Here's a quick way to get to know Cleveland. I created this for my Ukrainian girlfriend. It includes pictures I've taken, some from posters here at UO and from the Internet....

 

VISITING CLEVELAND....

http://freepdfhosting.com/0e21ce7a63.pdf (6MB)

 

EDIT: save the document, reopen it, then rotate it clockwise for better viewing.

link doesnt work

Try this new link...

Did you get that last picture from me?

Unfortunately I don't remember. The pic was taken from Fenn Tower.

Check out the latest and greatest grassroots marketing effort for city living ... New to Cleveland. A Guide to (re)Discovering the City: http://www.newtoclevelandbook.com/

 

It's really beautiful and informative and includes info of particular interest to students, artists, professionals, retirees and those who want to live car-free or car-light. Something tells me the author knows his way around urbanOhio ;)

Why yes he does!

I just ordered one. An early christmas present for myself.  :-)

That is a wonderful book...now let's just get places open past 7pm and I'll be happy.  I had to drive all the way to Steelyard Chipotle (which had about 80 people in and out in just 15 mins). I tried going to two places downtown, then Ohio City Burrito and had to end up going to Chipotle as apparently only chains can make it after a certain hour.  So frustrating.

All of this information has been great about potential neighborhoods. My wife and I are relocating to Cleveland in the next few months, from Portland, OR. Definitely share some other posters thoughts on wanting to be walking distance to amenities and culture. Also have a dog that drives us crazy if we don't exercise him everyday wonder which one of the neighborhoods might be best for outdoor activities. Appreciate any and all info.

Very important question.

 

Where will you be working?  You don't have to name the company(ies) but where is it (are they) located.

 

The best place will depend on where you need to be every day.

 

The answer is very different if you have to get to the airport on a regular basis, working for the Cleveland Clinic, or working at the Casino.

 

Neighborhoods/ inner ring suburbs that have "walkability"  in no particular order

 

Little Italy

Tremont

Shaker Square

Ohio City

The heights (Shaker, Cleveland, University)

Lakewood

Detroit Shoreway

Downtown

 

So where you will be working and what you consider an amenity and culture will need to be shared.

 

Dog Park....this one is evident.  Tremont has a dog park.  as does Lakewood (on the western Edge on the border with Rocky River)  But there are plenty of parks or places to walk a dog everywhere with the possible exception of downtown.

 

Museum?

Live music?

Live theater?

Movies?

 

Grocery store?

pharmacy?

restaurants?

bars?

hardware store?

transit access?

 

 

 

 

 

Welcome colin.max! Here's another question: what area of Portland do you like best and wanted to live in, and actually did live in? We can suggest a neighborhood or two here that is similar to your preferences there.

All of this information has been great about potential neighborhoods. My wife and I are relocating to Cleveland in the next few months, from Portland, OR. Definitely share some other posters thoughts on wanting to be walking distance to amenities and culture. Also have a dog that drives us crazy if we don't exercise him everyday wonder which one of the neighborhoods might be best for outdoor activities. Appreciate any and all info.

 

Have you been to Cleveland yet?  If so what have you seen?  Can you tell us where you live in Portland or your ideal neighborhood in Portland so we can list comparable neighborhoods in Cleveland.

Echo Echo Echo

Echo Echo Echo

 

HUSH

Keep in mind that Cleveland is a very diverse city, not just racially, but politically and culturally as well.  I think Portland is a more homogenous place to live.  Generally (but certainly not uniformily), the east side is more liberal than the west side...... and that Northwest liberal zeal will be found most rampant in the inner-ring east side suburbs (Cleveland Hts and Shaker Hts mostly).  Just an FYI and something to chew on.

So right now we live in a neighborhood called St. Johns. Its in North Portland. We both really like the area because we are very close to parks and dog areas, but at the sametime can easily walk to all the major amenities we need grocery stores, video stores, restuarants. Another thing we like about our area is that its got a little more of a blue collar feel than some of the areas where you can pay 5 bucks for a cup of coffee. Going out isn't a huge portion of our life, we don't go to plays, concerts much but like being able to walk from our house for a date night. My wife will probably be going to the Airport every other week so that will probably need to be a factor interms of our location. I will be working from home, but also be taking classes at cayuago (sp?) community college to get into grad school. We are hoping to have time to make a quick weekend to Cleveland, neither one of us have ever been there. Are weekends are going to be scarce between now and when we need to move, but its something we are hoping we can make happen.

^Based on the above, the first thing that occurred to me was the Kamm's Corner neighborhood of Cleveland

Kamms corner?

 

Ohio city.

