Posted April 17, 200718 yr Hello everyone. I have been living in L.A. for five years! Now my husband is taking a job in Cleveland! And soon! We are liberal and have embraced the diversity that defines Southern California. Believe me, I know Ohio is nothing like L.A. in that respect (I grew up near Cincinnati!) but will I find anyone in Cleveland with an open mind? Someone tell me about the Painesville area. Will I survive? I'm also interested in the brew pub situation. I saw the post about the new pubs in Akron. Are there any local brewing companies in Cleveland? Thanks in advance. Please be kind. I've been reading threads about Cleveland on city-data - the economy, the weather, the housing market - and they scared me to death!
April 17, 200718 yr dont be scared by what you read. its an exciting time to be living in cleveland. downtown is in the midst of transitioning itself with many new residential projects as well as great restaurants and other nightspots. painesville is still kind of downtrodden being that it relied mostly on manufacturing for many years though not a bad place to live yet not the most desirable by any means. Akron has redeveloped itself nicely in the last ten years or so with a neat downtown college area. Though it sounds to me that the Ohio City neighborhood of cleveland would suit you nicely. it sits adjacent of downtown directly across the cuyahoga river. you have Great Lakes Brewing Company with its excellent line of craft brews and excellent food to boot, the West Side Market with any kind of produce or meats you could ever want right off the truck from local farmers. and many other good restaurants and shops lining W.25th street. very lively street life also along 25th. lots of victorian type homes mixed in with newer townhomes and condos. W. 25th also has a train station on the Rapid Line that will take you across the bridge to downtown to tower city where you can connect with trains that will take you to other parts ot the city east and south. Also, the rapid line that comes to W. 25th runs directly to the Cleveland-Hopkins Intl. airport terminal.
April 17, 200718 yr Painesville?? why not live closer in to Cleveland...? Ohio City, Tremont, Downtown, The Heights, University Circle, etc are all a whole lot more metropolitan and diverse. Well as far as conservative vs. liberal Cleveland is nothing like Cincinnati, it usually votes 70/30 in favor of democrats. but i dunno, Painesville is a further out suburb area thats a whole lot more blue-collar.
April 17, 200718 yr Hello everyone. I have been living in L.A. for five years! Now my husband is taking a job in Cleveland! And soon! We are liberal and have embraced the diversity that defines Southern California. Believe me, I know Ohio is nothing like L.A. in that respect (I grew up near Cincinnati!) but will I find anyone in Cleveland with an open mind? Someone tell me about the Painesville area. Will I survive? I'm also interested in the brew pub situation. I saw the post about the new pubs in Akron. Are there any local brewing companies in Cleveland? Thanks in advance. Please be kind. I've been reading threads about Cleveland on city-data - the economy, the weather, the housing market - and they scared me to death! Oh you're gonna make alot of friends on this board when your first post is a backhand slam at Cleveland, Cincinnati and Ohio in general. Good luck with the move, let's hope the people in Painesville don't throw you in the lake with that attitude. ;)
April 17, 200718 yr Hello everyone. I have been living in L.A. for five years! Now my husband is taking a job in Cleveland! And soon! We are liberal and have embraced the diversity that defines Southern California. Believe me, I know Ohio is nothing like L.A. in that respect (I grew up near Cincinnati!) but will I find anyone in Cleveland with an open mind? Someone tell me about the Painesville area. Will I survive? I'm also interested in the brew pub situation. I saw the post about the new pubs in Akron. Are there any local brewing companies in Cleveland? Thanks in advance. Please be kind. I've been reading threads about Cleveland on city-data - the economy, the weather, the housing market - and they scared me to death! Welcome future Clevelander. :wave: Question? Before we start giving advice, have you read ANY of the other relocation threads here on UO? I'd like to suggest that, then come back with some specific questions. City-Data? Like thats accurate. Cleveland is very diverse city, and NOTHING like metro Cinci. The weather is fine here. We have all four seasons, from mild to extreme, which makes the city an awesome place to live. The housing market for new build is great and you'll get alot more bang for you buck, even if you have to do some work on a property, than you would in LA. The economy is good and improving, and above average if you work in government, arts, medical or research sectors. Lets come to Cleveland with an open mind instead of preconcieved notions :wink: Where do you live in LA? Are you looking for a comprable neighborhood? Do you want to live in the City or the Suburbs? Where is the hubby working? Will you have auto transportation? Are schools a factor? What kind of activities do you enjoy? What budget range are you working with?
