Relocate to Shaker Heights??? (Brecksville, Pepper Pike: high crime, homes, buy)

[tonis]

My sister and her family live in Shaker Heights in the Fernway elementary school area. My nephew started kindergarten there and is now in the middle school. I am very impressed with the Shaker School system and its focus on academics. It also seems to be very focused on band and swimming. I have not heard that before regarding the two systems, one for the gifted and one for those who aren't. I do know that parental involvment is high, at least to the middle school point. My sister and her husband are realtors, and are doing very well in Shaker Heights - good deals are plentiful at this point. You can walk the neighborhoods with your family, ride backs, etc. I would highly recommend Shaker Heights.

[mas54]

I've searched the forums and found only one reference (neutral in tone) to these neighborhoods in southwestern Shaker Heights. I'm also relocating to Cleveland in the next few months. I saw a number of houses in these neighborhoods that were nice and reasonably priced. The neighborhoods, in general, appear well maintained and quiet (most of the areas I looked at were ~ equidistant from Chagrin and Scottsdale. I guess my question is what do people think of this area? I've heard anecdotally (and read in previous threads) that I should avoid Chagrin Blvd. and areas close to Warrensville Heights. Obviously, these neighborhoods are both. Thank you.

[ldepmom]

I have a quick question about the elementary schools in SH. How is it decided which neighborhood school a child attends? Do you have to live in the that particular neighborhood or can you chose which school your child attends?

[TheProf]

Shaker is more diverse, racially/religiously/ethnically, and has more character, architecturally, than practically every suburb of Greater Cleveland. It's certainly no bubble-burb by any means... The rep, overall, of the schools have dropped in recent years (from Stellar/Best in the State (and nation!)) but still are WAY UP THERE in terms of college placement and test scores. And I'm really surprised that no one has mentioned Shaker's one of the few Cleveland suburbs with direct rapid rail transit service to downtown and quick rail connection to Hopkins Int'l airport... Besides that, Shaker's simply convenient to everywhere -- University Circle, shopping (esp malls in Beachwood & Woodmere (Eaton), Emerald Necklace Metro Parks (Shaker's own famous/beautiful lakes and Nature Center are pretty awesome too) and the breathtaking Chagrin Valley...

... the only real Shaker downside is absurd (by Cleveland standards) RE taxes, as people have alluded to... Otherwise, Shaker's 'the everything place' as far as I'm concerned.

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by ldepmom

I have a quick question about the elementary schools in SH. How is it decided which neighborhood school a child attends? Do you have to live in the that particular neighborhood or can you chose which school your child attends?

It's based upon in which neighborhood one lives. Here is the map, from Shaker's website:

The City of Shaker Heights - City Map (http://www.shakeronline.com/about/maps/map.asp - broken link)

Re: Sussex/Lomond

Originally Posted by mas54

I've searched the forums and found only one reference (neutral in tone) to these neighborhoods in southwestern Shaker Heights. I'm also relocating to Cleveland in the next few months. I saw a number of houses in these neighborhoods that were nice and reasonably priced. The neighborhoods, in general, appear well maintained and quiet (most of the areas I looked at were ~ equidistant from Chagrin and Scottsdale. I guess my question is what do people think of this area? I've heard anecdotally (and read in previous threads) that I should avoid Chagrin Blvd. and areas close to Warrensville Heights. Obviously, these neighborhoods are both. Thank you.

In my opinion, those areas are very nice, and quiet, at least the ones a few blocks in from Chagrin. The homes are modest, but have character, and the streets are lined with trees, seemingly to me more densely than any other part of the city.

As for those parts bordering Warrensville Heights, that's almost a non-issue considering the infamous barriers put up years back. There is very little car and foot traffic in/out of Shaker Heights via Lomond/Sussex neighborhoods, except on the busy Warrensville Center Road and Lee Road. Just about everything else in between is blocked off.

