Why is Everyone So Down on the Inner-Ring? (Cleveland, Lakewood: best neighborhoods, crime)

[orion1778]

Going through these threads and looking at the places locals are recommending newcomers to town live, I have to say I'm saddened by the way a lot of parts of the city are portrayed.

Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Euclid, Lakewood, University Circle, Ohio City, Tremont... the consensus seems to be that these were OK places to live 30 years ago and they have all gone "down the tubes" since. Crime is skyrocketing and you will not be safe if you reside in any of these municipalities, or so it goes.

Yes, there is probably more crime that occurs in these places than the "wealthier" outer-ring suburbs. Yes, there are more minorities in these parts of town. Yes, there are more people in poverty in these neighborhoods.

But these are also the parts of town that actually have things going on. If you enjoy a meal at a restaurant that isn't a nation-wide chain... if you enjoy movie theatres that aren't owned by mega-corporations... if you enjoy live theatre at all... then you're going to find them in these neighborhoods.

A lot of people need to open their eyes and look at the world around us. There will be crime, there will be violence, there will be poverty, and if you live your life in fear of it and if you think the best neighborhoods are where everyone's skin is the same color then perhaps an outer-ring suburb will suit you the best. If you enjoy driving 45-60 minutes into the city during white-outs in the winter because the neighborhoods close to the city are too scary than an outer-ring suburb will probably suit you best.

I hope newcomers to town can look past the fear so many in Cleveland seem to be living in and realize the potential a lot of the inner-ring suburbs and city neighborhoods have.

[twange]

Originally Posted by orion1778

Going through these threads and looking at the places locals are recommending newcomers to town live, I have to say I'm saddened by the way a lot of parts of the city are portrayed.

Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, Euclid, Lakewood, University Circle, Ohio City, Tremont... the consensus seems to be that these were OK places to live 30 years ago and they have all gone "down the tubes" since. Crime is skyrocketing and you will not be safe if you reside in any of these municipalities, or so it goes.

Yes, there is probably more crime that occurs in these places than the "wealthier" outer-ring suburbs. Yes, there are more minorities in these parts of town. Yes, there are more people in poverty in these neighborhoods.

But these are also the parts of town that actually have things going on. If you enjoy a meal at a restaurant that isn't a nation-wide chain... if you enjoy movie theatres that aren't owned by mega-corporations... if you enjoy live theatre at all... then you're going to find them in these neighborhoods.

A lot of people need to open their eyes and look at the world around us. There will be crime, there will be violence, there will be poverty, and if you live your life in fear of it and if you think the best neighborhoods are where everyone's skin is the same color then perhaps an outer-ring suburb will suit you the best. If you enjoy driving 45-60 minutes into the city during white-outs in the winter because the neighborhoods close to the city are too scary than an outer-ring suburb will probably suit you best.

I hope newcomers to town can look past the fear so many in Cleveland seem to be living in and realize the potential a lot of the inner-ring suburbs and city neighborhoods have.

Great post and I agree. I grew up in Solon but spent 11 years in Lakewood and I personally think it's one of the most unique towns in Northeast, Ohio. The inner ring suburbs are the true heart and soul of Cleveland, the source of it's personality. These are the places where all of the previous generations lived their lives and wrote the city's history. To see some of these neighborhoods eroding and left abandoned is indeed sad. But if folks don't value these places, then they'll fall into ruin. There's also an aesthetic gap between what is "old" and what is considered "rundown". People want everything new and shiny. They want big yards, privacy and HOAs. And they want everyone around them to be similar economically. The city has lost it's "metroplotitan" identity and vitality, so people don't value the great, urban infrastructure and public spaces that the city once had.

While Clevelanders certainly don't value the inner-ring suburbs enough, I think a lot of the blame has to fall on the region's leadership. As the city of Cleveland goes, so goes it's inner-ring. The city didn't do a good enough job transitioning from an industrial manufacturing town into whatever it needs to become now, and it can't be fixed overnight. Additionally, now you have a situation where most of the schools in the city and the inner-ring are incompetent, underfunded and often unsafe. Until the city improves this situation, I don't see any way to reverse the trend of people fleeing to the outer burbs. That is until gas prices skyrocket, which they will at some point.

Cleveland's been down for so long that there are two generations of people who have no real connection to it as a real, vibrant, living city. So they don't even think about living in places like Lakewood, Ohio City, Cleveland Hts, unless they were born and raised there. I do think, that it's up to newcomers to see these neighborhoods for the interesting places that they are, with fresh eyes, free from the baggage of familiarity, and status quo mentality that many Clevelanders have been brought up on for so, so long.