April 17, 200718 yr goviemom, welcome to the forum. You will be pleased to know that yes indeed, there are open-minded individuals in the Greater Cleveland area, just as there are narrow-minded twits everywhere, even in southern California. Keep in mind, Cleveland is home to Dennis Kucinich and if he isn't liberal I don't know who is. I'm not terribly familar with Painesville since it's about 30 miles northeast of Cleveland proper. I'm under the impression that it's basically a small town that's been enveloped by sprawl and there are some issues with crime/poverty but that's just what I gather from local media. I personally wouldn't live there because 1. it's 30 miles outside of a major city, 2. I'd probably have to buy a car, and I enjoy being car-free. If you have the option of living closer to Cleveland proper, I'd go with that simply because you'd be closer to more amenities. While Cleveland doesn't have a brewpub on every block like some cities, it has one of the best in the nation (as gavster mentioned). Great Lakes Brewing Company http://www.greatlakesbrewing.com makes some outstanding beers, my personal favorite being the Burning River Pale Ale. They're also very involved in environmental/green issues, producing the Burning River Festival which is an eco-friendly event held annually. Let us know if you'd like more information, and again - welcome :-) clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
April 17, 200718 yr thanks, mayday,MyTwoSense, zaceman and gavster! Y'all are very welcoming and reassuring. Yes, MyTwoSense I have seen some of your posts. I been following pupster and another one on their moves a little bit. Ohio City sounds wonderful but we will need to live over on the east side. My hubby is not into commuting. Yes we'll have cars. We run three days/week and like to run road races. We like bicycling, beer drinking and brewing and schools are not a factor. I don't think we are into renovating an old property although I know there are many beautiful and affordable old homes. I think we might go for a condo in the $150-200K range. I saw those new condos that overlook the river downtown -- what are they called? Can't remember how I found them even! But then there would be the commute out to Concord area for the hubby. Hmmm... He wants to live along the Lake. Can you run along the lake somewhere on the east side? AND walk to shops and restaurants? Are we asking too much? Thanks, gavster, for the brew info! I have heard about the Westside Market too and look forward to visiting the farmstands again. Homegrown tomatoes. Yum.
April 17, 200718 yr not to push it on you but i myself am a mainly suburb commuter being that i live in the city but mainly work in the suburbs and find it to be very easy being that you dont have to deal much with traffic. when you drive from downtown to concord in the morning the majority of traffic is coming from the suburbs to the downtown area and vice versa in the evening. i wouldnt trade living in the city for anything. though if you were to look for a nice area on the east side i would recommend Willoughby. it has a nice downtown area and its own local brewery, Willoughby Brewing Company. welcome and good luck!
April 17, 200718 yr Thanks, gavster. I think my husband could be an urban dweller. I could definitely do public transit once I find a job. I will share your words with him. I will check out Willoughby too. Have a good evening!
April 17, 200718 yr thanks, mayday,MyTwoSense, zaceman and gavster! Y'all are very welcoming and reassuring. Yes, MyTwoSense I have seen some of your posts. I been following pupster and another one on their moves a little bit. Ohio City sounds wonderful but we will need to live over on the east side. My hubby is not into commuting. Yes we'll have cars. We run three days/week and like to run road races. We like bicycling, beer drinking and brewing and schools are not a factor. I don't think we are into renovating an old property although I know there are many beautiful and affordable old homes. I think we might go for a condo in the $150-200K range. I saw those new condos that overlook the river downtown -- what are they called? Can't remember how I found them even! But then there would be the commute out to Concord area for the hubby. Hmmm... He wants to live along the Lake. Can you run along the lake somewhere on the east side? AND walk to shops and restaurants? Are we asking too much? Thanks, gavster, for the brew info! I have heard about the Westside Market too and look forward to visiting the farmstands again. Homegrown tomatoes. Yum. Concord?? That out by Quaill Hallow right? My dad golfs out there at one of those places. That being said....its the wisteria lane of metro Cleveland-yawn!
