Is Akron and its suburbs a nice place to raise kids??? (Cleveland: ski resorts, low crime)

[cicilyb]

We are considering Akron as an area to relocate to. How are the suburbs? Are there lots of things to do with kids. What about activities in the various seasons? Do they get a lot of snow? Any information (pro and con) would be helpful. Are there pretty, low crime, friendly neighborhoods with good schools?

[bubbagirl]

I'm still new to the area, but there are some really nice small towns and I keep hearing great things about different school systems. Plenty of parks and outdoors areas. I'm too new to the area to know everything available.

[LauraPetrie]

Hi CicilyB,
I have been living in Akron from the past 2 years. And I love the place. You need not worry about crime here, its a pretty safe town. I have seen a couple of scary looking guys wandering around the Akron downtown area in the evenings, so that is one place to avoid. We live in Fairlawn Bath , and its a good place. There is a very good public library wherein you can take your kids for fun activities. I dont know much about the schools here, but from what I here , there are some good ones around.
It does snow a lot here though ! It is cold almost all year round except for the 4 months of summer. Anything more you need to know, just ask ..

[htlong]

there are many great suburbs to live in,stow,cuyahoga falls, fairlawn,green, but my favorite is coventry account of the portage lakes ,i like the availabiity of boating swimming,fishing,sking.
the urban areas have some crime but not nearly as bad as other cities.
drive around and check out all of the burbs and see what you want some areas are more conjested than others due to more shopping areas.
i prefer to drive a little further to the store than have all of the traffic surrounding me.

[LauraPetrie]

I just realised that I misspelt the word "hear" in my post..lol..

[Subway]

The average annual snowfall across the Akron metro area (Summit County & Portage County) varies from a little less than 50" in the far southern part of the area to a little more than 70" in the far northern part of the area. The city proper of Akron typically gets 50-55" per year. (Ohio snow map: Birmingham Project (http://www.birminghamproject.org/maps/map_14.htm - broken link)) It all depends on your perspective, but most people would consider Akron to be quite snowy. For example, most people think of Chicago as a snowy city, and the average annual snowfall there (at O'Hare airport) is only 38", which is small by Northeast Ohio standards.

[cicilyb]

Thanks for all the info- it's really helpful. Do people who live in the snow belt spend much time outside with winter activities? I think our kids would enjoy winter outdoor activities?- or are the temps just to cold to play outdoors. Also- has anyone been to any of the ski resorts in Ohio?

[4sarad]

Times are changing and I wouldn't consider Akron that snowy anymore. This past winter we waited and waited for snow. When it finally came we had one really nasty storm that closed nearly everything for a day and then that was that and we went back to our normal routine.

It's certainly not too cold to go out and play in the snow. I think your kids would enjoy it. I don't ski, but my friends and family have spent time skiing in Bellfountaine and they liked it.

[jusek27]

I know this topic was from several years ago, but anybody looking into Akron, watch out. The school systems should be avoided, especially any downtown. Plus, anyone living in Fairlawn is going to have a very positive experience with Akron. If you can't afford Fairlawn, or the nice parts of Silverlake / Tallmadge, or anywhere near the Byway, then you'll wind up in areas with high crime and libraries I wouldn't go anywhere near.

Akron is largely run-down, highly depressed, and, especially around Akron University or areas near 76, downright scary. Thoroughly research where you plan on living, and realize that with places like Akron, Youngstown, and East Cleveland, paying more money for location is so worth it.

I grew up in Maple Heights (Cleveland) and moved to Akron, until recently I moved to West Cleveland (MUCH safer).

[kiwifruit2]

There are really some nice areas if you can afford to live in them. I lived in Springfield Township for 4 years right outside Green. Both areas are nice, but if I could afford it, I'd move to Green in a heartbeat. Great schools, nice parks (check out Boettler Park), close to shopping in Canton. Fairlawn is very nice, Stow, Tallmadge, some parts of Cuyahoga Falls, I love the shopping out that way. Portage Lakes, Coventry, there are many nice places within and around Akron. Best of luck finding the place for you!