Need some guidance... (Cleveland, Euclid, Cleveland Heights: apartments, rental, crime)

[dsb62574]

I have been with the same company for the last five years. They have used me as a consultant, and this has allowed me to travel throughout the Eastern United States. While I have loved the experience, I am ready to settle in one location for at least a year. My parents live in South Ohio, and my other immediate family is settled close to that area. My company has a state level corporate office in Cleveland on the edge of the city district and Euclid district (Sorry. I don't know the appropriate name of this area of town, but the offices have a Cleveland address and sit not far from a line designating Euclid). I have been offered a position in this office, and I am very interested in the prospect of Cleveland and having more time with my relatives.

Since I have traveled for so long, I have not driven in several years. I mostly lived and worked in Northern Virginia, Boston, and NYC, so I never needed a vehicle. In the few times I did, I was able to rent a car easily. I would like to continue being car-free in Cleveland. This leads to a two part question:

Is the public transportation system established enough to allow for daily am and pm commutes from downtown to my work and back downtown Monday thru Friday?

Is living in the downtown area the most convenient balance for work and social life of the city offerings? Are there many apartments available? (Craigslist and Zillow have few offerings, but I know sometimes buildings use window sign advertising)

I am interested in being in an area with coffee shops, specialty stores, diversity, a few local pubs or sports bars, possible breweries, and grocery stores or bodegas. I know this is a tall order, but I am sure that a city the size of Cleveland will have somewhere with these amenities along with good transport. Looking at the few rent prices I have found online, I would be willing to go around $1000-1400/ month for a one bedroom.

I am very excited about the possibility of the move. I need to make a decision in the next few weeks, so any assistance you guys can provide would be greatly appreciated.

[Cleverfield]

Cleveland has a very well established public transportation network, and you should have no problem commuting from anywhere in the city to Euclid using various busses. There is no rail that goes all the way to Euclid unfortunately. As for areas that have the things you want, yes Downtown, Tremont, Ohio City are all good, but you may also want to check out Euclid itself. You can find some incredible deals on houses and apartments, but you do have to be careful what areas you are looking in. I would personally recommend the "Downtown Euclid" area along Lakeshore near the lake. Lots of cute little restaurants and bistros over there. You may also want to check out North Collinwood, an up and coming area where they're soon going to open a lot of restaurants by well-known Cleveland chefs, art galleries, record shops, and music venues. It is a little rough around the edges, but it's also pretty close to Euclid, and starting to gentrify. Good luck, and welcome to Cleveland!

[dsb62574]

Thanks. I will definitely check into those areas. I am leaning towards the downtown, and Ohio City, but I will look into downtown Euclid.

I am a big urbanite, so being in the city area is important. I am unfamiliar with Euclid. Is it very suburban in culture and environment? I don't want to move to an area that is hyper-conservative and insular from the larger downtown city area. Not to be offensive, but I know suburbs can be separatist from their larger metropolitan counterparts. While it works for some, that is not a lifestyle I personally prefer. I like having diverse neighbors, and I am most certainly of a liberal fiscal and social mindset. I want to make sure the Euclid will feel like home before I invest too much time looking for living arrangements.

Again, I appreciate the input. This forum has proved invaluable on providing me information on Cleveland and the other areas I have visited.

[costello_musicman]

Ohio City may be my vote as well.

There's talk of extending the Red Line rapid and BRT to Euclid, but my guess is that it'll stay as is for a while.

Also, don't forget about Little Italy/University Circle.

[czargreat]

Stay near Downtown or stay in University circle. Those are the happening places inside cleveland. If you like to go to the casino, go to the game, hang out near public square and shop in tower city find something near Tower City. If you work in the hospitals, like musuems, like to hang out with college kids stay in University circle. You can also get some nice italian food in Little Italy. Those are the best options inside cleveland city.

You can go farther out and stay in Cleveland Heights..While it does not feel like a downtown city. Its still urban and it has bars and stuff like that. Its not far off from University circle. The Coventry area is the best option for nightlife and stuff. Stay in University Circle/Cleveland Heights for quick access to that.

All of these place are diverse and reasonably safe.

I am a big booster for our metro parks..dont forget them. I think that is the best feature here in Cleveland.

I dont know about public transporation options.

[Cleverfield]

Euclid IMO is almost indistinguishable from its neighboring cleveland neighborhoods, except for lower crime and better cared for properties. True, much of the city was built in the 50s, but it still has areas with charm and character. If you want lakefront housing , you would be hard pressed to find anywhere in Cleveland that offers a better value. It is what I would consider to be a progressive urban suburb, with walkable areas, small businesses, farmers markets, cultural amenities etc. It is one of the first places I would recommend to people on a budget with no school aged kids. However if money isn't an issue, I might recommend Tremont, Downtown, or Ohio City (in that order) first .

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by dsb62574

I am a big urbanite, so being in the city area is important.