April 17, 200718 yr He wants to live along the Lake. Can you run along the lake somewhere on the east side? AND walk to shops and restaurants? Are we asking too much? The Lakeshore area of Cleveland and Northern Euclid will allow you to walk to some restaraunts and shops and things while still being near some of the Lakefront parks. There are also newer condos getting built and some offer views of the Lake. Euclid is also about halfway between downtown and Concord. The downside to Euclid is crime in the southern half is increasing.
April 17, 200718 yr Having grown up in Painesville, I guess I would be the resident expert (no pun intended). Painesville proper is the county seat of Lake County, and is about a 25 min drive along Rt 2 to the E 9th street exit downtown, thats w/out any traffic. The city itself is centered around Veteran's Park, a New England type centralized square surrounded by churches, county offices, commercial buildings, and city hall. The older, and generally most pleasing, housing stock is mostly located on the thouroughfares and side streets radiating from the square and along Rt 20, the main "drag" through town. Depending where you live in Pville the lake is between 2-10 minutes away. Fairport Harbor and Grand River to the north are right on the lake, and I believe relatively new condos are built/being built in the area with lake and river views. Painesville City has a pop of a little over 15,000, and if you include the township (with all the crappy subdvisions) I think the pop is around 30,000. Pville is also easily the most diverse area in Lake County, I graduated from HS with a class probably 20% AA, 20% Latino, and 60% caucasian. There is a healthy Mexican population that lives in Painesville, having moved into the area in the 90s, because of the ornamental agricultural farms in western Lake County. There are numerous Latino run shops and festivals held in town and the area. Plenty of Parks and Rec in the area, also Lake Erie College is in town which has one of the nicest campuses in OH IMHO. Painesville does have a reputation in Lake County for having "crime", and it does have its rougher areas, but in reality I think it may have that rap due to the diverse pop and because anybody that needs county provided services has to recieve them in Pville (WIC, County Jail, Court, Welfare, etc.) If your not going to live in Cleveland, I would say definetely consider Painesville, Fairport, and Willoughby. Anyway enough of my shpeal, welcome to the area. Whats your husband doing in Concord?
April 17, 200718 yr If you can forgo Lake Erie access, I would add Shaker Square to the list of neighborhoods to check out. The Shaker Lakes and the bucolic streets of neighboring Shaker Heights would make a great place to go running, plus you are close to a nice neighborhood retail center at the Square and Larchmere. It is a very diverse and tolerant neighborhood. The condos on the river are the Stonebridge condominiums. Isn't there a planned development in Grandriver/Painesville area that is supposed to be themed around "active living"? Does anyone remember this?
April 18, 200718 yr I've been reading threads about Cleveland on city-data - the economy, the weather, the housing market - and they scared me to death! I don't have much to offer being don't live in Cleveland. However, one thing no one has mentioned is that Painesville is in the snow belt. If weather is an issue the east inner-ring suburbs such as Cleveland Hts or Shaker Hts. are a better choice. Painesville (Lake County) and the far east suburbs get a lot of lake affect snow.The further east along the lakeshore from Cleveland the more lake effect snow. Could be quite shocking even for a former Cincinnatian.
April 18, 200718 yr I've been reading threads about Cleveland on city-data - the economy, the weather, the housing market - and they scared me to death! I don't have much to offer being don't live in Cleveland. However, one thing no one has mentioned is that Painesville is in the snow belt. If weather is an issue the east inner-ring suburbs such as Cleveland Hts or Shaker Hts. are a better choice. Painesville (Lake County) and the far east suburbs get a lot of lake affect snow.The further east along the lakeshore from Cleveland the more lake effect snow. Could be quite shocking even for a former Cincinnatian. Why? The snow belt starts (approximately) in buckeye area right through the heights and hillcrest communities right out to Chardon and east to Erie.
