Cleveland mounts a defense against "most miserable city" label with online beachhead

 

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Everyone knows misery loves company, so Positively Cleveland, the tourism folks for what Forbes.com calls America's most miserable city, has created a place for all of us miserable Clevelanders to gather on the Internet.

 

But whattheforbes.com is not a cyber bunker to shield us from the slings and arrows of outrageous list-makers. The site, which went live Wednesday, is more like a beachhead in a battle for Cleveland' s pride, where poor souls - if we can muster the courage to drag ourselves out of bed to face this bleak existence - can fight back with videos, photos and comments. There are also contests with prizes that encourage Northeast Ohoians to bring a friend to town to share in the misery of world-class food, shopping, entertainment and sporting events.

 

The Web site, which gives new meaning to the text shorthand WTF? (the original, we can't print), contains links to Facebook pages with such names as"NO THANKS, Forbes Magazine" and "I don't care what Forbes magazine says I LOVE CLEVELAND!"

 

 

http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/02/cleveland_mounts_a_defense_aga.html#postComment

Cleveland rocks ... honest

 

From the UK travel section

 

The city's music scene is thriving, with a collection of grungy gig venues, local cafe bars, and retro jukebox joints

 

Last month Google shut down six music blogs without warning. One of them was I Rock Cleveland (which has since restarted as blog.irockcleveland.com) prompting furrowed brows of confusion. Cleveland a hot bed of rock music? The city in the great lakes area, which was recently described by Forbes as the most miserable metropolis in the USA, a nurturer of musical genius? Turns out that it's just that and more - and to prove it here's 10 of the most vibrant music venues you'll ever have the joy of sweating in.

 

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2010/mar/22/cleveland-rocks-music-guide-us

 

^ Great article and great list, although I wish it were longer.  Now That's Class has Donkey Kong!  Phantasy has a pirate ship!  Winchester!  Agora!  But they included Pat's, so all is well.  A national treasure is Pat's.

 

Our regional marketing efforts need to do more with this.  One gathers that the current promotional materials are written by older executive types.  Efforts are made to highlight "family" attractions but not those appealing to the young.  We go all out to promote visual arts and theater here... let's double those efforts toward the art form we're most famous for.

I am always amazed at the crowds outside the Beachland, especially considering its location and all.

The Beachland is definitely a regional asset. 

Agree with you 327, this could have easily been ten pages long.

 

I'm really proud of Cleveland.

Great article. Unfortunately the author of that article probably didn't get to experience the Agora, or she would have been raving about it too. Is it still semi-closed? The only show listed on their website was a Kid Cudi show in January.

 

I think it may be closed closed, or just about.  Not a good sign that Town Fryer left, and as I recall they didn't have anything good to say about the area's street activity.  If we're really putting in this mental hospital we might as well tear the Agora down, because at that point it's a stupid place to have a theater.  I'd say it already is, except for the potential of the empty lots nearby.  Soon to be not empty.

It's a good time to buy in C-Town!!!!  We have the lowest price-rent ratio on the list!  "The price-rent ratio -- a city's median home price divided by median annual rent -- is one sign of how stable home prices are likely to be. We have included the average monthly mortgage payment (based on a 10 percent down payment and 5.3 percent interest rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage) and median apartment rent."

 

http://realestate.yahoo.com/promo/should-you-buy-or-rent

Yep! It costs me less to own a home in Old Brooklyn compared to my much smaller apartment in Lakewood.

That's why we bought!  Rent for an upscale 2bdr apartment + parking for two cars downtown would be more than our mortgage payments!

It depends on your credit score and how much you can afford for a down payment though.  A lot of renters do not have money for a down payment.  And given the debt most people I know are in, I would bet that the majority of Clevelanders do not have a credit score that would qualify them for 5.3% interest.  I'm not sure stories like that really take into account the financial picture you need to have to get a house.  Especially in an area where there is a lot of unemployment.  As my grandmother used to say, "It's not a bargain if you can't afford it."

 

FHA loans for first time buyers with credit scores of 580 and above only require 3.5% (very strict) for the downpayment.  The going rate now is 5.25%. 

If you wanted to buy a $150,000 home right now, you could get it for a down payment of $5,250. 

 

That is what I did.  The seller paid almost all of the closing costs, and I got my mortgage broker to throw in some money in exchange for a 5.5% interest rate.  With New Orleans taxes and flood and housing isurance my place costs me $1300/mnth.  Cleveland, with tax abatements and relative lack of hurricanes should be less.

 

If you get a place under contract now (just an agreement on purchase price, not all the mortage BS) you can still qualify for the $8,000 first time home buyer.

