I was intrested in peoples take on this.  The Cleveland area differs grealtly just by crossing over the river.  What leads to these vast changes in the demographics and scenery of the two sides?

Just a note: Keep it mature discussion here. We don't promote city vs. city threads here. But a discussion of the differences would be welcomed.

I don't really prefer either.  I think that the East Side has a much more urban, big city atmosphere.  The West Side is quainter.  But I like both.  In fact, I love living downtown because I have access to both sides of town.

I prefer to live on the West Side for a few reasons:

 

1. Housing is slightly less expensive, at least when it comes to rentals.

2. Clifton/Edgewater, the city's most prominent gay 'hood is on the West Side.

3. Access to the lakefront (Edgewater Park). I can walk there in less than 5 minutes.

4. Far less lake-effect snow, particularly along the lakefront.

 

That said, I don't understand the "East vs. West" mentality - it's not like Cleveland is THAT big, and there are things on the East Side that aren't on the West and vice versa. 

This is not to ment to be inflamatory in any way, but merely a statement of the way it is.

 

-East Side-

Predominatly Black

Seemingly Higher Crime Rate

The Rich Heights

Gets alot of marks for "quality" suburbs

eastlake and its (slovenian)

painsville and its (mexicans)

snowbelt

legacy village

desolation, lack of rejuvination

ethnic enclaves

 

-West Side-

Predominatly White

Seemingly Lower Crime Rate

Lakewood "college town feel"

parma and its (polish?)

no snow

crocker park

Rejuvination, new buildings,and revitalization

 

I choose east side, because I am an east sider for life

City - East = Black/West = White

 

Suburban - East = Old Money/West = Nuevo Riche

I'm not going to vote because I lived on the East Side for the first 26 years of my life, and on the West Side for the last 12. I moved only to be closer to a girl I was dating at the time.

 

Most history books will tell you the reason for the east-west division stems from the early 1800s, when Cleveland had a "war" with Ohio City (then called the City of Ohio, and a separate municipality -- there was a rivalry even before the Bridge War, as the City of Ohio became a municipality the day before Cleveland could). Here is a brief history of the Bridge War from....

 

http://www.clevelandmemory.org/SpecColl/gamut/1981s/mbc/mbc3.html

 

MOVABLE BRIDGES OVER THE CUYAHOGA RIVER

 

Cleveland now has a greater variety of these beautiful and practical structures than any place in earth; but in 1837 "Two bridges or none!" was the battle cry of the famous Bridge War with Ohio City.

 

Sara Ruth Watson and John R. Wolfs

 

A contemporary view, from Detroit Avenue, of the old

Columbus Street Bridge, built in 1835, and focus of the "Bridge War"

between the City of Cleveland and Ohio City.

 

[begin excerpt] After passing under the Detroit-Superior and Union Terminal Bridges, we come to the Columbus Road Bridge, the other bridge site in the "Bridge War," a bit of early history worth a digression.

 

In 1835 two land developers, James S. Clark and John W. Willey, who owned considerable property along Columbus Street, as it was then called, improved the roadway, graded it down to the river, and built an imposing bridge at the ferry landing. This bridge, the first important structure across the Cuyahoga, formed the final link in a short route to Cleveland from South and West, practically sidestepping Ohio City across the river nearer Center Street. A description of the new bridge in the first city directory printed in 1837 reads as follows:

 

The bridge was supported by a stone abutment on either shore or piers of solid masonry erected in the center of the river. Between the piers, there is a draw sufficient to allow a vessel of forty-nine feet beam to pass through. The length is two hundred feet, the breadth, including the sidewalks, thirty-three feet, and the height of the piers, above the surface of the water, may be estimated at twenty-four feet. The whole which, with the exception of the draw, is roofed and enclosed, presents an imposing appearance and reflects much credit in the architect, Mr. Nathan Hunt.2

 

In 1835 the new Columbus Road Bridge was the most remarkable structure in Ohio; visitors from all over the state come to view it and gasped at the work which had cost the enormous sum of $15,000 to build.

