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Elyria and Painesville have nice town squares, but not as much going on in them. Willoughby and Ravenna have nice main streets. Burton is almost trapped in time with a quaint little downtown area. Wellington and Wadsworth have fun charming downtowns as well.
Painesville has some neighborhoods with very historic housing, certainly pre-WWII and often from the 19th century. It's the county seat of Lake County, walkable and diverse, within a Republican county. It perhaps offers the best values among northeast Ohio suburban communities for those seeking to buy pre-WWII homes, and certainly 19th century homes.
Among Painesville's best assets is that it sits above the deep gorge of the Grand River. The small Bank Street Historic District is a very short walk to Lake Metroparks' Beaty Landing. The Helen Hazen Wyman Park is located just east of Bank St. in Concord Township. The Lake Metroparks Greenway Corridor runs through Painesville.
Several other Lake Metroparks are within a few miles of Painesville, great destinations for bikers and birders. Big Creek at Libery Hollow and the excellent Girlded Road Reservation are most significant, apart from the LM's Kirtland Parks.
Mentor's nature preserves are very good -- Mentor Marsh (a National Natural Landmark), Mentor Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve, and the Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve. Painesville's Grand River Conservation Area across the Grand River from Painesville's large Recreation Park is a small, but exquisite wild area.
Painesville is 10 miles (best reached on Morley Road) from Holden Arboretum. It's 12 minutes from Mentor Headlands Beach State Park and 8 minutes from Fairport Harbor and the Lake Metroparks beach park there.
Painesville is adjacent to Mentor, the sixth largest commercial district in Ohio. Along route 20 (Mentor Ave.) in just a few miles, just outside of Painesville in Painesville Township and into eastern Mentor, is one of the best grocery/retail strips in northeast Ohio: Giant Eagle, Marc's, Aldi's, Target, Wal-Mart, Meijer's (a Midwest chain that is well worth a visit for anyone considering northeast Ohio), and several shopping centers with the likes of Kohl's; Bed, Bath & Beyond, Lowe's and much more. Most big box stores have locations within 5 miles of Painesville, including Menard's, another Midwest chain that offers a very different experience than Home Depot or Lowe's and is well worth an exploration by newcomers.
Great Lakes Mall and several adjacent shopping centers are located 10 miles from Painesville. Dillard's and Macy's are lead department stores there.
Painesville is served both by I-90 and Route 2 freeways, as well as the north/south Route 44. It's one-half hour from University Circle attractions, the Cleveland Clinic, etc.
Painesville has a farmer's market in the summer on its Public Square. West Orchards in Perry is 10 minutes east of Painesville.
Importantly, for seniors, Laketran offers Dial-a-Ride point-to-point service, including to the main campuses of the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals.
See post 3 and subsequent posts. Post 20 may especially interest seekers of older homes.
I haven't been on it in decades, but I once admired Levan Drive in Painesville, next to Lake Erie College and just off Mentor Ave., which has many historic homes in the Lake Erie neighborhood.
The neighborhoods across from the Central YMCA in Painesville, one of the better, if not the best, YMCA facilities in Greater Cleveland, also are interesting, but perhaps smaller homes than interest you. The Painesville Senior Center in located inside the YMCA complex.
BTW, senior centers in Greater Cleveland often are excellent and worth considering when you choose a community, along with libraries (Morley Library in Painesville also is one of the better suburban libraries).
Paine Falls is one of the most picturesque falls in the area. https://youtu.be/0ORJuTLZ2Ag?t=81
Lake metropark, Hell Hollow, has a nice trail with stairs that go all of the way down into the Paine Creek gorge. Also, there is a nice park right at the falls that you see in this video.
Thanks for the info on Painesville. I hadn’t considered that option until now. I see lots of older stock homes in the vicinity, and the surrounding natural parks and features seem to complement the town square quite well. Looky...someone will score an upgraded / charming 1860s home with 5 acres and a river...too bad we’ll miss the timing window to at least explore this one! (Edit...well it’s too big for us anyhow...lol)
Paine Falls is one of the most picturesque falls in the area. https://youtu.be/0ORJuTLZ2Ag?t=81
Lake metropark, Hell Hollow, has a nice trail with stairs that go all of the way down into the Paine Creek gorge. Also, there is a nice park right at the falls that you see in this video.
