moving into westlake, seeking advice. although a new-old subject ,i really hope you reply (Cleveland: sublet)

[fellowhuman123]

hi,
i got a new job in Cleveland clinic foundation- I am a physician-, I am planning to move into Cleveland in the next 2 months. I am single in my late 20's. after reading a lot of threads on this and other forums I came to the conclusion that the best neighbor for me is Westlake, its safe with low crime rates, most of the population are professionals, there a lot of things to do, its about 20-30 min driving from CCF through I-90 (right? please correct me if I am wrong, I have never been in Cleveland before). I have a bit tight schedule, I have to move in, find an apartment and start my job all within 1 week, and I can’t visit Cleveland in advance in order to find an apartment bec. right now I am out of USA .so the only option left to me is put a short list of apartments to choose from ,stay for a couple of days in a motel-I think red roof inn in westlake is a reasonable choice , right??- and go see the apartments in person. I want to share with the u the list i reached so far, and please any other suggestions will be very welcomed: 1-residencies at crocker park 2-Crossings Village apartments

all the above list is based on sites like appartmentrating.com, if anyone had any personal experience with these 2 complexes or other complexes in the area please advice me .

I can afford a rental up to $1100, I am welling to pay on the condition to get something of good quality in return

[gtsurfer05]

I have heard that the Crocker Park apartments are nice, however many of the residents complain about the noise from the stores below(music, and occasional alarm). They've also built some new townhouses right there too, I don't know if those are going to be for rent or actual purchase though.

[Clevelandgal]

20-30 min sounds optimistic if not impossible except maybe a sunday am. That would get you to about downtown-if it were not rush hour. The clinic is another 15-20 minutes depending on traffic. What else besides living among professionals is WL appealing for a 20 something? I only ask b/c it is kind of far from the clinic and there are other professional areas much closer-parts of Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, etc. I live downtown in a secure building (some would call luxury) in a somewhat edgy neighborhood -but with lots to do nearby, and I couldn’t shake a stick w/o hitting a bunch of docs, lawyers, etc. You can be to the clinic in 15-20 minutes. W/o being nosey, where are you from? That might help people assist with making recommendations.

[fellowhuman123]

well, thanks a lot for your suggestions , i dont know but i was under the impression that downtown is a littlle unsecure, as for whats appealing for 20 something , well, i had a bad experiecne , i once lived in a suburhbian area in a euroopean city my home was far from any sort of entertainment , so at 8pm u wont find anyone in the streets , and the nearest cafe was about 40 away, with time it will become very BORING .

[Clevelandgal]

Cleveland does have its crime issues for sure, however, I have lived and worked in the city for a few years now and am happy with it. Many people in the Cleveland area are anti urban living so they over react about the crime and avoid the city. Which means they miss out on some great experiences. Downtown Cleveland can be a little quiet at times, but the adjecent neighborhoods (2 minutes away) such as Ohio City, and Tremont have a bustling cafe, pub, art, and restaurant scene. The Westside Market (westsidemarket.com) will remind one of a European market. A 20 something professional could love living downtown (on the quiet/non streetside of a building if you like quiet time)...yes it can look a little rough around the edges, but there are buidings with security. I do not want to push city living on anyone, but I think some people that are interested in urban living get talked out of it by people who don't live here. I am not giving the suburbs a hard time, but you really have to drive a ways to do anything, and if you are already doing that for work, it could get kind of old unless you like driving. Hopefully someone that lives out there can give you their perspective.

[gtsurfer05]

Living in Cleveland can be ok. You've got to be careful though. You'll usually hear from 2 camps, the I hate the suburbs, and the never go into Cleveland one. I'll say that buying a house, especially if your planning on starting a family is not a good idea. If you're just moving there to get used to the area, then move out later, then that can be a good idea to get a Apt in town. Using any common sense will keep you safe pretty much, you'll know the areas not to go into, and which are okay. Ohio City and Tremont are touted as being a great place. I'll say that they do have potential, and many of the houses could be extremely beautiful, if only the owners would take care of them. A note about the West Side Market. If you've ever been to the market in Budapest, its somewhat similar, however you've got to be careful buying things from many of the vendors nowadays. Mostly with the fruits and veggies, they'll try and sell you crap stuff. I have not had any problems inside though with the bakery,and meats.

[costello_musicman]

The top 5 I would recommend for your price range and age would be:

1) Downtown (everything...) 15 min
2) Little Italy (extremely close, cafes, restaurants) 5 min
3) Ohio City (Westside market, cafes, bars etc) 15-20 min
4) Cleveland Hts (very close, good apartments) 5-10 min
5) Tremont ("trendy", cafes, restaurants) 15-20 min

EDIT: I would also recommend renting first, especially since you don't know the area yet.

[girlofseasons]

I have family in Westlake. Mid 30 professionals. They used to live in Crocker Park and loved it! Can't say enough good things about it. They love Westlake!

[bennmont]

My husband and I are in our 20s and live in Westlake. If you are worried about safety I would NOT live downtown, I work downtown and dread the nights that I have to work past 5 or 6 because I feel that its a ghost town at that time. Additionally, two of my friends were recently held at gunpoint in Ohio City after having dinner. To be honest, we are not fans of Cleveland as a whole (we are relocating to Charlotte, NC next month) but we like Westlake a lot. The city is relatively safe and there are some nice amenities, Crocker Park, a GREAT city rec center (as well as a private gym) and nice neighborhoods. Crocker Park apartments are probably the best you'll find in all of Cleveland but they are pricey. Within walking distance from Crocker Park are several apartment complexes...Sturbridge Square, Hunter's Chase, Remington, Barrington...you'll easily find something in your price range and they are decent (I think most were built in the '80s). We live in the apartments (we are looking for someone to sublet until August) and enjoy walking to Crocker Park in the summer. There are quite a few 20/30ish people in this area.

[Traveler87]

Honestly, downtown is not some terrible place to be. If it was the population would not be exploding like it is. Downtown Cleveland has a lot of entertainment, and is very safe compared to other cities our size.