hi,

i got a new job in cleveland ,i will be working in cleveland clinic ,  i am currently outside US, i will be moving to cleveland within the next 2 months ,, after reviewing a  lot of threads in this forum and in city-finder, i found that beachwood area will be very suitable for me. i am single mid twinties , my most concern for any area is a safe quiet area and with a commuting distance no more than 20-25 min and with some grocry stores and other facilities around, i am willing to pay a rent between $800-$1100, i have been going through a lot apartments online , this apartment complex "Easthaven at The Village"  at 26900 Amhearst Cir, Beachwood, OH 44122 seem nice  both in term of proximity to beachwood place mall and in term of safety quiet  and excellent amenities,  i need advices about the area and if anyone has any experiece or know someone who had experience with this apartment complex,  the problem is i dont have a lot of time to go through a lot of apartments so i want to limit my choice to two or three apartments , go see them and choose from them. also if you know any other high quality apartment complexes in beachwood please they are very welcomed.

As a single person in their mid 20'sDo you really want to live in Beachwood?  Is that set in stone? Its a suburb. A rather boring one, if you ask me.  You'll need a car and that 20-25 minute commute could easily stretch to 30-45 minutes depending on traffic and weather.

 

IIRC, the building/complex you mention is tucked in between the winding streets adjacent to Beachwood mall and I-271. So where you are located will force you to go out for almost everything you need.

 

• Are you male or female?
  
• Where are you currently located?
  
• What neighborhoods in your city (or others) appeal to you?
  
• What amenities are absolute musts?
  
• Do you prefer new construction vs. older buildings?
  
• Do you plan to have a car?
  
• Do you prefer vibrant nightlife or a quieter area?
  
• Do you have a pet?
  
• Do you prefer an area where you can walk (run or bike) to store and there are parks in close proximity to your home?
   
   
  

 

 

 

Welcome! you will find this board has a heavy Urban living focus, as much as others tell you on other forums to go live in the suburbs. I think the people we can influence and assist meaningfully  are the ones that WANT to live in the city but were told not too for various reasons. For someone who really likes the burbs, some of us may not have much to offer as far as I am concerned. I don't even try anymore-it would be the same as a someone from Avon or North Ridgeville trying to make want to live there. Not Going To Happen. That said, Beachwood is nice enough with regard to meeting your safety,commute and amenity requirements.

I'm one of the rare people on the board who believe in and understand the desire for both "urban" living and "suburban" living, and think that BOTH have a place in the greater Cleveland area.  I also don't believe in excluding people because of where they want to live, or poo pooing their choices because they want to live here or there.  Yes, this board focuses on the benefits and advantages to living in or very near downtown, but I think all Clevelanders have a place here, including future ones like yourself. 

 

That being said, if you want to live in Beachwood and have visited there and like it, that's great. From my perspective, I wouldn't advise anyone to live there because I think the traffic congestion is unusually bad for our area and for some reason, people seem to be much more selfish and unaware drivers out that way than in other parts of the city.  Just my opinion.

 

My suggestion given your age and where you'll be working is that you maybe take a look at Cleveland Heights. That would be closer and is also a quiet and nice place to live and you have a lot of variety/choices on places to live.  There are a lot of rental properties there so you could really take your pick depending on what's important to you.

 

I don't know the specific building you asked about in Beachwood or I'd be happy to give you my opinion.  If you end up deciding on beachwood, there are a lot of stores, a couple of large mall/shopping areas, lots of restaurants, etc. and I would be happy to make specific suggestions.

R-N-R, [i love your name, I keep picturing a roller derby chic lol :wink:] 

 

It appears that our newbie is out of the country and hasn't yet visited Cleveland.  I'm getting the impression he/she might think beachwood is an area of Cleveland not a 'burb.

 

If I'm right this complex is on a street south of beachwood mall and east of Richmond Rd.  So you've got Richmond Rd. to the east and i-271 to the West.  It's got to be near Village st., the street that circles that ridiculous pond.