 

In 1836, first the City of Ohio and then the Village of Cleveland were incorporated, and the rivalry between them grew tense. The merchants of Ohio City were entirely willing to have the Columbus Street Bridge, but they also wanted one at Center Street, and so there arose the slogan "two bridges or none." What resulted was the Bridge War, celebrated in the annals of Cleveland. In 1837 the Cleveland City council directed the removal of its half of the old floating bridge at Center Street. This was an attempt by Cleveland to divert all through traffic to the Columbus Street Bridge, thereby by-passing Ohio City. The mandate of the council was carried out at night, and, when the people of Ohio City realized what had happened, they were enraged. At an indignation meeting they declared the Columbus Street Bridge a public nuisance.

 

Their marshal gathered a posse of deputies, who damaged the bridge by a charge of powder under the Ohio City end. Then the marshal and his deputies marched to the Cleveland side of the bridge, dug a deep trench at the approaches, and did likewise at the Ohio City end, thus rendering the bridge useless. Ohio City held a council of war and staged an all out attack upon the bridge. Nearly a thousand men, armed with clubs, rocks, and rifles marched to the bridge, accompanied by a chaplain and a lawyer.

 

But Cleveland had learned about the attack from scouts. The Ohio City posse found itself confronted by a company of militia with muskets. Even an ancient cannon had been rolled down to the river’s edge. At this point Wiley, who was the first mayor of Cleveland, stepped forward, but before he could utter more than a few words, he was greeted by a volley of rocks, and the fight started.

 

At the other end of the bridge was an apron that could be raised or lowered, and the one at the Ohio City side was let down to provide a shelter for the anti-bridge forces. The men went at their destructive task, ripping up planks and throwing them into the river. One Ohio City man named Deacon House picked his way through the Cleveland lines and spiked the cannon with an old file. He became quite the hero of the battle of the bridge.

 

Some men were injured, but none were killed. Finally the fray was stopped by the Cleveland marshal, who also was sheriff of the county. He took possession of the bridge, obtained a court order against further interference, and posted guards at either end to maintain movement of traffic. This Battle of the Bridge produced a poet-laureate in D.W. Cross who wrote a mock epic poem, in heroic couplets, entitled "The Battle of the Bridge," which was published in the Magazine of Western History. Its model was Alexander pope’s Rape of the Lock. There is space here to quote but a few lines.

 

On hills, like Rome, the cities might be seen,

(Meand'ring Cuyahoga flowed between);

Whose rival spires in rivalry arose,

The pride of friends, the envy of their foes.

Each rival ruler of each rival town

On his would smile, but on the other frown.

Each sought for greatness, in his rival’s fall,

Regardless that the world was made for all.

Envy and hatred waxed to frenzied height!

Naught could appease but fierce and bloody fight.

The culmination came! A peanut stand

Erected by a "combination" band

Of desperate men of capital, who swore

No trade should be diverted from their shore.

They claimed that Clark and Willey, reckless,

sought

To build a bridge. The right of way was bought

Already! and they then designed to build

Columbus Street and bridge! This rumor filled

Their souls with madness, and their eyes with

tears!

To think that peanut stand, the toll of years

Should for the want of patronage decay

And trade and barter turn some other way.

They all agreed this could not be allowed,

And boisterous bellowing agitate the crowd!

 

The result of the Bridge War was that the West Siders gained their point, and two bridges were provided. The Center Street Bridge was completed after much discussion and the Columbus Street Bridge was equipped with a movable center span.

 

The Columbus Street Bridge of 1835 marked the beginning of the first period of bridge building over the Cuyahoga River -- bridges of wood with masonry piers, designed for wagon traffic. As late as 1853 there were still three of these: the Columbus Street Bridge, one at Seneca (West Third) Street, and one at Division Street (Center Street). There was agitation for a new one at Columbus Street, but because the two towns could not agree on a plan, the county re-built the span. In 1854 Cleveland annexed Ohio City. And immediately after annexation, Cleveland built the Main Street Bridge, re-built the Center Street Bridge, and constructed the Seneca Street Bridge. [end excerpt]

 

######

MayDay is right- the city isn't so big that it should matter.  But clearly the city's segregation and settlement patterns have resulted in some real demographic differences-not just racial but religious too (e.g. muslims on the west side, jews on the east side). 

