does Akron still have the burning rubber smell? (Youngstown, Cuyahoga Falls: lower-class, best city) - Akron - Canton - Ohio (OH) - City-Data Forum

summerngreece · 08-06-2008, 10:47 PM

Hello,
I was just wondering if Akron still has the smell of burnt rubber in the air? A friend from Youngstown said it does, but he lives out in LA now and has not been back in a while. I will be attending the University of Akron and need to find a safe and affordable neighborhood to live, so any suggestions would be nice. I am middle aged, starting my life over, so truthfully, I am looking for a nice home to rent in a nice neighborhood, which is also safe. Any help will be greatly appreciated, currently residing in Maryland.

Donna7 · 08-07-2008, 06:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by summerngreece

Hello,
I was just wondering if Akron still has the smell of burnt rubber in the air? A friend from Youngstown said it does, but he lives out in LA now and has not been back in a while. I will be attending the University of Akron and need to find a safe and affordable neighborhood to live, so any suggestions would be nice. I am middle aged, starting my life over, so truthfully, I am looking for a nice home to rent in a nice neighborhood, which is also safe. Any help will be greatly appreciated, currently residing in Maryland.

Akron does not have the smell of burned rubber. I DO remember that smell as I used to visit relatives that lived around the various rubber/tire factories in Akron, and it indeed was a heavy, nauseaus smell. That smell has been gone for a few decades now (at least). As far as where to live, it depends on your taste and budget. For me (age 45 and kids), I would choose Fairlawn or even Akron proper, but getting away from downtown and U of A. There are truly a lot of rentals to choose from at this time as houses are not selling so well here. Wishing you the best.

summerngreece · 08-08-2008, 02:50 AM

Hello,
Thanks so much for the information, very happy to hear the rubber smell is gone!!! My budget is limited, so I was hoping to pay around 600 to 700 a month for a nice home in a safe neighborhood. Good to know there are homes to chose from that are rentals, but sad too that homes are not moving so well, as is the case also in Maryland. I read the crime is bad around the U of A, so living near the school is out for me. But a nice suburb would be great. Thanks for your help.

BelieveInCleve · 08-08-2008, 05:09 AM

I dont think it has much of a burning rubber smell anymore. I think when I do go there I smell something faintly which might be burning rubber but I cant be sure what it is. Either way even if there is a burning rubber smell you wont notice it much and its bearable.

Donna7 · 08-08-2008, 03:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by summerngreece

Hello,
Thanks so much for the information, very happy to hear the rubber smell is gone!!! My budget is limited, so I was hoping to pay around 600 to 700 a month for a nice home in a safe neighborhood. Good to know there are homes to chose from that are rentals, but sad too that homes are not moving so well, as is the case also in Maryland. I read the crime is bad around the U of A, so living near the school is out for me. But a nice suburb would be great. Thanks for your help.

Nearby suburbs would be Fairlawn or Copley. There are other suburbs to choose from that would be about 20 minutes or so to U of A. You'll also be fine in areas even closer to U of A. Parts of West Akron are quite nice as well; this would be even closer to U of A.

The local newspaper of Akron is "Akron Beacon Journal". The internet version is Ohio.com - Homepage. You can find rental listings there.

Also, check out the rentals on akron / canton apts/housing for rent classifieds - craigslist (Craigslist).

Good luck!

summerngreece · 08-08-2008, 04:45 PM

Thanks for the info, I checked out Craig's list, is Goodyear Heights a safe neighborhood???

CityGrrl77 · 08-08-2008, 09:56 PM

I have to agree with the others in regards to the rubber smell. I've lived here for 10 years now and I've never smelled anything like that.
As for living in Akron, I would skip UofA area - lots of college kids (obviously) and the areas remotely close to it are not that great/safe.
The Northwest Akron is a great area which include the Merriman/Memorial Parkway/North Portage Path section as well as Highland Square. Highland Square area is pretty much still considered 'downtown' even though it's not actually near any of the city buildings, etc. It is the most eclectic, diverse area in Akron. You should be able to access some of my other posts if you are interested otherwise I would have to retype a lot of info. I would steer clear of 'West' and South Akron but that is just me.

Fairlawn is nice but you wont find a nice house to rent in the range you are looking for - unless it is a 2 bedroom apartment. Fairlawn tries to pride itself on pretending to be a high-end community. Altho it is nice, with a lot of shopping and it is safe as well - I'm not impressed. I lived there for 2 years and I purposely moved because I couldnt stand the traffic congestion and the suburban lifestyle.
How far do you want to be from the center of Akron? Does it matter at all?
(Fairlawn is prob 10-15 minutes from downtown Akron down Rt.18).

Goodyear Heights is still in the Akron city limits but its further from downtown. Im not really sure of the track record of that area. Parts of Firestone Park are nice - cute houses, close to 77N/S. Another area I would look into (which, like Fairlawn and Copley, are not considered Akron) is Cuyahoga Falls. They are our neighbor to the north. Good schools, safe area, cute houses, lots of rentals, nice area. I always have said that if I didnt live in Akron, CuyFalls is the only other city I would want to live in around here.
Hopefully this and the other posts help. Let me know if you have any other questions

Robhu · 08-08-2008, 11:30 PM

The rubber smell has been gone for years. I remember how it smelled when I was a kid. I kinda miss it in a way. It meant good paying jobs for a lot of people.

htlong · 08-10-2008, 04:39 AM

when I would complain about the stinky rubber smell ,my father would tell me that it was the smell of money.......funny akron cant smell any money these days,oh for the stinky rubber smell....

TheCLE · 08-13-2008, 02:44 AM

I'd look at Highland Square or the Valley. Goodyear Heights isn't that bad, but you'll still be in the city. And if you are looking for the best city neighborhood, they are by far Highland Square and the Valley.

If you are older, I'd advise you to stay away from University Park (the area just off campus), it's defintely a younger crowd of college students and lower-class non-college students.

Don't worry about the smell of rubber burning. But cherish the smell of the Wonderbread factory. You'll get a lot of that on campus and it's a sweet smell.