Good neighborhoods/suburbs for family

[jlawrence01]

Originally Posted by JP1234

We might be moving to Cleveland in the fall so I am starting to look at neighborhoods and suburbs that might be a good fit for my family. We are looking for:
- an established neighborhood (rather than a new development) with architecturally interesting homes
- good public schools
- walkable community where we could walk to shops and businesses
- neighborhood with young families (our kids are both under 3 years old)

I'm not sure if anyone on here is familiar with the Chicago area but we are coming from Oak Park, Illinois and are looking for something simiar in the Cleveland area (but less expensive and with less traffic).

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Most of Lakewood was constructed pre-WWII with the east side mostly pre 1920. Much of the housing has been rehabbed to one degree or another. The city, unlike most Chicago suburbs, AGGRESSIVELY ENFORCES its building codes which helps to prevent blight. However, most people really have pride of ownership.

When we lived there, most of our driving was to commute to Lorain Co. for work.

If you walked down Clifton Ave tonight at midnight, you might be surprised to see 15-20 people out walking their dogs. BTW, I think that dog ownership is required.

There are a lot of seniors and a lot of families. Schools are above average but you could find better further west.

Housing prices are extremely reasonable, roughly half of the Chicago suburbs. To give you a fair comparison, I had a 5 BR 1.5 BA house four blocks from Lake Erie for the same price as a small 2BR condo in McHenry Co.

Except for the extremely high taxes (state tax 6.5%, local income tax 2.0%, and possibly more if you work in another municipality), I would move back in a minute. Property taxes in Lakewood are comparable to what you pay in Chicagoland.

[clevelander9185]

OP,
My suggestion is you could start looking with the neighborhoods close to where you work and how tolerance are you with work commute (no matter where you pick the traffic in Cleveland is way less hassle than you have in Chicago I'm sure ). The less commute you have the more you'll have quality time with your family.

Then decide you want to go to East side or West Side part of Cleveland. As previous posters mostly mentioned in East Cleveland Suburbs such as Shaker Heights, Beachwood (upscale neighborhood).
For west suburbs such as Lakewood, Rocky River, Westlake, Bay Village, Avon, Olmsted Falls/Township.
Mostly schools in above suburbs are very good.

We lived in Lakewood about 6 years and we loved it, but as soon as we have kids we move the further west since only specifically in Olmsted Township which we can afford new development (btw, we're not paying city tax if you work in Cleveland). I know you're interested to more unique houses but check them out doesn't hurt.

I can speak only for Olmsted Township schools since we've been living almost 8 years here. School from K to 12 has the excellent rating accross the board.
If you need more info about you can PM me.

Good luck and Welcome to Cleveland!

[ottomobeale]

OP: Where are you working?

Lakewood to Solon is a HORRIBLE commute.
Shaker Hts to Berea is a HORRIBLE commute.

[121804]

Originally Posted by JP1234

I'm not sure if anyone on here is familiar with the Chicago area but we are coming from Oak Park, Illinois and are looking for something simiar in the Cleveland area (but less expensive and with less traffic).

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Shaker Heights.
Chargrin Falls is one of my favorite cities but there can be an issue w/ the people. High taxes.
Hudson is also very nice w/ good schools but home prices & taxes are rough.

Nothing in Cleveland compares to Chicago traffic. My husband went to college there & all my relatives live there. Driving in Cleveland is cake compared to Chicago.

Lakewood has its nice parts but I do not care for the schools.

If you do indeed move, best bet would be to find a home to rent in the city you like & really get to know the area.

As someone stated, a lot will depend where you are working.
An eastside to westside commute can take well over an hour on a good day.

[WeSoHood]

I'll say it again, Rocky River.. probably one of the best areas in Cleveland. Highly under-appreciated and talked about on here. It compares to the top suburbs in DC that I lived near.

[KylaY12345]

Originally Posted by costello_musicman

Walkable and architecturally interesting....Shaker Hts, Cleveland Hts, and Lakewood come to mind immediately. Little Italy could also work for you, especially if you're looking to rent.

Schools don't really differ much until you reach middle school, but in order, the best schools would go Shaker Hts, Lakewood, then Cleveland Hts.

All the areas I listed above were mostly built between 1900-1940....so very established and interesting architecture.

I am never go on here and bash other peoples opionion. But I reside in Cleveland Hts., and have a friend who lives in Lakewood. You would not want your kids in those schools systems at all. Trust me. Shaker Hts., does have great schools but there is also a ghetto part of Shaker Hts that has shabby looking houses. With those shabby looking houses comes shabby looking people and shabby looking kids. IMO you would do way better in a suburb like Solon or Beachwood which has some of the top rated schools in the state. These two cities both have well-rounded areas. You won't find any bad areas in either of these cities. Thus your children won't be affected as much as in Shaker, and definitely Lakewood and Cleveland Hts.

[gtsurfer05]

Cleveland Hts sure, however Lakewood and Shaker??? You've got bad kids in every school, and if Shaker's was so bad then everyone would send them to private and they would not be getting the rankings that they do currently. As for Lakewood, it's a normal community with a normal district, what is so bad with it??