Anyone relocating to Cleveland from Texas?

[heididace]

Hello All,
Thanks for the great advice! I have been running errands all day and haven't been able to check back in. I do apprecicate all the wonderful words of wisdom! To answer some of your specific questions.. I live in a northern suburb of Houston.. called "Spring"..
I have lived here a Loooonnnng time... and consider myself a Texan at this point! I was born in Ohio...(Columbus) and lived there until I was 5.. and I don't remember a thing...
Except that my Dad was a Buckeye.. and I grew up listeing to that "fight" song!! I do know that the "cold" weather will take some getting used to.. but am looking forward to the FOUR seasons.. and snow for my kids sake! (Ice skating, sledding, skiing etal..) How far are the slopes? I feel like I read somewhere that the slopes were close .. We mainly ski CO... but don't get to go that often.. so maybe we can go more!? I am thinking that the slopes in OH are more like skiing in Wisconsin or the Pocono's(?) which will be perfect for my kids who are still really learning.. just curious where they are and how far from Cleveland..
I really appreciate the school advice finding out about the long standing rivalry between the E. & W.sides... and getting a bunch of new neighborhood names to look into! Hubby will be working for Cleveland Clinic on Euclid.. and currently in Houston he commutes 38 miles each way to work.. which ends up being well over an hour.. we are interested in renting.. until we sell this house.. and experiencing the city.. and checking out the schools.. before we "buy".. in an area...and not having to commute more that 20 to 25 min. at the MOST (I know that sounds petty.. but he leaves at 6:00a.m and doesn't get home until 6:30 or 7:00 pm) it would just be "nice" for a change not to drive very far! I am dying to check out the other areas suggested and see how far they are from 9500 Euclid!
Thanks so much for the great advice and well wishes~ It was GREATLY appreciated!

[Clevelander17]

Oh, well duh! You should have mentioned that his job was going to be at the Clinic (or maybe you did and I missed it?). Anyways, Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights are about the closest suburbs you can find in relation to the Cleveland Clinic. Both are easily within 10-15 minutes drive of the hospital's campus. I'm not sure about Lakewood, but I don't think it's much further than 20-25 minutes away. Heck you could maybe even look in University Heights, Beachwood, South Euclid, or Lyndhurst and still be within your time commute window (and have good schools at the elementary level). Although honestly I don't know if there are a lot of apartment rentals available in Beachwood or Lyndhurst.

In terms of winter recreation, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, and Lakewood all have their own ice rinks. The closest ski slopes are about 45 minutes south located in northern Summit County. Brandywine is the name. There may be something slightly closer out in western Geauga County, but the name escapes me.

[heididace]

Thanks Clevelander!
I will search those other areas... I am really looking for a house to rent..
Mainly because we have a fridge, washer & dryer.. and lots and lots of "toys".. Hello... storage unit... or salvation army!
In all seriousness.. we are going to have to "purge"... but I can't get rid of the bikes,the kiddy motorized jeeps.. and stuff like that... decisions.. decisions.. :-)
I really am not adverse to "driving"... ie.. over 25 min. to a slope.. I would even drive 2 hours for that..
I was thinking more along the lines for my husband's commute...
He told me that when he interviewed... the people that he talked to.. said that they all "commuted"... and that he wouldn't "want" to live close by the clinic.. b/c there were only crack houses.. (??) I had to tell him "otherwise" after I found this website.. and have spent my days reading this stuff... and not getting ready for "the move"... like I should be! ;-)

[121804]

Originally Posted by heididace

Hello All,
Thanks for the great advice! I have been running errands all day and haven't been able to check back in. I do apprecicate all the wonderful words of wisdom! To answer some of your specific questions.. I live in a northern suburb of Houston.. called "Spring"..
I have lived here a Loooonnnng time... and consider myself a Texan at this point! I was born in Ohio...(Columbus) and lived there until I was 5.. and I don't remember a thing...
Except that my Dad was a Buckeye.. and I grew up listeing to that "fight" song!! I do know that the "cold" weather will take some getting used to.. but am looking forward to the FOUR seasons.. and snow for my kids sake! (Ice skating, sledding, skiing etal..) How far are the slopes? I feel like I read somewhere that the slopes were close .. We mainly ski CO... but don't get to go that often.. so maybe we can go more!? I am thinking that the slopes in OH are more like skiing in Wisconsin or the Pocono's(?) which will be perfect for my kids who are still really learning.. just curious where they are and how far from Cleveland..
I really appreciate the school advice finding out about the long standing rivalry between the E. & W.sides... and getting a bunch of new neighborhood names to look into! Hubby will be working for Cleveland Clinic on Euclid.. and currently in Houston he commutes 38 miles each way to work.. which ends up being well over an hour.. we are interested in renting.. until we sell this house.. and experiencing the city.. and checking out the schools.. before we "buy".. in an area...and not having to commute more that 20 to 25 min. at the MOST (I know that sounds petty.. but he leaves at 6:00a.m and doesn't get home until 6:30 or 7:00 pm) it would just be "nice" for a change not to drive very far! I am dying to check out the other areas suggested and see how far they are from 9500 Euclid!
Thanks so much for the great advice and well wishes~ It was GREATLY appreciated!