April 18, 200718 yr Why? The snow belt starts (approximately) in buckeye area right through the heights and hillcrest communities right out to Chardon and east to Erie. True but the heights usually see much less than cities like Chardon or Painsville. Here is a good description: http://www.ecocitycleveland.org/smartgrowth/watershed/lake_erie/snowbelts.html
April 18, 200718 yr We live in Euclid and are actually considering moving to the west side of town in order to even out our commute between the two of us and because we like the west side better than the east. Most of our friends live on the west side. Euclid isn't bad but it is a place going through transition. The southern area of the city is going through some rough times but the northern part along the lake -- known in the town as "North of the Boulevard (Lake Shore Boulevard)" is pretty good. The downtown area of Euclid has some restaurants but not too much in shops but there is a fair size grocery store, lake access, a few decent restaurants, a park along the lake, and good access to public transportation. Concord is about 20 minutes away and you are going against traffic at rush hours. You didn't mention where you would be working, but if you are working downtown, Euclid would be a good split the difference point on commute (same reason we are looking west!) Best of luck!
April 18, 200718 yr You might be interested in some of these places.... ___________________ Just a few of the condos available at Bratenahl Place on the lakefront (bikepaths go into downtown Cleveland, or University Circle, with frequent transit on the #39 to downtown): http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5643855 http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5208229 http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5516669 http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=3935073 http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5950768 http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=4306437 ___________________ Just a few available condos in the same building on the lake in Euclid (check out some of the stunning views!): http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5658803 http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5171409 http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5324376 ___________________ Near the lake, in Eastlake (but you may be downwind of the CEI coal-fired powerplant!): http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=5923452 http://realtyone.realliving.com/Property/Details.aspx?PropID=4198324 ___________________ Or, do some of your own seaching at http://realtyone.realliving.com/ If you like beaches, one of the best on Lake Erie is Mentor Headlands, but Mentor (pronounced men-ter) is a typical, white-bread suburban area. I just pass through Mentor on my way to the headlands. Euclid has a better variety of people, with a number of Eastern European and Russian accents in evidence. East 185th, at the border of Cleveland and Euclid, has a large variety of bars, restaurants and nightspots. There is also a walkable shopping district in Euclid along Lakeshore Boulevard, with a better choice of high-rise apartment buildings than condos available along the lakefront. Transit bus service to downtown Cleveland is frequent on several routes, the fastest of which is the #39 (see http://www.riderta.com/maps-schedules.asp). BTW, the folks at city-data.com aren't very big on city living. Seems to be mostly a bunch of suburbanites who have holed up in their gated subdivisions and have little idea of what Cleveland has to offer. Stick with UrbanOhio. You'll discover much more about Cleveland here than you can just about anywhere else! Welcome! "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 18, 200718 yr I'd second KJPs comments with emphasizing because of the snowbelt situation to stay as close to the lake as possible on the East side. I imagine some gardening websites or books might have some good maps on the micro-climate of Northeast Ohio. I think Mentor is a great town if only for easy access to I-90, its schools, and the headland beach. Willoughby would likely be your best bet if you want suburb, lake, brewery, and easy access to Concord and Cleveland for that matter. I believe Willoughby Brewing is the only brewery on the East side of Cleveland. Good Luck!
April 18, 200718 yr My brother lives downtown and works in Eastlake, and he says he gets the best of many worlds: no rush hour on the way to work, downtown feel and amenties, enough out of the snowbelt (yes Painesville is definitely in the snow belt). It really wouldn't be that bad of a drive from Downtown/Ohio city (w 25th) and you may enjoy it more.