 

1 seat train ride to the airport. 1 rapid stop from downtown.  Grocery store and west side market.  very close to Tri C downtown.  Could bike it if you wanted to, but an easy direct drive across the lorain carnagie bridge.

 

Could live there without a car if you wanted to.....train to airport to rent a car if you had to rent one.

 

That or Tremont.  Tremont has a dog park but more sporadic transit service.  and the grocery store would not be walkable.

 

There are a few smaller parks in ohio city you could walk to.  Edgewater park and Clark fields (where the dog park in Tremont is) are less than 3 miles from the "center" of ohio city  lorain and W. 25th st.  Not the Geographic center, but where most of the activities and amenities are

 

Both tremont and Ohio City are about the same short distance from Tri-C metro.  Both have plenty of restaurants/bars within easy walking distance.

 

Fly in, get on the train to W. 25th  walk around.....get a hotel downtown which would be 1 more stop..The Hyatt usually has reasonable rates at the foot of E. 4th st. 

 

Pretty much everything about Cleveland screams blue collar...even the gentrified areas.

 

If you live in Ohio city you could easily do that with less than 1 car depending on your comfort level with not having one.  you could do it with 0 fairly easily.

 

Kamms Corner you will need 1 +

 

Where ever you go.......Rent for a year, rents in Cleveland are not terrible.

 

Ohio city feels like it is in a city.  Transit, you can walk to do most things.

 

Kamms corners feels like a suburb.  You walk your dog and drive to do pretty much anything, even if you might possibly be within technical walking distance of it.

 

 

I am not familiar with Portland or St. Johns.  Does that feel like a city or like a suburb?  Are you interested in transit or do you want 2 cars with a garage that can hold them? 

 

Kamms corner is not a bad place if you want that suburban feel, but still have houses with character IE Pre 1960 interesting non cookie cutter developments.

 

But then I would tell you to live in Berea.....easy access to the airport and the Tri-C campus in Parma.

So right now we live in a neighborhood called St. Johns. Its in North Portland. We both really like the area because we are very close to parks and dog areas, but at the sametime can easily walk to all the major amenities we need grocery stores, video stores, restuarants. Another thing we like about our area is that its got a little more of a blue collar feel than some of the areas where you can pay 5 bucks for a cup of coffee. Going out isn't a huge portion of our life, we don't go to plays, concerts much but like being able to walk from our house for a date night. My wife will probably be going to the Airport every other week so that will probably need to be a factor interms of our location. I will be working from home, but also be taking classes at cayuago (sp?) community college to get into grad school. We are hoping to have time to make a quick weekend to Cleveland, neither one of us have ever been there. Are weekends are going to be scarce between now and when we need to move, but its something we are hoping we can make happen.

 

Cuyahoga Community College (AKA Tri-C) has three campuses.  Which campus will you attend or has that been decided yet?

 

Based on that I can see

Shaker Square/Larchmere

Little Italy/Murray Hill

Detroit Shoreway

Edgewater

Lakewood/Cleveland area near W. 117 Street.

 

I think Kamm's Corners neighborhood is a good suggestion. Berea is a good suggestion in terms of location but there are a lot of young students living there so and shops/amenities geared toward young college students (i.e. a "college town" feel) and the rental units are not as nice because of it. But it's a good 2nd choice.

Welcome, colin.max!

 

I'll add my votes to Cleveland Hts (especially Cedar Fairmount), Shaker Square, University Circle/Little Italy, Downtown, Ohio City, and Lakewood as the neighborhoods that offer the best day-to-day walkability and, as an out-of -owner, a bit more of a cosmopolitan (though not fancy) atmosphere than most other neighborhoods.  They all offer perfectly reasonable airport access for your needs, either by car, or frequent train service, either all the way, or from a five minute drive to a station, depending on the location.  All offer pretty easy drives to the central (main) location for Cuyahoga Community College (known to us as "Tri-C").

 

As kennybabes mentioned, you won't have to worry about $5 coffee in any of our neighborhoods, for better or for worse...

 

A big question is type of housing stock you want.  If you're looking for a single family house or half of a two family house, or otherwise looking for trees and relative quiet, Downtown is obviously out, and even Little Italy/University Circe might be a challenge.  If that's the case, Lakewood, Ohio City, and Cleveland Hts might be your best bets.

Thanks for all the great feedback. Just to a couple points people made, sounds like Ohio city is a good option from what people are saying. The neighborhood we currently live in is is still in Portland proper but on the edge of town. Really want to feel like we can walk to areas and also tend to like that pre 1960 building that one of the posts mentioned in terms of Ohio city. Funny took a survey on Cleveland.com, about the best neighborhood and don't remember any mention of some of these neighborhoods. So really appreciate the insight. As far as what campus, I am open to any campus at this point, although I did notice that the metro Tri-C campus had a lot more options for classes. As far as types of house as mentioned like the character of some of the older buildings, having a dog would probably prefer a duplex with even a small yard. Thanks for all the insight lots of neighborhoods now to go research now that I've got all this info. Have to say Ohio city or Tremont seem to be calling my name.

