Posted January 30, 200817 yr East Cleveland, Ohio 2000 population - 27,217. Black/African American - 93.4%. Median household income - $20,542 (compared to $41,994 nationwide) Median family income - $26,053 (compared to $50,046 nationwide) Families below poverty level - 28.0% (compared to 9.2% nationwide) Individuals below poverty level - 32.0% (compared to 12.4% nationwide) (sound of record screeching) Wait a minute ... this is suppsedly one of the most troubled communities in the United States; a mismanaged inner ring suburb that went from being a well-regarded working- and middle-class, primarily white community in 1960 to a primarily black, lower income city in 1970. It's a city usually mentioned in the same context at East St. Louis, Illinois and Camdem, New Jersey. Well, that part is true. Most of East Cleveland looks like this. However, I'm about to show you a little enclave among all that blight. It's East Cleveland's forgotten neighborhood, Forest Hill. While most of East Cleveland developed with "doubles" and small apartment buildings, Forest Hill was built on a portion of the former estate of John Rockefeller. While the area "down the hill" experienced socioeconomic upheaval in the 1960s and 1970s, Forest Hill remained an upscale enclave. Let's look around this beautiful neighborhood. Everything you see in the following images, except the sign above, is in the big, bad City of East Cleveland. Really. Although Forest Hill, like the rest of East Cleveland, is primarily African-American -- many "buppies" and prominent community leaders -- a few white holdouts that remain also call it home. Images originally from the Cyburbia Gallery at http://www.cyburbia.org/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=526&page=1&sort=1&perpage=9&=
January 30, 200817 yr Excellent tour, for those that may not be familiar with EC, can you map or give the boundaries of FH? Thanks
January 30, 200817 yr Wow, I don't see how you could possibly compare it to East St Louis. That place is dead. East Cleveland looks like it has some money still within city limits.
January 30, 200817 yr This part of EC is "up the hill", near Forest Hills. When I was younger, I thought that was part of Cleveland Heights. That part of EC is beautiful.
January 30, 200817 yr Hey, did I hear correctly on the news this morning that Shaw was chosen to march in a parade in Beijing for this year's Olympics?! I think they need to raise nearly $100,000 before some time in March though! Good luck and GOOD FOR THEM!!! :clap:
January 30, 200817 yr Wow, great shots! Also reminds me how excited I am to see green on the trees again... The Rockefeller houses and tall trees in Forest Hills really are stunning. Another East Cleveland 'hood I like (though it's a bit rundown) are the streets adjacent to Lakeview Cometary (Roxbury, Farmington, etc.). Hopefully some of the University Circle incentives will attract a little investment to that area.
January 31, 200817 yr Forest Hill looks to be mixed with some gems and then some of those disgusting post-WWII homes. I'm guessing those replaced some of the old beauties that had to be there previously.
January 31, 200817 yr Forest Hill looks to be mixed with some gems and then some of those disgusting post-WWII homes. I'm guessing those replaced some of the old beauties that had to be there previously. Actually, parts of Forest Hills weren't developed till the post-war years. Many of the post-WWII homes are original to the area; some are hideous, some fit in nicely. I had heard of Forest Hills and when I moved to Cleveland Hts I made sure to make a trip over to that neighborhood. What stunningly gorgeous homes and tree lined streets. Hearing so much negativity about East Cleveland, I couldn't believe it was the same city. Then after a few turns, I was behind Shaw High and back onto Euclid Ave and the familiar depressing EC landscape.
January 31, 200817 yr Nice job. Forest Hill has been solid for years and hopefully it will remain so. The backs of some of those beautiful houses have fantastic views of downtown and the lake. EC is one of the few burbs that exists both at the top and bottom of the Eastern bluff... Hope someday this old burb can pull itself together. With the (thriving) EC Theatre, the Red Line rapid transit (including the still new-ish Stokes/Windermere terminal with the new daycare center attached), extensive rail freight access, Nela Park, Forest Hills Park rec area and upgrading around its UCircle edges, it has a lot of potential. I wish some of the beautiful old brownstone walkup apt buildings down the hill could be saved.
