What do lesbians do in Cleveland? (Akron, Lakewood: apartment, foreclosure, house prices)

[ladylibrarian]

I currently live in LA and am thinking of moving to Cleveland to escape the smog, sun, and impossible housing market here. What kind of lesbian scene does Cleveland have? I'm a librarian and enjoy librarianly things such as books, film and tv, coffee and community. I also want kids and am looking for a place where I could afford to be a single mom, and where my kids would be treated okay in school.

[htlong]

dont ask dont tell!

[costello_musicman]

Welcome!

Two comments:

1) Cleveland has the number 1 library system in the country!

2) Lakewood area is most likely the most gay-friendly in Northeast Ohio. (many "gay" establishments, population, etc.)

[BelieveInCleve]

Im not very sure about the question. I know there are gay/lesbian friendly areas around Cleveland. The most friendly areas are Lakewood, Rocky River, and the far Westside of Cleveland close to Lakewood. There are also lots of different kinds of nightclubs/ bars and things in downtown, the flats and in Akron.

[ottomobeale]

Theres an area around Westside market too.

Some residential areas of Lakewood are intensely gay. Meaning that you will see 15 oily men all sitting around a pool wearing only "pouches" every weekend from May to Oct. I worked with someone who lived next door to an apartment building with that scene. Just a heads up as that may be more than some gay people want. Pick your place carefully is all I am saying.

I have a couple gay friends who arent into that scene but like Lakewood because it is tolerant and they can visit gay friendly places nearby..

[twange]

Originally Posted by ottomobeale

Theres an area around Westside market too.

Some residential areas of Lakewood are intensely gay. Meaning that you will see 15 oily men all sitting around a pool wearing only "pouches" every weekend from May to Oct. I worked with someone who lived next door to an apartment building with that scene. Just a heads up as that may be more than some gay people want. Pick your place carefully is all I am saying.

I have a couple gay friends who arent into that scene but like Lakewood because it is tolerant and they can visit gay friendly places nearby..

Interesting. I lived in Lakewood for 11 years and never saw a pack of "oily men" hanging around a pool...

Lakewood's pretty big(50K population), so it's not like the Castro neighborhood of San Fran.

The previous poster's have good info: Lakewood, near-West Side of Cleveland. Lakewood just built a beautiful new addition to their library and are currently renovating the old building, so you'll love that.

[Dave Bell]

I moved to Cleveland from Los Angeles in 1997, so let me give you my thoughts on this subject.

STOP.

Are you sure you want to move to Cleveland? The job market here is TERRIBLE, and I cannot stress that enough. For a professional to move to this city with no job prospects is kind of crazy. Business is leaving this city in droves. In the 10 years I have lived here, there has been at least 6 or 7 major corporations pull out of this city, and I can't even count the manufacturing jobs that are lost. Since I've been here, there has not been one year of growth. It is a constant forecast of job loss, every year. This city is in serious decline and we do not have leadership anywhere to stop it.

Sure you will find cheaper housing and a lower cost of living than CA, but look very carefully at what you are getting into. House prices are plummeting and we have the highest foreclosure rate in the nation. So when you buy that house, even if you plan on staying in this city for 20 years, your house will actually lose money over the long run because of everyone else leaving or being foreclosed on.

I live on the near West Side of Cleveland, and there are some cool places to go here and there. Good theatre community, if you like theatre. Primarily a sports town, so if any of the local teams get anywhere near some kind of playoff, the local paper puts it in 80 point type on the front page.

I bought a house here, but in the past 2 years my wife and I decided we have to leave this state. We are both professionals (dentist, designer) and live comfortably right now, but looking at this zero growth market scares us daily. I am going to sell my house at a tremendous loss. Look somewhere else. Take it from someone who is willing to lose about $20,000 just to leave this state and it's declining cities.

[twange]

Originally Posted by Dave Bell

I moved to Cleveland from Los Angeles in 1997, so let me give you my thoughts on this subject.

STOP.