 

This sounds silly, but it was such a sense of discovery when I got my drivers license and first started driving around the west side.  Outside of the airport, zoo and west side market, I'm not sure I had every been west of the Cuyahoga before.  Similarly silly is an article I remember hearing about in the Cleveland Jewish News describing life as a jew on the west side as if it were on the other side of the moon.

I was saving this story for the right moment in this string, and responding to StrapHanger's message seemed as good a time as any....

 

A few years ago, I was getting on the elevator in my building here in Lakewood. A black woman was buzzed into the building by someone and she didn't seem to know her way around. I figured she was a new resident, so I wanted to make her feel at home:

 

"Are you new here?" I asked.

"No. I'm just visiting," she said.

"Oh, well welcome anyway."

"Thanks. It's my first time over here," said said.

"Where, here in the building?" I asked.

"No. On the West Side."

 

The woman was probably in her 50s.

My wife and I have lived in several neighborhoods in Cleveland throughout our lives. East side -- Slavic Village, Collinwood, and E.33 & Payne. West side-- Old Brooklyn three seperate houses. My vote is for the west side.

I grew up on the west side, went to college on the east side (John Carroll) and currently live downtown. My experience has been that the people on the east side tend to be more educated but kind of unfriendly at times. However, the architecture (especially in the heights) is a definite plus.

 

The west side has more of a cookie cutter suburbia feel to it (except Lakewood), but it’s where I grew up so I still like it!

 

East side.  Though, I don't live in Cleveland, I work on the east side and my wife grew up the east side, so I'm definantly more familiar with the east side of town.  We're planning on moving to the Cleveland area and our home search has been pretty much concentrated on the east side (plus, my wife is a staunch east sider; it would be blasthemous for us cross the river); though I must say, I really like the Edgewater area on the west side. 

I grew up in the heights and moved to shaker square.  The east side rules!  :whip:

 

I have to admit, when I was looking at moving downtown, whenever I looked at a building in the warehouse district, I kept thinking, "If I move here I'll be on the westside!"

But even if you live in the suburbs, you're still either on the west side or east side. And that goes for places like Independence or Seven Hills. Yeah, they're south of downtown. But the river is the defining geographical barrier, so those areas are "west side"!!  :box:

This sounds silly, but it was such a sense of discovery when I got my drivers license and first started driving around the west side.  Outside of the airport, zoo and west side market, I'm not sure I had every been west of the Cuyahoga before.  Similarly silly is an article I remember hearing about in the Cleveland Jewish News describing life as a jew on the west side as if it were on the other side of the moon.

^ Your not alone.  My wife grew up in the Heights area; I never lived a day of my life in Cleveland, yet I could you more about the west side than she could having lived in the Cleveland area for 20+ years.  I used to think it was just her, but over the years I've run into other Clevelander's who are the same.  It's like the other side of town is an entirely different city.

"But even if you live in the suburbs, you're still either on the west side or east side..."

 

To an extent - when I hear someone say "I'm an eastsider" (when they live in fricking Bainbridge) or "I'm a westsider" (when they live in fricking Brunswick), I'm sorry folks - you live in the sticks. Period.

I'm a third generation OhioCity/West Side native. We went to the East Side for culture, but everything else was available to us the West Side.

 

 

I always heard the boundary between the East and the Midwest ran through Public Square ...

