I'm on the verge of accepting a new job in Akron (relocating from SW Virginia), but am interested in the possibility of living in Cleveland, at least for the first year.  My work hours will vary, but most days I won't need to be in Akron before about 10am.  I lived for a number of years in Atlanta, so I'm all too familiar with nasty traffic, but am a bit concerned about the winter sleet/snow problem.  If anyone has experienced it, how bad (in terms of congestion and general annoyance) is the commute from, say, Cleveland Heights, to downtown Akron on a daily basis?  Am I crazy to even contemplate this?

 

 

yes, you are crazy to contemplate this.  the cleveland heights area is not really that close to either 271-South (which would take you to 8-South and Akron) or 90 (which would take you to 77-South and Akron).  you would be looking at about an hour commute both ways in good weather. what's wrong with living in Akron?

I wouldn't.  My co-worker of 4 years has been commuting from Akron to Cleveland for 7 years and has spent more than one night at a local Cleveland friend's house rather than risk the roads. Also has hit a total of 3 deer since I've been working with her these 4 years. 

 

From a traffic perspective, it wouldn't be that bad as you're going the other way from traffic coming in to downtown, but time-wise and weather-wise, it wouldn't be desirable, especially from the cle hts area.

strictly from a dollar/mpg standpoint the commute would put a hole in your wallet too...that's around 100 mile trip each day.  Assuming your car averages 25/mpg, you're spending approx. $15 on gas each day!  $15 x 5 days x 52 weeks = almost $4,000 on gas each year!

Welcome carltron.  :wave: :wave:

 

I agree, with the previous posts. As an alternative, if you told us more about your activities and what type of neighborhood your interested in living in we might be able to lists neighborhoods you might like.

 

Honestly, I don't think driving from CH to 77 or 271 at 8:15 AM/8:30 AM to make the drive to Akron that bad, considering the he's lived in Atlanta.

 

I wouldn't do it as the cost of gas is crazy.

If you want the atmosphere of Cleveland Heights, you should take a look around Highland Square/Portage Path in Akron.  It is scaled down from Cleveland Heights, but you'll have about two extra hours a day to enjoy it by not commuting!

If this guy is used to Atlanta traffic, the commute to Akron might be cake.

I agree with some of the posters above that gas would take its toll and I also agree that commuting from Cleveland Heights might be difficult.  However, if you are interested in living in Cleveland, I wouldn't discount downtown or one of the adjacent neighborhoods that have good access to I-77.  I say this especially because you don't need to get in to the workplace until a bit later than the traditional rush hour commuter.

 

In the fall, I had to make a few rush hour commutes to Akron.  I found that if I needed to get there by 8, it was tough and generally took me about an hour to an hour and ten minutes.  However, if I needed to make a 9am meeting, I didn't have nearly the same problem and could generally get there in 45 minutes.  My destination was actually a bit south of downtown Akron as well. 

 

So, I think it's do-able. You just have to balance your desire for the type of neighborhood/city you want to live in with your expectations for commute times & hassle.  When you come up to visit the area, make a few test runs at different times in the morning and see what you think.  Find your favorite cities & neighborhoods and time the commute from there.  Use the difference in commute times as one variable to "score" your options.

 

I don't know much about Akron or its suburbs, but I'm sure there'd be some nices places down that way as well.

Although Cleveland is a lot larger and has alot more going on, I think Akron is a fine city and close enough to be a great place to live and work. I would recomend living in the Highland Square area of Akron. http://highlandsquare.org/index.php If I were you, I would email some of the contacts on the website about available apartments in that neighborhood. I'm sure they could be extremely helpful.

I second Highland Square. It was one of my favorite hang-out areas when I was in college in the early 1990s. It's been a great place for young people in the two before I regularly visited it and in the two decades since.

If you were determined to start off in Cleveland, you might think about Tremont which, Like Cleveland Heights, has several urban social amenities but has great access to I-77 (via 490).  From Tremont, the drive to northern Akron is about 30-32 miles (if Googlemaps can be trusted).

 

Starting from Cleveland Heights will probably add 15-20 minutes to your drive to work.

Thanks all for the insight. 

 

My reason for moving to NE Ohio is to begin teaching at the University of Akron.  This affords some flexibility in my daily schedule (and probably means that most of the time I would only need to make the drive 3 days a week). 

 

I have been able to visit Akron only once, for my job interview, but I spent two days there and did get a tour of the city and a bit of advice on places to live (everyone I spoke to recommended Highland Square - which looked to be very nice).

 

I have, however, been to Cleveland several times in the distant past, and liked the city quite a lot.  It seemed to have a really wonderful neighborhood geography, and Cleveland Heights especially reminded reminded me quite a lot of a few neighborhoods in Chicago (where I lived in the 1990s).

 

So, when the prospect of moving to the area became real, I thought, 'Wow, maybe I should live in Cleveland.'  I spoke to a couple of my future colleagues about the idea, and they mostly warned me about the transportation problems Cleveland's copious snowfall presents.

 

I will be coming up in a about a month to look around and begin the search for housing, so I plan to spend a couple of rush-hour mornings driving between the two cities.

 

If anyone has more specific advice about Akron, or sources to locate apartments, by all means pass them on.  Akron craigslist is not as active as I had hoped.

If you really want to live in Cleveland Heights (you might also like Lakewood or downtown's Gateway District if you liked Chicago), then consider Akron Metro RTA's X61 bus route between downtown Cleveland and downtown Akron. This might be a good option for you during bad weather since buses often get through snow better than cars.