Paine Falls are very nice, but the bridge sitting above the falls always has annoyed me. Some may believe it adds to the charm of the scene, but I believe it dominates the falls.
Here's an interesting drone video of the Painesville area. It features the view from Mentor Headlands Beach traveling to the east towards the old light house (now a private residence); an old railroad trestle bridge running above Riverside Drive and the Grand River Gorge between Route 84 (Riverside Drive) in Painesville Township and Bank Street in Painesville; and Paine Falls.
Here's picture of the new railroad bridge now in the same location, with the old trestle bridge, not yet dismantled, in the background. The reinforced concrete pillars aren't close to being as picturesque as the old bridge. When a kid, we stupidly ran across the old bridge a few times; thankfully we never had to test our assumption that we could lay on the side of the tracks unharmed if a train actually approached while we still were on the bridge.
There are very nice Lake Metroparks in the Grand River Valley off old Vrooman Road, just outside Painesville. A new, massive high-level bridge opened a few months ago carrying Vrooman Road above the valley. I haven't been in the valley since completion of the bridge, but I suspect it also greatly detracts from the beauty of the Metroparks in the valley. Progress, or not. The parks located there are Mason's Landing and Indian Point. I suspect that the old Vrooman Road hill and bridge now are closed, if not dismantled. I'm not certain how these two parks now are accessed, but certainly they are now much more difficult to reach from Painesville. Likely, Mason's Landing will be a stranded park accessed only by kayak, canoe, wading, swimming, etc. A century of bucolic memories are now history.
Wintergreen Hill Drive which runs off of Route 84 near the railroad bridge has some older homes, built mostly in the 1950s, I believe, but it isn't in a walkable area. However, it's a short walk from there downhill to the Beaty Landing Metropark. It's also in the vicinity of the Painesville Country Club.
The Hell Hollow Wilderness Area is a personal favorite. I should have listed it. It's 10 miles from Painesville. When Paine Creek is down to a trickle in a dry summer, I greatly enjoy the slate beds in the valley as a place to relax and read. Enjoy Hell Hollow before they build a bridge over it.
The new Lake Erie Bluffs is another of my favorite Lake Metroparks. It's a 10-minute drive from Painesville. In the past year, the long, wild beach there often has been shrunk by high lake levels, but usually the lake level falls in the autumn.
Paine Falls are very nice, but the bridge sitting above the falls always has annoyed me. Some may believe it adds to the charm of the scene, but I believe it dominates the falls.
Here's an interesting drone video of the Painesville area. It features the view from Mentor Headlands Beach traveling to the east towards the old light house (now a private residence); an old railroad trestle bridge running above Riverside Drive and the Grand River Gorge between Route 84 (Riverside Drive) in Painesville Township and Bank Street in Painesville; and Paine Falls.
Here's picture of the new railroad bridge now in the same location, with the old trestle bridge, not yet dismantled, in the background. The reinforced concrete pillars aren't close to being as picturesque as the old bridge. When a kid, we stupidly ran across the old bridge a few times; thankfully we never had to test our assumption that we could lay on the side of the tracks unharmed if a train actually approached while we still were on the bridge.
There are very nice Lake Metroparks in the Grand River Valley off old Vrooman Road, just outside Painesville. A new, massive high-level bridge opened a few months ago carrying Vrooman Road above the valley. I haven't been in the valley since completion of the bridge, but I suspect it also greatly detracts from the beauty of the Metroparks in the valley. Progress, or not. The parks located there are Mason's Landing and Indian Point. I suspect that the old Vrooman Road hill and bridge now are closed, if not dismantled. I'm not certain how these two parks now are accessed, but certainly they are now much more difficult to reach from Painesville. Likely, Mason's Landing will be a stranded park accessed only by kayak, canoe, wading, swimming, etc. A century of bucolic memories are now history.
Wintergreen Hill Drive which runs off of Route 84 near the railroad bridge has some older homes, built mostly in the 1950s, I believe, but it isn't in a walkable area. However, it's a short walk from there downhill to the Beaty Landing Metropark. It's also in the vicinity of the Painesville Country Club.
