Choosing A Community (Cleveland, Lakewood, Euclid: to rent, loft, condominiums)

[ProudCavalier]

Hello Clevelanders,

I grew up in Cleveland during the 50's and 60's and remember it being a fabulous and world class. Originally my family lived in Cleveland and my sister and I attended Cleveland Public Schools. In 1963 my parents moved to Cleveland Heights, because they were not happy with Cleveland Public Schools. At first my sister and I had some trouble in Cleveland Heights, but after we got to know some people in our neighborhood, it was easier. When my parents moved to Cleveland Heights, it was nearly all White, and being African-American there was a lot of pressure on us. When we graduated and went off to college. My parents moved to Shaker Heights and lived there until they got divorced several years later. Now my father lives in South Euclid and my mother lived in Beachwood until she died a few years ago.

I now live in Chicago and I really like it here, even though it is really expensive, very crowded, a bit unfriendly, and snooty. I am a doctor and I have been looking for jobs in Cleveland for some time now, but I never really looked further than the advertisements. I am currently looking at working at Ohio Permanente, Center for Colorectal Health, or The Cleveland Clinic. My husband is also a doctor and is looking at Ohio Permanente and The Cleveland Clinic.

My son is in a private school in Evanston, IL which is just about 10 minutes from where we live and he really enjoys it. He is about to graduate from 8th grade in June. He is a really good student, enjoys talking with his friends, going out, and playing non-team sports. He participates in the Choir and other extracurriculars. If we decide to stay in Chicago he would attend New Trier High School, which is a top-rated school in the affluent North Shore region.

I know the Eastern Suburbs of Cleveland very well. When we were in Cleveland last year we drove through the community of Bratenahl. We absolutely love that little community. I kind of reminded us of this community in Chicago called Kenilworth. One problem with it is that it is surrounded by Cleveland and it does not have a reputable public school system. I have not been able to explore the communities of Pepper Pike and the rest of the Orange Township Communities. I was pretty impressed by Orange High Schools rankings, but there is some question of racism and classism. I have also heard good things about Chagrin Falls High School and Kenston High School. My father also pointed out a community called Gates Mills which is in the Mayfair School District. Things that I love about my community are that it is culturally, but not economically diverse. I find that communities with a lot of economic diversity have tensions between the classes. I like communitys that show a variety of political views. I would definitely like to be in a quiet and suburban feel. I would like the town to be charming and quaint but also be newer or have the amenities of a newer community. I would like a nice sized lot in a neighborhood where there are other large well manicured properties. I love tree lined streets with sidewalks, but I also do not mind subdivisions that do not have any sidewalks. I need an area with good schools with a Great Schools grade of 9 or higher. I need to be within 60 minutes of Permanente and The Cleveland Clinic. Being close to shops and restaurants is not important to me. The town center movement is growing old on me. I would enjoy a community with little or no town center or a place that is completely residential. Also low crime is a must. I do not want to worry about my son hanging out with his friends. My son would also liket o be close to Parks, Water, and Biking trails. I have also looked at the private school Hawken if we decide to live in Bratenahl or the city.

When I was growing up West Cleveland and the Western Suburbs were very racist and African-Americans did not go there. I was wondering if this was still true because we really like some of the loft condominiums that are being constructed, even though the city is not quite what we were looking for.

If we move to Cleveland we would be moving in June or July. I would be interested in renting something for the first few months because we own some homes here in Chicago that we would want to sell before we purchased another one. We would like to rent for $2000 and under. 2 beds and 2 baths or more if possible in any of the areas. When we do get ready to buy we would be shopping in the $800,000 to $1,250,000 range.

Thank You,
ProudCavalier

[orion1778]

Originally Posted by ProudCavalier

My son is in a private school in Evanston, IL which is just about 10 minutes from where we live and he really enjoys it. He is about to graduate from 8th grade in June. He is a really good student, enjoys talking with his friends, going out, and playing non-team sports. He participates in the Choir and other extracurriculars. If we decide to stay in Chicago he would attend New Trier High School, which is a top-rated school in the affluent North Shore region.

Unfortunately, I don't think even the best school district in Cleveland could compare to New Trier, at least based on what I know of most of those North Shore school districts. It sounds like you aren't opposed to private schools, I would expand your search to more than just Hawken, just to see whats out there. There are some private schools that are just as good in a lot of ways and not quite as expensive.

[ProudCavalier]

What other private schools are there in Cleveland?