Oh, whatever you do - don't try to tell an old-school Tremont resident that they're a "West sider". They're a "South sider" - and woe be to you if you insist otherwise. :argue:

Being from the West side, I am of course partial to this side of town.  I guess I like it for more practical reasons, such as close proximity to highways, the airport, more shopping malls(I know, malls suck), but for me...proximity to bars!!  LOL    I Live near Edgewater so I can be anywhere quickly with a short drive or cab ride..(Downtown, Ohio City, Tremont, and Lakewood).  I think the East side has some cool places to offer, but it seems you have to drive a lot farther to change scenery when it comes to going out.  The East side however has some great places to eat, some very nice arts and culture, and great architecture.  As far as the West side being more suburbia, I have to agree, but there are reasons for that, at least on the Southwest side of Cleveland proper.  After WWII many homes were put up fast and cheap for returning soldiers and families.  It seems that trend continued, it was a lot cheap to build like that on land that was mostly undeveloped compared to the East side.  I think it sucks to see places like that, but what can you do now, right?  I wish there would have been a push to build nice east coast brick rowhouses instead.  One exception to the West side being "suburbia" is definitely Lakewood.  There are lots of street level store fronts with plenty of residential above, and there is a lot of pedestrian traffic which makes a city...a city.  Plus it is the most populated city per sq mile between NYC and Chicago. (Wikipedia)  It seems that Cleveland lost a lot of that feel through time on Streets like Lorain, Detroit, etc.  Too bad Cleveland didn't maintain that feel on the major streets like Chicago did.  I can say coventry has that feel, but it just isn't quite as extensive an area as Lakewood.  As far as an earlier post stated that the river seperates East Coast between Midwest, I DID read that in Wikipedia as well.  It gives a great breakdown on the subject.  I have to admit, I think that the Cleveland area has much more of a Baltimore, Jersey, Philly type flavor to it than a Topeka KS!  I guess the same could be said about the feel within our own state.  To me, once you go South of Medina Co, it seems as if you are in a different state!  But this topic is East/West...I guess North/South is another topic!  :)  When it comes down to it, BOTH sides of town have unique and enjoyable things to offer everyone.  No matter what race, no matter if you are white collar or blue collar, this is Cleveland...it is our city/region...so lets just enjoy the whole area!

To an extent - when I hear someone say "I'm an eastsider" (when they live in fricking Bainbridge) or "I'm a westsider" (when they live in fricking Brunswick), I'm sorry folks - you live in the sticks. Period.

 

Yep. When I lived in Bainbridge, very few people could say they were born there. Most came from the east-side heights areas (Shaker, Mayfield, etc.). We moved from Highland Heights (and my parents moved to Highland Heights from Shaker Heights and East Cleveland). They and my neighbors still considered themselves east-siders, as did I.

Yeah, I won't vote either. Having grown up on the south side (Brecksville -- not my choice), I don't have a strong native allegiance to either East or West. I'm *slightly* more at home on the East Side because I spent more time there growing up. I'm also in love with the museums and culture of University Circle.

 

However, the near West Side at this point offers more intact, walkable inner-city neighborhoods than the East Side (though I believe that is changing), and I don't want to live in a suburb. So I chose to live in Ohio City.

But even if you live in the suburbs, you're still either on the west side or east side. And that goes for places like Independence or Seven Hills. Yeah, they're south of downtown. But the river is the defining geographical barrier, so those areas are "west side"!!  :box:

 

No way, this is something I believe strongly in.  If you are south of 480, you are not east or west side, you are south side (That includes you Solon, so don't even argue). 

 

I live in Lakewood, so obviously I love the west side, but I like alot about the east side too.  They both have their pros and cons.  The one thing I don't like about the east side is that the streets seem more confusing.  The west side laid out a little more logically in an east-west, north south grid.  The east side has crazy circles and hills and I haven't quite figured it all out. 

 

One thing I have noticed is that it seems like its mostly east siders who have this "I hate the west side, i will never move there, go there, talk to people who live there" mentality.  I don't know anyone from the west side that has that attitude, but I definitely have east side friends who think they will catch a disease if they cross the river.  So I guess to me, the east siders seem more stuck up about this whole thing.

^It isn't much different from the Manhattanites who say "the downtown people always go uptown, but the uptown people NEVER go downtown". Not always true and a generalization but there is a kernel of truth to that.