The Hell Hollow Wilderness Area is a personal favorite. I should have listed it. It's 10 miles from Painesville. When Paine Creek is down to a trickle in a dry summer, I greatly enjoy the slate beds in the valley as a place to relax and read. Enjoy Hell Hollow before they build a bridge over it.
The new Lake Erie Bluffs is another of my favorite Lake Metroparks. It's a 10-minute drive from Painesville. In the past year, the long, wild beach there often has been shrunk by high lake levels, but usually the lake level falls in the autumn.
Great links and videos, didn't know about the railroad bridge, I am somewhat of a railfan.
The old bridge over Paine Falls never bothered me, but I didn't grow up knowing the falls as a kid, I first went there in my 30s I think. I'm usually a huge fan of taking the man-made stuff out of the natural settings. I think the old bridge design makes me accept it easier.
Just discovered Girdled Road reservation this last summer - what a great park. Enjoyed it several times, going back to hike all the trails. I always felt Lake County metroparks were stellar, offering a great combination of gorges, waterfalls, and lakefront beaches. I'm always an advocate of more conservation, so hopefully they can continue to grab up pieces of land, even small ones help because it breaks up developments.
Strangely, I've perused these lists several times, and Mentor's big box stores seem to be omitted; e.g., Lowe's, Home Depot, Sam's Club, Menard's, Wal-Mart, Levin Furniture, Value City Furniture, and perhaps others that escape my memory.
OP here, circling back on the thread. We’re locals now and doing the leg work on potential cities/neighborhoods, in light of the original wish-list and the very helpful inputs throughout the thread.
We’re probably ruling out west side (Lakewood, RR, etc.) due to the distance added on a 2-3x/week (plus emergencies) commute to Trumbull Co. for family stuff. That wasn’t on original criteria, but prefer to be ~45 mins away, rather than 1:15+. It actually makes a bigger difference than I thought.
We’re zeroing in on a short list with some pros (+) and cons (-):
Shaker Hts (Fernway / Onaway): charming (+), walkable (+), diverse (+), good local amenities (+), proximity to CLE (+), appealing home prices relative to others (+), not as many nature trails (-), slightly further from family (-)
Chagrin Falls Village: major charm (+), walkable village (+), close to nature trails (+), closer to family (+), very safe (+), very expensive home prices (-), lack of diversity (-), further from city amenities (-)
Hudson Village: major charm (+), walkable village (+), abundant CVNP nature trails (+), very safe (+), closer to family (+), lack of diversity (-), very expensive homes in historic village (-), further from city amenities (-)
Wildcards would be Peninsula, Gates Mills, and Cleveland Hts (Cedar Lee or Coventry) with associated pros and cons.
Natural amenities (forests, hiking, scenic beauty) have taken on a higher degree of importance than when I originally posted.
I don’t want this long thread to over-stay its welcome, but open to any inputs on my summary.
Nice to be here BTW! Spring weather looks great near term.
OP here, circling back on the thread. We’re locals now and doing the leg work on potential cities/neighborhoods, in light of the original wish-list and the very helpful inputs throughout the thread.
We’re probably ruling out west side (Lakewood, RR, etc.) due to the distance added on a 2-3x/week (plus emergencies) commute to Trumbull Co. for family stuff. That wasn’t on original criteria, but prefer to be ~45 mins away, rather than 1:15+. It actually makes a bigger difference than I thought.
We’re zeroing in on a short list with some pros (+) and cons (-):
Shaker Hts (Fernway / Onaway): charming (+), walkable (+), diverse (+), good local amenities (+), proximity to CLE (+), appealing home prices relative to others (+), not as many nature trails (-), slightly further from family (-)
Chagrin Falls Village: major charm (+), walkable village (+), close to nature trails (+), closer to family (+), very safe (+), very expensive home prices (-), lack of diversity (-), further from city amenities (-)
Hudson Village: major charm (+), walkable village (+), abundant CVNP nature trails (+), very safe (+), closer to family (+), lack of diversity (-), very expensive homes in historic village (-), further from city amenities (-)
Wildcards would be Peninsula, Gates Mills, and Cleveland Hts (Cedar Lee or Coventry) with associated pros and cons.