Originally Posted by Steve36

The only numbers I have say 58% of the people in Shaker are religious. Of the population: 35% are Catholic, 10% are Protestant; 5% are another Christian faith, 6% are Jewish, 1.5% affiliate with Islam and the rest practice an 'eastern faith'. The Jewish population here seems to me to be higher than the numbers would indicate but that could just be due to our circle of friends or the fact that some of the surrounding communities have a larger Jewish population. Cleveland, particlularly the east side inner suburbs, has a large Jewish population (I've heard that the Cleveland area is second only to New York in this regard).

Steve, I think that 6% number is a little low. Back in 1987 (I know it's 20 years), Shaker Heights was 30% Jewish*. I'm sure that number has gone down a bit as Jews are still migrating east, but I'd bet it's still around 15-20%.

* http://ech.case.edu/ech-cgi/article.pl?id=S25


One thing Shaker Heights has that most of its further east companions do not is walkable neighborhood streets and communities based around its elementary schools. In a lot of ways, you don't need a car to get around, which is nice, especially now.

Furthermore, while the schools may not be as good, from top to bottom, as others in the area, the kids in the top 20-30% at Shaker arguably do better than any other public school in the area (for instance, SHHS tied for the most NMSFs in the Cleveland area). As well, Shaker has more minority/disadvantaged children than almost all of the other suburbs further east, but these kids, in Shaker, score better than their peers at just about every other school in the state.


I could go on about what makes Shaker great, but I'll stop for now.

[nooody45]

hi i'm intersted moving to shacker heights and i planning to buy a condo nearby shacker blvd. 1st i'm single girl, i will live by my self. if everyone can help me to understand more about the neighbourhood i will be really appreciate it. thanks

[jrnicks 2117]

Some of shaker heights has lost its luster. (they are creeping past the boarders)I do not care what you liberal do gooders say. Section 8, low income incentive programs are all there including cleveland heights as well. Urban plague has been allowed there and continues???? I will be moving out. I worked to dam hard in life to have the getto placed on my street! Loud rap music,drugs,fast food wrappers thrown in the street. young getto kids and there deadbeat single moms with ther HUD voucher.....it is such a shame this has happend to this and other respected, decent communities. You cant mix inner city low income and middle-upper middle class together PERIOD!!!! Why do we allow this to happen? Put them in your back yard all who agree to this.

[AndyF667]

Originally Posted by jrnicks 2117

Some of shaker heights has lost its luster. (they are creeping past the boarders)I do not care what you liberal do gooders say. Section 8, low income incentive programs are all there including cleveland heights as well. Urban plague has been allowed there and continues???? I will be moving out. I worked to dam hard in life to have the getto placed on my street! Loud rap music,drugs,fast food wrappers thrown in the street. young getto kids and there deadbeat single moms with ther HUD voucher.....it is such a shame this has happend to this and other respected, decent communities. You cant mix inner city low income and middle-upper middle class together PERIOD!!!! Why do we allow this to happen? Put them in your back yard all who agree to this.

Dude, hit the road. You seem to be fishing through all the old posts to spew this opinion over and over. What street do you live on?
Oh, boarders is spelled borders. And getto is ghetto. (when the little squiggly red line shows up under a word, it means the spelling is incorrect).
Enjoy Medina!

[kateydid1120]

I live in the fernway neighborhood, which is lovely for younger children. Most backyards aren't too big, which means the kids play in the front and back yards, and are always interacting with neighbors. the shaker schools are very god, and the high school is ranked very highly across the nation. INn fact, even though people sometimes say that the solon, beachwood, and and private schools are better, they aren't. In fact, i know a person,who, when told a friend was going to shaker, said "oh. they have black people there". this remark shows how most of the solon and orange/chagrin falls neighborhoods are, mostly white, "upperclass" families. With Shaker the neighborhoods and schools are filled with children of different races and ethnicities, which makes it a great place to live and learn.

[truth today]

The fact is that some of Shaker Heights good old boys still believe that because you have a voucher you are not good enough to live there, that includes employees like Jaquelyn Patterson who laugh in your face and call around and warn landlords voucher approaching. Terrence Peterson who plays games with voucher holders while his property remains empty. The most interesting fact I discovered was that while you are rejecting students with vouchers you are embracing several "sex offenders" who are listed on registered offender lists that are employed in your properties. Nice trade-off. This is all fact we did the experiment with an agent posing as a voucher holder.