Thanks for all the great feedback. Just to a couple points people made, sounds like Ohio city is a good option from what people are saying. The neighborhood we currently live in is is still in Portland proper but on the edge of town. Really want to feel like we can walk to areas and also tend to like that pre 1960 building that one of the posts mentioned in terms of Ohio city. Funny took a survey on Cleveland.com, about the best neighborhood and don't remember any mention of some of these neighborhoods. So really appreciate the insight. As far as what campus, I am open to any campus at this point, although I did notice that the metro Tri-C campus had a lot more options for classes. As far as types of house as mentioned like the character of some of the older buildings, having a dog would probably prefer a duplex with even a small yard. Thanks for all the insight lots of neighborhoods now to go research now that I've got all this info. Have to say Ohio city or Tremont seem to be calling my name.

 

Just wondering, but where did the Cleveland.com people suggest? (This should be good :roll:)

Lakewood made the cut top 5 were

 

Rocky River

Lakewood

Kamm's corner

Brook Park

Garfield Heights

I grew up in Rocky River.

 

If I were to live in Rocky River now (and my wife and I almost did) I would live as close to the corner of Detroit and Wooster as possible. 

 

We spent a lot of time looking around the library, the address is  1600 Hampton Road  Rocky River, OH 44116.

 

The further north in River you go the more expensive it gets.  North of Detroit, north of the train tracks, north of Lake rd.

 

Personally I would replace Brookpark with Berea ,  and Garfield Heights with Independence.

 

 

Lakewood made the cut top 5 were

 

Rocky River

Lakewood

Kamm's corner

Brook Park

Garfield Heights

 

Brook Park?  Garfield Hts?  Rocky River?  Did I read that correct or am I having a stroke?

 

If you haven't chosen a campus then I would suggest the area I mentioned earlier as they offer yards/parks and convenient public transportation to the airport and downtown.

this seems to be a case of mistaken nomenclature.

 

It would appear that Portland neighborhood = Cleveland suburb.

 

The Cleveland area is fairly unique in that we have many more small self contained cites where every other region has neighborhoods.  A good majority of our "suburbs" lakewood, the heights, rocky river, bratenhal, euclid etc.....would be neighborhoods in almost any other urban area of this country instead of their own cities.

 

Charlotte North Carolina is 300 sq miles.

 

Columbus 212

Portland 145

Seattle 142

 

Cleveland 82

 

Parma is 20

Lakewood is 6.7

Rocky River 5.6

Bratenahl 1.6

Shaker Heights 6.3

University Heights 1.6

Cleveland Heights 8.1

 

 

 

If you get to a point where you just want a single family home and access to a freeway as cheaply as possible Garfield Hts, and Brook Park fit that bill.  But you truly are just picking a house and the stretch of road that leads to the freeway at that point.

Have to say Ohio city or Tremont seem to be calling my name.

 

Colin, some tips....

 

In Ohio City, the best area is bound by Fulton, Franklin, West 25th and Lorain. That's the bullseye to shoot for. That is closest to the West Side Market, Dave's, restaurants/bars, and an easier walk to the Rapid and frequent 24-hour buses along West 25th. Areas outside of that, such as heading west along Clinton, Franklin or Bridge are good, but get more questionable west of West 50th or so.

 

In Tremont, stay north of Interstate 490 and east of I-90. The bullseye is around Lincoln Park and over to Professor, which is Tremont's "Main Street." That's not to say there aren't many great homes outside this sweet spot, there are. But this is the neighborhood's center of gravity. There is frequent bus service from here to the Ohio City Rapid station and downtown in one direction, and to Steelyard Commons in the other direction.

 

For either neighborhood, if you're considering a duplex (a first- or second-floor apartment within a house -- many houses in Cleveland are duplexes), check the bathroom and kitchen to see how well they are maintained. Those are the toughest rooms to maintain, and problems will show up there first. Also ask your neighbors about the neighborhood. One nuisance neighbor can ruin an otherwise great experience.

This new addition to the Cleveland Planning Commission's website looks like a useful resource for helping people pick a neighborhood, then search for a home within it.......

 

Great Places In Cleveland And Its Neighborhoods

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/greatPlaces.html

This new addition to the Cleveland Planning Commission's website looks like a useful resource for helping people pick a neighborhood, then search for a home within it.......