As an East Coaster who recently visited Cleveland, I can assure you that you will definitely feel like you're in a city if you live in Downtown Cleveland, University Circle, and Ohio City. I'm not kidding, people keep saying Cleveland's neighborhoods are dead but I did not find that the case at all when I visited those neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are lively! You mentioned that you lived in Boston, NYC, and metro DC in the past and so I assume you're familiar with the same East Coast amenities I am used to. For starters, Cleveland's rental costs are lower and at times much lower than Boston's or New York's. You would likely score a spacious, comfortable apartment in a great neighborhood all for yourself for the price of renting a mere room in Boston. Secondly, Cleveland has just as good (albeit smaller) transit system as most East Coast cities commonly called the "Rapid" and it's generally less crowded than the T or the Metro so it's comfortable to ride. It's not called the Rapid for no reason either as you can quickly zip from one end of the city to the other. I collected an RTA Map to study shortly before I departed the city and found there's at least one bus route (the #28 I believe) that connects Euclid and that northeast corner of Cleveland to the Stokes-Windemere station of the Red Line). I don't know the frequencies but I can't imagine it to be worse than a typical MBTA or MTA bus route.

Anyways, I just thought you might appreciate the insights of Cleveland from an East Coaster who saw a lot of comparable features. Lastly, Cleveland has it's share of diverse ethnic neighborhoods such as Chinatown (Asiatown I believe the locals call it), Little Italy, Tremont, and Shaker Square where there is some good Hungarian food to be found. Good luck in your decision!

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by Urban Peasant

As an East Coaster who recently visited Cleveland, I can assure you that you will definitely feel like you're in a city if you live in Downtown Cleveland, University Circle, and Ohio City. I'm not kidding, people keep saying Cleveland's neighborhoods are dead but I did not find that the case at all when I visited those neighborhoods. These neighborhoods are lively! You mentioned that you lived in Boston, NYC, and metro DC in the past and so I assume you're familiar with the same East Coast amenities I am used to. For starters, Cleveland's rental costs are lower and at times much lower than Boston's or New York's. You would likely score a spacious, comfortable apartment in a great neighborhood all for yourself for the price of renting a mere room in Boston. Secondly, Cleveland has just as good (albeit smaller) transit system as most East Coast cities commonly called the "Rapid" and it's generally less crowded than the T or the Metro so it's comfortable to ride. It's not called the Rapid for no reason either as you can quickly zip from one end of the city to the other. I collected an RTA Map to study shortly before I departed the city and found there's at least one bus route (the #28 I believe) that connects Euclid and that northeast corner of Cleveland to the Stokes-Windemere station of the Red Line). I don't know the frequencies but I can't imagine it to be worse than a typical MBTA or MTA bus route.

Anyways, I just thought you might appreciate the insights of Cleveland from an East Coaster who saw a lot of comparable features. Lastly, Cleveland has it's share of diverse ethnic neighborhoods such as Chinatown (Asiatown I believe the locals call it), Little Italy, Tremont, and Shaker Square where there is some good Hungarian food to be found. Good luck in your decision!

Agreed. I also live in Boston right now, and I think the rapid is pretty comparable to the T. Sure, it will annoy you sometimes, but if you live in the city (not suburbs!), it can take you where you need to go. The trains run on schedule really well usually. Buses are buses.... can be frustrating, but generally ok. Though to be honest, I'm not sure exactly how I'd go to the Euclid-Cleveland border via public transit... is your job really near Euclid, or just that general direction? You could possibly take the red line pretty close, but I'm not sure. maybe a current resident could help out if that's not the case. But yeah, I really miss the comfort of riding the rapid. Don't remember the last time I got to sit down on the T... Frequency on the red line is pretty good. I think it's every 5-7 minutes during rush hour, 15 minutes off peak. Some red line stations are getting makeovers, so hopefully it will look nicer soon too.

If you want an east coasty kind of energy in Cleveland, I think you'd get that downtown, in University Circle/Little Italy, and Ohio City. Shaker Square doesn't have quite the energy as the others, but it's pretty dense and reminds me a lot of Maybe a slightly less ritzy, more middle class Coolidge Corner.

[Urban Peasant]

Originally Posted by bjimmy24

Shaker Square doesn't have quite the energy as the others, but it's pretty dense and reminds me a lot of Maybe a slightly less ritzy, more middle class Coolidge Corner.

I was thinking the same thing when I visited Shaker Square . And so, the OP ought to feel quite at home if he moves to Cleveland.

[L2DB]

Yes, live downtown/Ohio City/Tremont.

I'd strongly consider getting a car though. That you CAN take busses/rapid to get from your apartment to work doesn't mean you'll enjoy that process 2x a day 5x a week. I mean, if it's a 15 minute drive or a ten minute walk to the station and then an hour by public transport, it seems like the hassle and inflexibility of public transport isn't worth it. YMMV.