So happy to find this site!

My family and I currently live in Phx AZ and have been itching to move for years and now that the oldest is graduating HS we are planning our escape. My husband is originally from the Midwest (KC and Chicago) and I did a chunk of growing up in the Northern Ohio rural region (Tiffin). I was visiting last October, hadn't been in Cle in YEARS and I couldn't believe how much I loved it. I immediately started considering a possible move. We are coming back at the end of May to spend a week poking around the city, doing a little research, and getting a feel if this is really the place for us. We are older, in our 40's, and will have one kid moving with us (8). I'm a special ed teacher and he owns his own business in video and film production. We are looking for advice on work, neighborhoods, and community feel. I'd love to land somewhere that I can walk all weekend- to the bar, the cinema, for coffee, and a park run- where you know your neighbors and the neighbors don't all look like us.

Any advice on where to visit, what you would suggest for someone moving out that way, and what you would recommend to visit while there.

Thanks!

Welcome! I hope you find what you're looking for.

 

I like Lakewood. A lot. It's diverse, safe, mostly walkable and just has a great community feel. It's supportive of the arts, and also home to a great array of non-chain bars and restaurants. Finally it's conveniently located to downtown, the lake and other cool hoods like Gordon Square and Ohio City.

 

Just off the top of my head I recommend checking out Mahall's 20 Lanes (bar and bowling alley with touring bands), Lakewood Park, Rocky River Reservation Park, 5 Oclock Lounge (cool divey bar), Taco Tontos for margaritas, Beck Center for the Arts, Pier W (best seafood if that's your thing) and The Root Cafe (coffee/vegitarian-friendly cafe).     

 

Lakewood named one of 10 most exciting suburbs in America

http://www.cleveland.com/lakewood/index.ssf/2014/02/lakewood_named_one_of_10_most.html

 

Best of luck!

I second Lakewood or Gordon Sqaure, the most adorable little cinema you will find is in gordon Square (Capitol theatre).  Both snug Lake Erie and have wonderful views of sunsets and plenty of green space to play.  Lakewood and Gordon/Ohio City loaded with coffee spots.  A lot of really quality food and drink in both these places.  cleveland Hts/University Circle also an option, more urban housing the closer u get to the circle and a few miles away from the lake.  Special Ed is a great profession, the school systems are pretty competitive up here but I would say apply if that's what are going to continue to do.  The Cuyahoga County Board of Developmental Disabilities is also a great branch of our county. My mom was a nurse there and I've volunteered there a lot over the years. I know they employ special Ed folks too.  Good Luck

Welcome to UO! 

  From your requirements and "walking to a cinema" being the main limiting factor in my mind, you'll want to look at Gordon Square area, Cedar-Lee area, and Shaker Square. Those are the main indie cinema areas.  I guess you could also include downtown for the tower city cinemas. 

  As far as walkable neighborhoods with great coffee shops, bars, parks, and restaurants I would say hands down it would be Tremont.  The quality of everything in that neighborhood is really off the charts.  It is fairly walkable or bikeable to the breweries in Ohio City.

  Ohio City is good if one wants to feel they are more in the hustle and bustle of a city.  It also has a great mix of restaurants, bars, and coffee shops with the brewery district as a bonus.  Not sure about parks around there except maybe edgewater. 

  I think Lakewood would also be worth a look as it has a great mix of everything either on Detroit or on Madison.

  There is a very big music scene in Cleveland and clubs dot throughout the region. Happy Dog in Gordon Sq and Beachland Ballroom in Collinwood have some of the better small and eclectic shows.

Have fun house hunting!

 

Check out the web site www.freshwatercleveland.com, it has some very useful info that could be helpful in deciding where you would like to plant yourself & family. It also has info on the Arts and Culture in the CLE.

 

From reading your criteria as to what interest you, I would have to agree on what others have already said. If looking for a suburb, Lakewood, or Cleveland Hts., or Shaker Hts. sound like what you may be interested in. If looking to live in the city of CLE proper, the neighborhoods of Edgewater, Detroit-Shoreway (Gordon Square), Tremont, or even University Circle/Little Italy may interest you.

PhxToCle: Is a safe neighborhood/city important to you and/or what level of real world issues are you willing to live with to get the mix of what you are looking for? You didn't state that, nor was that addressed in responses... The places the posters note above almost uniformly offer the types of things you are looking for, but some have realities that not everyone would be prepared for or comfortable with... That may be exactly what you are looking for. But, if not, ask some questions....

I also suggest Lakewood. And, welcome!

As a lakewood resident, I recommend Lakewood.  Dollar for dollar, I feel it is the best quality of life in Northeast Ohio.  Urban atmosphere with a small town feel. 

 

If schools are a factor, Lakewood for sure. You still get the walkability with the quality schools to boot. If schools are not a factor, then hands down Gordon Square. Particularly around the battery park development (w 70th to w 76th north of Detroit). Checks off everything you are looking for

I'm 49, married with a young son and we live in Lakewood. I first moved to Lakewood 20 years ago when I bought a condo just off the Gold Coast. Lakewood is a diverse, open-minded community that's so walkable that the school district has no busing. Most of the housing was built between the 1890s-1920s. But there's high-rises built along the lake in the 1940s-1970s (Gold Coast). West of the Gold Coast along the lake is some of the beautiful old mansions that you may find surprisingly affordable. One of the most common housing styles in Lakewood is the up/down duplex. Many people owned duplexes living in the upstairs and rent the downstairs to pay their mortgage. There are lower-income immigrant neighborhoods at the east end of Lakewood away from the lake, especially Bird Town. Here you will find every nationality you can imagine, although you will find the diversity everywhere in Lakewood. My wife and son are Ukrainian and inquired about language assistance in the school district. They learned that Lakewood schools have students from all over the world and speak more than 40 languages. The only downside is that Lakewood doesn't have a movie theater anymore. But there is the Beck Center at the West End of Lakewood which is a performing arts theater and education center. Downtown Lakewood also is going to be featuring some office buildings converted into apartments starting this year. And there are many new town houses being built around the city. Some of the most fascinating is the Cliffs development which overlooks the Rocky River Valley at the West End. So much more to say but I hope this gives you some direction. If you want to ask me any questions, feel free to respond in this thread or use the personal messenger feature here on Urban Ohio. Good luck!

To be fair to our friends on the east side, I should also tout the area around the Cedar Lee Theater (a terrific arts theater near the intersection of Cedar and Lee roads) in Cleveland Heights. I just had dinner tonight in the Cedar Lee neighborhood at a Turkish restaurant. A couple of doors down from it is an Ethiopian restaurant as well as an Indian restaurant and many other choices. If you like to hang around a younger crowd (with college students from all over the world) might want to visit the Coventry neighborhood which is along its namesake road between Euclid Heights Boulevard and Mayfield Road.

 

Then there's the area just east of Shaker Square. This is a 1920s era community built around a rapid transit rail line to downtown Cleveland. Shaker Square has a first-run movie theater, grocery store, drug store, plus lots of restaurants and shops. Just east of the square are mid-rise condos with wonderful charm and fireplaces in them. Shaker Square is actually in Cleveland but is part of the Shaker Heights School District. To the north and east of Shaker Square is the Shaker Lakes Park which is a beautiful setting at any time of the year.

To be fair to our friends on the east side, I should also tout the area around the Cedar Lee Theater (a terrific arts theater near the intersection of Cedar and Lee roads) in Cleveland Heights. I just had dinner tonight in the Cedar Lee neighborhood at a Turkish restaurant. A couple of doors down from it is an Ethiopian restaurant as well as an Indian restaurant and many other choices. If you like to hang around a younger crowd (with college students from all over the world) might want to visit the Coventry neighborhood which is along its namesake road between Euclid Heights Boulevard and Mayfield Road.

 

Then there's the area just east of Shaker Square. This is a 1920s era community built around a rapid transit rail line to downtown Cleveland. Shaker Square has a first-run movie theater, grocery store, drug store, plus lots of restaurants and shops. Just east of the square are mid-rise condos with wonderful charm and fireplaces in them. Shaker Square is actually in Cleveland but is part of the Shaker Heights School District. To the north and east of Shaker Square is the Shaker Lakes Park which is a beautiful setting at any time of the year.

 

Thanks KJP!  I'm in Cleveland Heights and love it.  I am about a mile from the Cedar/Lee area and frequent it regularly.  Besides the great restaurants there KJP mentioned, also there are a few other great places to go - The Wine Spot, Tavern Company, Bottlehouse brewery and Cle Urban Winery.  Plus coming soon will be a another brewery.  I also used to rent in the Cedar/Fairmount neighborhood and I love that neighborhood.  They just added Barrio Tacos and Luna Bakery is great there too.  Of course elsewhere in Cleveland Heights you can find the BEST bread in town at On the Rise, Melt, Mr. Brisket and we haven't even gotten into Coventry yet. 

