My husband and I are both born-and-raised Clevelanders (South Euclid) who moved to Houston after college and currently live in Chicago (stepping stone from Houston to be closer to family/friends in Cleveland). We are 30 and hoping to move back to Cleveland in the next 6 months to settle down, start a family, etc. We are attracted to Shaker Heights/Cleveland Heights on the east side and Lakewood on the west side and are now considering somewhere downtown (Ohio City, Detroit-Shoreway).

 

We grew up with diversity and want that for our kids but want a safe area, as well. We like to be in an area that has a community feel and lots to do nearby (walkable, etc.), as well as good access to downtown. We are used to having cars so that is not a problem. Those living in DS, Ohio City, Tremont with young kids or couples looking to start families- are you planning on staying in those areas or leaving once kids reach a certain age? What are your suggestions for those downtown neighborhoods? Are there certain streets/boundaries to stay close to?

 

Appreciate any help you Clevelanders can give to a returning daughter!

My husband and I are both born-and-raised Clevelanders (South Euclid) who moved to Houston after college and currently live in Chicago (stepping stone from Houston to be closer to family/friends in Cleveland). We are 30 and hoping to move back to Cleveland in the next 6 months to settle down, start a family, etc. We are attracted to Shaker Heights/Cleveland Heights on the east side and Lakewood on the west side and are now considering somewhere downtown (Ohio City, Detroit-Shoreway).

 

We grew up with diversity and want that for our kids but want a safe area, as well. We like to be in an area that has a community feel and lots to do nearby (walkable, etc.), as well as good access to downtown. We are used to having cars so that is not a problem. Those living in DS, Ohio City, Tremont with young kids or couples looking to start families- are you planning on staying in those areas or leaving once kids reach a certain age? What are your suggestions for those downtown neighborhoods? Are there certain streets/boundaries to stay close to?

 

Appreciate any help you Clevelanders can give to a returning daughter!

 

Welcome back!  Lakewood does it for me, being reasonably kid-friendly, with lots to do, relative lack of violent crime, and multiple transportation options (driving, walking, biking, transit).  It's close to the city and also quite affordable. 

I know a lot of families with small children who live in Lakewood. I have a small fry myself but I live out in the burbs. Lakewood schools are pretty good - not perfect but way better than city of cleveland's schools. Some go private school who live downtown or inner ring areas, not sure if that's an option for you.

 

I think besides the city school system there aren't as many family and kid-centric things close by and easy to get to in downtown - no playgrounds downtown that I know of for example, less green space/parks than further out. There is a playground in Tremont.

 

Our E side peeps can speak more to shaker/cle hts area. I know lots of parents in Cle Hts but none in Shaker.

 

Glad you're coming back and let us know all the things we can help with in getting you re-acclimated to the area.

CLEtoHOUtoCHItoCLE

 

There was a discussion on Shaker Heights this past week here (because it is the best choice :wink:): 

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/topic,30562.0.html

Thank you to everyone so far. Lakewood is definitely where we have been leaning lately--I hear to stay to the West, is that correct?

I will definitely check out the posts on Shaker!

Thank you to everyone so far. Lakewood is definitely where we have been leaning lately--I hear to stay to the West, is that correct?

I will definitely check out the posts on Shaker!

 

Not sure what that would mean?  Although that Shaker post goes into a bit about Lakewood/Shaker. 

 

BUT the West Side would be more mid west, Chicago like, the East Side, much more east coast.   

Thank you to everyone so far. Lakewood is definitely where we have been leaning lately--I hear to stay to the West, is that correct?

I will definitely check out the posts on Shaker!

 

Not sure what that would mean?  Although that Shaker post goes into a bit about Lakewood/Shaker. 

 

BUT the West Side would be more Chicago like, the East Side, much more east coast. 

 

Sorry, I meant to the Lakewood posters, we have heard to stay to the West side of Lakewood. I understand the East/West side dynamic growing up there and do not prefer one over the other at this point.

Yes, generally IMO west of Warren/W 150th.

Welcome back!

 

I have lived in Lakewood, Detroit Shoreway and we are now moving to Shaker (update from Shaker thread this week...got the pad). 

 

We lived in Detroit Shoreway the last 5 years.  The momentum there is crazy.  Its active, healthy, arts driven, incredible food and people and outstanding new businesses are popping up each month.  We lived in a townhome and just had our first child last July.  We will eventually run out of space and sold now so we didn't have to compete with new construction in Battery Park or NRP.  I would stay in that neighborhood, and there are kids in the neighborhood.  You would likely want to send future kids to Mt. Carmel, Urban Community, etc.  Quality of life is good. 

 

Ohio City is a ton of fun, we take our visitors from out of town there.  They cant seem to beat their crime issues off of 25th. I would suggest checking out their facebook crime page, I stopped following because the discussions were stupid and going down the toilet.  A lot of paranoia over there.  Fun neighborhood, but we opted not to live there. 

 

We wanted to move to Lakewood, but the housing stock was slim pickens, it seems as of today, March 4th, there are a few good options on the market and I suspect the warmer weather will bring more.  You are pretty much good anywhere in Lakewood in my opinion.  Its such a dense city, even along the Cleveland border.  Some will tell you to look West End or North of Clifton, I would live anywhere in that city if the house inspired me.  A lot of great stuff happening on Madison Avenue too...underground scene of food and music, birdtown is comin back!!

 

We opted to move to Shaker.  We are very excited...im a west sider through and through and built a very deep rooted life on the west side.  It was a hard decision.  It honestly feels like im moving to the East Coast, but you have to take a step back and say its just about 7 miles form where I currently live.  I didn't know much about Shaker, but did a ton of research, read up on its history and saw the future plans for development and it was a no brainer. 

 

I would recommend if you are not going to have kids for a bit, definitely DS is your place...even if you are going to have kids, you could enjoy a nice quality of life there...would probably eventually have to make a decision around their schooling.  If you are going to have kids soon and don't feel like moving again, Lakewood or Shaker are likely your best bets.

 

Also, minor correction, (and don't worry, Cleveland.com has made this same mistake)...Detroit Shoreway and Tremont are not downtown and don't really like to be associated with downtown....they are definitely their own personalities.

 

 

Ohio City and and the non Battery Park portion of Detroit Shoreway has become very family friendly. Something happened around 2008 as a lot of families in the neighborhood who normally would have moved out of the City as their first child approached kindergarten decided to put down roots, have more kids, and stay. Examples of things that have proliferated due to the increase in young families: Ohio City Babysitting Coop, Near West Family Network, Near West Recreation League, Near West Intergenerational School, Campus International School, etc.

It all depends on your financial situation.  My wife and I purchased in Tremont a few years ago and plan to at least start a family here.  We've always said that we will move to a suburb (Lakewood or Shaker probably) if necessary for our children's education, but I don't think that's a decision that needs to be made until they're a bit older 7-8ish.  And private schooling is always an option if you can afford it.

 

Since we don't have children yet I can't really speak to the family friendliness of Tremont, but I do see tons of kids at Lincoln Park in the summer and there is a growing youth sports program here.  When we were looking my first choice was Lakewood for a variety of reasons including the schools, but Tremont has turned out to be a very nice place to live and I could definitely see us raising our family here long term.  So, I guess my long winded answer is if you can afford private schooling for your children I don't think it's much of a risk to purchase in Tremont, Ohio City, or Detroit Shoreway, but the first ring suburban locations you've listed are also great choices.

 

Oh, and as far as "safe borders" goes the historic portion of Tremont is generally the safest.  It's bordered by 90 to the West, 490 to the South and the valley to the North and East. 

Welcome back!

 

I have lived in Lakewood, Detroit Shoreway and we are now moving to Shaker (update from Shaker thread this week...got the pad). 

 

We lived in Detroit Shoreway the last 5 years.  The momentum there is crazy.  Its active, healthy, arts driven, incredible food and people and outstanding new businesses are popping up each month.  We lived in a townhome and just had our first child last July.  We will eventually run out of space and sold now so we didn't have to compete with new construction in Battery Park or NRP.  I would stay in that neighborhood, and there are kids in the neighborhood.  You would likely want to send future kids to Mt. Carmel, Urban Community, etc.  Quality of life is good. 

