Enough with the Cleveland bashing! (Rocky River, Washington: high crime, school district, universities)

[xwideopenskyx]

Originally Posted by tjohio

How about this. Cleveland will be one of the TOP 5 Hottest markets in the united states in the next 5 years!. I am the only one saying it and I want the credit for it!
With over 6 BILIION dollers being committed to downtown Cleveland projects through 2012. With fresh water,grossly underpriced urban living, growing new businesses that do not rely on Moving industries. Medical base. No e quakes, terrorist,floods, WATCH OUT!

Yes, and along the same lines........... Santa Claus and Easter Bunny will be proven to be real and residing in Cleveland, Ohio!

[tjohio]

It kills me. If I may, I am a commercial Real Estate agent who lives in West Park and I think I can say my income tells me I know a little about what I am talking about.
Every single time I talk about how big Cleveland is going to be people laugh. It really is amazing to me because day to day I work on projects or talk or read in the industry news or, most importantly meet with investors who are risking hundreds of millions of dollars in downtown Cleveland. someone always ask's me if I beieve in the Easter Bunny by the way.
So why don't we do the math and you tell me. Committed projects include the wolstein project in the flats, $250 MM. The Stark project announced in the spring but laying low and not taslked about I presume for the fact that it is self financed and will have NO low income.$950 MM basically a Crocker Park downtown. (you didn't think it would be parking lots forever did you?) Notice the name on the building in the corner.
The ODOT project, $350 MM. The County building , I admit a fiasco but still will get done, somewhere. $400 MM. The Euclid corridor is $400 MM. Cleveland clinic 1B. UH $800MM.
VA hospital move from Brecksville, $500 MM. Tremont bible factory housing project, $50MM. Stonebridge projects, $100 MM?. Cleveland State has a new project planned, terminal tower update, west 25th project (s) and a new condo project in the bank building there planned.Steel Yard commons is almost complete. etc. Do you believe that ALL of those projects by all of those investors are done because they think Cleveland is a dying city?
Are you old enough to remember when the flats were all ghetto and developers started buying properties and people were saying what a bunch of idiots they were. Then they sold the properties for millions in profit. Then those guys started buying farm land in the far off hick cities of Westlake and Avon and solon and people were saying who wants to go way out there to live? and they sold the properties for millions in profit and now...........? I see those guys buying everything they can downtown. Meybe they believe in the Easter bunny too.

[chartbury]

Originally Posted by xwideopenskyx

CrissCT and chartbury

Just curious, if Cleveland is so great than why did you leave in the first place?

Job relocation ... and stupidity.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by HopeToComeHome

I am writing as someone who grew up in Cleveland, moved away for 11 years to live in DC and went out of my way to move back. Granted my situation changed from single girl to wife and mother of 3 during that time, but I feel I need to write to announce that Cleveland is a fabulous city.

It has some of the best medical facilities in the WORLD. It has top-rated schools and universities. It has a world renowned orchestra and unbelieveable cultural and art museums.

Surely there is Cleveland pride outside the dawg pound, right?

Living in DC made me ache for the friendly faces here. On the East Coast, you can stand in line at the grocery store for 35 minutes and no one strikes up a conversation. No one says hello unless they know you.

In DC, traffic blows. I lived 13 miles from home to work and it took me an hour each way.

It does not snow like it does in Cleveland, but if it MIGHT snow, they close the schools...just in case. If it actually DOES snow, you are trapped in your $500,000 800 sq ft house for 3 days because they don't know how to plow.

In Cleveland, people care about you, not your job, not your handbag, not the car you drive or the amount of money in your paycheck.

Here, I order a sandwich at a deli and end up learning of a mutual friend between me and the sandwich guy. That would NEVER happen in DC.

I worked 2 blocks from the White House and we needed to have security drills in case our building was hit in an attack. We needed to submit in-case-of-a-terrorist-attack forms to HR with next of kin information. It was necessary to have all that, of course, but it was all consuming. And depressing.

So how about we start cheering the praises of Cleveland? This is a GREAT city with GREAT people. Enough with the bashing already!!

Okay, I have put my pom pons down now.

Signed,
So happy to be back!

P.S. If you reply that Cleveland has snobs, too, my answer is NO KIDDING. I don't mean to generalize in either direction. I am simply stating my observations. So please don't ignore my point!

This was nice to read. I am always on the Florida boards, where everyone bashes...so I guess no matter where you go..there THEY are!
You made me remember all the great things about my childhood. I grew up in Shaker, and then went to southern Ohio for college (UC). Cleveland is way better than southern Ohio...sorry, my opinion.

Haven't been back to Cleveland in 10 years....I live in Florida now (but after college was taken to NYC, Chicago, Maryland and Los Angeles with my job). Cleveland suburbs are the most beautiful in the US. (ok, I know I'll get bashed, and all the posters who will give me the names of the crappy suburbs in Cleveland, but I'm speaking of the majority) I used to hate all the jokes about where I'm from...especially from those people (and you know who you are) who have never even been there, but might have watched Major League, or heard the story of the burning lake...whatever...I miss things about it terribly. You are correct, very caring and comfortable city. SMART people too. I miss them! LOL

Anyway, I probably have no biz on the Ohio board as I don't live there anymore, but my heart always will! Glad to see you made it back there!

