Me, my fiancee and our 2 children ( a 14 month old boy and newborn girl) are going to be relocating to the cleveland oh area around 6/1/08. Our good friends live in Westlake and my fiancee and our friend will be working together commuting to Cinncinati. I work in the customer service/ claims processing field for dental and medical insurances. I know Westlake is extremely expensive and we will be renters not buyers. What cities/neighborhoods are safe (especially for young children) and have rent prices between $500-$600 for a 2-3 bedroom? We are a very laid back young couple (26 and 34) and are very open minded and love all sorts of culture. Any help is appreciated.

 

Through my own research I came up with North Olmsted, Bay Village, Fairview Park, Parkview, River Edge, Olmsted Falls, Lakewood, Brook Park, North Ridgeville, Middleburg Heights, Berea, Parma Heights, Parma, Cuyahoga Heights, Elyria. Any opions on these towns.

 

thanks

 

Hi mlpelate13, welcome to UrbanOhio & to Cleveland!

 

Younger couple looking to rent with young children and a love for culture?  Although I think that parts of Cleveland neighborhoods will be fantastic (I'm sure that they will come out here), I suggest Little Italy (where I currently live) and Cleveland Heights, which is adjacent to it. 

 

Cheap rent, incredible proximity to arts/culture, and close proximity to the Red Line for access to downtown and the airport.  Of course, Tremont/Ohio City/Detroit Shoreway/Lakewood would be nice addresses for you, too. 

 

EDIT: From your note below about proximity to Westlake, my suggestions may not fit  :-P

Sorry the topic name should've been "Affordable, safe neighborhood near Westlake OH" .... my computer pre-filled this instead. HA :laugh:

Me, my fiancee and our 2 children ( a 14 month old boy and newborn girl) are going to be relocating to the cleveland oh area around 6/1/08. Our good friends live in Westlake and my fiancee and our friend will be working together commuting to Cinncinati. I work in the customer service/ claims processing field for dental and medical insurances. I know Westlake is extremely expensive and we will be renters not buyers. What cities/neighborhoods are safe (especially for young children) and have rent prices between $500-$600 for a 2-3 bedroom? We are a very laid back young couple (26 and 34) and are very open minded and love all sorts of culture. Any help is appreciated.

 

Through my own research I came up with North Olmsted, Bay Village, Fairview Park, Parkview, River Edge, Olmsted Falls, Lakewood, Brook Park, North Ridgeville, Middleburg Heights, Berea, Parma Heights, Parma, Cuyahoga Heights, Elyria. Any opions on these towns.

 

thanks

 

 

Welcome to the board!  I have lived or live in many of the areas you list, including Westlake, which is indeed lovely but expensive. North Olmsted has a LOT of apartments and that would be my #1 recommendation for you if you want close to westlake but lower priced.  If you find specific buildings you want information on let me know as I have looked at tons of them.  Bay does not have much in the way of apartments and I think you mean "Rocky River" instead of River's edge (though there is an apt building there called river's edge) and there are apartments there but they are comparable in price to Westlake and not as plentiful.  However, even in N. Olmsted for a family your size you are going to have trouble finding anything bigger than a one bedroom for $500 a month that is pleasant.  Some places offer a move-in special where you don't have to pay first month's rent so that can help if you amortize it over the rest of the period of the lease, but I would expect to pay closer to $650-700 and finding a 3 bedroom apartment can be very, very tough.  If you want that much room you should look into renting a house perhaps?  Lakewood has a great number of half-doubles that rent for a fairly reasonable rate and you get all the amenities of a home without having to buy. 

 

JMO but I would not recommend Brook Park.  It's just not where I'd tell a friend to live. 

 

We would prefer a house or duplex/half double.

^The "River Edge" area refers to an area just north of the airport.

 

Welcome to the forum - as others have said, you're working with a limited budget but that's okay. I lived in Westlake and because of the way the highways and main arteries are laid out - it's not always easy to get to/from Westlake from other suburbs. That said, for an area that will be affordable, close to "cultural amenities", close to I-71 for the commute to Cincinnati, and close (or at least easily accessible) to Westlake, I'd recommend the following: Lakewood, Rocky River, Fairview Park, and possibly the Edgewater/Clifton neighborhood of Cleveland.

i would say to take a look at lakewood as well... a lot of houses for rent.  It's only about 10-12 miles from westlake, and it's close to plenty of cultural amenities.

Lakewood would be perfect for your price range and there are a lot of doubles to choose from. I live there and very much enjoy the safety, walkability, diverse amenities, excellent library, and location in the Cleveland area.

 

You can check craigslist, but the best way to find units is to drive around and look for "For Rent" signs. When my cousin, her husband, and their baby relocated to the Cleveland area they found a very nice unit in a double in good condition on Lake Avenue near Lakewood Park. It wasn't very expensive and it was the perfect neighborhood for a young family. 

 

i would say to take a look at lakewood as well... a lot of houses for rent.  It's only about 10-12 miles from westlake, and it's close to plenty of cultural amenities.

 

From the western border of Lakewood to the eastern border Westlake = 3.5 miles.

Given all your criteria I would say Lakewood would be a perfect fit. 

Like everyone has said, Lakewood would match your needs almost perfectly.

 

I'd also recommend the West Park neighborhood of Cleveland, specifically the areas north of Lorain Rd near Rocky River Dr.  This neighborhood is just south of Lakewood and there are quite a few duplexes/houses for rent.  It is a safe neighborhood, near I-90 (for getting to Westlake), I-71 (for getting to Cincy), and includes Kamm's Corners, which is a commercial district on Lorain Rd.  Kamm's is nothing fancy, but it provides alot of neighborhood retail...grocery, drug store, restaurants, pubs.

I also live in Lakewood and recommend it, as well as West Park and Fairview Park which should fit your criteria.

 

My only suggestion, when checking out houses or apartments, talk to people who already live in the area. You may find the perfect house/apartment, but a problem neighbor (late-night parties, domestic violence, etc) can ruin it for you. Of course, one person may consider a neighbor a nuisance while another will have had no problem with that neighbor. But it never hurts to ask more people more questions -- after all, it's your happiness.

wait, moving to westlake to commute to cincinnati?

 

also, parkview does not exist as a suburb at the moment.  it merged with fairview to create fairview park. 

also, parkview does not exist as a suburb at the moment.  it merged with fairview to create fairview park. 

 

Yes, in 1967.