 

I have 6 nieces and nephews in the Heights schools and all are doing good. 

 

I live very close to Shaker Lakes, which is great for running and taking the dog for walks. 

Shaker Heights!

So happy to find this site!

My family and I currently live in Phx AZ and have been itching to move for years and now that the oldest is graduating HS we are planning our escape. My husband is originally from the Midwest (KC and Chicago) and I did a chunk of growing up in the Northern Ohio rural region (Tiffin). I was visiting last October, hadn't been in Cle in YEARS and I couldn't believe how much I loved it. I immediately started considering a possible move. We are coming back at the end of May to spend a week poking around the city, doing a little research, and getting a feel if this is really the place for us. We are older, in our 40's, and will have one kid moving with us (8). I'm a special ed teacher and he owns his own business in video and film production. We are looking for advice on work, neighborhoods, and community feel. I'd love to land somewhere that I can walk all weekend- to the bar, the cinema, for coffee, and a park run- where you know your neighbors and the neighbors don't all look like us.

Any advice on where to visit, what you would suggest for someone moving out that way, and what you would recommend to visit while there.

Thanks!

 

Gordon Square sounds perfect for you! It hits all of your needs and then some....

 

Check out all of the amenities (coffee shops, bars, retail, multiple theaters) around 65th and Detroit, then take a walk north on 65th to Edgewater park. 

Rocky River or Lakewood seem to be the best fit for what you're looking for.

Rocky River or Lakewood seem to be the best fit for what you're looking for.

 

"the neighbors don't all look like us."

 

That kinda rules out anything west of Lakewood.

 

Lakewood or Cleveland Heights/Shaker Heights 

Shaker/Univ heights/Beechwood.

 

Although to avoid the snow, go to Lakewood, Avon Lake.

Shaker/Univ heights/Beechwood.

 

Although to avoid the snow, go to Lakewood, Avon Lake.

 

Walkability and diversity were specific requests.

^ I meant to say Bay Village, not Avon Lake.

^ I meant to say Bay Village, not Avon Lake.

 

KJP's comment is still valid

At least Bay has sidewalks (though almost zero mixed use) along its roads. Avon Lake has ditches.

At least Bay has sidewalks (though almost zero mixed use) along its roads. Avon Lake has ditches.

 

Off topic but Avon Lake has bike lanes along Lake and Walker Roads, has a wooded Metropark with a bike/walking path that connects to the library/high school area and has built sidewalks along 83 and other arterial streets in the past few years.  Much better than neighboring Avon where I am afraid to ride a bike on Detroit Road or most arterial streets due to narrowness and lack of sidewalks or berm to ride on.

 

http://www.noaca.org/modules/showdocument.aspx?documentid=11175

^ I meant to say Bay Village, not Avon Lake.

 

KJP's comment is still valid

 

Not much mixed use, but it is a walkable neighborhood and pretty scenic. Avon is a burb like Westlake.

^ The OP's comment about walkability has to do with walking to destinations on weekends.  I'll agree that Bay Village has some beautiful neighborhoods but it does not fit the OPs needs and neither does Beachwood. 

So happy to find this site!

My family and I currently live in Phx AZ and have been itching to move for years and now that the oldest is graduating HS we are planning our escape. My husband is originally from the Midwest (KC and Chicago) and I did a chunk of growing up in the Northern Ohio rural region (Tiffin). I was visiting last October, hadn't been in Cle in YEARS and I couldn't believe how much I loved it. I immediately started considering a possible move. We are coming back at the end of May to spend a week poking around the city, doing a little research, and getting a feel if this is really the place for us. We are older, in our 40's, and will have one kid moving with us (8). I'm a special ed teacher and he owns his own business in video and film production. We are looking for advice on work, neighborhoods, and community feel. I'd love to land somewhere that I can walk all weekend- to the bar, the cinema, for coffee, and a park run- where you know your neighbors and the neighbors don't all look like us.

Any advice on where to visit, what you would suggest for someone moving out that way, and what you would recommend to visit while there.

Thanks!

 

A perfect slice of Cleveland: Detroit Shoreway

 

http://www.freshwatercleveland.com/features/PerfectSliceDetroitShoreway042116.aspx