Are you sure you want to move to Cleveland? The job market here is TERRIBLE, and I cannot stress that enough. For a professional to move to this city with no job prospects is kind of crazy. Business is leaving this city in droves. In the 10 years I have lived here, there has been at least 6 or 7 major corporations pull out of this city, and I can't even count the manufacturing jobs that are lost. Since I've been here, there has not been one year of growth. It is a constant forecast of job loss, every year. This city is in serious decline and we do not have leadership anywhere to stop it.

Sure you will find cheaper housing and a lower cost of living than CA, but look very carefully at what you are getting into. House prices are plummeting and we have the highest foreclosure rate in the nation. So when you buy that house, even if you plan on staying in this city for 20 years, your house will actually lose money over the long run because of everyone else leaving or being foreclosed on.

I live on the near West Side of Cleveland, and there are some cool places to go here and there. Good theatre community, if you like theatre. Primarily a sports town, so if any of the local teams get anywhere near some kind of playoff, the local paper puts it in 80 point type on the front page.

I bought a house here, but in the past 2 years my wife and I decided we have to leave this state. We are both professionals (dentist, designer) and live comfortably right now, but looking at this zero growth market scares us daily. I am going to sell my house at a tremendous loss. Look somewhere else. Take it from someone who is willing to lose about $20,000 just to leave this state and it's declining cities.

Unfortunately, this is pretty accurate. My wife and I were born and bred in Cleveland. We owned a house, were pretty active in the community and constantly trumpeted the area's virtues. But we simply had to leave to try and improve our situation. I guarantee that there will be many angry replies to these posts, as Clevelanders are very proud of their city, but the truth is that unless you have a good job, or are from there, you might not like it very much. But more newcomers are exactly what the city needs, so I won't go as far as to discourage you from moving there as there are some GREAT neighborhoods. You might love it.

The leadership in the Greater Cleveland area is abysmal. Status quo, safe-thinking lifers that don't seem to grasp(or care) how dire the situation the region is in. Lazy big-box development, crappy public schools and focus on suburban life and car-culture just further exacerbates the city's decline.

And yes, it is primarily a sports town. There's nothing wrong with sports but they tend to trump everything else, often to the decrement of other issues. Everyone always talks up the quality of the "arts' in Cleveland and yes, the institutional arts-Cleveland Orchestra, Art Museum, Institute of Music and Art - are top notch, but believe me, if given the choice between losing ALL of those or losing ONE sports team...sports win every time.

I love the city's working-class history and European heritage, architecture and good people, not to mention the beautiful Great Lake and Metro-parks. But I deplore it's lack of gumption and aversion to change.

[ak_47_00]

I assume the answer is "women".

[ottomobeale]

My gay friends were simply men who boinked other men. They were never heavy into the stereotypical "gay scene" When I told them about a former workmate who lived next to an apartment building with that scene going on they just sort of gave a knowing look and a slight “ew” cringe and a shrug of “to each his own” saying something along the lines of “not into that”. 2 of the 3 were in very long term relationships.

Dunno how many places are like that but forewarned is forearmed.

FWIW Id recommend Lakewood over Cleveland any day of the week. While Lakewood is hardly paradise, the elected leaders are deities compared to most of the leaders in Cleveland City.

I spent 15 years in Westpark which has many low key gay couples in it. Most people are tolerant. We liked our gay neighbors… Their house was, by far, the best kept anywhere around. The yard was like a well kept formal garden.

The above are right about the economy. It stinks. I left in 2005. There will always be part of Cleveland in me but I would never move back there without a concrete job offer.

I miss:
Danny Boys (R.R.)
Des Essenhaus (Shreve)
Reasonable housing costs (in NJ now. 300K is a small old starter house)
Red Robin (N.O.)
Lakewood Quiznos (biggest and cleanest I ever saw)
Wings Hobby Shop (Lakewood)
Fairview Hospital (my son born there. You don’t know how good it is until you go to another hospital. My dau was born in FL hospital.)
Etc.

I don’t miss:
Interviewing for a job against 20 people and that is the people whose resumes weren’t immediately thrown away AND were good enough to bother interviewing.