 

See the X61 northbound schedule here (do not confuse with the X60 route which doesn't go to downtown Akron):

http://www.akronmetro.org/Schedule%20PDFs/Winter%202008/27258%20x60-61_2.pdf

 

X61 southbound schedule:

http://www.akronmetro.org/Schedule%20PDFs/Winter%202008/27258%20x60-61_1.pdf

 

Check this web site for schedule updates/changes:

http://www.akronmetro.org/

I agree with the Tremont and having east access to the highway.

 

My Dad lives in Cleveland Heights and has been commuting to Canton for about 7 years now.  Spends alot of money on gas, but he would rather live in Cleveland Heights. I couldn't do it, but he does not mind.

I think if you're going to live in the Cleveland area, definitely do as much homework as you can - do some practice runs, check out the Akron Metro schedule, etc. When you get here - PAY ATTENTION to weather reports so you can plan accordingly. I know some co-workers who live north of Akron and usually drive but will use Akron Metro in inclement weather.

 

I live in Tremont which as mentioned - has easy access to both I-490 and 176 (aka the Jennings Freeway) both will link you to I-77. With 176 you just have a brief stint on I-480 but then you're back on I-77. In any case you'll be "reverse commuting" and Cleveland traffic is never as bad as Atlanta, barring unusually nasty weather.

 

When I go to Akron, I prefer to take I-77 to the Turnpike (I-80) to Route 8 South. Taking I-77 requires you to basically make a loop around greater Akron - Route 8 enters Akron proper from the north and has several "direct" exits into downtown. Most people avoid the Turnpike because they hate paying 50¢ (the fare between I-77 and Rt. 8 ) but I love it because traffic's almost always lighter.

I, ironically, had to do the University Circle (borders Cleveland Heights) to University of Akron commute for about 2 years.  On average, it would take me about 50-55 minutes each way.  If you'd only be going down about 3 times a week, it really isn't that bad once you get used to it (I was going down about 2-3 times a week as well).   The amount of gas sucks; however, I usually carpooled, so at least I had someone to talk with and clear my head on the rides.

 

Now it is definitely doable if it's what you want, but coming from someone has has done this commute--I would probably recommend living in Summit County and visiting Cleveland when it fits in your schedule.

I would second Tremont and add Ohio City (an adjacent neighborhood) as a possibility for you. Ohio City has great urban fabric and is very walkable. It's just across the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge from I-77.

 

As for places to live in Akron, Highland Square is probably the most appealing to an out-of-towner. The North Hill section of the city is also kind of cute and has a relatively intact commercial strip -- it's the old Italian neighborhood.

If this guy is used to Atlanta traffic, the commute to Akron might be cake.

 

Yes, but Atlanta has no lake effect snow.

Thanks all for the insight. 

 

My reason for moving to NE Ohio is to begin teaching at the University of Akron.  This affords some flexibility in my daily schedule (and probably means that most of the time I would only need to make the drive 3 days a week). 

 

Well, carltron, let me back up and also welcome you to Cleveland... the odd hours of college teaching (and only 3-days/week) makes your idea not an entirely bad one if you like bigger cities, which is no knock on Akron which has its own charms.  The suggestions people are giving you are good.  I might also note that in much of the East Side  (the Heights and other eastern suburbs), you're only 10-15 mins from I-271 (outer-belt east) which drops you right down to Route 8 (at around Northfield Twp) which, in turn, drops you right into UA's campus (it actually abuts it).  Rte. 8 (a state hwy) is mostly a limited access road like a freeway but w/ a few at-grade (traffic lighted) intersections – but still, Rte 8 gets priority and traffic moves... This is kind of a back-door route and moves pretty quick even during rush periods and is especially compared to using I-77 from downtown Cleveland because you avoid frequent, huge tie-ups at the gigantic Valley View cloverleaf with intersecting, E-W I-480.

 

Just remember, esp when on Route 8, KEEP YOUR EYES OPEN FOR TRAFFIC COPS AT ALL TIMES!!  They're as pervasive as midges in a sultry Cleveland Indians' playoff game (esp against the damn Yankees).

 

Route 8 is being rebuilt and upgraded to interstate standards so it will no longer have at-grade intersections with cross roads. The work is pretty far along.

^even better!

I live in the West Hill neighborhood of Akron right now but work all over North East Ohio, many times being in 3 or 4 counties in one day. I also went to the UofA and knew professors who lived the Cleveland area. All the suggestions have been excellent imo. I love Cleveland Heights also but it's a bit removed from I-271. If your heart is set on Cleveland I would look for something close to a Freeway. I can get to Downtown Cleveland in 35 minutes from my neighborhood just west of Downtown Akron. If you're looking for somewhere in Akron I would suggest any of the neighborhoods along Route 18. From Downtown they are West Hill, Highland Square, Merriam(The Valley), Wallhaven and Fairlawn Heights. West Hill can be sketchy depending on the street or block but the others are quiet with great housing stock, similar to the Cleveland Heights/Shaker Heights area in Cleveland.

 

As far as searching for apartments the best way to do so is by pounding the pavement in the aforementioned neighborhoods. Craigslist isn't any good and the Classifieds would be easier for you to search if you knew the area. There are many walk up buildings in this part of town as well as some beautiful homes for rent as well.

 

I understand your desire for Cleveland Heights as I've wanted the same thing(I also lived in Chicago/Oak Park for a while) but it will be a pain during the winter and it's "hike" just to get to the Freeway and I would "only" have to get to Twinsburg for work. Let us know how everything works out and if you need anymore help.