 

 

I'm far southside today (and have been for since 1982).  :-D

But my father's side of the family is all east side (uncles live in East Cleveland)

Even on my Cleveland photo pages, beside Edgewater Park and Hopkins, everything else is eastside.

well i guess i can write my poorly punctuated response now.

 

First off, I've lived in cleveland for over six years now, all completely on the east side (university, buckeye-shaker & cleveland heights). I can say that I definately have enjoyed my time here, so i'm a little biased to stay over here. However, if i were forced to move to the west side i would (like many others) instantly pick the usual responses of edgewater, lakewood, ohio city and tremont, and i could be perfectly happy.

 

As much as i like to try and hang out and give some love to my west side friends, its just such a pain to get across town (a half hour anywhere is too far for me, yes i'm lazy) So until i move, i'll continue my semi-boycott of the west side.

As much as i like to try and hang out and give some love to my west side friends, its just such a pain to get across town (a half hour anywhere is too far for me, yes i'm lazy) So until i move, i'll continue my semi-boycott of the west side.

 

There might be more of a geographic aspect to these splits, due to the orientation of the community/county leading to the time and distance one would need to travel from one area to another.

Beside Cleveland/Cuyahoga, doesn't Cincy/Hamilton Co also have a east/west split to it?

Where as I think of Columbus/Franklin Co as having more of a subtle North/South split to it (I never thought much about going from Hilliard to Reynoldsburg and vice versa, but rarely did I go south of German Village)

 

I agree the East side is "East coast" and the west is more midwestern with hints and pockets of town that are reminiscent of the East Coast. The East side has more transit connections, of course the culture, and the garden suburbs of Shaker and Cleveland Heights going for it. I always thought all suburbs south of Cleveland proper were the south side and So forth for the other sides. The suburbs south west and south east of Cleveland that don't touch Cleveland proper were grouped with the rest of the east side or west side suburbs. I believe though that any part of the region West of public square is West side and anywhere East is East side no matter how far out, just as long as it is considered Greater Cleveland, the exception beign the southern suburbs and North Akron.

On the 90/2 interchane just on the border of lake county and Cuyahoga county, going 90 east, there actualy is a highway sign that refers to "eastern suburbs". I think it says Highland Hts. Mayfield, Mayfield Hts. So, eastside can be "officialy" that far.

 

I like to think of it as far as either the streets are numbered can be considered east side/west side. On east side that is  E 367 st all the way out in willoughby (concidentialy where euclid ave ends). On the west side at W 232 in North Olmstead (i think its the end correct me if im wrong)

 

Another easy split would be westlake furthest point west, and eastlake furthest point east

Part of the long standing East -West thing is the fact that the Westside's development was always retarded somewhat by lack of transportation connections.  This is more subtle than in Cinci, where Kentucky was REALLY split away from the main part of the city.  But it was enough to impact the location of jobs, cultural institutions, and education and entertainment venues.  This led to a "Westside is for uneducated, working class stiffs" mentality on the Eastside that still is somewhat in effect.

I think there should be two polls. 1) East/West Cleveland--- for those who live in Cleveland. 2) Easy/West suburbs------ for everyone else in Northeast Ohio.

Having gone to St. Ignatius the east-west rivalry is richly instilled in my blood.  I grew up in an east side suburb after spending 4 early years of life in the Slovenian neighborood around St. Clair but then spend high school at St. Ignatius, which probably has one of the more diverse east-west mixes among high schools in the area.  It was predominantly west side, so I learned a lot of defenses for the eastern part of down and defended it to the death. :-)

 

I still like it better, but - that's because it's home.  It's very hard to be objective.  People have commented on Lakewood a lot here, how it's different from most of the other western suburbs.  And they're right - I remember driving through it (in true Cleveland fashion, for the first time, at age 22) and all I thought was, "Wow, this place is pretty nice.  It's like I'm on the East Side."  It seemed so out of place over there and to boot it also boasts something the better East Side suburbs do not have, and that is nice lake access.