April 18, 200718 yr Hi everyone, y'all are awesome. I had a class until late last night so haven't been able to respond to all of this great information. Hubby read it and is intrigued with Willoughby now -- thanks to gavster and audidave. I will look at all of those links to condos, KJP, after I actually do some work this morning... We will be going on a house-hunting trip in a couple of weeks, so I want to have some ideas but arrive with an open mind and drive around a lot. We have a friend who lives in Cleveland Heights who will probably have some input about neighborhoods. Glutmax gave a fantastic description of Painesville! Wow. I appreciate that. The link to the description of lake effect snow is great too, FloridaGuy. And the hubby claims to like to shovel snow! Heh heh heh...yeah, we'll see...Must work now. Thank you, thank you.
April 18, 200718 yr Isn't there a planned development in Grandriver/Painesville area that is supposed to be themed around "active living"? Does anyone remember this? i think you are talking about lakeview bluffs in fairport harbor: http://www.hemispheredev.com/case/lakeview.html is that project still alive?
April 18, 200718 yr We will be going on a house-hunting trip in a couple of weeks, so I want to have some ideas but arrive with an open mind and drive around a lot. We have a friend who lives in Cleveland Heights who will probably have some input about neighborhoods. Without knowing your friend, and please don't take any offense: Be wary of some advice from People living in the heights, some can be very elitist, and some can be downright naive/racist (" don't live near "them" folks" type of comments, which I've heard far too frequently from some local heights realtors) That represents a minority, just a "grain of salt warning". As always we're here at UO to offer advice. (Disclaimer, I live in Cleveland Heights)
April 18, 200718 yr The Pope: I gotcha. He has already made comments about his neighbors so I know what you mean! Yikes.
April 18, 200718 yr The Pope: I gotcha. He has already made comments about his neighbors so I know what you mean! Yikes. it would be funny if i was his neighbor.
April 18, 200718 yr The Pope: I gotcha. He has already made comments about his neighbors so I know what you mean! Yikes. it would be funny if i was his neighbor. I had already made that assumption.
April 19, 200718 yr Willoughby, Eastlake, Willowick, Wickliffe, could work. Their housing prices are realtively cheap, and have abundant stock of small single family homes available. Crime rates are low, schools are adiqute, and are about halfway from the job in concord and cleveland. Steer clear of mentor, geauga county, and anything east of mentor. As these places are near the edge of nothingness, are experiencing heavy sprawl, and whose housing prices are a bit high for what you get. I know this is about pro-urban board, but I think one of those communities might offer something you're looking for. I also recomend checking out realtyone.com or howardhanna.com to get an idea of what kinds of housing prices and what types of housing are available in various communities. And finnaly, I would recomend renting before buying, till you get the lay of the land and have a better sense of what you want in commute times, ammenites, and housing stock.
April 19, 200718 yr ^Willoughby has a nice, authentic small town downtown....the rest of the cities above do not. Just an FYI
April 19, 200718 yr thanks, smackem81 for the good list to look at. punch, willoughby sounds nice, but it sure sounds whitebread! i don't think renting first will be an option, but as i told hubby last night, i'm not going to be rushed into anything. his new company is giving us 60 days housing but i don't want to be pressured by a relocation realtor either. the advice from this thread is very helpful especially as we prepare for the house hunting trip. that will be whirlwind, but we will have at least done a little research ahead of time. have a great day everyone!
April 19, 200718 yr I was thinking these condos at Shaker Towne Center would be something to consider: http://www.avalonlofts.com/_index.php?page=about. This is really the only new condominium development on the East Side in a sophisticated and diverse/liberal community with easy public transit access downtown, walking distance to neighborhood amenities, and off I-271 within reasonable commuting distance to Painesville. Plus in terms of running, jogging, biking you'd really like Shaker Heights. Its gorgeous and they have a fantastic nature preserve- Shaker Lakes. Also the Courtyards of Severance or Severance Place in Cleveland Heights might be good options too: www.progressiveurban.com/homepage_hires.htm
April 19, 200718 yr I was thinking these condos at Shaker Towne Center would be something to consider: http://www.avalonlofts.com/_index.php?page=about. This is really the only new condominium development on the East Side in a sophisticated and diverse/liberal community with easy public transit access downtown, walking distance to neighborhood amenities, and off I-271 within reasonable commuting distance to Painesville. Plus in terms of running, jogging, biking you'd really like Shaker Heights. Its gorgeous and they have a fantastic nature preserve- Shaker Lakes. Also the Courtyards of Severance or Severance Place in Cleveland Heights might be good options too: www.progressiveurban.com/homepage_hires.htm Vulpster, STC isn't anywhere near 271. It's on Van Aken and Avalon. I wouldn't suggest this as the traffic from Avalon to Warrensville on Van Aken is a b-tch during rush hours and the traffic from warrensville to 271 on Chagrin is even worse!! Then after all that you still have to drive on 271. Goviemom, have you considered Bratenahl?
