It is possible I may have to relocate to the Cleveland area for work. I would be working for our office in the Playhouse Square area of downtown.  But for much of a year, a lot of my time would be spent on site at Oberlin College.

 

I currently live in downtown Cincinnati and walk to work, the gym, bars, etc.  I am a single, nearly 40-something gay male.

 

My question is this: Is it better to live in Oberlin and commute into the city for nightlife, bars, etc. on nights/weekends OR live in downtown Cleveland and reverse commute to Oberlin everyday.  What would that commute be like as I think I would prefer living in the city and not Oberlin but I suspect Oberlin has some charm. Is there a cool place to live that is a middle ground betwen Oberlin and Downtown?

 

Thanks!

It is possible I may have presented to me a fantastic opportunity to relocate to the Cleveland area for work.

 

A slight adjustment to start the tone of the thread out right ;)

 

If I was you, I would look into Detroit Shoreway, Ohio City, and Tremont in Cleveland, as well as neighborhoods in the City of Lakewood.  Easy access to downtown from any of those places and they are all on the west side of the river, which would make your commute easier.

Here is my take.

 

If you lived downtown, your commute to Oberlin would be a "long" 50 minutes to a "short" hour depending upon weather conditions and traffic.  From Oberlin to downtown in the morning....longer, especially if you take 90 in because it always seems to back up, and for quite a while at times.

 

I never lived in Oberlin...it is a cute town and has the cultural advantages of the college...don't think there is much of a night life, even in surrounding towns.  Since you are 40, don't think you will or would want to hang out with the college kids (and even then I don't get the impression Oberlin is a big party town like other college towns).  If you did live in town I would imagine there is an interesting mix of college professors and administrators who might be fun to get to know.

 

I cannot really think of a good mid point place to live.  Most everything half way between the 2 locations is going to pretty suburban (and some of the worse type of suburbia...for example, no cute kinda urban towns like Chagrin Falls on the east side or Hudson in Summit County).  I know I will be killed for this on this board, but my best suggestion for a mid point location might be Crocker Park in Westlake.

 

I really think you would be most happy downtown given your current lifestyle.  Also might want to check out Ohio City or Lakewood.  My two cents.

Something in Lakewood close to I-90 would give you a 30-minute commute, and probably be as close as you would get to having your cake while simultaneously eating it.

Welcome! You sure do have some choices to consider! If you like living in downtown Cincinnati, then I think you would like living in downtown Cleveland. You will have at least as many amenities in downtown Cleveland as you do in downtown Cincinnati. It is a 35-mile drive each way between downtown Cleveland and Oberlin. You can also take the Red Line train to the airport and transfer to the infrequent Oberlin bus: http://new.oberlin.edu/transportation/shuttles.dot

 

Downtown Oberlin is a very charming small college town populated by staff and students, many of whom are from northeastern states. It is a very progressive community surrounded by the farms and conservatism of Lorain County. If you want to look beyond Oberlin for something to do, you will have to look far beyond Oberlin.

 

You might also like living in a 19th-century farming/stone quarry community called Berea (Ba-ree-ah) that got swallowed up by suburbia. It is home to Baldwin-Wallace College whose older buildings were made from sandstone quarried locally. It is a 20-25 mile drive between Oberlin and Berea, much of which can be by highway if you choose. A more direct (but not necessarily faster) route is to take Bagley Road due west to Lorain and get on State Route 10 freeway to Oberlin. And you are pretty close to downtown Cleveland. I lived in Berea for several years and liked it, but I must admit that I wanted more density and urbanity so I moved to Lakewood (which wouldn't save you any commuting time over living downtown).

 

EDIT: don't listen to the others about living somewhere along I-90. It's not the direct highway from Cleveland to Oberlin. The mix of I-71/I-480/SR10 is the direct highway. Living somewhere along that is your best location. I-90 is out of the way.