 

Ohio City is a ton of fun, we take our visitors from out of town there.  They cant seem to beat their crime issues off of 25th. I would suggest checking out their facebook crime page, I stopped following because the discussions were stupid and going down the toilet.  A lot of paranoia over there.  Fun neighborhood, but we opted not to live there. 

 

We wanted to move to Lakewood, but the housing stock was slim pickens, it seems as of today, March 4th, there are a few good options on the market and I suspect the warmer weather will bring more.  You are pretty much good anywhere in Lakewood in my opinion.  Its such a dense city, even along the Cleveland border.  Some will tell you to look West End or North of Clifton, I would live anywhere in that city if the house inspired me.  A lot of great stuff happening on Madison Avenue too...underground scene of food and music, birdtown is comin back!!

 

We opted to move to Shaker.  We are very excited...im a west sider through and through and built a very deep rooted life on the west side.  It was a hard decision.  It honestly feels like im moving to the East Coast, but you have to take a step back and say its just about 7 miles form where I currently live.  I didn't know much about Shaker, but did a ton of research, read up on its history and saw the future plans for development and it was a no brainer. 

 

I would recommend if you are not going to have kids for a bit, definitely DS is your place...even if you are going to have kids, you could enjoy a nice quality of life there...would probably eventually have to make a decision around their schooling.  If you are going to have kids soon and don't feel like moving again, Lakewood or Shaker are likely your best bets.

 

Also, minor correction, (and don't worry, Cleveland.com has made this same mistake)...Detroit Shoreway and Tremont are not downtown and don't really like to be associated with downtown....they are definitely their own personalities.

 

Thank you for sharing. I read your post on Shaker/Lakewood and my husband and I have the same thoughts. Definitely working on the family now so that is a big part of our decision. I agree there have been some great Lakewood options popping up recently and, with a few months before we move, we may wait and see what comes of those. Shaker seems to have great options often--we have been scared off as of late with outer-ring suburbanites bending our ear on all the issues there and how property values will only go down instead of up. We really like to think on more of the positive side and would love to be a part of an area's resurgence. Would love to hear more about your journey as you move into Shaker!

^ I decided to talk to Shaker people instead of outer ringers.  Outer Ringers tend to have something in their head that is mostly unfounded.  Shaker people love the sense of place there, from what I have seen.  I will tell you that the Shaker housing market will only go up.  In fact, for the house we got, we were one of 4 offers and had to overbid.  That middle price range market in  Shaker is money right now. I think the mansions may be harder to sell, but maybe that changes in the future too.  There is economic development taking place in Shaker and the Milennials, when done living in the city will likely go to inner ring suburbs.  I'm on the front end of the millennial generation (32).  so we have about 15-20 years of young people needing more space/getting familes/etc.  I think the trends favor shaker, Cleve Hts, Lakewood.  I could be wrong, but this is the same generation that wanted the urban life and is currently filling the city neighborhoods.

Lakewood. The "western half is better" adage is overly simplistic and not truly helpful in my humble opinion. Some of the streets adjacent to W.117 look a little worn. But there are lots of great streets and houses east of Warren I can assure you.

Welcome back to the Cleveland area! My wife & I live downtown with our one-year-old. It honestly has been fantastic, and we've gotten to know the few other families in our area. We found some great daycare options in the city. We love it, but probably won't stay here much longer.

 

We plan on staying in Cleveland. Nothing against the burbs. Lakewood, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, Westlake, wherever are great cities & many families choose that, and that's fine. We want to stay in Cleveland and have just started looking at school options. I would say the most family ready neighborhoods are Ohio City, Tremont, Detroit Shoreway, and Shaker Square. My family will end up in one of these neighborhoods long-term, as they're walkable, family-friendly, fairly safe, in the city, and transit-accessible. With Shaker Square, you live in Cleveland while your kids can attend the suburban school district of Shaker Heights. Plus with Ohio City, Detroit Shoreway (depending on where you live), and Shaker Square, you'd be very close to the trains.

 

This has been our experience and what we're thinking through. Cheers to you! I hope you find what you're looking for!

^ Music to my ears!