 

Great Places In Cleveland And Its Neighborhoods

http://planning.city.cleveland.oh.us/greatPlaces.html

Nice that my neighborhood is front and center!

A good bit of info (as are her other posts) for those considering relocating to Cleveland, especially into the core...

 

http://cleunleashed.wordpress.com/2014/02/07/living-in-downtown-cleveland/

What kind of urban home can you get in Cleveland and its inner-ring suburbs? Here's an article with lots of photos.......

 

The urban dwelling: for those building nests in the city, creativity is the theme

LEE CHILCOTE | THURSDAY, APRIL 10, 2014

 

 

Ask anybody in the know who ignited Tremont’s redevelopment wave and very likely Chick Holtkamp’s name will come up. He might not be the biggest developer in town, but this 30-year resident was among the pioneers who made Tremont what it is today: a hotspot of restaurants, galleries and shops with some of the best housing choices in Cleveland.

 

Holtkamp was the developer behind Lemko Hall, a historic saloon built in 1909 at West 11th and Literary that became one of Tremont’s first condo projects. The building, which once served as a social hall for people from Lemkovina, a Slavic area on the slopes of the Carpathian Mountains, now houses 11 condos and a commercial space.

 

It helps to get in early, of course. In 1982, before most people caught on that Tremont was cool, Holtkamp purchased a commercial building at 2190 Professor for just $53,000. The three-story brick building had been a department store and a Ukrainian social hall. But in Holtkamp’s hands, it became one of the sweetest houses in Cleveland.

 

READ/SEE MORE AT:

http://freshwatercleveland.com/features/coolestclehomes041014.aspx

Made some major updates and improvements to the lead item in this thread.

Made some major updates and improvements to the lead item in this thread.

Looks great, one minor correction though, there's no such thing as Akron University. Pet peeve of mine.

Akron State University?? :-P

Akron State University?? :-P

Akron college of why can't anyone get the name of our school right.

? The name of the school isn't university of akron? aka akron u?

^The name is University of Akron, but everyone calls it Akron U.

Yes, I get that. I thought you were saying they had "college" in the name somewhere.

^No no, just making a bad joke.

:)

 

Nice! But a few things to note. The Food Co-op is no longer around and I know a lot of people do not like to compare the West Side Market to a farmers market. Other than that it looks good!

 

Actually you should throw Little Italy in there somewhere!

Why People Still Move to 'Unhappy' Places

For one thing, low rents.

ERIC JAFFE @e_jaffe Jul 14, 2014

 

A city's overall level of happiness can certainly change on short notice. Think Cleveland last Thursday, before LeBron James announced he was returning to play basketball there, and Cleveland last Friday, after he said he was coming home. And yet people still moved to Cleveland while LeBron played for Miami, just as they still moved to Detroit despite the bankruptcy and the foreclosures, just as they still move to any number of U.S. cities sometimes characterized as unhappy places.

 

The question of why people willingly move to so-called "unhappy" cities is at the center of a new working paper updated today, from a group of researchers led by urban economist Edward Glaeser of Harvard. Their answer boils down to this: the price is right. In the past, cities now considered unhappy places might have compensated their residents with high wages. That connection has faded, recently replaced with another form of compensation, in the form of low rents. The researchers conclude:

 

READ MORE AT:

http://www.citylab.com/work/2014/07/why-people-still-move-to-unhappy-places/374358/

Interesting piece. In addition to those "unhappy city" lists being based on the whims of the person compiling, happiness is completely subjective.

Moving a convo from Sotckyards Development thread: Haha...my move down and back up has nothing to do with Lebron. I moved down to meet people since CLE is pretty lacking in quantity of my age range, but where it lacks quantity, it makes up for in quality. Down here, it's the opposite and I sacrificed all of the things I love about CLE. In preliminary searches, the hardest thing is finding three or four bedrooms in the city with more than one bathroom and updated. If all goes well, three others will be joining me from Florida. I'm thinking of maybe finding a multi-family property. We shall see!

^ Not exactly what you are looking for, but I'm getting ready to sell my 3 bedroom, 1 bath house in Cleveland Heights soon.  It has been updated at least.....

^ Not exactly what you are looking for, but I'm getting ready to sell my 3 bedroom, 1 bath house in Cleveland Heights soon.  It has been updated at least.....

I'm looking specifically in the city first and it won't be til probably mid next year. I may extend to the Heights and Lakewood as well, but we shall see.

If anyone knows someone who is interested in Cleveland Heights, I am selling my current home. It's a 3 bed 1 bath house with a large kitchen, nice deck, and huge back yard.  Is it OK for me to post this?

 

https://cleveland.craigslist.org/reo/4629104686.html