Lakewood or downtown.  No question.  Your commute would be against the heavy traffic to Oberlin, and a relatively easy run in if you're transit inclined to downtown, if Lakewood's your choice.

I would def recommend Lakewood. There are a lot of gay-friendly businesses there and only 5 mins to downtown, and you can easily hop on the freeway to go out to Oberlin without having to worry about the annoying traffic on our Innerbelt - the portion of multiple freeway convergence at downtown. And you're avoiding the higher costs of downtown apartments plus parking, but still have really easy access to downtown for those work days you are down there, including taking the bus or the rapid transit redline train to downtown if you want to avoid driving and paying for parking downtown. The reverse commute out to Oberlin would be pretty easy, most people are coming IN from the west in the morning, not going out.

What about Kamms Corner? 30 minutes away from Oberlin and about 15 minutes from Downtown. You would also have access to the red line which could take you to Ohio City, Downtown, University Circle, and Little Italy.

Yeah, my mistake on the I-90 suggestion. In that case, pretty much anywhere on the west side (Lakewood or the city proper) would be about an equal commute.  Tremont does have great freeway access for a pretty easy commute.

I think Ohio City or Tremont would be the best fit. Very easy highway access. Culturally, those two neighborhoods would offer you a lot more than Lakewood.

I think Ohio City or Tremont would be the best fit. Very easy highway access. Culturally, those two neighborhoods would offer you a lot more than Lakewood.

 

Hey!!  :whip:

I think Ohio City or Tremont would be the best fit. Very easy highway access. Culturally, those two neighborhoods would offer you a lot more than Lakewood.

 

True, but it's not like Lakewood is your typical suburb that lacks culture. It's diverse and has a lot to offer imho. Plus, Lakewood has less crime and much better public services like police and snow removal.

I think Ohio City or Tremont would be the best fit. Very easy highway access. Culturally, those two neighborhoods would offer you a lot more than Lakewood.

 

True, but it's not like Lakewood is your typical suburb that lacks culture. It's diverse and has a lot to offer imho. Plus, Lakewood has less crime and much better public services like police and snow removal.

 

And values new Mcdonalds over saving historical buildings!  :wink:

I think Ohio City or Tremont would be the best fit. Very easy highway access. Culturally, those two neighborhoods would offer you a lot more than Lakewood.

 

True, but it's not like Lakewood is your typical suburb that lacks culture. It's diverse and has a lot to offer imho. Plus, Lakewood has less crime and much better public services like police and snow removal.

 

And values new Mcdonalds over saving historical buildings!  :wink:

 

That, is a sore spot.

Rocky River is not a terrible compromise..or the area of Lakewood directly across the Detroit Rd bridge.

 

look around the intersection of Detroit Rd and Wooster.

 

Old Downtown rocky river is very similar to old downtown Hudson.

 

The train station used to be across the street form the old Westlake Hotel (now condos)  puts you close to 90 and close to the 26 (down detroit) and the 55 (on detroit then clifton through lakewood).

 

some nice restaurants and bars in Rocky River clustered around that intersection tartine, salmon daves, an italian one --name escapes me, what used to be maxs deli same deal different name  and then another decent set across the bridge in Lakewood Three birds and decent bars around the corner, riverwood harry buffalo ...You are also right on the metro parks.

 

There is a heinins full service grocery store, bagel joint, a gym, CVS all within a reasonable walk or a 3 minute drive on your way to or from the highway on your way to oberlin.

 

 

 

 

This is will much nicer than westlake.

Go with Elyria--Cleveland's answer to Hamilton.

I'm a huge fan of Oberlin, the town and the college, but the rental market is pretty limited in a small town, and very dependent on the academic year. It's got a compact downtown with most of the essentials; you can bike/walk everywhere; it's liberal and gay friendly. And it's an easy 35-40 minute commute into Cleveland along US 20 -> I-480 -> I-71. 