 

And you are so right about the traffic as soon as you turn off of Shaker Blvd or Fairmont on to Richmond, its a mess.  That commute to CC via Cedar has the potential be really bad, I know people that say it could take 15-20 minutes to drive from Cedar Hill to 105 street.

 

Yes there are stores are Beachwood, La Place, Legacy Village, but you really can't walk to them as many of those streets are sidewalk free.  And to get to retail on Chagrin you'll need a car.

My alter ego is a roller derby queen.  The real me just beats people up.  :) Well, not anymore anyway.

 

My best advice for newbies who have not visited here is to find temporary housing that will allow you to rent by the month.  Even if it's a high rent, you really can't know where you want to live until you've been here at least a few weeks.

My alter ego is a roller derby queen. 

 

AWESOME!!!  I love a fierce Queen!  :-D

 

My best advice for newbies who have not visited here is to find temporary housing that will allow you to rent by the month.  Even if it's a high rent, you really can't know where you want to live until you've been here at least a few weeks.

Agreed, many of us have said rent before plunking down some do.  Western Cleveland Hts., Shaker Hts. or Shaker Square could be an alternative.

thank u all, to be more specific , i am a 25 male single, i lived in european suburbans and urban areas,both are ok but i slightly prefer a urban area, but i dont know  i maybe obsessed with safety :-) , i have been under the impression that suburban areas are safer and beachwood came to the top of the list mainly because of that also i thought the location of the apartment is closer to the urban than typical suburan . anyway,my job involves long working hours, so i dont think i have plenty of time to go around in cafes and bars, now the things i need in the area i hope to live in: 1-safety safety  2-near by grocry stores and other facilities so that if i need anything i dont have to go far away to get it. 3-commuting distance no more the 25 min in most of the days.4-relatively quiet area, not necessary suburban bt i dont want to feel that i am living inside a mall or a student dorm back again :-) .now whether a suburb or an urban meet these conditons it will be great .i plan to stay in a motel for a week or so and go see the apartments in person but i have a very tight schedule i can only arrive one week before the start day of my job so i was thinking of putting a list of possible apartments to rent and go see them in person and finish this relocation subject as quick as possible, the areas that were - and still on my list  from top to bottom is 1-beachwood 2-cleveland heights esp near  Cedar Fairmount,3- shaker heights ,4- pepper pike, on the west side  5-rocky river, 6-fairview park , 7-lakewood . i prefer on east side bec of proximity , now all of this is list is based on forums and google earth, as for the apartment i hope to find an apartment with a washer/dryer in site, or internet access, clean apartment and good heat distrubtion , friendly management , and a garage , and preferably a controlled access , i prefer newly constructed apartments but if above things are met in an old building its totlatly ok . thanks again for your help , and i hope you give specific suggestions of apatment complexes bec. the sites for rating the apartments like apartmentrating may give you a false impression , one last thing do u think i should contact a real estate agent. thanks a lot

and i dont have pets

Honestly no site is going to give you better, non biased, accurate information than THIS site.

of those mentioned, Cedar Fairmont is a great neighborhood with a European character. Not sure about the parking/garage thing though.

I agree with peabody99, and the Cedar-Fairmount area is very close to the Cleveland Clinic.

 

"Honestly no site is going to give you better, non biased, accurate information than THIS site."

 

No, this forum is obviously going to be skewed toward urban living.

, i have been under the impression that suburban areas are safer and beachwood came to the top of the list mainly because of that also i thought the location of the apartment is closer to the urban than typical suburan

I wonder where you got that "impression". I'd like to ask has someone at the Clinic been giving you direction?

 

The building you mentioned is in an area is a typical late 70 - early 80s cookie cutter cluster suburban development.

 

The area you're looking at is pretty much couples in a suburban setting.  There is no way to gauge what you "define" as safe without you visiting the  various neighborhoods you’ve mentioned at different times of the day so you can see first hand what the area looks like.  I would also rent monthly is possible.

 

I asked you some question before and you skipped over some.  WE cannot help you unless you are will to provide more information.  You want the truth - help us help you. :wink:

 

anyway, my job involves long working hours, so i dont think i have plenty of time to go around in cafes and bars, now the things i need in the area i hope to live in:

1-safety safety  

2-near by grocry stores and other facilities so that if i need anything i dont have to go far away to get it.