 

People who grew up on the suburban west side love to complain about the street grid on the east side and how it's impossible to get there I think this is a big part of the reason the sides tend to be so separate, and why east siders hate going west and vice versa.  For people living out on one side or the other there's nothing the other side really has to offer that makes it worth the annoyance of

 

A.) Figuring out how to navigate those crazy 6-way intersections (if you're a west sider)

B.) Figuring out which highay exit leads where and how I can get back to the freeway and why is it "71-South" when the darn thing is parallel to "90-West".  I had a big beef with the west side highways because the exits were hard to follow.  On the (east) Shoreway it's easy to know relatively speaking how far you are - the exits primarily street numbers: E 55th, 72nd, 140th, 152nd, 156th, 185th, 200th, etc.  On the west side it's all Clague and Sprague and Snow and Pearl.  They mean nothing to an isolated East Sider.

 

As far as Cleveland proper I can't say too much since I don't have much if any experience on the west side beyond the Ohio City area from 1994-1998.

tough to answer I have lived on both sides.I picked west b/c I live on west bank of river by downtown and spend most of my time in O.City and could not be happier...but I would chose anywhere on the east side over some unnamed McMall communities further west or south.

Part of the long standing East -West thing is the fact that the Westside's development was always retarded somewhat by lack of transportation connections.  This is more subtle than in Cinci, where Kentucky was REALLY split away from the main part of the city.  But it was enough to impact the location of jobs, cultural institutions, and education and entertainment venues.  This led to a "Westside is for uneducated, working class stiffs" mentality on the Eastside that still is somewhat in effect.

 

Interestingly about that, there is not only a rift between NKY and Ohio, but ALSO eastside and westside in the Cincinnati area.  Not ONLY is it due to distance/lack of freeway connection between the two, but + topography, which is rather rugged between the two.  AtLEAST Cleveland has I-90 to connect the "sides."

When my family moved to Avon Lake, we were still West Siders. (West Side, two words, not one), My cousins, who grew up in Parma Hts. (off W. 130th St.) were also West Siders. Now that my cousins have moved to Grafton, they still consider themselves West Siders. I guess it's a state of mind thing ...

 

 

I, like the Pope, am too lazy even to do a seaech. Is there a good East vs. West Cincinnati thread, or is it time to start one?

I believe there was an East/West Cincinnati thread awhile ago but I don't remember where it is.  You are more than welcome to start one.

I'm born and raised in Aurora, so really not an east sider by it seems most definitions but I certainly went to the east side for just about everything.  Shopping, and spent a lot of time around all the museums around University Circle, as well as all the rides on the rapid lines for downtown events.  Nothing against the west side but why would I go there?  I don't go to Mentor for things either.  Most of my time on the west side would be driving along my way to Marblehead.

 

Something I always thought was dumb is that when my mom would meet someone from the west side of town inevitably she would insert the crack of "West Sides the best Side"

We also have I-480 connecting east and west in Cleveland, but that road and I-90 are still too recent to overcome the nearly 200 years of this east-west rivalry. Plus, Greater Clevelanders usually don't travel too far from home for work etc. so they don't tend venture far from home. You wont see many people commuting much amongst the quadrants of the city -- west, southwest, southeast, northeast. If you live in Berea or Strongsville, you probably aren't working in Westlake or Rocky River. If you live in Mentor or Willoughby, you probably aren't commuting to Solon or Bedford. I think I read somewhere that the average commuting distance in Greater Cleveland is just eight miles. People here tend to live close to where they work, so the chances of them crossing the "Great Divide" of the Cuyahoga Valley is pretty small -- save for entering downtown or going to the airport.

^It isn't much different from the Manhattanites who say "the downtown people always go uptown, but the uptown people NEVER go downtown". Not always true and a generalization but there is a kernel of truth to that.

 

 

 

You can also add the "out boro" and "bridge and tunnel syndrome" to these streotypes. 

 

Most people "believe" that if you live in manhattan, you never leave to go to an outer boro(queens, brookly, Bronx or Staten Island) unless you're going to the airport.  and I can say, I rarely go out of manhattan when im in NYC.  The last time I left Manhattan is for a party in Park Slope during the holidays.

