Greetings:

 

Any information would be appreciated. I have been looking for a place (a 1br or 2br) to live in Cleveland. I just finished law school and am moving to Cleveland for my first job. Ideally the place would be downtown or a safe neighborhood with access to public transportation so that I could get downtown. At first, I was looking to buy, but I had bad luck with realtors (they would begin sending me listing and then would disappear). So, now I would like to rent.

 

I don't which areas are "good" or "bad." They all looked relatively the same. I would just like a safe, inter-ethnic (I don't know if that is politically correct) neighborhood, where I can walk my dog. An apartment, condo, or house with all appliances and one of those sit-in windows and built-in shelving and bookcases etc. . . would be perfect!

 

It seems to be hit or miss with rentals and the individuals that I have been in contact with. Where I am from, I worked with realtors to find rentals, but I am not finding the same services in Cleveland. To further complicate matters, I am doing this from out of state and my weekend visits to Cleveland are getting expensive (and are not leading to results). Any suggestions regarding rental resources (aside from craigslist, clevelandrents.com, apartments.com etc...) or good areas would be fantastic.

 

Thanks!

 

If you have never lived here before, it is a great idea to rent.  You can get a better feel for the area and really research where you want to buy.

 

It would be helpful if you could tell us where you have lived and give some comparable neighborhood in those cities with the qualities you are looking for here.

 

Downtown is an obvious option if you are going to be working there.  It is the entertainment, dining, and public transportation epicenter of the City.  Retail is lacking.  Its vibrancy level varies, but is definitely on the upswing.

 

University Circle, Little Italy, Coventry, Cedar-Fairmount, and Shaker Square are all popular suggestions on this board for the east side.  Ohio City, Tremont, and Lakewood are commonly recommended on the west side.  Coventry and Cedar Fairmount are in Cleveland Heights.  Lakewood is its own city.  The rest are all in the City of Cleveland.  As a renter, there may be a tax benefit to both living and working in the City.

 

Oh yeah, welcome!  :wave:  .... I wish I could say have a great summer  :wink:  You should at least be able to enjoy August.

Check out Ohio City.  You can bike/walk/take a bus downtown if thats where you are working.  You have so many good restaurants near you between OC, Tremont and Detroit Shoreway, all minutes away.  You can walk your pooch around.  You can live in apartments above the main commercial district or live in a charming house in the back hoods.  Thats my bet for you.  Weekends are vibrant there.  Grocery store in the neighborhood.  Dont be deterred by any goofballs, there are in any city.

Thank you both! That gives me a little more information than I had before.

 

I am originally from Phoenix, so I am used to a transient population. I have lived in a few midwest towns (most recently Kansas City), the communties have been very closed off.

Welcome to Cleveland! We love to help people adjust to their new surroundings. While Cleveland is not a transient city, we want to be more welcoming to new arrivals. But to me the charms of Cleveland are in its old-world ethnic cultures and many of its sordid historical chapters give the city charm. After all, every scar has a story.

 

So using some neighborhood examples in the cities you've lived in would help. For example, the Plaza area of Kansas City is very similar to the Gold Coast area of Lakewood, Coventry in Cleveland Heights, or the Shaker Square and University Circle areas of Cleveland. All are safe, and have main street-style shopping within walking distance, good public transit to downtown, plus restaurants, cafes and taverns, plus other amenities.

 

Give us some examples of neighborhoods you liked in cities you've in. I'm sure there's someone here who has some experience with that city and suggest a similar example here in Greater Cleveland.

http://www.myapartmentmap.com/neighborhoods/cleveland/ohio_city_west_side/

 

 

Check some out in the OC. In my personal opinion, i would stay away from stonebridge though.  Check out the market lofts or some of the homes in the neighborhood.  PM me if you have specific questions.

 

Welcome! The others have posted great info to get you started. I will say that generally, realtors here don't work with renters. One of the downsides to looking remotely here is that a lot of communities that are rich with rentals, like Lakewood and Cleveland Heights, often only advertise via a sign in the yard of the building. Driving around in the neighborhood where you want to live and writing down phone numbers and addresses is not the best method, but it does work. You can also find apartments listed in the plain dealer, our newspaper, and they are online at cleveland.com under classifieds I think.  I think it also depends on if you are a male or a female - I'm guessing you are male, and so retail won't be as important to you, and am also guessing you are fairly young, so I think downtown, Ohio City and Tremont would be good places for you to look. All are rich in ethnic diversity and have a variety of bars and restaurants and a few functional shops like dry cleaners. OC also has a grocery store, Dave's, that's not bad. Tremont is very close to a shopping center that has a WalMart, Target, Payless, fast food and fast casual restaurants and some places to buy clothes, so that would also be a good choice.

 

 

Believe: thanks for the link. That was so helpful.

I like the way neighborhoods are constructed in KC, I am just not fond of the people. Though in the past 24 hours, I am becoming infatuated with the friendliness of at least the people who have responded to my post. Cleveland is already looking better than KC.

 

I happen to be female, but driving to shop is never a problem. I am already feeling a little better about things. I guess I have to make another trip out there with a GPS and these areas in mind. Thanks so much again to each of you for your advice!

If you know anyone here, it's really good to drive around with someone who knows the lay of the land a little and that person can write down numbers and addresses while you drive (you drive because it's a good way to get familiar with things). If not, I'm sure we could organize some of our UO folks to meet you and help you while you're here if you're interested. We're not crazy or scary, I promise. I'm one of the (relatively few) cleveland-based females on the board and would be glad to tag along. I can offer insight into Lakewood and KJP knows it really well, I bet he'd be up for meeting us and doing the lakewood thing for a couple of hours. Just a thought.

 

I work downtown as well, I've worked downtown for years and years so if I can offer any tips on places for lunch or whatever, let me know.

I recommend Lakewood to all comers.  You get more for your rent dollar there than you do in Cleveland Heights or the downtown area, in which I'm including Ohio City and Tremont.  All of these are great places to live, and comparable, but I find Lakewood to offer a little bit more.  Strong police force, but not overbearing.  Easy commute to downtown via driving or transit.  Lots of options for cable/internet service.  Easy to get around and right off the freeway.  As bustling and urban as any place in Ohio. 

I recommend Lakewood to all comers.  You get more for your rent dollar there than you do in Cleveland Heights or the downtown area, in which I'm including Ohio City and Tremont.  All of these are great places to live, and comparable, but I find Lakewood to offer a little bit more.  Strong police force, but not overbearing.  Easy commute to downtown via driving or transit.  Lots of options for cable/internet service.  Easy to get around and right off the freeway.  As bustling and urban as any place in Ohio. 

 

I agree with everything except what do you mean by "Lots of options for cable/internet service"?  My friend that lives in Lakewood is always complaining that Cox sucks and is the only option.  Are there others?  I thought WOW was the only secondary provider around here, and I'm pretty sure they don't serve Lakewood.

^^ I had no idea that Lakewood was a bustling and urban as any place in Ohio....

 

I suggest living downtown or in the near west side neighborhoods such as Ohio City or Tremont.

 

Downtown - Check out 668 euclid, The Bingham, WT Grant, E. 4th apartments, Reserve Square

Tremont - Check out Tremont place lofts

Ohio City - I am not sure about the rental situation, I am sure someone on this board could help you out

^^ I had no idea that Lakewood was a bustling and urban as any place in Ohio....

 

Compares favorably.  And it does have the highest population density.

 

I agree with everything except what do you mean by "Lots of options for cable/internet service"?  My friend that lives in Lakewood is always complaining that Cox sucks and is the only option.  Are there others?  I thought WOW was the only secondary provider around here, and I'm pretty sure they don't serve Lakewood.

 

AT&T U-verse. 

I always recommend the Detroit Shoreway (Gordon Square) neighborhood.  A good mix of old and new.

I've had nothing but good service from Cox Cable TV/Internet.

 

And what I like about Lakewood is its diversity of housing stock, its active streetcar-suburb commercial districts along Detroit and Madison, plus its access to downtown, the airport and parks. You have Edgewater Park to the east, Lakewood Park on the north, the north end of the Metroparks' Rocky River Reservation on the west, Madison Park on the south and lots of little pocket parks throughout a densely developed city (hubz1124: I don't know about best the most bustling place in Ohio, but it is the most densely populated city in Ohio). And it has 24-hour grocery stores, drug stores and restaurants.

 

And Rockandroller is correct. I'd be willing to meet with her and you sometime over a cup of coffee and perhaps a driving tour of the area. As a recovering newspaper reporter of 15 years, I know the area pretty well. Just let us know when you're going to be in town again.