 

As for the downpayment, it can also be gifted to you buy a family member, but then FHA requires them produce financial records to prove it wasn't the seller giving you the money for the 3.5% down through someone else.

 

The only stipulations for FHA is that the house is move in ready, no repairs are needed (In that instance there is a FHA renovation loan) and that the house appraises for at least the price you bought it at.  That way, you are not financially pinched for repairs, and then if you wind up being forclosed on Fanny and Freddy don't lose too much money. 

 

Sorry to go off topic, but if someone was considering it, and can put together a few grand in the next 6 weeks, this would be a great time to buy.

True; we are looking at somewhat a similar scenario ourselves, but most of the properties we like and can afford would require one of the renovation loans, and it's starting to sound really confusing and convoluted.  We have a meeting with our realtor tomorrow night as we're pretty interested in a particular property but want to see what the numbers would be once the improvement loan would be rolled in. 

^^Be able to buy is one thing.  Being able to buy AND avoid a PMI is quite another.  If it is still like when I bought my house, 20% down is needed to not take on a PMI.

Found this blog online about the 365 things you must do in the Cleveland area.

 

www.365thingscleveland.com

 

It appears as if she is listing 1 thing per day.

^^Be able to buy is one thing. Being able to buy AND avoid a PMI is quite another. If it is still like when I bought my house, 20% down is needed to not take on a PMI.

 

What's wrong with PMI?

^^Be able to buy is one thing. Being able to buy AND avoid a PMI is quite another. If it is still like when I bought my house, 20% down is needed to not take on a PMI.

 

What's wrong with PMI?

 

Because it will increase your mortgage payment and does not give you back any equity in exchange for that added payment.

 

Oh.  Yes, it does increase the payment, but most buyers do not have 20% down anymore. 

 

I just can't figure out what effect, if any, the tax credit has.  I just can't figure out the math or how to apply it to my situation. 

I would say the best use for the tax credit would be to pay down the principle on the house and get you out of PMI more quickly. We bought our double in 2003 with 10% down and it took until 2009 to get out of PMI. You aren't paying a lot in principle those first few years so an extra 8k or 6k (putting 2k aside for remodeling/improvements/slushfund) would go a long way to getting you out of PMI.

Yeah, but I don't really understand.  Do they hand you $8K when you buy the house?  Or are you just "saving" that in what you'd normally have to pay in taxes over the next year, and you're supposed to see it at tax time in 2011?  Or do you get an extra $8K tax refund in 2011?  I really don't understand how the money materializes, and when.  And how would you apply it just to PMI?

It shows up when you do your federal taxes for the next year, so if you bought this year and filed early you could have it by the end of February 2011. It's a credit meaning that what ever refund or amount owed for 2010 taxes add 8k in refund to it.

 

You can't really "apply" it to PMI, you are simply putting the money towards principle on the loan shortening the time it take you to get to the magical 20% equity on the purchase price, there by reducing the total amount paid on PMI. BTW PMI is about $70 a month.

 

Just ran some rough numbers, assuming a 100k house, 5.5% 30yr fixed mortage and a 5% down payment if you apply the 8k credit to the principle you would be ou of PMI in 5 years, 6k of the credit would be 6 years and no credit it takes about 9 years. You would save close to $800  a year in PMI once you get out of it.

Thx for humoring me on this.  I'm going to take this discussion to PM since I have a few more Qs and you seem very clued in on this topic.

Glad to help.

 

I love Cleveland weather! Icy snow what could be better!

All those cold, miserable days in January and February make the 60 degree day in March feel like a million dollars.

Man, isn't that the truth. There is nothing that feels as good as walking out of work on sunny 70 degree day in March, especially now with the earlier day light savings you even get o enjoy a few hours of the sun.

We're halfway to summertime sunsets at wendy park!

i went out after work yesterday in brooklyn and met this couple who work in high end food service (currently per se and boulud, which if you are into fine dining are top of the game as it gets in the restaurant world). they are from philadelphia, but have worked in ny, vegas and cleveland before moving back to ny.

 

anyway while in the cleve they worked for dante and i think some of the other local chefs and the guy recently designed and set up dante's new restaurant in the bank building in tremont.  they loooooved cleveland and went on about the people ("the best, the nicest..") and the city ("surprises scattered around like tremont, e4th, etc.") and of course the great chefs and hopping foodie scene. i got a kick out of talking some cleveland love with them, that was an unexpected and refreshing surprise!

 

hmm...cleveland love.... I like that.

I still subscribe to the general line of thought that there are two types of people that genuinely hate Cleveland - 1. those that have never been here; and 2. those that have never left.

^ lol -- you are so right!

I wish I knew who to give credit for that though.  I am pretty sure I read it on here.