 

You mentioned bars, so it's worth noting that Oberlin was a dry town until the 1980s/1990s, and you can still count the bars on one hand.  If you're looking for that kind of nightlife, Lakewood has the opposite situation - two bars on every corner :)  And Twist is just over the border in Cleveland's Clifton/Edgewater district... http://twistsocialclub.com/default.aspx

 

A couple of Oberlin resources: http://www.northshorecompanies.com/properres.html

https://oncampus.oberlin.edu/classifieds

Probably the best way to find a rental is looking at bulletin boards at the coffee house, bookstore, etc in downtown.

 

Events calendar: http://new.oberlin.edu/calendar/

I personally would not be happy living in Oberlin - it's a great place, but it's too far-flung from the urban amenities and environment I prefer and I get the impression (just an anecdotal observation) that it's a pretty insular place. It's a college town but we're not talking large university where you have an overabundance of opportunities to get out and meet people from different walks of life. I live in Tremont which is south of downtown Cleveland and have easy access to the highways but I don't know that I'd care for that lengthy of a commute; I fully admit that anything over 15 minutes is a deal breaker for me (yes, I'm spoiled).

 

If you can give us some ideas of "happy middle ground" areas in Cincy, we can probably find you an equivalent in the Cleveland area. As mentioned, Lakewood and the northeastern area of Rocky River north of I-90 and east of Wagar might not be fully-built-out 'urban', but they offer decent population density as well as proximity to both a reasonable commute and things like nightlife, etc. For example, the area in Rocky River I'm mentioning isn't too unlike Hyde Park. The area just east in Lakewood is along the lines of Mt. Lookout. Speaking of, if being in proximity to others in the gay community is something you're looking for - feel free to send me a PM for advice on that.

Getting from Rocky River to I-480 or vice-versa can be a major pain. And if anyone tells you Lakewood/Rocky River is good because it's close to I-90, then they don't know where I-90 goes after it crosses into Lorain County.

I90 west to SR58 south would be a perfectly reasonable route to take from Lakewood/Rocky River to get to Oberlin.  You hop on the turnpike for all of 5 seconds so there's that but GoogleMaps puts it at around the same time it would take to drive from downtown using the 71/480/10 route.

I'll race ya.

I really like Oberlin, personally, and it's not a typical small town. It has far more culture and stuff going on than many larger places in Ohio thanks to the college and the residents. If it was me, it would be a very tough call - I favor the city too, but Oberlin is kind of special, and just far enough away that I might consider living there. Lakewood would be fine as well.

Thanks for all the help.  It may come down to how often I would need to be in the office downtown vs. in Oberlin.  And what that commute to Oberlin would be like if I lived in the city.

 

A few comments:

1. Lakewood looks more affordable than downtown (including what I pay now in downtown Cincy).

2. But some of the places in Playhouse Square, Gateway and the West 4th Street area look more my style and closer to what I have now.

2. The Tremont Place Lofts look cool.  But expensive.

Let's put it simply: the commute to Oberlin from downtown Cleveland is easier than the commute to downtown Cleveland from Oberlin. And when I say "downtown Cleveland" I'm including some of the core-city neighborhoods like Ohio City and Tremont.

I'm a huge fan of Oberlin, the town and the college, but the rental market is pretty limited in a small town, and very dependent on the academic year. It's got a compact downtown with most of the essentials; you can bike/walk everywhere; it's liberal and gay friendly. And it's an easy 35-40 minute commute into Cleveland along US 20 -> I-480 -> I-71. 

 

You mentioned bars, so it's worth noting that Oberlin was a dry town until the 1980s/1990s, and you can still count the bars on one hand.  If you're looking for that kind of nightlife, Lakewood has the opposite situation - two bars on every corner :)  And Twist is just over the border in Cleveland's Clifton/Edgewater district... http://twistsocialclub.com/default.aspx

 

A couple of Oberlin resources: http://www.northshorecompanies.com/properres.html

https://oncampus.oberlin.edu/classifieds

Probably the best way to find a rental is looking at bulletin boards at the coffee house, bookstore, etc in downtown.