April 19, 200718 yr Bratenahl is about a 5-minute drive east of downtown Cleveland, on the lakefront: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bratenahl%2C_OH clevelandskyscrapers.com Cleveland Skyscrapers on Instagram
April 19, 200718 yr Regarding Bratenahl, see also the first six listings in my earlier post: http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php?topic=12575.msg178668#msg178668 "In the souls of the people the grapes of wrath are filling and growing heavy, growing heavy for the vintage." -- John Steinbeck
April 19, 200718 yr Quoting the wiki: "Bratenahl is the most conservative Cleveland suburb. George W. Bush won 68% of the vote." I don't think this is the place for us! Ack. Thanks for the thought, tho!
April 19, 200718 yr Quoting the wiki: "Bratenahl is the most conservative Cleveland suburb. George W. Bush won 68% of the vote. I don't think this is the place for us! Ack. Thanks for the thought, tho! Sweetie....wiki isn't exactly accurate, now is it? I and KJP are providing you with as many options as possible and seems as though you're a finicky one. As said before, you might want to rent before buying, as Cleveland and its suburbs have a wide array of eclectic and diverse communities. Again, based on your preferences, I think the Heights would suit you very well. :-)
April 19, 200718 yr I Quoting the wiki: "Bratenahl is the most conservative Cleveland suburb. George W. Bush won 68% of the vote." I don't think this is the place for us! Ack. Thanks for the thought, tho! I would not be too surprised that stat. When I was volunteering the last presidential election for moveon.org, I remember learning about some "don't even bother" canvass areas-Bratenahl may have been in that mix. Goviemom I would be worried about a lot of the burbs in Cleveland being conservative esp the west side ones. Like any area, more progressive people tend to live in or near the urban core-but there are exceptions everywhere. It was hilarious b/c we moved here from out of state almost 5 years ago and choose Cleveland Heights b/c we heard it was so liberal and diverse (not to mention the great housing)-instead we found a very segregated city racially and socio economically. One day we walked out and the street easily had a dozen GWB for prez signs. The place was on the market within a week... we were going that direction anyway but that was the straw that broke the camels back. a year and half later it sold for a loss. My neighbors were of a fundamentalist religion and did not speak to me in 2.5 years of living there (spoke to my husband-I guess being a man is ok)I really don't get into politics that much on here and do not want to offend anyone, but since this is important you should know what you could be getting yourself into. There are pockets of progressive people in the area for but you have to find them. As it happens we shocked the country by voting for a smoking ban that had very sneaky wording on the ballot (we outsmarted big tobacco-sweet!). Conversely, there is some knuckleheaditry compared to east and west coast cities when it comes to living in segregated communities and attitudes about gay/lesbian issues. I loved this area 10 fold more when I moved from an inner ring suburb to the downtown area. That’s just me. We have actually discussed if we could not live in the city we would have been outta here a looong time ago.
April 20, 200718 yr another area you might want to consider is Chardon. its a 10 min drive just south of concord. it has a very nice little downtown area on a square. though it is thee snow capital of ohio.
April 20, 200718 yr Peabody, I feel as if you are describing Cleveland Hts as if it were only the intersection of Lee & Mayfield and the area north of Mayfield. Did you forget that this city's citizens voted into law a same-sex benefits issue? That said, there are some very good parts of Cleveland Hts where your investment is very safe and other parts where a home will sit on the market a lot longer.
