Need relocation advice - Cleveland areas (Akron, Canton: apartments, rentals, low crime)

[pdx_ore]

I am relocating from Portland, Oregon to the Cleveland area and could use some advice about where to live. I've done some searching on my own. In short, I think I want to stay away from East and Downtown Cleveland - too much crime for me. The city, from photos seems nice and I'm sure I'll travel in for museums, shows, etc. I learned that Garfield Heights is nice and I might include that in my scope.

Here's my criteria:

Approx 40 miles of the Cleveland airport
Low crime
Property sizes are fairly spacious
Income is above average
Great for walking with family and pets.
Small shops, restaurants, etc.

Is there such a place or do I need to look in another area. My criteria doesn't HAVE to include the Cleveland airport per se, but close to an Intl airport is probably a must.

I mentioned to a friend at work that I was looking at a place in Cleveland Heights or University Heights. He said that they were nice neighborhoods but commented that it's not necessarily single family units and that many of the houses are rentals for the college students. Does anyone know if that's true?

My co-worker also commented that although those neighborhoods were nice, that I'd have to travel through some really rough ones if I wanted to go anywhere. Is that true?

Oh, one last question. A realtor I spoke with said that houses that have basements also have frequent flooding. True? Why?

Thanks so much.

[chance2jump]

Strongsville - Brunswick - Medina - West Lake.

Close proximity to the airport and easily accessible by highway, near metroparks with walking trails (pets ok), also has some dog parks nearby, some areas with larger property sizes and/or acreage, low crime, thriving areas, mostly well to do population and/or above average income. The smaller communities (Berea, for example), do have smaller shops as well. Overall, very nice area.

I can't answer anything about Cle Heights or Univ Heights, never lived near either. I think the basement thing is luck of the draw. I lived in a house near Grafton (12 miles west of Strongsville) that had a basement that didn't flood. However, a lot of the area will get oversaturated with water during late winter / early spring with snow melting and rain. It would be in your interest to figure out if a house you're considering is in a flood plain or near a creek / river that could get overwhelmed with runoff.

[1watertiger]

imo i dont think garfield hts. is a good choice. its a inner-ring suburb that is in decline (services and schools). middleburg hts. and rocky river were not mentioned and might be a good fit for you.

[LewLew]

For what you are looking for, I think you'd really like Chagrin Falls. Your realtor might be referring to much older homes that have not been cared for, and there are cracks in the foundation. IMO NEVER buy a home in Cleveland without somewhat of a basement. You'll find it very hard to sell. A lot of homes have done the drying system in their basement (B-dry I think) and they don't have water/flooding issues. When you look at a home, you'll know if there have been water issues. It will smell musty, or you'll notice circular water staining near pipes, on ceiling, and on concrete flooring. Remember that with all the snow that lays against the house,melts, falls again etc. There can be slight leaking into cracks. There are many ways to resolve the issue, and a lot of homes have done just that (especially if they use their basements for extra family rooms)
Chagrin Falls surrounding areas have larger lots, great walking shops etc.
I am not that familiar with the western suburbs. Eastern suburbs you'd probably like are Orange Village, Pepper Pike, Chagrin Falls, Geauga County areas, Solon. They have the larger lots.

[LewLew]

Oh, and IMO I wouldn't go to Garfield Heights either. It's quite industrial and not what you are looking for (all I remember was Garfield One, Two Three Two Three LOL anyone????) Bedford Heights, Warrensville Heights, Garfield heights are all no's. You can look at Shaker Heights if you thought Garfield might suit you. The lots aren't huge in the affordable parts, but very nice area.

[CortlandGirl79]

The east side is just fine once you get out of the bad areas. I love Chagrin Falls, Bainbridge, Solon, Hudson, etc.

[Clevelander17]

Originally Posted by pdx_ore

I mentioned to a friend at work that I was looking at a place in Cleveland Heights or University Heights. He said that they were nice neighborhoods but commented that it's not necessarily single family units and that many of the houses are rentals for the college students. Does anyone know if that's true?

It's partially true. Both cities have diversified housing options. Cleveland Heights, especially closer to Case Western Reserve, has a lot of apartments and duplexes. But other parts of the city consist solely of beautiful, old single family homes. In University Heights, the area near John Carroll has a large number of single family homes, too (in fact some of the nicest homes in the city are here), but there is also an area on Warrensville Center Road that consists of duplexes that usually have students residing in them.

[pdx_ore]

Any thoughts about Mayfield or Lyndhurst?Thanks!

[pdx_ore]

Any thoughts to the East side of Hwy 71? I'm looking at a map now and am wondering about the Brunswick area. What would you expect out in that direction?

[The Cactus Leaguer]

Originally Posted by pdx_ore

Here's my criteria:

Approx 40 miles of the Cleveland airport
Low crime
Property sizes are fairly spacious
Income is above average
Great for walking with family and pets.
Small shops, restaurants, etc.

Hello from a fellow Oregonian and frequent visitor to Cleveland (my wife is a Clevelander).

If you want a place that has a "Portland" feel to it, I'd suggest Lakewood.

If airport access is a priority, you might want to check out some of the towns a little south along I-77, I-271, and/or highway 8 (Brecksville, Broadview Heights, Hudson, Bath, Independence, etc.). You will find everything you are looking for (especially in the communities that border Cuyahoga Valley National Park and its abundant walking paths), plus you'll be within 20-30 minutes of both the Cleveland Airport and Akron-Canton Airport.

You won't find anything in those areas that are exactly walkable and "buy local" like you do in Portland because the area has much bigger lots and is thus more sprawled out, but most of the towns have nice little town centers with shops/restaurants.

One last tip - check out the Cleveland Magazine website's annual "rating the suburbs" article which I have found to be somewhat useful:

Rating The Subrubs | Cleveland Magazine - Your guide to the best of Cleveland

Good luck in your search!