Initially, you are best off sticking to the east side. That way, dh can get acclimated to his job & the drive. You can get acclimated to the area, also. In turn, this will give you time to scope out the suburbs of Cleveland & NEOH.

A commute under 30 mins isn't petty & as the price of gas goes up, it would probably be even better!

Brandywine is ok. The slopes are nowhere near what you have seen in CO or the Poconos. It works for what it is worth, but not the best of the best. Holiday Valley & a few other slopes are located in PA & about a 3 hr drive.

As for the never ending debate of east v west, it takes on many forms. There is the socioeconomic form, the professional form, the religious form, etc. Take your pick If you live on the west side, the sun is in your eyes on the way into work & in your eyes the way out of work. Seriously, this can be an issue for the sun glare can make traffic go at snail's pace in certain areas. East side has some of the best private schools in the area. West side has commonly had much more of the blue collar label.

But over the years, the suburbs on both sides have grown & changed. It is really dependant on your preferences.

Beachwood is really nice but not sure about apts rentals, either. But it has an absolutely fabulous mall

[heididace]

I am cracking up over this E vs. W debate!
I have friends in the VA/DC area.. and told them that we are moving.. they of course said that they heard that Cleveland was a great place to live & raise a family ...and that they have friends from "Cleveland"... anyway.. an email was forwarded to me from the "friend".. tonight.. and he went into the whole "East / West" thing to my friend.. and said it was like" Reston/Herndon"... (don't really know the areas) ... he said his family was from the WestSide.. (still live there) but didn't get into what area.. and went into places we should look.. and then said that there were good qualities about the East as well..
I guess it's just a "Cleveland thing"..
We are nervous about "starting over".. but are excited for a change.. and it seems like since we mentioned Cleveland.. everyone is coming out of the woodwork.. telling us how great it is! Looking forward to it.. and praying we get our house sold quickly.. so that I am not stuck here by myself..!

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by heididace

Thanks Clevelander!
I will search those other areas... I am really looking for a house to rent..
Mainly because we have a fridge, washer & dryer.. and lots and lots of "toys".. Hello... storage unit... or salvation army!
In all seriousness.. we are going to have to "purge"... but I can't get rid of the bikes,the kiddy motorized jeeps.. and stuff like that... decisions.. decisions.. :-)
I really am not adverse to "driving"... ie.. over 25 min. to a slope.. I would even drive 2 hours for that..
I was thinking more along the lines for my husband's commute...
He told me that when he interviewed... the people that he talked to.. said that they all "commuted"... and that he wouldn't "want" to live close by the clinic.. b/c there were only crack houses.. (??) I had to tell him "otherwise" after I found this website.. and have spent my days reading this stuff... and not getting ready for "the move"... like I should be! ;-)

Well, yeah, I wouldn't suggest living in the immediate surrounding area of the Cleveland Clinic. While not terrible, it's certainly not a place I'd live, especially with kids. But Cleveland Heights/Shaker Heights are about 10-15 minutes away, the closest suburbs in proximity to the Clinic, and both are just fine. As a matter of fact if your husband asked around I'd bet he find a lot of people, including many doctors, that make their homes in the Heights area.

As for the whole east vs. west thing, personally I don't think it's that big of a deal. Both sides are different and unique, but it's still the Cleveland area. It's not as fierce a "rivalry" as exists in say Chicago (north/south) or New York (different boroughs), where citizens actually have sports teams to rally around in their parts of town.

[ottomobeale]

Location of work is key. Where are you working? "clinic" means main campus of the Cleveland Clinic?

If so forget Lakewood.

Cross county commuting stinks.

Lakewood is west side. The heights are East Side.

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by ottomobeale

Location of work is key. Where are you working? "clinic" means main campus of the Cleveland Clinic?

If so forget Lakewood.

Cross county commuting stinks.

Lakewood is west side. The heights are East Side.

She said 9500 Euclid Avenue, which is the address of the main campus.

[barnwife]

Welcome to Cleveland! I grew up there, and really, most of the city is hit or miss as far as crime goes. There are a few well-established ghetto-ish areas.
I agree about talking with the local police department about which areas have the most crime. Avoid any areas that have more than a couple empty homes...there are TONS of vacant homes throughout the city, and much of the crime that happens is either in the vacant homes or the ghetto centers. When you get there, there is a definate visual difference between the desirable areas from the undesirable...
but unfortunately, everything is from street-to-street, block-to-block. No one serious "safe" area till you get WAAAAAAY out to the suburbs and rural areas...then your crime drops to near zero and you run into Amish buggies. Good luck!

[gtsurfer05]

Since you mentioned the Amish and the apparent "no crime", I'll let you in on a funny thing about those Amish people. The youngsters from their teens till their considered an adult at around 17 or 18 are not thought to be morally responsible for any of their actions, so these kids put on normal clothes get beer and weed and go out and get smashed/high to their hearts content. A lot of them go to the State Parks to do this, so it gives the state park rangers something fun to do chasing them in a otherwise quite boring area.
Besides that though, there is not much "official" crime, the Amish being pretty closed off from mainstream America, and many things probably not being reported.