April 20, 200718 yr Peabody, I feel as if you are describing Cleveland Hts as if it were only the intersection of Lee & Mayfield and the area north of Mayfield. Did you forget that this city's citizens voted into law a same-sex benefits issue? That said, there are some very good parts of Cleveland Hts where your investment is very safe and other parts where a home will sit on the market a lot longer. That area north of Mayfield is very nice. Although I'm not a real estate expert, I can't see that area being bad. those homes along Monticello are great and there are lots of gays and lesbians, especially lesbians, in that area. (theory: check home depot on a Saturday or sunday morning, there are lesbians all over that joint, it's like a lesbian bar at severance) My cousin bought a home on one of those stone streets (blue, yellow, red) and the neighbors seem very nice. And the Caledonia area of East Cleveland to me is better maintained than some parts of shaker or Cleve. hts and absolutely stunning. Peabody, darlin', is your personal experience making it hard to give an unbiased opinion? You know we love you one way or the other and in the words of Jim S. bear hugssssssss :wink:
April 20, 200718 yr MTS, you are correct. I should have said "north of Mayfield and close to Noble". I wouldn't call it ghetto, but its definitely not as nice as some of the signature spots in CH.
April 20, 200718 yr Goviemom don't let peabody's post scare you I grew up in Cleveland Heights and even now my parents neighbors are black, white and asian and all talk to each other and get along. The schools were extremely diverse and I love the place. The area of the Heights thats the "worst" is the area Southwest of Noble road between Monticello Boulevard/ Noble and Taylor and even that area is not bad except for parts of Noble Road. North of Mayfield road has plenty of beautiful old homes. Especially near Yellowstone adjacent to Mayfield.
April 20, 200718 yr I know, I know, I am a one person sample. And I cannot give a truly unbiased opinion- I am only human. I do want to make clear I experienced the worst you could of the community. I have to keep saying though I NEVER said any neighborhoods in CH are "bad" -I assume we are talking about crime. all of Cleveland Heights is extremely safe IMO. I guess I got all pumped up before I moved there thinking it was some kind of utopia and everyone would be awesome and tolorant. I lived in one of the most integrated cities in the country-tampa before moving here and just a little suprised how segregated (by choice of course) the area is...including in the heights. I do know houses in many areas sit on the market for a very long period. In fact from time to time I see stats that CH homes are on the market longer than average than any other community. This is not a problem unless you want to move and need to sell. If I had spent more than 4 hours in the neighborhood we bought in then things would be different. Dumb, dumb, dumb I admit it! But it sounds like lots of people come to town on vacation before moving to buy. the classic, "I dont want to rent and move twice " syndrome . 3231 regarding the same sex thing....I was very excited about that but for weeks I had canvasing conservative nuts knocking on my door telling me I was going to hell for supporting domestic partnership issue (which some city council members tried to overturn...not sure of the outcome). I know Cleveland Heights is our most progressive burb, but I sure was in a crappy unaccaptable portal. In my case even if it was the utopia I had hoped for ..its a real pain in the arse to get to from downtown. There are many people who will find the heights perfect. the nice things I have to say are: great,mostly well maintained housing; nice, independent, family run businesses;great grocery store (Zagaras) ; close to University Circle. I just never developed the passion for the heights that so many people I know have...now start talking OC, Asiatown, Flats, Tremont...and I will show you affection. I like Shaker Square too! Wish it were closer to Downtown though :wink:
April 20, 200718 yr Well, now that we are narrowing it down based on openness and being progressive -- I would not say Willoughby, Mentor, Euclid, Chardon are the places to go to either. I guess just like any real estate decision there are trade offs. If you want the lake at the cost of openness, try Euclid. I live there and I think you have good access to the lake but definitely concerns about segregation. Mentor, Eastlake, and Mentor On the Lake are closer to where your husband will work but they are all pretty much the burbs. Chardon -- nice downtown, but sprawl and not close to the lake. Willoughby would be okay, nice downtown, and the lake is close to drive to but not walk to. I think Cleveland Heights has pluses & minuses -- the biggest minus IMO is the accessibility to the freeway. The daily commute for your husband to work will be a nightmare. Then he would have to come home and shovel snow!