[CTownNative]

I think the inner-ring suburbs of Cleveland are vibrant places with lots of things to do.I was born in Euclid and lived there most of my life,and I would eventually like to live there again.But people who are moving to the Cleveland area,usually ask about the safest suburb with the best schools.As much as I like Euclid,I can't lie to people and say that Euclid is the safest suburb with the best schools because its not.I agree with twange though,the inner-ring suburbs will continue to have increasing crime and poverty until Cleveland cleans its act up.What makes Cleveland's problem worse is that the economy isn't very good in the area.People will move to cities that have crime and poverty problems,but if the economy isn't good then they won't.I think there is many great things about the Cleveland area,but until the economy improves Cleveland isn't going to gain population.

[texanweazel]

I like the area that you are talking about, but I will not live there because of the crime rate. I grew up in a simular city (El Paso) and had to deal with the drugs, crime and violence until the age of 18. 20+ years ago is was horrible. The leadership and community action pulled it out of the rut, dusted it off and fixed the issues that plagued the area. The city is better now, one of the safest major cities to live in.

As much vibrance that I enjoy when going to Cleveland, when I lay my head down to rest I am don't want to keep the glock locked, loaded and within my reach.

Until the community force the leaders to pull it together, I will not recommend people move there. So far they haven't seen the ball since kickoff.

[orion1778]

Maybe the fact that I have lived/worked/gone to school in several of the inner-ring neighborhoods being discussed has tainted my ability to recognize how bad the crime in these places actually is...

But I think the issue is that the problems these neighborhoods face is being blown way out of proportion. The way it is described in many cases is that if you live in one of these "danger zones" then you will be the victim of armed robbery, you will get mugged, you might get shot, it might kill you. The truth is that it simply isn't the case. For what you can get out of these places, it might very well be worth the (more realistic) risk.

Leadership can be blamed as much as you want, but they don't hold all the responsibility. The people of Greater Cleveland should try to accept that the inner-ring isn't nearly as bad as it's being made out to be. The negativity is part of the reason newcomers to the area don't even seem to consider it. All they hear is crime, murder, robbery, drugs, gangs, and many embellished pieces of evidence against these neighborhoods. I realize very few (if any) are likely to change their minds. They've already decided whether they think these areas are too "scary" to live in or not.

I honestly feel like people have very unrealistic expectations about what this (or any city) should be like. You can keep moving further and further away from the city, deeper into the suburbs; but the schools will never be perfect, crime will never be zero, neighbors will never be completely friendly, etc. The ability to accept the problems with the places you live and do something in your personal life to make it work is what counts, and no neighborhood itself can offer that.

[BelieveInCleve]

The inner ring suburbs are really nowhere near as bad as people make them out to be. With the exception of modern East Cleveland which is as bad as everyone says and even worse most the time, but still has potential. Lakewood, Euclid, Brooklyn, Cleveland Hts. and all the other inner ring suburbs are actually really nice places to live and I would have no problem moving into any of those cities. I live in North Ridgeville right now and I was thinking that I wanted to live closer to the city so I was going to choose Ohio City or Tremont but Ive decided I might pick a inner ring suburb instead.

[orion1778]

Cle440, I agree about East Cleveland - the problems there may be beyond repair. It doesn't help that everyone in that municipal government seems to be corrupt in some way. East Cleveland would probably be best off if it eventually becomes annexed by Cleveland, but that is another discussion entirely.

Ohio City and Tremont are certainly as close to the city you are going to get, but given the property values in those communities, the inner-ring looks very competitively priced, although slightly further away.

Another inner-ring community I didn't mention before is Fairview Park. I don't know as much about it as some of the east-side neighborhoods; but have been there and it seems like a promising place.

[BelieveInCleve]

I think it would smart for Cleveland to annex a couple of the inner ring suburbs to make the city larger a bring more people into the city. The first one to annex would have to be East Cleveland with all the problems its going through and Cleveland would actually be considered a step up. There are also others that I think it would be smart to annex including Newburgh Heights, Lakewood, and Brooklyn. Newburgh Heights is tiny and only has 3,000 people and its kind of in the middle of Cleveland so I dont see why its a separate city.

[citybythebay]

orion1778, excellent post.

People will always have a differing opinion and outlook.
Having family and friends in law enforcement you learn that there is not
one particular city that is exempt from a seedy side.

I take most of the city bashing type posts very lightly, if they have a negative tone I usually try to avoid it. As I can only hope others do the same.

When I read things that have negative connotations I like to refer back to this How Many Posters Does It Take thread....and get a good chuckle at all the opinions and two cents that float around in cyber world...

[brenty]

What about Pepper Pike? I gre up in Pepper Pike. We were really close to Shaker Heights and kids from Orange would always hang out there.