 

Events calendar: http://new.oberlin.edu/calendar/

 

Oberlin's reputation when I was in school was the politics of Berkeley but the social life opportunies of Liberty Baptist College.

 

That was a long time ago so things may have changed, but it doesn't sound like it.

Getting from Rocky River to I-480 or vice-versa can be a major pain. And if anyone tells you Lakewood/Rocky River is good because it's close to I-90, then they don't know where I-90 goes after it crosses into Lorain County.

What...living off 90 is probably the best.  After it crosses into Lorain County, it veers down to the turnpike 1 exit before 58.  Thi sis the most direct route to Oberlin.

Sure, if you're living along I-90 already. But the most direct AND fastest route from Lakewood/Rocky River to Oberlin is on I-71/I-480/SR10. It's three miles shorter and almost all of it is a divided, grade-separated highway....

 

I-90 routing:

 

I-71/I-480/SR10 routing:

Not the place for the discussion, however, I have always found 90 alot more accessible in lakewood and RR, then 71.  The ride down Warren can take a while.

Which is why I don't suggest living in Lakewood or Rocky River is a good place for someone commuting to Oberlin. Living in/near downtown Berea is a good place, IMHO....

 

 

All routes from the location I suggested come in within a mile and a minute of each other.  90, 480.  I do not know how to do the fancy picture embedding.  Searched for it once but no luck.

 

Detroit Rd and Wooster Rd in Rocky River

 

are about 29 miles and 35 minutes give or take.

 

You are also 10 miles and 20 minutes (approximately--google says 17 but that is not accounting for rush hour) to downtown with 2 public transport options that run right by your door (26 and 55)  and 2 paths you could take driving...90 or clifton to the shoreway (this would probably take about the same amount of time, but you would avoid the highway and the construction that is impeding progress into downtown, of course a whole bunch of other people will be doing this as well)

 

Looks like the bus would be somewhere between 30-45 minutes from there to downtown.  the  55 goes to Tubbs Jones transit center, the 26 ends at 13th and Payne.

 

 

And pretty much everything you need within an easy walk.

 

The best Cleveland proper neighborhood would be Tremont..it has the best access to 176 (to 480) 71 (which meets 480 by the airport) and 90.  It is also a great neighborhood.  Ohio city would be the second best.

 

Westpark around Kamms is also not bad.  But has a more suburban feel than OC or tremont.

 

Tremont to Oberlin is 37-41 miles and 41-47 minutes

Thanks again everyone.  I'm in Cleveland on Monday to discuss the possible move. Should know more after.  Been looking online at places downtown, Tremont, Lakewood, and Oberlin.  Not much really in Oberlin; only one plave I've seen stood out.

you guys are so spoiled -- you are talking 35 miles commute tops and under an hour driving. doesnt matter where he lives lol!

 

yes it would be great to live in oberlin, but isolated unless your job really connects you into the college somehow.

 

oberlin has limited nightlife for sure, but it isnt the worst in the small college world, it even got a B- from this site:

http://collegeprowler.com/oberlin-college/nightlife/

 

the feve is 100% lovable (rated awesome by me and anybody) and there is agave (rated ok). oberlin inn is where students go when there parents come to town- ha (rated not awful)!

 

oberlinsters tend to go to the very cute lakeside town of vermilion and ghetto lorain for the beaches or into elyria for the midway mall/downtown bars or of course into cleveland for fun. gay bars? i think there are still gay bars in lorain, not sure although i know of at least one lesbian bar -- these would probably be thee closest to oberlin, but as with any nightlife you are much better off living closer to cle for that.

 

let us know what you decide and we can help with more details!

Thanks again everyone.  I'm in Cleveland on Monday to discuss the possible move. Should know more after.  Been looking online at places downtown, Tremont, Lakewood, and Oberlin.  Not much really in Oberlin; only one plave I've seen stood out.