Welcome, CLEtoHOUtoCHItoCLE! One of the best and longest forum names I've seen! :)

 

I'm a former east-sider turned Lakewoodite of 20 years, and lived in the same apartment-style condo just off the Gold Coast in those two decades. I've seen the community go through some remarkable changes in that time. It got stale and stagnant leading up to the Great Recession, suffered badly during the recession and make a tremendous turn for the better since. In the past year, the real estate market in Lakewood has been scorching. The older millennials want for-sale housing, as do the Boomers who want to downsize. But they can't get for-sale housing downtown and the rental market is very tight. But there's more product -- especially lakefront high rises -- available in Lakewood and with better schools plus 24-hour stores and restaurants.

 

In addition to the lakefront high-rises on the Gold Coast, Lakewood has tons of 100-year-old up/down duplexes (I strongly recommend renting first to search the area for a home to buy), as well more expensive homes on the west end of the city. That's where the newest townhouses were built, overlooking the Rocky River valley. Those sold fast, as did the next townhouse development, McKinley Place. All 40 homes in the first phase sold out before they were built. Now, at the east end of Lakewood is Rockport Square townhomes which is a 60-unit development and those are selling quickly too.

 

Lakewood is very diverse. It's continues to be a strong LGBT community. And it's where many immigrants move to when they move to Greater Cleveland. We have a pretty even mix of Latinos, Middle Easterners, Eastern Europeans (especially Albanians, Serbians, Greeks and Ukrainians), and now Asians. A large influx of Nepalese and Bhutanese refugees have settled in Lakewood. More than 40 languages are spoken in Lakewood city schools -- the district has teachers for all the different languages. We have also made major improvements to our school facilities and to our lakefront parks, and have a new transit line (the Cleveland State Line) on Clifton across the northern part of the city to downtown, plus the Red Line rail along the southern part of Lakewood to downtown and the airport.

 

If you have any questions, feel free to ask. Again, welcome home!

Yes, generally IMO west of Warren/W 150th.

 

I rent on the east side of Lakewood (about 5 months now) and I'm frankly a little surprised why East Lakewood gets bad raps... The cops have only been called once (not by me) on my street since I've been here.. Granted, the housing stock is generally more rundown from the outside on some streets on the eastern end, but it really varies street by street. One aspect of life that western Lakewood has, relative over the east is that there's far few empty storefronts on the west side...

I base that information on my discussions with the police when I went through the Lakewood Citizens' Academy. It was, admittedly, several years ago. That being said, my Mom's street is E of 150th and has been subject to a good amount of petty/annoyance crime, some so bad it caused her neighbors to move away because their property/yard was repeatedly vandalized, and a friend of mine had a shooting in her apt building the day she moved in, which was right by 150th, so those experiences color my view. The shooting was several years ago as well. But the petty crime in my mom's hood is not old news.

Id look in Detroit Shoreway.  Housing stock is a little newer than OC or Tremont and lots tend to be a bit larger for kids.  Plus proximity to Edgewater is a huge plus

We also had a lot of crimes in my Lakewood neighborhood up until about 2010 or so. It has gotten better since and especially in the past year. With the pace of redevelopment underway and real estate sales activity, I expect things to continue to improve. You still have to keep an eye on things, and I still call the cops when I see suspicious activity. Thankfully, the police come quickly and in force.

We also had a lot of crimes in my Lakewood neighborhood up until about 2010 or so. It has gotten better since and especially in the past year. With the pace of redevelopment underway and real estate sales activity, I expect things to continue to improve. You still have to keep an eye on things, and I still call the cops when I see suspicious activity. Thankfully, the police come quickly and in force.

 

Lakewood is safer and has lower than average crime in virtually every statistical category.

 

And props to the Lakewood police. I'll just leave it at that.

If you want good public schools, safe neighborhoods, diversity, walkable area, and close to downtown Lakewood is a no brainer.

If you want good public schools, safe neighborhoods, diversity, walkable area, and close to downtown Lakewood is a no brainer.

 

IF you can find the housing you want. That's the difficulty here.

Thank you for your great suggestions. I think we are going to hold out as long as we can for the right place to go on the market in Lakewood-really seems like the best of both worlds! If not, maybe we will consider renting until something comes along. We will keep you posted!

