gay friendly areas in cleveland?? (Lakewood, Findlay: apartments, lofts, condominiums)

[jtmoney]

Hi, I am a 25 year old male looking to move to cleveland with my 30 year old partner. We currently live in the city of Findlay Ohio. We are looking to find a house in the 150,000 to 190,000 range that is going to be in a "gay friendly" neighborhood where their are many other gays living there. We need something with a decent sized yard for our dogs and at least 1500-2000 square feet. I don't know much about Cleveland but we want to be in a "desirable" neighborhood where we can feel safe. Would like to be 20 min or less from downtown and on the west side of cleveland if possible. I would appreciate your help. Thanks.

[boardmanite]

I'm thinking Lakewood. Fits your criteria perfectly I'd say. It's on the West Side, close to downtown and it is gay friendly. I'm not sure about the price ranges for houses, but I bet you could find something in your price range.

Good luck!

[jtmoney]

Thanks boardmanite for the quick reply. I just started doing research on the area and Lakewood seems like a perfect fit. As far as being close to the lake, is it withing walking distance? Also, are their any beaches, do people go to lake to swim around there? I'm guessing that it is probably pretty hard to find a newer home in Lakewood? Everthing I have seen seems to be older homes? This isn't a dealbreaker, I am really just curious?

[twange]

Originally Posted by jtmoney

Thanks boardmanite for the quick reply. I just started doing research on the area and Lakewood seems like a perfect fit. As far as being close to the lake, is it withing walking distance? Also, are their any beaches, do people go to lake to swim around there? I'm guessing that it is probably pretty hard to find a newer home in Lakewood? Everthing I have seen seems to be older homes? This isn't a dealbreaker, I am really just curious?

Actually, the area just East of Lakewood from W.117th to the Shoreway, and between Lake and Detroit, is the more concentrated gay neighborhood. This is in Cleveland, so the taxes are lower and the houses a bit cheaper. It's very close to Edgewater Park and the Lake. That particular area has some awesome houses and apartment buildings from the 20s and earlier. There's some really cool shops/restaurants especially along Clifton, and you are about 3 minutes to downtown Cleveland and of course right next to Lakewood. Gay or straight, I think it's a great location.

Lakewood does have a large gay population but it also has a population of over 50,000 citizens so it isn't very obvious. In fact, the whole "Lakewood is the place for gays" is kind of limited and outdated IMHO. Everyone who I know that is gay/lesbian, lives in this area, not in Lakewood.

Here's a map of the approximate area. Edgewater Park is the green area in the upper right.

Good Luck!

[ottomobeale]

If I recollect from a long time ago. Lakewood has a statistically higher gay population rate than San Francisco. The problem is the yard... lakewood houses tend to have tiny lots.

That being said. Try along Clifton. Some incredible houses in that area though the nicest ones are >190K.

I would suggest west of 14000 Clifton. Eastern Lakewood is getting a bit scraggly. There is (was?) a gay area near west side market but that area is small and largely surrounded by blight.

I have a couple gay friends in Lakewood and they seem to like it.

I lived in Westpark in Cleveland. I dont recommend it any more. I could say that most city services are awful but I might get a call from awful people complaining about the unfair comparison. Nice houses. Useless lazy police. Bad schools... etc. I know a couple of gay couples were in my neighborhood near Riverside Elementary. Pretty much people were live and let live.

Berea could have a hidden gay population due to the influence of BW college. Dunno for sure might be worth looking into.

[twange]

Oh, by the way, that map calls Clifton the "Lake Erie Coastal Ohio Trail"...whatever. It's Clifton.

As far as new goes, I don't know what you can spend, but there are some very cool new condo projects going up in Lakewood. Some are near the "scraggly" end near 117th. and some are more centrally located. You might want to look into that as the market is slow and the prices might be right.

Rockport Square - Lofts and Townhomes located in Lakewood, Ohio near downtown Cleveland
Cleveland Condos / Lakewood Condominiums - Rosewood Place

[jtmoney]

Thanks everyone for your insight. If you all had to say, is Lakewood " on the rise" or " going downhill"? I am surprised to see how affordable the housing is there. If these homes were in my hometown of Findlay they would be about 10-20% higher priced. The backyards also look to be of a decent size. All in all it looks to be very nice.

[jtmoney]

Twange...? Is this area you are talking about that is east of Lakewood in a different suburb, or is it still listed under Lakewood if I look up housing there?

[superceleb]

I'd say Edgewater, Lakewood or Ohio City would most likely fit your criteria. I'm somewhat biased towards Ohio city, because it has some really nice restaurants/bars, the west side market, and it is only a minute to downtown. The housing stock tends to be older, but you can find new houses/townhouses as well. Tremont is a very hip neighborhood, but tends to be a little pricier.

I think you will find that most Cleveland neighborhoods tend to be pretty gay friendly. Check out the urbanohio.com forum also. They typically have some good advice. Hit me up if you have any questions.

[twange]

Originally Posted by jtmoney

Twange...? Is this area you are talking about that is east of Lakewood in a different suburb, or is it still listed under Lakewood if I look up housing there?

No, it's actually the City of Cleveland. It borders Lakewood on W. 117th. Make sure you look in the areas on that map, preferably North of the railroad tracks. South of the tracks gets dicey(funny how that works...)

If you look on that map, you'll see numbered streets north of detroit-116th to 102nd-that's where you want to look. Also the Gold Coast in Lakewood has some great apartments/condos that are right on the Lake. Look on Edgewater Ave just west of 117th.

My wife and I just left Lakewood over a month ago. Is it going downhill? Well, if you look at demographic data, it probably is...but that's the Cleveland area in general right now. If you want to be further out into the suburbs, you'll find communities that are "growing" but they won't have "gayborhoods" so-to-speak. I got the impression that you wanted a more concentrated alternative sort of area. I loved Lakewood, but it's a bit depressed. There are still lots of interesting shops/restaurants/people there but plenty of empty store fronts as well. The good thing is that there are a lot of great people who love the town, trying to make improvements there. Both these areas are really cool. Yes, the housing is reasonable and depending on your perspective, a nice little yard.

For a price reference, here's a pic of the 2000 + sqft (not including attic, basement or porches)duplex we just sold in August for $136500: