Cleveland, Ohio

[disneyfan007]

One thing to think about - traditionally the East side of Cleveland will get hammered in the winter with lake effect snow. People that live there seem to love it and it is very pretty there. I would definitly vote for one of the burbs rather than the city. City schools are not in that great of shape and a lot of them will be closing and consolidating with the next school year. I live in southern Lorain county which is very country, but the drive is like 45 minutes to downtown. You could possibly check out Avon in Lorain county or check out Medina Ohio in Medina county. Not sure what rent is running since the downturn in the economy but it is a darling town with 3 different school systems I believe.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

You could possibly check out Avon in Lorain county or check out Medina Ohio in Medina county. Not sure what rent is running since the downturn in the economy but it is a darling town with 3 different school systems I believe.

Not sure if OP has kids, but Medina City Schools (there are a couple other districts, but this is "true" Medina) are not doing so hot. Busing is down to state minimum (2 miles and under), they're spending money they don't have and making cuts left and right as a result. It is quite the hot spot for shopping and dining, though.

 

[RachaelA]

I grew up in Cleveland Heights, so I am an East Side girl. If I ever moved back I would probably go Beachwood or Chagrin Falls.

I second Chagrin Falls if you can afford it. We live in Russell (next to Chagrin Falls). Its a super nice suburb. Very upscale (but not snobby) with amazing schools. Kenston and Chagrin Falls are both really great school districts.

Beachwood and Solon are also right near Chagrin Falls with very good school districts.

I'm an East side girl who will never leave. I love it.

PM if you have any specific questions.

 

[Cindy B]

I grew up in Cleveland Heights, so I am an East Side girl. If I ever moved back I would probably go Beachwood or Chagrin Falls.

Cleveland Heights... we lived right near you in University Heights!

DH and I came very close to living in Chagrin Falls. It was my one regret that we didn't take the house when it came around.. it was wonderful! I liked Beachwood as well, there were some very nice houses there.

I'm happy we wound up in Shaker and University Heights. I did like Shaker just a bit more, but University Heights was still very nice. (we loved on Baintree near Cedar and Green)

 

[Cindy B]

I second Chagrin Falls if you can afford it. We live in Russell (next to Chagrin Falls). Its a super nice suburb. Very upscale (but not snobby) with amazing schools. Kenston and Chagrin Falls are both really great school districts.

Beachwood and Solon are also right near Chagrin Falls with very good school districts.

I'm an East side girl who will never leave. I love it.

PM if you have any specific questions.

Solon is very nice. If we had researched further, we probably would have gone there as well.

I miss Chagrin Falls.. one of my very first things we did in the Cleveland area was to see the waterfall, walk around, and eat at the Yours Truly there...

 

[RNMOM]

We're from the Cleveland area and after living in Utah and Illinois, we moved back here. It is beautiful here now. It is cool tonight and the flowers and trees are in full flower. Winters seem long but there are a lot of things to do and keep busy with. We have sports teams if you like that, a great orchestra and museums.

We lived on the east side until the last 13 years. We live in Bay Village now and it is right on the lake. I believe the Coast Guard station is near downtown so it wouldn't much matter which side of town you live on. Cleveland is pretty much divided by east/west due to the Cuyahoga River. There are several large bridges that span the river.

I can think of several suburbs you could live well on $13,000 for rental housing. The schools in the suburbs are all rated quite well and there are several private schools in the area that are excellent and many offer financial assistance for qualifying students.

 

[FireDancer]

Cleveland is not so bad as long as you are not a pro sports fan

It isn't so bad if the sports teams you care about play in Columbus or Europe . I gave up on Cleveland sports long ago.

 

[monkeybug]

Cleveland is not so bad as long as you are not a pro sports fan

btw did anyone else get the automated phone call advertising Lebron James Appreciation Day in Akron on Sat

Uh oh...my husband is a huge sports fan!! He's a Steelers fan though.

 

[monkeybug]

Thank you so much to everyone who replied! We looked up a lot of the towns and areas you mentioned and priced out rentals.
Cleveland is definitely going on the list!!!
It makes it so much easier to have no clue where you are moving next when you know that all of your choices are good ones! As much as we miss the West Coast I think we will be really excited if we end up in Cleveland!
I'll bring this thread up from the dark depths next spring if we end up getting orders to there!

 

[Buckeye Princess]

I'm going to go against the grain and say that we don't care much for Cleveland. We have been here for 5 years and have been looking forward to next spring when my husband will finish school and we can move. It is not a terrible city, and there are some great things about it, but it is not for us.

The spring through fall are not bad, but I just hate the winters. It isn't the cold so much as it is just always grey and gloomy. People here also seem to hibernate much more than the cold PA town where I grew up and everyone went out in the winter to ski, snowshoe, snowmobile etc. We are very outdoor active people and this city isn't an outdoorsy or active city compared to other places we have lived or visited.