Natural amenities (forests, hiking, scenic beauty) have taken on a higher degree of importance than when I originally posted.
I don’t want this long thread to over-stay its welcome, but open to any inputs on my summary.
Nice to be here BTW! Spring weather looks great near term.
Have you considered Willoughby carefully? It should check a "+" on all of your considerations, except proximity to Cleveland and diversity (it's more diverse than Chagrin Falls, especially if you consider Lake County in its entirety), and especially given the nearby parks and Holden in Kirtland, other nearby Lake Metroparks (incl. some in Willoughby), Hack-Otis Sanctuary Nature Preserve in Willoughby Hills, great nature preserves in Mentor, access to beaches in Mentor and Fairport Harbor, and the Cleveland Metroparks North Chagrin Reservation in Willoughby Hills. You would be a short distance from three National Natural Landmarks (Arthur B. Williams Memorial Woods in the North Chagrin Reservation, Mentor Marsh, and Holden natural areas).
As you've already visited Holden (but not likely the natural areas like Bole Woods let alone the beautiful but restricted Stebbins Gulch), perhaps visit Lake Metroparks Farmpark, Penitentiary Glen, and Chapin Forest (great for winter sports) in Kirtland, as well as other nearby Lake Metroparks.
There also is a very good Cleveland Clinic Family Health Center in Willoughby Hills.
As you age, Lake County's Laketran also offers a uniquely robust Dial-a-Ride service tailored to seniors, including service to the main campuses of the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals. Laketran also has a new transit center at Lakeland Community College, which is one of Ohio's better junior colleges with good continuing education offerings (ex-pandemic) for adults and seniors, and is worth checking out before you make your final decision.
Willoughby's Fine Arts Association is one of the best in Greater Cleveland, although its performances aren't the equal of the Beck Center in Lakewood. Thinking about it, I'm not familiar with any comparable organization on the east side outside of Cleveland; that seems unlikely, so perhaps I have a blind spot in my knowledge of Cleveland. (BTW, have you ever checked out Karamu House?)
You might check Willoughby a "-" for access to city amenities, but Route 2 offers relatively quick travel (about 25 minutes) to University Circle and downtown, much better than Hudson and likely better than Chagrin Falls. I believe Laketran offers buses to Indians and Browns games, and it definitely offers bus service to downtown, but with more of a commuting schedule last I checked.
With Mentor's huge retail offerings within a few miles, and the Vine Strip (incl. a Super Wal-Mart) and easy access by Route 90 and I-271 to Beachwood Mall and Legacy Village, Willoughby would be the top choice for access to retail. There's even a BJ's Wholesale Club in Willoughby proper.
Perhaps the most significant question is whether Willoughby's housing stock and downtown amenities would meet your desires. Prices should be much lower than in Chagrin Falls.
I'm not certain why Mario Fazio's in Willoughby Hills aren't showing up on the above list (too distant?). Both it and the nearby TJ's on the Avenue in Mentor are two of the more enjoyable, long-time Italian restaurants in Greater Cleveland. There's also a Slyman's Tavern nearby in Mentor.
Breckenridge Village also is in Willoughby. It's the only Ohio Living (independent senior living options with excellent congregated assisted living and skilled nursing options offering preference to those in independent living) facility in Greater Cleveland, but I guess this isn't a concern when picking Willoughby as an immediate residential location, but it's something good to know and perhaps an issue if you have aging parents that you may have to provide for in the future.
Thanks WRnative for the insights on Willoughby! We will make an outing there in the next day or so. You’re right, we only touched the surface at Holden. Lots more to do/see in the area as you note. I’ll do some Zillow research on homes as well. Distance-wise, it put us just over an hour from Warren (family) so that’s about as far as I’d push it on the commute.
Separately, CF was pretty darn crowded today. Beautiful weather, first weekend in Spring, lots of traffic...taking multiple red light cycles on the main drag. Tourist factor may be added as a negative on my list of pros/cons. Regardless, just a wonderful day to stroll CF Village.
Still working out temp housing...expect to finalize next week. I’ll post up in the other thread on temp downtown housing with some of my findings...
Thanks!
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Mentor retail outlets
