West Cleveland Suburbs (Lakewood, Hilliard, Rocky River: apartments, foreclosures, rentals)

[Ty Phillips]

Hey guys. I am planning on moving to the Cleveland Area this summer for a position at Case and, after doing a little research into the Cleveland area, My family (Wife and 2 kids) are interested in moving to Rocky River or one of the other western suburb cities in that vicinity. I was wondering if anyone had any personal information about these cities i.e, (housing, school system and community), and if anyone could comment on how the commute to Cleveland (specifically Near Case Western. Also what is the opinion of everyone about Pepper Pike.

[WeSoHood]

Rocky River is a great community. It has one of the best public school systems in the area. Housing in RR is pretty affordable. There are a lot of rentals all around the city as well. Due to the foreclosures, you should be able to get a $225,000 house for up to $75,000 off what it would be selling for. What is your housing budget? You can find nice homes for as little as $110,000 or a McMansion for close to $1 million on the lake.

The community itself could be described as a "block party" type area. You will always see kids playing, people walking their dogs, people running/biking, etc. It's density is at about 4,200 per sq mile( Pepper Pike being 800), so for a suburb, it's pretty densely populated. Overall, it has all the shopping and necessities in the city, but it's only a few minutes from downtown Cleveland. The Rec Center is important to note as well, since you have children. It was rated by Sports Illustrated a couple years ago as the "Rec Community of the Year".. it has a large outdoor pool and new indoor pool facility/work out center. Also, the metro parks run along the east side of the city and Lake Erie to the North.

Rocky River definitely has character. It's going to be about 20 minute drive to work.. I believe it's only 10-15 miles from Case. But, RR is a great place to raise kids and it's a nice community - a place like Pepper Pike is a LOT more expensive and might not have the same qualities as Rocky River.. other than some 'newer' mansions. I'd say visit Rocky River and drive around to get a feel. Check out Old River ("downtown"), some of the parks, rec center, and all the neighborhoods.. You can find ranch homes, traditional 'cookie cutter' homes in some areas, townhouses - ranging from basic to ones with elevators, apartments - basic to more luxurious... etc.

[CrissCT]

Rocky River is very nice as WeSoHood described. Bay Village is the next suburb to the west and it is also very nice, a little quieter, but great schools and a wonderful feeling of community. They have a nice outdoor pool and rec activities for the kids, but not quite as much as RR. Bay would be a little further commute too.

[jlawrence01]

I never really associated affordable with Rocky River. With the exception of some of the smaller homes between Detroit and Lake Rds, most of the homes are pretty expensive. The ones that are not expensive (in comparison with other communities) generally have not been kept up or updates. Don't get me wrong, I like Rocky River, rented there for a while and would consider the community if I returned to the Cleveland area.

I lived in Lakewood and had an absolute blast. You get a whole lot more house for the price and you are closer to the city by car or by bus. In Lakewood, there are a lot of larger older homes that have a lot of character. The town also has a much stronger urban feel.

I think that the commute from Rocky River to Case is about 35 minutes during normal rush hour traffic.

[WeSoHood]

There are many affordable housing areas in Rocky River. All along and off Hilliard. Around the Middle school area N. of Detroit - S. of Hilliard. Across the street from Kensington Elem. near where the new condos are build. Heck it all depends on what you consider ''affordable'. A $200,000 house in Rocky River would cost 800,000 in Northern Virginia.. A $200,000 house in Rocky River would probably be $400,000 in Pepper Pike.

rocky river - Google Maps

^^ Just scrolled through multiple pages.. Houses/Condos ranging from $50,000 to around a million.

Rocky River or Lakewoood, I think you've made a good choice.

[jlawrence01]

>>A $200,000 house in Rocky River would probably be $400,000 in Pepper Pike.

And the same house would be $140k in Lakewood or $110k in Cleveland, for that matter. Or conversely, you'll get a lot more house in Lakewood for your $200k, IMO

[Ty Phillips]

Thanks for the responses. From what I've been finding online, I have seen some very nice houses that are going for a lot more in Chicago. One thing I was curious about is that I know the school system as a whole is highly regarded but I see that there is only one school for children K-2. So I was wondering if anyone had any kids that have gone through the Rocky River school system? Or what about the Montessori Schools? Also I have been reading alot about the high foreclosure rate in Ohio, has Rocky River been affected and if so how has that affected the overall "community" feel.

[Ty Phillips]

From what I've read Lakewood's school system is not considered to be as good as the system in Rocky River. Is there any truth to this?

[WeSoHood]

The elementary school is Goldwood. But there are a few montessoris and private schools. Ruffing Montessori, La Chaperon Rouge, St. Chris, St. Thomas, a couple more in the city. I think like 40% of the student population in Rocky River goes to private schools (for H.S. a large number go to St. Ignatius, St. Edwards, and Magnificat) which helps the average expenditure for the public school students. There are a lot of foreclosures in Rocky River, but it still has the general feel of a bustling city if you drive through it... still has a nice community feel.

[jlawrence01]

Lakewood is more ethnically and more socioeconomically diverse than is Rocky River and that affects test score numbers. Also, like Rocky River, many students head to parochial and private schools throughout the area.