Neighborhood Check - Not sure what neighborhood this address is in, can anyone help? :) (Cleveland: to rent, house)

[orion1778]

andrew61, true, but I think it depends a lot on which side of University Circle you are on.

North of Euclid Ave. has the museums, the cinematheque, and borders on the sketchiest areas. There isn't a whole lot of great property available for rent in that area anyway.

The Murray Hill area is close to Little Italy and tons of local restaurants. There are quite a few places available for rent on that street. Between Mayfield and Cedar is probably OK - east of Mayfield is where it gets iffy.

The top of the hill (Fairmount and Cedar) area is in Cleveland Heights. Its nice because it is close to Dave's, Starbucks, Jillian's, and all those little stores, plus Coventry and Lee road only about a mile away. It probably feels the most suburban and farthest from the ghetto of the three and I know there are a lot of rentals available on the side-streets off of Cedar and Euclid Heights.

[BelieveInCleve]

University Heights, South Euclid are pretty nice places. Also you might want to check into Euclid but Euclid has gone downhill just make sure its in a good neighborhood. Cleveland Heights isnt too bad but has gone a little bit downhill. The farther away from East Cleveland and Cleveland the better (at least when it comes to crime and poverty). Shaker Heights is also still a pretty nice place.

[sapling]

Is Mayfield Heights a decent area? It is far away from the city center but I hear less about it than Lyndhurst or Beachwood as being a "good" area.

[texanweazel]

I think that Beachwood has some apartments, as does Orange and Pepper Pike. Those are my picks for the area.

[orion1778]

Originally Posted by sapling

Is Mayfield Heights a decent area? It is far away from the city center but I hear less about it than Lyndhurst or Beachwood as being a "good" area.

Its a pretty run-of-the-mill suburb. Lots of big box stores, chain restaurants, medium sized houses - not mansions, but nothing run down...

Mayfield Heights is fine for what it is; it just isn't very unique or exciting in any way.

[lcinva]

sapling - my husband and I are dental students here, and spent lots of time looking for rentals last year. here's what I learned about this area. Craigslist is your best bet, unless you hear something word of mouth.

there are two types of rentals here (primarily): full houses (somewhat rare for a good price), and top/bottom duplexes (sometimes a landlord will have rented out all 3 floors).

It just depends what you want. Personally, I am not a huge fan of the top/bottom duplexes. Parking is very limited, in most cities (Cle. Hts.) there isn't on-street parking overnight, and the houses are generally pretty old and definitely not sound-proof. Cleveland Heights will definitely be more of an urban feel, and you never know who your neighbors will be. South Euclid/Lyndhurst will be closer for you, and more of a suburban feel - and, in general, a step up quality of life from Cleveland Heights. Generally nice neighbors, no section 8 landlords, etc. Not as many duplex rentals, you are more likely to find a house, but it will be more expensive. We are currently paying $1025/mo for a 3 bed/2 ba....but honestly for me the money was worth it because of quality of life. I have my own parking, backyard, driveway, and space. No one bothers us. Beachwood will be the same, maybe a little more pricey. Really, what I would do if you are interested in houses, is look on craigslist and also drive around looking at houses for sale, calling and seeing if they will rent. That's how we found ours. The market here is terrible, and for people that need to move, renting can pay the mortgage.

I have not heard good things about apartment buildings here...but maybe I was looking in the wrong place. In general, S.Euclid/Lyndhurst/Beachwood and to some extent Univ. Heights, you can't go wrong wherever you live. There are sketchy/non-sketchy parts to Shaker and Cle. Heights, only because of proximity to worse places. It just depends on what you are used to. If you will have trouble sleeping at night by yourself because there are hoodlums hanging around outside your door, don't go to Cleveland Heights or near-Cleveland parts of Shaker. An attorney was just beat up by a gang of 7 kids in Shaker last week. I think Shaker is overpriced anyway, although there are some nice condo-ish types of things on Van Aken. Hope this kind of helps, even if it's scattered! Please ask if you have any questions...we looked for about 3 months!

[orion1778]

Originally Posted by lcinva

If you will have trouble sleeping at night by yourself because there are hoodlums hanging around outside your door, don't go to Cleveland Heights or near-Cleveland parts of Shaker. An attorney was just beat up by a gang of 7 kids in Shaker last week.

This was discussed in another topic. That beating was an isolated incident, but one that is getting blown way out of proportion and seems like such a big deal because it is such a rare occurance.

In all my time living in Cleveland Heights I never had any "hoodlums" outside my door... but maybe I just never noticed because they never did anything to wake me up at night?

Originally Posted by lcinva

Cleveland Heights will definitely be more of an urban feel, and you never know who your neighbors will be. South Euclid/Lyndhurst will be closer for you, and more of a suburban feel - and, in general, a step up quality of life from Cleveland Heights.

Seriously though, calling the quality of life lower in Cleveland heights than the farther east suburbs is completely a matter of taste. There are a lot of restaurants, bars, coffee shops, and other hot spots unique to Cleveland Heights that young people can appreciate. South Euclid/Lyndhurst/Beachwood are all fine for my parents, but I personally would not have a higher quality of life living there over Cleveland Heights.

[mottonfamily]

If you have kids the upper school system for University Hts and Cleveland Hts are not that good. look into Mayfield Hts, Lyndhurst, Richmond Hts, those have better school systems.

[orion1778]

Originally Posted by mottonfamily

If you have kids the upper school system for University Hts and Cleveland Hts are not that good. look into Mayfield Hts, Lyndhurst, Richmond Hts, those have better school systems.

The original poster identifies herself as young 20s and single. I am guessing that public schools are not a huge issue here.

[sapling]

Hey guys,

Thank you again for all the input!

I went and viewed a lot of apartments in Shaker and Cleveland, but in many of them I just didn't feel very secure based on the surrounding area, and parking in many places was a problem. After a full day of looking, I was feeling pretty discouraged. The one area I found that I liked was around Lomond St, between Chagrin Rd and Scottsdale Rd, but most of the rentals there were relatively expensive.

So today, I tried another tack and went apartment browsing in Mayfield Heights. I found a place that seemed very nice, and safe - "Hamilton House" apartments. Sure, by some standards it's a "boring" place. Target, Walmart, and a shopping mall aren't that exciting. But it's the kind of area I prefer to live and then drive into town or catch a bus. I really just feel more comfortable in the suburbs, and Mayfield Heights definitely has that feel. And it's just 10 minutes from my work.

So to anyone else who feels the same, check out Mayfield Heights, or perhaps the Lomond Road area (border between Shaker and Beachwood) if you're interested in a full house.