Ignore all these suggestions and move to Shaker Square!  HA!

 

you guys are so spoiled -- you are talking 35 miles commute tops and under an hour driving. doesnt matter where he lives lol!

 

 

I would wager that Cleveland's experience with commuting distances and travel times is probably more in line with the general experience nationally than what you are accustomed to in New York City. Therefore we are not spoiled. You are burdened. :)

Yes and no KJP...I have traveled a lot for work.

 

Cleveland is blessed.  most places do not have the highway grid that we do.

 

90 dipping down to go around the great lakes and 80 give us 2 major E/W

 

71/77 gives us 2 major N/S  along with 480/490/271  Jennings (176)  Route 8,  the west shoreway.

 

Go to a place like Seattle for instance.....1 highway N/S  I5 1 E/W I90

 

New York, Chicago, Boston, Philly, DC, LA all their own level of Pain....but the CLE has it a lot better than most places of comparable size.  Houston, Dallas, Seattle, Milwaukee, St Louis, Charlotte, San Antonio, Tulsa Ok, Jackson Ms,  Minneapolis..are places that I have had to navigate for a week or more.  CLE has it much better, mostly because we have options and alternates.

 

Seattle to Tacoma is about the same distance as Cle\lakewod to Oberlin.

 

Cle-Oberlin has 2 routes you can take

 

SEA-TAC has one.......and it is not pretty to drive the 5 Ever let alone rush hour.

 

 

 

 

^ of course. i was referring to comparable regions as well as the larger ones. cle is either ridiclously or thankfully , depending how you look at it, overbuilt in the highway department. the other factor to add into the mix is the population has fallen so you can get in and out of the city even easier than in years past. all in thats great news for cle commuters who complain like crazy if any trip takes more than a half hour. anyone who has commuted outside of ne ohio is aware of this, in fact when you flip the script the relatively easy commutes are a selling factor for relocating to ne ohio!

An interesting read are the highway construction plans from the 1960s where the population growth forecasts for the metro area had Greater Cleveland surpassing the 4 million mark by about 1985 or something like that. And the highways were built to scale accordingly.

 

So let's keep the relocations coming! We still got a million people to go and we're already 25 years overdue!

hell you dont even have to look out of state cinci's rush hour traffic is worse than the cleve's, as he will soon find out.

Back from Cleveland and Oberlin. 

 

Oberlin is a neat campus.  I think I might get a little bored though.  And if I met some friends in the Cleveland area I think I might get tired of driving into town and no one would visit me. That said, it really wasn't a bad drive to Oberlin from where I stayed overnight in Lakewood.  I left at 7:00 am from Lakewood and took I-90 past Crocker Park, etc.  Even driving around to see what apartments looked like in Crocker Park, it took only 45 minutes or so to get to Oberlin via 90 from Lakewood. (I do think Crocker Park or Rocky River might not be a bad option if I wanted somewhere in-between and out of any snow belt!)  The thing I hate though is that then I not really anywhere --  I'm not a five minute walk to work in Oberlin or a five minute walk to work in Playhouse Square.

 

I've called a few places in the Gateway area for availability and they were full and have no openings until February.  That may push my decision . . .

 

I drove around Tremont and a little around Ohio City/West 25th Street.

 

Thanks everyone!

"And if I met some friends in the Cleveland area I think I might get tired of driving into town and no one would visit me."

 

Definitely give that some thought - while in the grand scheme it's not that far, it's definitely a schlep for people whose comfort level is a 20ish minute drive.

Where in Lakewood did you stay? $1 says it was across the street from my condo building!

 

FYI: you don't start geting into the snow belt until you get about 10 miles east/northeast of downtown Cleveland, and then the heart of the snow belt doesn't start for another 10-20 beyond that until Geauga County. If you stay south of US322 (Mayfield Road) and in the City of Cleveland or west of it, you'll get half the snow that the folks north/east of it get.