3-commuting distance no more the 25 min in most of the days.4-relatively quiet area, not necessary suburban bt i dont want to feel that i am living inside a mall or a student dorm back again :-) .

1-beachwood

2-cleveland heights esp near  Cedar Fairmount,

3- shaker heights ,

4- pepper pike,

5-rocky river,

6-fairview park ,

7-lakewood . i prefer on east side bec of proximity , now all of this is list is based on forums and google earth, as for the apartment i hope to find an apartment with a washer/dryer in site, or internet access, clean apartment and good heat distrubtion , friendly management , and a garage , and preferably a controlled access , i prefer newly constructed apartments but if above things are met in an old building its totlatly ok . thanks again for your help , and i hope you give specific suggestions of apatment complexes bec. the sites for rating the apartments like apartmentrating may give you a false impression , one last thing do u think i should contact a real estate agent. thanks a lot

 

Here is my opinion on each community

1-beachwood

Bad traffic and commute.  The community is next to a very large highway.  You’ll  need a car, have to get to every day needs.  Since it’s a cluster development it’s a faux community, built around a manmade pond. I would guess there are about 15 attached cluster building in the immediate area.

 

2-cleveland heights esp near  Cedar Fairmount, & 3- shaker heights ,

I would make these communities my first choices as they all offer an easy commute, although the traffic going down cedar hill or Fairhill could be hairy at any time of the day, it would a hell of a lot better than trying to trek further east.  Plus if you don’t feel like driving there is excellent transportation to the Cleveland Clinic campus.

 

Living in one of these communities would give you good shopping, every day needs, a dense community with younger/diverse residents. Most of the units in these area older prewar buildings but are HUGE and have protected of close on street parking.  Most rentals have laundry facilities on site.  I would consider the western end of Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights and the Shaker Square neighborhood (which is in Cleveland proper).

 

4- pepper pike,

I don’t think there are any rentals.  My only thought, is that there are rentals is that they might be single-family housing rentals near Ursuline College.  

 

5-rocky river

On the far westside, so you commute will be longer than you request.  Another non descript suburb.

 

6-fairview park

See No. 5.

 

7-lakewood

Someone else can list the pros/cons of this suburb.

 

one last thing do u think i should contact a real estate agent. thanks a lot

 

No, Cleveland has good apartment stock, yet it’s not so oversaturated that you need an agent or broker unless purchasing.

I agree with peabody99, and the Cedar-Fairmount area is very close to the Cleveland Clinic.

 

"Honestly no site is going to give you better, non biased, accurate information than THIS site."

 

No, this forum is obviously going to be skewed toward urban living.

 

I think we give accurate descriptions of our suburban communities.  Its just that many of us live in "the city proper" or in suburb bordering the city.  So our discussions are concentrated on the areas we reside in.

I'd guess that you'd feel most at home in Shaker Square, Shaker Heights, or Cleveland Heights.  They are early 20th century garden/streetcar suburbs, and would have the closest thing to the feel of a European suburb.  They are quite safe, reasonably quiet, and much of the apartment stock would be within walking distance of groceries and neighborhood services.  I'd especially recommend Shaker Square out of those, or the Cedar-Fairmount portion of Cleveland Heights.  You might want to stay away from the Coventry area of Cleveland Heights, as it is very college oriented, and you said you don't want that.  At the price range you've mentioned, you should be able to get the amenities and cleanliness you've said you want.  Cleveland is relatively affordable for a large American city.

I think Lakewood is great, but there is less of a reason to live there is you are working at the clinic and have such great housing near by. If you said you wanted even more affordable housing, some young people night life,a thriving gay community, but also family friendly and to live near the lake, then it could be considered.

I'm always up for talking up Lakewood, but I honestly don't think you'd like the commute.  I would look at Cedar-Fairmount but finding parking is going to be very difficult.  If you narrow down your choices to ONLY those that include parking (which you may have to pay for, but it's worth it), that should narrow down your choices so you only have a few places to go look at. 