It has also been my experience that a significant portion of Clevelanders are lifers. I've had a little trouble making friends as most that I meet went to high school here and came back after college. They stick to their old friends and aren't interested in expanding. Again, I'm not saying this is applicable to everyone in Cleveland, just my experience.

Some public schools are ok but there is definitely a stronger private school culture here than most cities.

I wouldn't discourage you from moving here, but wanted to point out a few of the things that I don't care for. We are in your position right now as we evaluate our next move. It is tough because everyone wants to tell us how great the city is and not tell us the downs. Yet each city has its negatives.

 

[MaumeeMom]

That's why I am a Steelers fan

Ackk! Blaspheme!

 

[polineedyan]

Okay, enough 'great stuff' about Cleveland. I dont normally come to the community board, because the flames seem to fly here..
Anyhoo..Been a Clevelander for 30+years. Its best days are over. People are right when they say it is a lot like Pittsburgh, and Ill go a step further and say Youngstown.
The industry has left Cleveland. Cleveland was a super place to live when there were jobs. Many, many of the remaining jobs are in the service industry, which is flooded.
The Arts in cleveland are average to just above average. As an artist, I found the Akron area to have superior arts.
The schools, though they are rated by the state, are in many cases in trouble. Schools are closed annually. Enrollment is down as people leave the city and suburbs.
The athletic teams have had real troubles here, despite having possibly the best athlete in professional sports.
Theft is up because of the economy.
The entire former administration is cleveland is up on Federal charges.
Cleveland is a stone's throw from Canada. Which, despite global warming, creates long, cold, dark periods up to 8 months out of the year. The summers lately have been shorter and cooler.
If you like vitamin D, do not come here.
There is hope for a Medical Mart convention center, if youre interested, and even some casinos coming to Cleveland, if you gamble.
Now, remember folks, Im an unhappy Clevelander who cant wait to get out. If you love it here, good for ya, but please dont hate meeee.....

 

[MarilIncredible]

A good friend of mine has lived in Cleveland for about 10 or 12 years now. She calls it "the mistake by the Lake."

 

[monkeybug]

Okay, enough 'great stuff' about Cleveland. I dont normally come to the community board, because the flames seem to fly here..
Anyhoo..Been a Clevelander for 30+years. Its best days are over. People are right when they say it is a lot like Pittsburgh, and Ill go a step further and say Youngstown.
The industry has left Cleveland. Cleveland was a super place to live when there were jobs. Many, many of the remaining jobs are in the service industry, which is flooded.
The Arts in cleveland are average to just above average. As an artist, I found the Akron area to have superior arts.
The schools, though they are rated by the state, are in many cases in trouble. Schools are closed annually. Enrollment is down as people leave the city and suburbs.
The athletic teams have had real troubles here, despite having possibly the best athlete in professional sports.
Theft is up because of the economy.
The entire former administration is cleveland is up on Federal charges.
Cleveland is a stone's throw from Canada. Which, despite global warming, creates long, cold, dark periods up to 8 months out of the year. The summers lately have been shorter and cooler.
If you like vitamin D, do not come here.
There is hope for a Medical Mart convention center, if youre interested, and even some casinos coming to Cleveland, if you gamble.
Now, remember folks, Im an unhappy Clevelander who cant wait to get out. If you love it here, good for ya, but please dont hate meeee.....

I appreciate the view from the other side of the fence! It's always nice to hear the negatives along with the positives!
As far as the vitamin D goes...our station before MD was the Sunny Oregon coast (read: Liquid sunshine) and we loved it! Many people move to Oregon and hate it because you live most of the year under clouds, but for some reason my little family thrives in that "dreary" weather.
The most important thing to me is an area with low crime, good schools, and friendly people (in general, obviously there are grumpy people everywhere!). Would you say the suburbs of Cleveland fit that bill?
We unfortunately are not in a position to move where ever we like, so we have to just go with what sounds the best out of our choices.
So far there are (and it will change come September) 53 jobs in VA, 2 in Seattle, 1 in No.CA, 1 in San Diego, 1 in Cleveland, and a few in Fl, TX, and other southern states. I'm not a fan of hot & humid, snakes, gators, and no winter so we would prefer not to live in the South. My husband is not a fan of towns that are "big military" so he isn't a fan of the Virginia area jobs. The other thing is that Cleveland is a land job, meaning my husband wouldn't be deployed, while most of the West Coast jobs are ships and he would be gone much of the year.
I always heard Midwest people are very warm and friendly, (and the area of Minnesota where I have some family certainly is!) is Ohio like that too?
So many things to think about!!!
The truth is in the end we always end up loving where ever we end up...because we have no other choice! It's going to be life for the next three or four years so you might as well love it right?