Fun place to live west of cleveland (Lorain, Lakewood: apartments, to rent)

[matt976]

My wife and I are from detroit, but I just got a new job in amherst. I want to live within 25 miles of work. We are a 30 year old couple with no kids. Our plan is to rent an apartment or house for the time being. We want to find an area with a good variety of nightlife, preferrably walking distance. We visited Crocker Park in Westlake and found that very appealing. Wondering if anyone can recommend other areas with similiar bar/restaurant variety that we should check out. Your help/advice is very much appreciated. Also if you can recommend any specific apartments or housing options that would be great!

[BelieveInCleve]

Crocker Park is nice.

Lakewood would also be another good choice in most areas. North Olmsted also if you rent near Brookpark rd./Lorain rd. Rocky River near Detroit rd./Lake rd. Possibly Kamms Corner near Lorain ave./Rocky River dr. in Cleveland.

[matt976]

Thank you for the suggestions, I will check them out while I'm down there working this week. Leaning towards that area because my grandparents live in Olmsted Falls and would like to be close to help them out. Also like the fact that it is close to the city for sporting events and such. Don't know much about the Amherst/Vermillion area or even west of there, are there any spots that are worth checking out?

[WeSoHood]

Vermilion and Amherst are more laid back environments. I don't think you will find any Crocker Park like areas but you may just like some of the neighborhoods. As stated you should check out Detroit Road in Rocky River near Lakewood. Maybe even the Westlake Hotel. It's the pink building on the river. It's close to restaurants and night life.

[Nickmast]

Westlake is your best bet on the west side of Cleveland, Crocker Park being the main attraction. It is close to everything on the west side really (ie. North Olmsted Mall, Lakewood bar scene, Avon Commons). Avon and Avon Lake are just as nice but not as much to do in those areas. They have been building a lot of things recently though which helps. I am currently in Avon Lake and former resident of North Olmsted (nice area as well) . I frequently travel all over the west side of cleveland on a regular basis. I would say Westlake, and Avon Lake would be your best options considering you would want a nice area with good schools for your children. A lot of the other local school districts can't seem to get their residents to pass school levy's in the recent years.

~nick

[1watertiger]

lakewood/rocky river . walkable with more bars/restaurants than westlake or avon combined. plus you can enjoy the lake better.

[Nickmast]

Originally Posted by 1watertiger

lakewood/rocky river . walkable with more bars/restaurants than westlake or avon combined. plus you can enjoy the lake better.

Lakewood is a "bar scene" town. Loud on the weekend nights with hundreds of drunk people driving/ walking around in the summer, old drafty homes (most of which are duplex's), horrible parking (limited driveway parking/ parking on streets 24/7), and very high taxes (higher than Avon or Westlake). There are single family homes out there as well (my brother and sister in law live there with their 2 kids) but, like I said, are old and drafty. There are a few highrise apartments out that way that are newer and nice but on the far northeast side near Edgewater Park. Don't get me wrong, I like Lakewood for the bar scene but not for a family with kids. That is just my preference.

Rocky River is a nice area, that borders Lakewood, that has a few perks to it as well. The recently torn down Westgate Mall was built back up with many shops and stores, good restaurants, and Rocky River Brewing Co. (which brews very good beer). Taxes are still on the high side but there are some really nice parts of town. I don't know anything about the school system there so I can't help you out with that.

It may seem that I am a little biased with my opinion on those areas, and I would say that you are right, but, there is a reason I live in the area that I do (Avon Lake). I enjoy a quieter suburban lifestyle. I like it completely silent at night when I sleep. I like living in an area that has some of the top rated schools in the Cleveland area. I like living in an area with lower crime rates. I do go to all of the cities I have talked about on occasion for the bars and the restaurants. I just enjoy being able to turn the nightlife off when I want to. It all depends on what you are looking for. Maybe you are looking for a town with lots of nightlife and Lakewood would be one of those areas (warning though, the bars in that area are packed with people in their 20s). It is all a matter of preference.

~nick

[lbsunsets1]

I agree with Westlake as the place for you. You won't find a "Crocker Park" atmosphere anywhere else on the westside. Plus, Westlake is closer to Amherst than Rocky River or Lakewood, and taking I-90 to work would be a breeze, making your daily commute easier.

[jlawrence01]

A few points.

I commuted from Lakewood and Rocky River to Elyria daily for five years. While it is counter traffic and not a terrible commute, it is a lot of time to spend in the car and quite costly when gas prices increase.

I searched for a house for about a year visiting EVERY community between Oberlin and Berea and Lakewood. I settled in Lakewood because there were a lot of great old homes, a lot of them well maintained and completely upgraded, at a very reasonable price. We lived on a quiet street, behind an elementary school where the only noise were the local rec league (7 year olds) playing baseball on the field across the street.

We deliberately avoided places like Avon Lake where half the community was large mega-houses and the older half small, drafty cracker boxes near the lake.

The advantage of Lakewood and Rocky River is the ability to walk to church, school, and a variety of restaurants. We seldom jumped into the car unless we were going more than 3 miles. Also, people were out on the streets, in their yards unlike many of the so there was a sense of community.

Also, there is ready access to the RTA so that you can catch a bus or train downtown or to the airport and avois parking fees.

Good luck.

[buckeye1]

Have you ruled out living in Amherst itself? If you live near downtown/uptown you can walk to pizza places, a couple restaurants, cinema, bowling, and several bars. Also consider living in Oberlin - downtown is very walkable, there are stores and restaurants, lots of cultural offerings from the college. Why settle for the faux downtown Crocker Park when you could have a more authentic experience? (Unless you need to walk to Cheesecake Factory and Abercrombie...)