P.S. The lack of sunshine is worse to me than any snow, cold or wind you can throw my way. The dreary days just got me down. However, there are days here I'd give anything to be bundled up in Chagrin Falls on a dreary day! Cleveland rocks!

[xwideopenskyx]

Originally Posted by tjohio

It kills me. If I may, I am a commercial Real Estate agent who lives in West Park and I think I can say my income tells me I know a little about what I am talking about.
Every single time I talk about how big Cleveland is going to be people laugh. It really is amazing to me because day to day I work on projects or talk or read in the industry news or, most importantly meet with investors who are risking hundreds of millions of dollars in downtown Cleveland. someone always ask's me if I beieve in the Easter Bunny by the way.
So why don't we do the math and you tell me. Committed projects include the wolstein project in the flats, $250 MM. The Stark project announced in the spring but laying low and not taslked about I presume for the fact that it is self financed and will have NO low income.$950 MM basically a Crocker Park downtown. (you didn't think it would be parking lots forever did you?) Notice the name on the building in the corner.
The ODOT project, $350 MM. The County building , I admit a fiasco but still will get done, somewhere. $400 MM. The Euclid corridor is $400 MM. Cleveland clinic 1B. UH $800MM.
VA hospital move from Brecksville, $500 MM. Tremont bible factory housing project, $50MM. Stonebridge projects, $100 MM?. Cleveland State has a new project planned, terminal tower update, west 25th project (s) and a new condo project in the bank building there planned.Steel Yard commons is almost complete. etc. Do you believe that ALL of those projects by all of those investors are done because they think Cleveland is a dying city?
Are you old enough to remember when the flats were all ghetto and developers started buying properties and people were saying what a bunch of idiots they were. Then they sold the properties for millions in profit. Then those guys started buying farm land in the far off hick cities of Westlake and Avon and solon and people were saying who wants to go way out there to live? and they sold the properties for millions in profit and now...........? I see those guys buying everything they can downtown. Meybe they believe in the Easter bunny too.

No doubt, that you know what your talking about as, far as real estate is concerned. But all you have to do is look at these numbers to get the whole picture.

Population growth -7.3%
Home appreciation -0.47%
Unemployment rate 7.4 % US avg. 4.6%
Recent job growth -1.15%

Cleveland needs to get off of the top 10 poorest cities list. Life for the average "Joe" in the city is not all that great. Suburban living on the other hand is wonderful. Cleveland has a long way to go. I spent 25 years in the city and the conditions have not improved. I've seen decent neighborhoods turned into ghettos. I would love to see Cleveland on top, will it happen in my lifetime, I have my doubts.

Moderator cut: link removed

[buchanfamily]

My family and I have been to Cleveland twice in the past 5 months to visit my Uncles and cousin and take in a Indians and Browns game. Youo are right Cleveland is s beautiful place and if I could find a job there I would move my family there in a heartbeat.

I just want you all to know what they are doing downtown with the new construction and putting the bus lines in the middle which is very smart as I wish our small town would do. This I hope will bring the city back to where it belongs.

Dc

[HopeToComeHome]

The fact is a suburb is NOTHING, absolutely NOTHING without the main city to which is is attached. Shaker would be nothing without Cleveland; Strongsville would be nothing without Cleveland. We have great suburbs because they are part of the Cleveland area -- a great city.

The entire country is approaching, if not in the midst of, an economic crisis or recession. The US dollar (not the Cleveland dollar) is pathetic overseas. The entire country is having a hard time. Cleveland might be having a harder time than say DC (sorry, my own example) because DC barely feels recessions in terms of job loss or r.e. appreciation. (but, for the record, they are feeling it this time) Cleveland is having a hard time, there is no question there. But we all need to take some pride in what IS happening. So many people are devoted to the city. People WANT the city to flurish. In DC, no one had any allegience to the city. Hardly anyone grew up there. People move there (typically for work), stay a few years and move somewhere else. It is extremely transient and it shows. The DC schools are some of the worst in the nation. They had no money to help the schools buy books (kids were actually SHARING books under leaking roofs!) but they somehow found money for a brand spaking new baseball stadium for the new baseball team...that no one roots for because everyone's teams are "back home."

It kind of reminds me of someone who constantly says they are stupid, or ugly, or some other negative. If you keep saying it, you start to believe it. Not that happy thoughts will change the economy, but perhaps if we start recognizing the good, we will all feel better about it!

Signed,
PollyAnna

[gtsurfer05]

You can have all the faith and pride in a city till your face turn blue, and build all the nicest buildings ever, but if you can't change the "street life" mentality of many of the citizens, then its all for nothing.

[LewLew]

Originally Posted by gtsurfer05

You can have all the faith and pride in a city till your face turn blue, and build all the nicest buildings ever, but if you can't change the "street life" mentality of many of the citizens, then its all for nothing.

Wow...street life? I'm sorry...are we talking about Cleveland Ohio? I think that comment should be on the Detroit board, or somewhere else. I think whomever might have street life mentality gunking up dt Cleveland will be run out of town eventually. The money is coming in, and the sorriness will be forced to leave.

[buchanfamily]

My family and I have been to Cleveland twice in the past 5 months to visit my Uncles and cousin and take in a Indians and Browns game. Youo are right Cleveland is s beautiful place and if I could find a job there I would move my family there in a heartbeat.

I just want you all to know what they are doing downtown with the new construction and putting the bus lines in the middle which is very smart as I wish our small town would do. This I hope will bring the city back.