 

You might find some decent, temporary places until you can settle in to your preferred neighborhood/home. Here's some locations you might like:

 

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2716629074.html

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2716627038.html (the map shows the wrong place -- I believe this place is near Clifton)

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2714767908.html

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2703099867.html (pricey, but in a good location)

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2692588247.html (same location as above but furnished)

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2694433138.html

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2692374076.html (this is one block west of me in Lakewood)

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2690037004.html

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2652800822.html

http://cleveland.craigslist.org/sub/2660081079.html (two blocks north of me in Lakewood -- the view alone in the desirable building may be worth it)

 

OK, that's enough to keep you busy!!! Have a great Thanksgiving.

 

 

 

It is official - I am moving to Cleveland. 

 

I am a little disappointed in housing in Downtown Cleveland -- It is more expensive than downtown Cincinnati.  I can't find anything comparable in my price range.

 

It is pushing me out to Ohio City and Tremont and points west . . . And still not finding too much I like in those places in my price range either.

 

Even Oberlin options are limited.  There isn't much available at this time of year.

 

I have a few appointments to look at places on Saturday.  I hope to settle the housing by the beginning of next week.

Would it be possible to let us know what your price range is?  We might be able to help with suggestions.

 

Recent articles in the PD suggest that downtown rentals are very full so it will probably be hard to get a "deal" downtown.

 

Also note the problem we have here...BallHatGuy believes rents downtown are kinda high, at least compared to Cincy...yet the recent articles, and many on this board have indicated that until rents go higher than they are now, due to the economics, there will not be much new construction in the future and even renovations (with out subsidies) will be a challenge.

BallHatGuy, is there any chance you'd consider lakewood? It has a lot of density and pockets of shops and stores you can walk to, and lots of bars, restaurants, etc. Will have lower rents and much more availability.

I have about 750 SF one bedroom apartment and pay $750 a month.  That includes parking.  I am in a renovated school building in Over the Rhine, a neighborhood just north of downtown.  I walk to our office downtown in less than 10 minutes.

 

I could be at rent around the $800 range but many places I've seen in downtown Cleveland then have additional parking fees as high as another $135.  (Crittenden Court has the lowest parking prices I've seen at less than $100.)

 

Thanks!

BallHatGuy, is there any chance you'd consider lakewood? It has a lot of density and pockets of shops and stores you can walk to, and lots of bars, restaurants, etc. Will have lower rents and much more availability.

 

I am.  I have an appointment to look at a place on Edgewater Drive on Saturday.  Building looks ugly modern but the units look nice online.

Yes, I found that ironic too. And the lack availability of apartments is a real problem.

 

Anyhoo... Welcome to Cleveland. You may have to consider living farther east, such as in University Circle, to enjoy a vibrant urban setting or in/near downtown Lakewood or the Gold Coast of Lakewood. I am continually impressed with the growth of cafes, restaurants and shops in downtown Lakewood -- which is probably most like Cincinnati's Hyde Park with some high-rise buildings. Downtown Lakewood is generally focused along Detroit Avenue between Lakeland Avenue and Bunts Road. You might find many rentals (most homes are up/down doubles) in this area, with addresses in the 1300 to 1500 range (1300 is north of Detroit and 1500 is south of Detroit).

Here's a place on Clifton Boulevard.  The third floor unit is the one that's available.

 

http://clv-lofts.com/11015%20Clifton_properties.html

 

I think there are also units available in the National Terminal Warehouse building downtown:

 

http://www.showmetherent.rentlinx.com/Property.aspx?PropertyID=160660

Confiteordeo - Thanks!  I saw those and I do have an appointment to see the available unit in the National Terminal Warehouse.  Slightly out of price range but close!

 

Wasn't sure I wanted a third-floor walk-up but it is a thought.  May need to check it out.

PS - The National Terminal Warehouse Apartments has many negative review comments from what I've been reading so we shall see.