NomadTexans

We'll be in Parma. It was chilly but the sun poked through a fair amount, so I can't complain too much. Oh and it even snowed! In April! :-o

I just wanted to thank everyone again for their advice on my 2 threads (this one and one on Detroit Shoreway). We made a trip out to Cleveland last weekend and found a nice apt a little ways out of downtown but not too far and your advice was really helpful. We really enjoyed our trip out there and are looking forward to moving this summer. We were both really struck by how nice everyone was (I wasn't expecting otherwise... people aren't quite so kind where I am now). I'll try to peek in once and awhile to see if I can help someone else as well.

Thanks for the info everyone! This is all really helpful in trying to narrow down areas to live in and learn about the practicalities of living in Cleveland.

It doesn't really ever snow where I live, so please humor me... Does the weather (i.e., winter weather) influence where you've decided to live? There are some nice apartments a little South (South of Brooklyn, North of I-480) of downtown that we're interested in checking out but we aren't sure how winter weather will affect getting to work/school (MetroHealth for him and CWRU for me). Did weather influence your decision on where you picked your home? How well do the roads get cleared off before you leave for work? Any advice for 2 people unaccustomed to harsh winter weather? (We're also checking out the areas recommended in my other post but we're just keeping our options open at this point). Thanks!

Ha ha Punch, I would think you're a little nutty too :) Haven't you seen Houstonians drive from one side of a parking lot to the other rather than walk? I love my hometown but we're definitely not the most active bunch! Thanks for the recs- I'll have to look into Cleveland Heights when we get up there for a visit. Thanks for the info Carole!

Thanks Punch! Since Houston is the opposite of walkable, I'm not sure there is something that would be an exact match of what we're looking for, but maybe somewhere like Midtown, West of the Med Center (area code 77025), or Rice Military is what we somewhat have in mind. If you have any recs, I'm all ears! Thanks for all of the info everyone! Hopefully we can find something suitable with all of this info. We're looking forward to moving to Cleveland!

3231- Wow that Tax Abatement definitely make things more affordable! I had no idea it would help that much. We (like everyone else) aren't sure about the state of the market a few yrs down the road but Ohio City seems to be doing fairly well so we can always hope. The Battery Park site is great. I think we'll definitely be adding that to our list-- it's pretty much what we had in mind! Thanks again for the recs. MyTwoSense- SP area. I'm very ready to leave b/c of the crime and general scary-ness although my immediate neighbors are really nice and have helped make it a nice community in many ways. Thanks for the welcome :)

Wow! Thanks for all the warm welcome and helpful responses! To answer questions: 3231, glad to hear a native H-town girl is doing well in Cleveland! Husband will be in residency at Metro. We're looking for a nice, safe neighborhood where I would not hesitate to be walking back from the car/RTA/store in the evening (or pretty much when it's dark) and husband would be safe coming home late at night. Stores, restaurants (independent and chain), movie theaters, etc within driving distance would be great. We live in a grittier neighborhood in Brooklyn right now and our car just got broken into and the area is definitely more than sketchy after living here for a while. It is definitely our fault for not spending more time looking so we're trying to act early for Cleveland. We're still debating purchase vs rent- with the market as it is and with our desire to head back south in a few yrs, renting is definitely more than a possibility. We'd definitely like a 2-2 or 2-1.5 b/c more people have made plans to visit us in Cleveland than in NYC! Pretty cool! Plus we'd like a 2-car garage and that seems to come with the extra BR only. Price range for purchase would be upto about 195K/200K or so but we're not 100% sure what the cost-of-living is like there (I'm guessing it's closer to that of Houston though). Rent range upto about $1000 or so but w/some nice amenities (parking, W/D, hookups...). We haven't looked at the Clinton Court THs, Battery Park or the F&S condos at all. Thanks for the recs! We'll make our first trip to Cleveland together in April but I'm not sure if we should buy right away (if we will at all)- perhaps spending some time there first in an apt would be best, right? MayDay- thanks for the help and the info on D-S! I had no idea how that URL showed up all of a sudden! :) X- It looks like Ohio City might be a good place for us to look at more closely then. MyTwoSense- Haha! We're north of Bay Ridge in a somewhat scary area. I think I'm done with scary areas! Thanks to all of you for the welcome and all of the info!

I'm so dumb. We prefer the WESTSIDE. Sorry. :-P

My husband and I have been lurking on here for several months in anticipation of our move to Cleveland in June. Your responses are always very helpful and informative so I thought I'd pop in w/a few questions. We're debating renting vs buying and found these seemingly nice townhouses offered for sale by PURE- Courtlandt Court Phase II (off of W. 54th St., just south of Bridge). http://www.progressiveurban.com/new_construction/courtland/ Does anyone have any opinions/insight on these townhouses? Are they in the Detroit-Shoreway area? Is the area where they're located safe? A little extra info might help- we're moving to Cleveland in July and husband will be at Metro Health for 3 yrs. I'm applying to CWRU and will either attend school there or work there/nearby, depending on whether or not I'm accepted. We prefer the westside b/c it will be closer to husband's work and he has crazy hours. If we can be near the RTA (so I can take it to CWRU), that would be a bonus. We're moving to Cleveland from Houston by way of Brooklyn, NY (which is where we currently are), and are fairly young and newly married. Any advice or insight would be greatly appreciated!