Surrounding Cleveland Cities... Where to LIVE??? (Cincinnati, Toledo: to rent, house, neighborhoods)

[BelieveInCleve]

Originally Posted by WeSoHood

But yeah, I agree with you. I feel most of the newly developed suburbs are cookie cutter in their feel. They still pale in comparison to say Columbus suburbs - which are almost all entirely cookie cutteresque.

Yeah definitely. The areas north of Columbus in the suburbs are pretty much all cookie-cutter newer homes for a few miles. They all look very similar and have no character at all. Cleveland is definitely doing better than most cities suburbs as far as character.

You really want to see cookie cutter though, go to Vegas/Phoenix/Dallas all those SW areas. Its ridiculous how little character those homes have, they literally have like blocks and blocks of the exact same houses and apartments. Makes me feel lucky to live near a place like Cleveland that actually has character.

[treat]

Going back to the original post - Just what are you looking for? Do you want a new house, an older home? How far do you want your commute to work to be? Are you looking for anything specific?

Rocky River is definitely a nice area if you wish to live there.

[clevelandgrrl]

I live in Old Brooklyn (Cleveland west side) and love it. My house was built in 1920, and there are lots of charming, quiet streets. I can walk to the community pool and park, and we have great bakeries, restaurants, etc. I love the ethnicity and the access to everything. It takes me 20 minutes to go to a Tribe game! The schools are improving here, not sure what your expectation is, but there are many private schools close by if that is a concern. Lots if houses for sale in the $89K - $120K range - you can't beat the affordability. I recommend you check out the housing fair on July 26 at Loew Park - you'll learn a lot about our community and decide whether it's for you.

[Medinaman]

Medina!!!

[taw001]

Hey there-
I have lived in the suburbs outside of Cleveland my whole life (Solon) and can't wait to get out of this state! I even chose PSU in order to leave for undergrad.

I am looking to move to Florida after I finish my masters program in Southern OH. If you are use to beautiful sunny days, get ready for 360 days of Cleveland overcast, that my family jokingly, but in all reality, calls 'the cave'. You mix overcast most of the year with lots of people and you get one grouchy/unfriendly group of people. Just think twice about Cleveland and why you chose OH to begin with.

But as far as suburb/locations go, Rocky River is a good place- my aunt lives there with 2 children in a nice community. However, there were/may still be problems with Rocky River passing school levies though. I know that she ended up driving her children to school because the school levies didn't pass and the school buses wouldn't come to her street anymore. Also I am(and soon not to be!) an East sider and I think in general the East side has more upscale houses and some of the top schools, hands down.

p.s. I am also excited to move from Cleveland so when people ask where I am from and say Ohio they don't say "sorry about that" anymore..

[MyMnMs]

taw001 -
Watch YOUR locations if you are moving to Florida! I grew up in NJ, lived in OK for a decade, and now call Broward County, Florida home. I have never been so miserable as I have the past 2 years in Florida. It is a different world. I have met some very nice people while I was here, but as a whole, it is a cluster of the most self centered, rudest people I have ever encountered. I will take NY drivers over SFla drivers any day - even experiences like going to the mall or grocery store can be ruined by people who think the world owes them everything and show NO basic consideration for everyone else around them. We are relocating to a suburb of Akron, and I can't wait to say ADIOS! (that way most of the residents will understand me) to SFla - as far as I am concerned, it can fall into the Atlantic and take the majority of people here with it. And, Broward County is a pleasure compared to Miami-Dade. Central and Northern Florida are more tolerable....

[TheProf]

taw001,

I have 2 words for you: Good Riddance.

[The Cactus Leaguer]

I have a related question --- can someone provide a link to a map that separates the areas? Sometimes I get lost when people mention westside vs eastside, inner ring versus outer ring suburbs, etc. (example - Brecksville feels like south/southeast to me, but appears to be lumped in with the westside. Thx.

[BelieveInCleve]

Originally Posted by The Cactus Leaguer

I have a related question --- can someone provide a link to a map that separates the areas? Sometimes I get lost when people mention westside vs eastside, inner ring versus outer ring suburbs, etc. (example - Brecksville feels like south/southeast to me, but appears to be lumped in with the westside. Thx.

Im not sure if there is an official map that seperates the areas like that. Its pretty easy to figure it out though, the names say it all. The westside is basically everything west of the cuyahoga and the eastside is everything east of it. Another way is east and west of the city of Cleveland. Inner ring suburbs are the suburbs that are bordering Cleveland, this is kind of a broader term I dont think there is exact boundaries and things. Outer ring suburbs are the mostly newer suburbs that are farther outside of the city. There is also seperate cities like Elyria and Lorain with their own suburbs in the Cleveland area. The southside area is pretty much just what it says too, anything to the south.

[newnurse111]

First I am going to give you a strange perspective of cleveland and the way suburbs are changing. (keep in mind this viewpoint is mainly located from east to west along I 90 freeway and it includes some area in Lorain and Lake Counties.


In the center you have Downtown Cleveland.

Areas west downtown but still in Cleveland that are nice are annexed areas called Ohio City, W 117 area. there are pockets of bad also
Extending further west (still cuyahoga county)
is Lakewood (fun suburb diverse some shady areas that border Cleveland and some nice)
Next, Rocky River (more expensive homes and living than Lakewood) (can be considered snobby but not true)
Next, Bayvillage (even more expensive and still very nice)
Next, Westlake (very nice and range of affordable to extreme expensive homes. This is a personal favorite suburb for shopping parks)
Next, North Olmstead (nice affordable, a little more blue collar still nice and even more affordable than Westlake, good school system)
Then we begin to venture into Lorain County
Benefits of Lorain County: cheaper car insurance
Avon/Avon Lake: affordable homes, good school systems, beginning to see some depression related to factories leaving
Lorain (avoid at all costs)
This is as far west as I can go

Now lets go east from Downtown Cleveland
--from downtown to East Cleveland (decay and sad avoid at all costs as far as purchasing)
--Areas that are nice but still in Cleveland
University Circle...Art Museum, botanical gardens
Decent School systems/Parks: University Heights, Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights
Avoid Euclid poor school systems
Now lets enter Lake County (pretty much mirror image of westside
1. Willowick, Willoughby, Eastlake (good school system, safe)
2. Mentor-nice public park system safe, school system facing hard times
3. Painesville, avoid at all costs
This is as far east as I will go

Most areas listed very from 10 to 35 minutes from downtown and are close to the Lake which is very nice.