 

I agree with the previous poster who said "safety" is a personal judgement call but for ME, I don't feel as safe at night by myself in shaker as I do in cleveland heights (cedar/fairmount area).  So my suggestion is look there. 

this is really nice: http://cleveland.craigslist.org/apa/572265507.html

^A friend of mine lived very close to that on Lennox and loved it, and that looks like a gorgeous place. It also lists that parking is available for a fee which really looks like the only drawback. newtocleveland, I think peabody99 has found just the place for you!

^^ Wow that's a great apartment on Lennox - I lived across the street in the Wilson (2095) for three years while I worked at UH and it was a nice safe neighborhood.  Someone did a great renovation job on the unit advertised, much nicer than what I rented.  The only drawback was no covered parking, although there is a permit lot at one end of Lennox and a permit garage on the other.  The problem with the garage is that frequently there would be non-permit cars (suburbanites at Jillian's) taking up all the spaces so you'd get ticketed for overnight parking on the street.  I never heard of any significant crime problem; it was very convenient to walk to Starbucks, the grocery store, the bakery, bagel store, and a pharmacy.  My landlord was: http://www.propertyinvestmentcompany.com/

 

I also lived for a year in Waldorf Tower on Overlook - it was overpriced and outdated, but was very secure and had a below-ground garage.  I hope they've renovated their 1950's kitchens with metal cabinets by now (I lived there in 1996-7).  The building seemed to attract a lot of international students/residents, for whatever reason. 

 

If I you're looking for a more modern building in Cleveland Hts, I had friends who lived in Kensington Place and were happy with it. It's adjacent to Severance Town Center with Wal-Mart and other stores.  http://www.kensingtonplaceapartments.com/ 

Folks, let's just help newtocleveland find a place - and not try to convince rockandroller that her perceptions of Shaker Square may or may not be accurate.

This might work as decent temporary housing:

 

http://thealcazar.com/

 

Location:

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=The+Alcazar+Hotel,&near=Cleveland+Heights,+OH&fb=1&cid=0,0,15292063318092003655&sa=X&oi=local_result&resnum=1&ct=image

thanks all you have been very helpful , i think i will narrow my list to shaker heights , shaker square (by the way is shaker square considered part of shaker heights) , and to cleveland heights. i have a small question i ve read somewhere , maybe on this forum not sure, that the area between Taylor and Noble road extending to  south/east to about Woodview in cleveland heights should be avoided , i also read that some areas in shaker square are immediatly adjacent to unsafe neighbors, can you please advice if there are areas i should avoid within shaker heights and cleveland heights, thanks again for your help.

thanks all you have been very helpful , i think i will narrow my list to shaker heights , shaker square (by the way is shaker square considered part of shaker heights) , and to cleveland heights. i have a small question i ve read somewhere , maybe on this forum not sure, that the area between Taylor and Noble road extending to  south/east to about Woodview in cleveland heights should be avoided , i also read that some areas in shaker square are immediatly adjacent to unsafe neighbors, can you please advice if there are areas i should avoid within shaker heights and cleveland heights, thanks again for your help.

 

Who are you "hearing" these "things" from???  Seriously!

 

You have to decided if an area is safe, worth living in, visiting, etc. for yourself.  I don't live on Taylor or Noble are, but I suspect someone said, "stay away", because that section of Cleveland Heights is primarily a neighborhood of color and borders East Cleveland. 

 

As I stated in my earlier post, Shaker Square, is a neighborhood in Cleveland.  It borders Shaker Hts and Cleveland Hts.

 

Again neighborhoods that might work for you are

• Shaker Square
  
• Lower Van Aken (Shaker Heights)
  
• Cedar-Fairmont
  
• Western Euclid Hts. Boulevard (Cleveland Heights)
  
• Murray Hill / Little Italy (Cleveland)
  Note:  This area, might be a little noisy as MH & LI are very popular neighborhoods but very compact and dense with a vibrant restaurant / bar collection.
  