I would highly recommend renting for a year before buying just to re-acclimate yourself to the region. 

We have also made major improvements to our school facilities and to our lakefront parks, and have a new transit line (the Cleveland State Line) on Clifton across the northern part of the city to downtown, plus the Red Line rail along the southern part of Lakewood to downtown and the airport.

 

... and directly to Little Italy and Univ. Circle, too.

I'm bringing a Lakewood house to market sometime in June. I've set up an Instagram for it. @1552Wyandotteforsale

 

Thank you for your great suggestions. I think we are going to hold out as long as we can for the right place to go on the market in Lakewood-really seems like the best of both worlds! If not, maybe we will consider renting until something comes along. We will keep you posted!

I sent the Lakewood house IG info to a friend of mine who is moving back here from Detroit and looking in Lakewood.

Thank you!

 

I sent the Lakewood house IG info to a friend of mine who is moving back here from Detroit and looking in Lakewood.

Thank you for your great suggestions. I think we are going to hold out as long as we can for the right place to go on the market in Lakewood-really seems like the best of both worlds! If not, maybe we will consider renting until something comes along. We will keep you posted!

Gorgeous house with nice updates! But three bedrooms? How's the basement for a possible fourth bedroom?

Thanks! The ceilings in the basement are kinda low for a bedroom. However, it has a walk up attic that would make an amazing master bedroom. It has an 11/12 roof, so there's plenty of headroom.

 

Gorgeous house with nice updates! But three bedrooms? How's the basement for a possible fourth basement?

I would highly recommend renting for a year before buying just to re-acclimate yourself to the region. 

 

Exactly what we did.  Even in 2012 the housing market was such that we needed a fair amount of time to find the right house.  We ended up paying a little more than we hoped, but it has been well worth it.  FWIW, it's a couple streets west of Bunts and just south of Detroit, and aside from some very minor issues that I attribute to proximity to bars and a high school (mostly people being loud or looking for someplace to sleep it off), we are very happy here. 

Thank you for your great suggestions. I think we are going to hold out as long as we can for the right place to go on the market in Lakewood-really seems like the best of both worlds! If not, maybe we will consider renting until something comes along. We will keep you posted!

 

I personally like Clinton Ave in Detroit-Shoreway, should a suitable rental pop up there. It's similar in atmosphere to Franklin but lacks the through traffic. Seems like it could be a good intermediate between initially relocating and purchasing in Lakewood.

Lakewood. The "western half is better" adage is overly simplistic and not truly helpful in my humble opinion. Some of the streets adjacent to W.117 look a little worn. But there are lots of great streets and houses east of Warren I can assure you.

 

*coughs* Cohassett, Grace, Clarence, Merl, Donald just to name a few.

Grace is one of my favorite streets in Lakewood. It's lined with large company houses built for executives and management of Union Carbide, the plant along Madison just west of West 117th.

The Kamms Corners area (between Lakewood Heights Blvd in Lakewood and south through Cleveland to nearly Puritas, near the Rocky River Reservation) is a beautiful and safe neighborhood. I think it has some of the most beautiful homes in Cleveland and has easy access to the highways and the metroparks, has shopping/dining right at Kamms, and is a quick 5 minute jaunt to almost anywhere in Lakewood and only 10-15 minutes for all the big Cleveland hotspots (downtown, OHC, etc).  I feel like there's a lot less renters and duplexes here than in Lakewood, it's more of a family neighborhood and a lot more of the streets seem well-kept because of it.  Also about $2k less in property taxes.

The Kamms Corners area (between Lakewood Heights Blvd in Lakewood and south through Cleveland to nearly Puritas, near the Rocky River Reservation) is a beautiful and safe neighborhood. I think it has some of the most beautiful homes in Cleveland and has easy access to the highways and the metroparks, has shopping/dining right at Kamms, and is a quick 5 minute jaunt to almost anywhere in Lakewood and only 10-15 minutes for all the big Cleveland hotspots (downtown, OHC, etc).  I feel like there's a lot less renters and duplexes here than in Lakewood, it's more of a family neighborhood and a lot more of the streets seem well-kept because of it.  Also about $2k less in property taxes.

 

Kamms Corners needs more middle class families to keep it stable.