[costello_musicman]

On the eastside, the best respected private schools are: Villa Angela St. Joes 18491 Lake Shore Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44119, USA - Google Maps and Benedictine 2900 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Cleveland, OH 44104, USA - Google Maps

Other Private schools include St. Ignatius, Cleveland Central Catholic, and St. Edward in Lakewood

[ProudCavalier]

Are there any schools that are not religious?

[orion1778]

University School and Hawken are the two that aren't religious. There are a handful of girls schools that aren't religious either but it sounds like they aren't what you're looking for.

Originally Posted by costello_musicman

On the eastside, the best respected private schools are: Villa Angela St. Joes 18491 Lake Shore Blvd, Cleveland, OH 44119, USA - Google Maps and Benedictine 2900 Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Cleveland, OH 44104, USA - Google Maps

Other Private schools include St. Ignatius, Cleveland Central Catholic, and St. Edward in Lakewood

No offense, costello_musicman, but every year that VASJ is open is a year it is closer to being closed down. For that reason alone I wouldn't send my kids there.

I would look at Benedictine, St. Ignatius and Gilmour Academy just for the sake of seeing whats out there. There are plenty of kids who go to these schools that aren't Catholic. Some aren't religious at all, others practice something else. I've never heard anyone who isn't Catholic complain about these places for the reason that they don't participate in the affiliated religion.

[ProudCavalier]

I have been looking at some affordable condominiums in 2 Bratenahl Place. I found one that is very interesting. If I were to live in Bratenahl, would anyone recommend Cleveland Public Schools or should we go Private. If we should go private what would our options be.

If we were to buy a condominium I would also like to consider the West Side of Cleveland, but when I was living in Cleveland. African-Americans did not live on the westside because it was considered racist. Is this still the case, because the infrastructure they are putting in looks great.

[orion1778]

Originally Posted by ProudCavalier

I have been looking at some affordable condominiums in 2 Bratenahl Place. I found one that is very interesting. If I were to live in Bratenahl, would anyone recommend Cleveland Public Schools or should we go Private. If we should go private what would our options be.

Bratenahl is a really nice place, but no, nobody is going to recommend Cleveland Public Schools. Benedictine and St. Ignatius are both in the city and relatively close to Bratenahl. Hawken, University School, and Gilmour Academy are in the eastern suburbs. St. Eds is in a western suburb. There are other private schools but personally these are the ones I would focus on.

Originally Posted by ProudCavalier

If we were to buy a condominium I would also like to consider the West Side of Cleveland, but when I was living in Cleveland. African-Americans did not live on the westside because it was considered racist. Is this still the case, because the infrastructure they are putting in looks great.

Demographically the west side is still predominantly white. That said, attitutdes have changed a lot since the 50s and 60s when you grew up in Cleveland, so its probably not blatantly racist like you remember. I don't know much about the situation though because I've never lived on the west side and wouldn't live anywhere over there besides Lakewood.

[gtsurfer05]

Originally Posted by orion1778

Bratenahl is a really nice place, but no, nobody is going to recommend Cleveland Public Schools. Benedictine and St. Ignatius are both in the city and relatively close to Bratenahl. Hawken, University School, and Gilmour Academy are in the eastern suburbs. St. Eds is in a western suburb. There are other private schools but personally these are the ones I would focus on.



Demographically the west side is still predominantly white. That said, attitutdes have changed a lot since the 50s and 60s when you grew up in Cleveland, so its probably not blatantly racist like you remember. I don't know much about the situation though because I've never lived on the west side and wouldn't live anywhere over there besides Lakewood.

I wouldn't say that the west side is racist. I'd say that really its they don't want the "ghetto" and "trash" element in their cities, whether it be black, white, etc. The majority of people don't care about race, as long as the people are responsible citizens and are not delinquents then no one will care.

This issue gets me really mad, when people say "o those whites are racist on the west side". Its really a bunch of bull. You could say the same thing about blacks in Cleveland being racist against whites back in the 70's and 80's. Even today, I think there is more hatred and racist feelings on the black side than there is on the white. There is a bigger chance of some white getting called nasty names or getting beat up on the east side, then there ever would for a black on the west side.

[ProudCavalier]

I am considering the westside communities of Bay Village and Rocky River. We are from Chicago's North Shore and we really enjoy the lake. Can anyone tell me about the schools in Gates Mills? Also, Is Solon really the best High School in Cleveland. From what I know about Solon is that it is a working-class community with only a small portion of upper-middle class residents. In Chicago only the wealthy schools are considered 'good' is that the case in Cleveland still?