 

 

As stated many, many, many times I would suggest renting monthly before signing a long term lease as you've never been here.

 

Welcome newincleveland.

 

Your short list looks good; and there are plenty of other employees of the Cleveland Clinic (and University Hospitals, a Clinic competitor) in those neighborhoods, so you're not doing anything crazy.

 

As for the part of Cleveland Heights you mention- it's not quite as convenient to the Clinic as other parts of Cleveland Heights you might consider (Cedar-Fairmount and Overlook Road near Kenilworth, for instance), so it probably shouldn't be at the top of your list regardless of its safety.  I have no first hand experience in that neighborhood, but it is generally poorer than the rest of Cleveland Heights and is indeed closer to East Cleveland, statistically one of the poorest and most troubled communities in Ohio.

 

Shaker Square is adjacent to some troubled neighborhoods of Cleveland, but it has a visible security force and much more street activity, so I wouldn't consider safety there much of an issue.  Know that if your car is parked on the street, any of the places you are looking will have some risk of petty crime, so be sure not to leave valuables visible in the car.

 

Also be warned, as My Two Sense hints, many Clevelanders have a somewhat overly pessimistic view about some of the area's neighborhoods.  There are indeed some really down and out spots that are dangerous by any US standard, but none of the places you are looking at are like that at all.

I would say that South/Southwest of Shaker Square things can get a little bad.  The Square itself is a safe area, as are the neighborhood going North, East, Southeast, or Northwest along Larchmere.

dear all , you have been very helpful, this is what i will do, i will start looking in lennox road in cleveland heights, there seem to be some intresting buildings and apartment complexes , i iwll start with the apartment you provided the link for, i found the link for the leasing agency ,  i also found another adjacent complex it also seem very nice, in the mean time alcazer hotel provide a monthly furnished room with a rate starting from $900  , thank u all for your help , i sure will enjoy my time cleveland , it seems that the clevelanders are very nice friendly people like u :-)

You're welcome. Please stop by again and let us know how you are doing, or if you have anything you wish to ask. Also, visit UrbanOhio lunch meetings and other events in Cleveland. Keep checking us at:

 

http://www.urbanohio.com/forum2/index.php/board,15.0.html

We are actually a pretty friendly bunch of people in Cleveland.  Let us know if we can make your transition any easier and keep in touch.

Hey, welcome to Cleveland!  I work in University Circle, which is home to the Cleveland Clinic and many other healthcare, education, and arts & culture destinations.  So, I have to plug the living options in the neighborhood, though they might not suit you perfectly:

 

http://universitycircle.org/content/live_here.asp

 

and a beautiful building about a five-minute walk to the Clinic:

 

www.parklanevilla.com

 

I agree that the ideal spots for you, based on what you've said previously, would be Shaker Square and several neighborhoods in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights.  I'm not the expert on their rental markets, but I know that Montlack Realty has several apartment buildings in the neighborhoods I would recommend.  Have a look:

 

www.montlackrealty.com

I used to live on Overlook in Cleveland Hts (the house immediately west of waldorf towers) and i felt quite safe.  It was walking distance to restaurants and groceries at cedar fairmount.  So far it was my favorite neighborhood of the ones i've lived in. 

Hey there, newincleveland .  If you are working at the Cleveland Clinic's main campus, and you want a good place to own (and considering how low interest rates are today and 15 years tax abatement in the City of Cleveland) you might want to check out Woodhaven!  It is a community of brand-new townhouses across the street of the CC.  Check out http://www.zarembahomes.com/ for more information about Woodhaven.  Quick occupancy is available.  Best of luck with your search.

I'll second http://www.parklanevilla.com. I've been living here since the building opened last summer, and it definitely meets your needs for amenities, particularly the parking (gated, covered garage). There are a handful of Cleveland Clinic people living here. While the location is very close to the Cleveland Clinic, it is not necessarily situated in an area known for safety. However, I walk to class at Case Western during the daytime hours and have never had an issue. And I don't see any suspicious activity at night from my windows! I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about this apartment building, though I'm fairly new to Cleveland myself and can't answer much else.  :-)