here on the forums. I'm looking for a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house in the $1100 a moth ballpark. That number could change once the salary negotiation is settled. We'll know more on Thursday.

Thank you all very much for the information. I can't tell you how much my family and I appreciate it. It's not easy transitioning from military to civilian life after two decades. Surf I'm also kind of biased when it comes to Lakewood. When I was a kid we lived in Lake House apartments then we had a house near the lake. A huge duplex with a terrifying attic....that I would play in ever chance I got. :wink: We used to eat at Tick Tock Tavern which arguable has the best ribs and rolls on the planet. I bought my first comic there and in general had a blast for the few years I lived there. As an adult when I would come back to visit there are several cafes and stores in Lakewood that I really enjoyed. B-Ware video is among my favorites. Not sure if it's still there. Unfortunately I just can't seem to find any rentals there. I'm looking on a few different rental sites but I'm sure we'll be able to find more properties once we get boots on the ground and are actually able to scout the area ourselves. Our online search keeps pulling us to CH as it has the higest concentration of rental properties in our price range but I'm holding out hope that something will pop up in Lakewood.

Have you also thought of OC and Tremont? Those are extremely diverse communities and have several Latin businesses near by. Thank you very much for the information MTS. I have been looking into Treemont. "OC" I am unfamiliar with. Since my wife is Hispanic I'm sure she will appreciate visiting the Latin businesses especially any Latin food markets.

The BEER Thread?! I was looking on these forums for a place to live then found this :clap: After 20 years of being moved around by the military we're finally coming home to Ohio! For the last 6 years we were stationed in German. Prior to that I wasn't much of a beer drinker at all but now..... I'll definitely keep an eye on this thread for any good news about good beers. I imagine Ohio has a lot of great microbrews to offer.

Thank you for the additional information KJP. When we learned that we would be returning to Cleveland my first choice was Lakewood. However, we've found that renal properties are few and far between. Which is what pushed us into the Cleveland Heights area. Ideally we can rent in the same area we are looking to buy so, as you said, we can keep our kids in the same schools. Being a military family my children are used to moving and they adapt very quickly to new environments. We would like for them to have roots and be able to make life long friends of course. As for the ethnic diversity that isn't really a problem for us at all. My wife his Hispanic and having lived in several countries around the world and of course being a member of an ethnically diverse military we are always open minded to other cultures. So long as other cultures are open minded and respectful.

Thank you very much for the information Hts!

Hello friends. After being moved around by the military for 23 years my family and I are finally coming back home. I was born in Parma but also lived in Lakewood (my favorite place in Ohio), East Cleveland (Kinsman area) and Lorain. My wife is a Lorain native. I've only been back to Ohio 3 times over the years with my last visit being in 2010. My wife has been offered a job at the Louis Stokes VA and we're looking at renting for about a year while we acclimate to civilian life. At the moment we're looking at Cleveland Heights for a rental as it seems there are more rental properties there than anywhere else in the city. Once we get our feet on the ground we'll be looking at Lakewood to buy a home. We've got two younger children (elementary and middle school age) so of course safety and good schools are our priority. So I just wanted to touch bases with folks who might be able to let me in on the crime and education situation in Cleveland Hts. From what I've been reading it's pretty good for the most part but some folks seem to think that education is declining and crime is in the rise in CH. My family and I have lived in some sketchy areas throughout or travels so as long as there's no drive bys or home invasions on a daily basis we should be happy. Thanks in advance for any help!