January 31, 200817 yr I wish some of the beautiful old brownstone walkup apt buildings down the hill could be saved. I was headed to the Windermere station last week and was thinking the same thing. Some of those buildings look beautiful, though I'm sure more than a few are beyond salvaging.
January 31, 200817 yr ^A few apts on the streets near Windermere are still in tact. But many, if not most, like those on Eddy Road are boarded up or simply gone. Many survivors I'm sure are drug havens-- many, w/in the shadow of the ECPD HQ. EC's biggest enemy? It's always corrupt pols.
January 31, 200817 yr Very good. "You don't just walk into a bar and mix it up by calling a girl fat" - buildingcincinnati speaking about new forumers
February 1, 200817 yr This is a beautiful area. My cousin lives over there. There are quite a few judges who reside over there.
February 2, 200817 yr The building in shots one and two is on the corner of Allendale and Euclid across from a convenience store. If you go up to to the corner of Allendale and Terrace, there is a 26 story tower that has been completely restored. I lived in that tower for about 4 1/2 years. That area is, by far, not the worst area of East Cleveland. Down Euclid toward Windermere is one example on the back streets on the north side of Euclid Ave. There are whole blocks of empty brick apartments with drug dealers and addicts. Don't go over there taking pictures at night! The architecture is awesome! But it would be difficult to find a developer who would risk there money over there. The whole area would have to be cleaned up and cleared out, first. That's a tall order for a broke city like EC. By the way, I actually no the guy in the red van riding down Euclid. That's amazing!
February 3, 200817 yr I really like the homes with the tall roofs, the greenery, but some of those homes are straight out of the burbs, bleh. Where do they shop/eat/etc? I'm guessing there's no "Main St."
February 3, 200817 yr I really like the homes with the tall roofs, the greenery, but some of those homes are straight out of the burbs, bleh. Where do they shop/eat/etc? I'm guessing there's no "Main St." garden community. they drive to cleveland hts.
February 11, 200817 yr What a leafy neighborhood! Especially this shot... It reminded me of those historical photographs of urban neighborhoods circa 1900. The ones taken before dutch elm disease killed off thousands and thousands of large street trees that looked like these. Thanks for the wonderful photoset.
February 11, 200817 yr Excellent tour, for those that may not be familiar with EC, can you map or give the boundaries of FH? Thanks Shaded in green is the approximate area of Forest Hills that is within East Cleveland. Forest Hills itself stretches south and east a little bit from here, but that part is in Cleveland Heights.
December 31, 201410 yr This might not be a true story, but I once heard about a final exam which was given in a college philosophy class. The question which the students were asked to address was simply "Why?". Many of the students filled their blue books (are those still used?) exploring the reasons for life on earth and blah blah blah. The only student who got an "A" on the exam wrote two words in response: "Why not?"
December 31, 201410 yr This might not be a true story, but I once heard about a final exam which was given in a college philosophy class. The question which the students were asked to address was simply "Why?". Many of the students filled their blue books (are those still used?) exploring the reasons for life on earth and blah blah blah. The only student who got an "A" on the exam wrote two words in response: "Why not?" Maybe the thread bump was in honor of the final year of East Cleveland's existence and the future of the Forest Hill neighborhood being fully consolidated within Cleveland Heights as it should be. ;)
December 31, 201410 yr Lots of good pictures, but why the bump? We don't get many new photo threads during the winter, and this is an interesting one.
December 31, 201410 yr This might not be a true story, but I once heard about a final exam which was given in a college philosophy class. The question which the students were asked to address was simply "Why?". Many of the students filled their blue books (are those still used?) exploring the reasons for life on earth and blah blah blah. The only student who got an "A" on the exam wrote two words in response: "Why not?" Maybe the thread bump was in honor of the final year of East Cleveland's existence and the future of the Forest Hill neighborhood being fully consolidated within Cleveland Heights as it should be. ;) Anyone who know's that's coming could make some $$$ in real estate, I suspect.
Create an account or sign in to comment