Per se and Boulud! *dies*  I'm really glad to hear that.

I think it was KJP.

Per se and Boulud! *dies* I'm really glad to hear that.

 

you would have really loved to hear them talk of dante in the same terms as boulud and keller! ps -- they said when you go to dante be sure to try any sashimi and fish dishes because he spent a lot of time training in japan right after lockkeepers went down and he's really into that now.

 

Last night I was having some drinks on East 4th and was talking to a random woman in her mid-30's who rarely goes downtown (lives in Mentor) who asked "when did I miss downtown being the place to be?" This was after I told her I live downtown.

Seriously?  It certainly isn't Mentor!

Last night I was having some drinks on East 4th and was talking to a random woman in her mid-30's who rarely goes downtown (lives in Mentor) who asked "when did I miss downtown being the place to be?" This was after I told her I live downtown.

 

Besides the near west side and UC/Heights, what else could qualify as the "place to be"?? 

To folks from Mentor, it seems to be Vine Street.... which people do sleep on a little bit around here.

Seriously? It certainly isn't Mentor!

 

I gave my cousin and her husband a gift certificate to Lola for Christmas this year and the first thing out of her mouth was "Ooooo but it's not safe downtown". And she lives behind Lake Catholic in Mentor.

Last night I was having some drinks on East 4th and was talking to a random woman in her mid-30's who rarely goes downtown (lives in Mentor) who asked "when did I miss downtown being the place to be?" This was after I told her I live downtown.

 

Besides the near west side and UC/Heights, what else could qualify as the "place to be"??

 

Although I didn't dive into her thinking I'm sure many people think Eton, Crocker park, and Legacy Village are the "places to be."

I gave my cousin and her husband a gift certificate to Lola for Christmas this year and the first thing out of her mouth was "Ooooo but it's not safe downtown". And she lives behind Lake Catholic in Mentor.

 

O.M.G.  That is amazing.

Recently one of my friends was telling me about how there is never any need to leave Avon Lake because they've got it all- McDonald's, Arby's and BW3.  Sad truth is, most people have extraordinarily low standards for what a city can be, and for what place means to them.  The suburbs wouldn't be so popular otherwise.

Recently one of my friends was telling me about how there is never any need to leave Avon Lake because they've got it all- McDonald's, Arby's and BW3. 

 

My dad works for a company that will be opening a Cleveland office soon by taking employees from two offices of another company currently in Westlake and Mentor.  I don't know that I can name places so I'm not gonna, but it'd make sense if you knew the names of the companies.  Anyway.........  The Westlake people are fairly open to location, but the Mentor people are legimitely refusing to leave Lake County to go to work.

Recently one of my friends was telling me about how there is never any need to leave Avon Lake because they've got it all- McDonald's, Arby's and BW3. Sad truth is, most people have extraordinarily low standards for what a city can be, and for what place means to them. The suburbs wouldn't be so popular otherwise.

 

At least they could have said Bar Symon.

 

What is the overwhelming appeal of BW3's anyway? That's another thread in it's self...

Yeah, it's sometimes easy to forget how pervasive these attitudes can get the further and further out you get. I have a friend who lives CAR-FREE in CROCKER PARK and confessed to me that he hasn't been downtown in five years! My eyes popped out of my head with that admission. Here's a single 20-something who's choosing a car-free lifestyle ... but from a lifestyle center ... and who's never seen the Avenue District or College Town or the Health Line or East 4th Street ... crazy. You just take it for granted that everyone's been down to East 4th by now!

How's this for a feel-good virtual Cleveland experience?

 

Click on the below google maps link; then go forward one click on the forward facing arrow.

 

http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Tremont,+Cleveland,+OH&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=45.284089,107.138672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Tremont,+Cleveland,+Ohio&ll=41.477517,-81.682545&spn=0.002628,0.006539&t=h&z=18&layer=c&cbll=41.477516,-81.682674&panoid=DQQIvQZglBPU1UgeO5n9qQ&cbp=12,92.15,,0,1.53

 

Now that googlemaps updated the street view for many of the city's intersections, there are several such before and after experiences.  A great reminder about awesome changes to our city in the last few years that we so often take for granted as soon as construction is completed.

 

WILL YOU LOOK AT MY NEIGHBORHOOD! Awesome.

Seriously? It certainly isn't Mentor!

 

I gave my cousin and her husband a gift certificate to Lola for Christmas this year and the first thing out of her mouth was "Ooooo but it's not safe downtown". And she lives behind Lake Catholic in Mentor.

Yea my experience has been that people from Lake County are the most afraid of downtown.  I had a buddy who took a girl to prom from Cathedral Latin and drove her through downtown.  She was absolutely terrified!