 

The B&T syndrome is also very strong.  It's believed that people from New Jersey, SI, Conn. or Long Island that use the Bridges & Tunnels (for example, holland/lincoln, Tappenzee or GWB) to come into manhattan for work , recreation or entertainment are some how "less than" those of us who live in "the city".

 

I agree the East side is "East coast" and the west is more midwestern with hints and pockets of town that are reminiscent of the East Coast. The East side has more transit connections, of course the culture, and the garden suburbs of Shaker and Cleveland Heights going for it. I always thought all suburbs south of Cleveland proper were the south side and So forth for the other sides. The suburbs south west and south east of Cleveland that don't touch Cleveland proper were grouped with the rest of the east side or west side suburbs. I believe though that any part of the region West of public square is West side and anywhere East is East side no matter how far out, just as long as it is considered Greater Cleveland, the exception beign the southern suburbs and North Akron.

 

It almost engrained.  Growing up I can remember my aunt saying, "we live in the hillcrest communities (cleveland hts, shaker hts, University hts, Beachwood, S. Euclid, Lyndhurst) those west side suburbs have no idea what "real living" is, they might as well be in/apart of Cleveland.  Our neighbors all said the westside burbs were so "trailer parky" and if you had to live on the WS one should only think about living in Rocky River along the coast as its the closest (visually) to what we have in the Shaker Lakes area, yet would still never be steeped in history like South Park Blvd.

I'm far southside today (and have been for since 1982).  :-D

But my father's side of the family is all east side (uncles live in East Cleveland)

Even on my Cleveland photo pages, beside Edgewater Park and Hopkins, everything else is eastside.

 

Well there is also "classist" views between East Side communities.  People in Shaker hts. Cleveland hts or Beachwood, look down their noses at those who live in say Maple Hts, Bedford Hts, or Garfield Hts.  Our neighbor accross the street stated the best thing to come out of the "those so called" suburbs was her maid!

When I took a job in Mayfield Hts, it was the first time I had to ever go to the East side regularly. It did seem different at first. I was like, "What is up with all these traffic circles"?

 

I think that you don't have to go very far west of downtown to get to a nice neighborhood(Lakewood). While just East of downtown has East Cleveland and pretty bad neighborhoods

When I took a job in Mayfield Hts, it was the first time I had to ever go to the East side regularly. It did seem different at first. I was like, "What is up with all these traffic circles"?

 

I think that you don't have to go very far west of downtown to get to a nice neighborhood(Lakewood). While just East of downtown has East Cleveland and pretty bad neighborhoods

 

we have more than three traffic cirlces? (that seems all i can think of, and only one is in the near east side (fairmount))

I can name 5 circles I think: two on Gates Mills Boulevard, plus Fairmount Circle, plus the idiotic circle near UC that almost makes me crash the car whenever I forget to avoid it (it violates the cardinal circle rule: those on the circle should have the right of way) and then Lander Circle.  I like the circles- they make for easy landmarks and break up the monotony of long suburban streets.

I think that you don't have to go very far west of downtown to get to a nice neighborhood (Lakewood).

 

Um, you don't have to go all the way to the suburbs to get to a nice West Side neighborhood. Heard of Tremont? Ohio City? Detroit-Shoreway? Clifton-Edgewater?

I can name 5 circles I think: two on Gates Mills Boulevard, plus Fairmount Circle, plus the idiotic circle near UC that almost makes me crash the car whenever I forget to avoid it (it violates the cardinal circle rule: those on the circle should have the right of way) and then Lander Circle.  I like the circles- they make for easy landmarks and break up the monotony of long suburban streets.

 

oh god i hate that one too. After living in DC for a bit, I came back to campus, and fudged that one up about a hundred times and was honked at mercilessly

"Um, you don't have to go all the way to the suburbs to get to a nice West Side neighborhood. Heard of Tremont? Ohio City? Detroit-Shoreway? Clifton-Edgewater?"