April 20, 200718 yr Goviemom, one other thing you should keep in mind re: the Heights (either Shaker and or Cleveland) is that access to a highway is limited. Doing a quick search on google maps now, I found that it would take your husband the same amount of time to commute to Concord from the Heights as it would if you lived in a west side Cleveland nabe such as Ohio City or Detroit Shoreway (35-40 min). So if the 35-40 minute commute doesn't bother your husband, then I would check out Detroit Shoreway, specially the Battery Park development (http://www.batteryparkcleveland.com). It's a new development with good access to the lake and to the highway. As jmjr points out above, Euclid would give you access to the lake and also easy access to I-90, making the commute somewhat easier too. Many of the other east side 'burbs near Concord are pretty blah (Wickliffe, Eastlake, Willowick, Mentor) -- I grew up near there.
April 20, 200718 yr Goviemom, one other thing you should keep in mind re: the Heights (either Shaker and or Cleveland) is that access to a highway is limited. Doing a quick search on google maps now, I found that it would take your husband the same amount of time to commute to Concord from the Heights as it would if you lived in a west side Cleveland nabe such as Ohio City or Detroit Shoreway (35-40 min). So if the 35-40 minute commute doesn't bother your husband, then I would check out Detroit Shoreway, specially the Battery Park development (http://www.batteryparkcleveland.com). It's a new development with good access to the lake and to the highway. As jmjr points out above, Euclid would give you access to the lake and also easy access to I-90, making the commute somewhat easier too. Many of the other east side 'burbs near Concord are pretty blah (Wickliffe, Eastlake, Willowick, Mentor) -- I grew up near there. Hell the traffic from the heights (ex: starting at Lee Road Via Mayfield, Monticello, Shaker, Van Aken/Chagrin) to 271 alone could be a 35/40 ride depending on traffic.
April 20, 200718 yr 3231 regarding the same sex thing....I was very excited about that but for weeks I had canvasing conservative nuts knocking on my door telling me I was going to hell for supporting domestic partnership issue (which some city council members tried to overturn...not sure of the outcome). Getting waaaay off topic, but Peabody, if it makes you feel better about Cleveland Hts, the one councilman (Hicks) who was outspoken about trying to overturn the domestic partnership registry was voted out the next election...and replaced by a gay guy. Seriously. I can understand how your views of Cleveland Heights were shaped by your experience, but you unwittingly bought into a very strange part of the city- you would have had the same experience if you had settled in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (nearly identical demographics, racial tensions and conservative politics). I think you were just really unlucky. Or perhaps not familiar with the political bent of that particular religious subgroup.
April 20, 200718 yr 3231 regarding the same sex thing....I was very excited about that but for weeks I had canvasing conservative nuts knocking on my door telling me I was going to hell for supporting domestic partnership issue (which some city council members tried to overturn...not sure of the outcome). Getting waaaay off topic, but Peabody, if it makes you feel better about Cleveland Hts, the one councilman (Hicks) who was outspoken about trying to overturn the domestic partnership registry was voted out the next election...and replaced by a gay guy. Seriously. I can understand how your views of Cleveland Heights were shaped by your experience, but you unwittingly bought into a very strange part of the city- you would have had the same experience if you had settled in Crown Heights, Brooklyn (nearly identical demographics, racial tensions and conservative politics). I think you were just really unlucky. Or perhaps not familiar with the political bent of that particular religious subgroup. Strap, I slightly disagree, in Crown Heights you have to throw in the "cutural" issues since many of the people in that area are (first generation) carribean and poor. Where as in the Heights is an established jewish middle class vs new resident of color middle class issue.
April 20, 200718 yr ^Point taken, MTS, but I'm not comparing Crown Heights to the Heights as a whole, just to the parts with the more socially conservative/intraverted subsect that Peabody did not find to be the warmest neighbors. My only point being that it's not very representative of the whole city (not that the rest of the city is without issues).
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