 

Hey now - don't be spreading that rumor - I like having my thuggish street-cred! E-dub represent! :-D

"Um, you don't have to go all the way to the suburbs to get to a nice West Side neighborhood. Heard of Tremont? Ohio City? Detroit-Shoreway? Clifton-Edgewater?"

 

Hey now - don't be spreading that rumor - I like having my thuggish street-cred! E-dub represent! :-D

 

now if only i can hear you say that in person

When I took a job in Mayfield Hts, it was the first time I had to ever go to the East side regularly. It did seem different at first. I was like, "What is up with all these traffic circles"?

 

I think that you don't have to go very far west of downtown to get to a nice neighborhood(Lakewood). While just East of downtown has East Cleveland and pretty bad neighborhoods

 

When is the last time you've spent any real time in any of the east side neighborhoods to make that statement?  Sterling payne has some unique homes and business and is really cool.  Hough has some wonderful and stately homes, upper prospect has great homes.

 

This is how rumors that the city is bad are started or perpetuated.  not cool!

When I took a job in Mayfield Hts, it was the first time I had to ever go to the East side regularly. It did seem different at first. I was like, "What is up with all these traffic circles"?

 

I think that you don't have to go very far west of downtown to get to a nice neighborhood(Lakewood). While just East of downtown has East Cleveland and pretty bad neighborhoods

 

When is the last time you've spent any real time in any of the east side neighborhoods to make that statement?  Sterling payne has some unique homes and business and is really cool.  Hough has some wonderful and stately homes, upper prospect has great homes.

 

This is how rumors that the city is bad are started or perpetuated.  not cool!

 

Im am saying that the near west side has lakewood, Ohio city, Edgewater, etc... I can't think of many areas that would be considerd dangerous. I think some of the near east side neighborhoods are starting to shape up like you mentioned, but I still think there are more areas than the west side that the average person would consider dangerous or undesirable. Just my opinion take it for what its worth.

 

I would never say that any whole city is bad just beacause of certain neighborhoods. Nor would I say the east side of cleveland is dangerous because one section might be considerd bad.

I think the reason you may feel that way is that the east side "rough spots" are closer to main east-west routes and a little more visible, whereas on the west side they're a little more off the beaten path. Areas along the major arteries have been affected by gentrification so when you drive through, you don't see the side streets where things get a tad dicey.

 

Here's a map that shows the areas on the west side that have are gentrifying or have been stable for as long as I can remember. The arrows show the areas where the people who have been displaced are moving to.

 

I think the reason you may feel that way is that the east side "rough spots" are closer to main east-west routes and a little more visible, whereas on the west side they're a little more off the beaten path. Areas along the major arteries have been affected by gentrification so when you drive through, you don't see the side streets where things get a tad dicey.

 

Here's a map that shows the areas on the west side that have are gentrifying or have been stable for as long as I can remember. The arrows show the areas where the people who have been displaced are moving to.

 

You make a good point. From downtown, if you take the shoreway, detroit bridge, or lorain bridge, you get to nice neighborhoods. While driving down cedar or carnegie east of midtown, I have seen Houses with boarded windows and empty lots.

 

I am not trying to bash the east side though. Just sharing my impressions.

 

I think the reason you may feel that way is that the east side "rough spots" are closer to main east-west routes and a little more visible, whereas on the west side they're a little more off the beaten path. Areas along the major arteries have been affected by gentrification so when you drive through, you don't see the side streets where things get a tad dicey.

 

Here's a map that shows the areas on the west side that have are gentrifying or have been stable for as long as I can remember. The arrows show the areas where the people who have been displaced are moving to.

 

You make a good point. From downtown, if you take the shoreway, Detroit bridge, or Lorain bridge, you get to nice neighborhoods. While driving down cedar or Carnegie east of midtown, I have seen Houses with boarded windows and empty lots.

I am not trying to bash the east side though. Just sharing my impressions.

 

I can appreciate that, however, this is the point I'm trying to make.  You're not spending anytime in the area, therefore, your "view" still implies that that those areas are "bad".