Medina or North Ridgeville (Cleveland, Akron: to rent, crime, home)

[BigDJM]

Hoping for some insight from you Clevelansd experts here. My family and I are moving to the area in a month and a half and are in town this weekend looking for a home to rent and he have narrowed it down to 2, one in Medina and one in North Ridgeville. The Medina home is $250 less and has one extra bedroom, but the North Ridgeville home has alot of nice upgrades and shows well and is in a neighborhood setting while the Medina home is on a more remote road with more distant neighbors (in other words, not a neighborhood community).

I will be working in downtown Cleveland so I am curious about what the commute difference will be. I know Medina is about 10 miles farther out, so how does that translate to travel time? Is North Ridgeville worth the extra $250 because of the area and proximity to the lake?

Any assistance is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

D

[todd72173]

Im looking for a home and just got back from Medina today. Boy, was it far away in no mans land. Only thing I liked was its historic little town. Other than that, it was boring, dreary, and too far. Went back to N. Ridgeville and came alive again. Im most prob eliminating Medina (and Brunswick) from my list being its too far out.

[dhunter15201]

Medina and North Ridgeville are both developing rapidly. All the ammenities you need are in both cities. N. Ridgeville is closer to downtown and the lake, like you said.

Have you been to either place or just seen from online? How far are you looking to drive from work?

[BelieveInCleve]

North Ridgeville is more suburban, and Medina is more like a small city or town. Theyre both very nice though.

North Ridgeville is about 10 minutes closer to downtown, and is also much closer to Elyria/Lorain. As mentioned, also much closer to the lake.

Its your choice, but I would say go with North Ridgeville unless you cant afford to pay that extra $250/month.

[Tangy]

I grew up in Medina and live in NR for over 10 years. Medina is much bigger then Ridgeville, has it's own hospital and all the major stores. Pearl Road Route 42 has every store you can ever need or want. Medina is also a weathlier communtiy while still keeping a lot open land. You will see many horse farms and people with an acre or two with a home in the middle. NR is next to Elyria and Lorain which is very crime ridden and very poor, many layoffs. NR has a lot of pizza stores, drug stores. There is no Target, K-Mart, Walmart, no bowling, no Applebees, or other major sit down resturant. Medina has tons. There are no clothing, shoe, book, stores in NR either. Medina again has too many to name. Most people that live in Medina will go into Akron or Cleveland for special events. The one down side of Medina is the hills, it is very hilly and can be a bit scary to drive in the winter if you are not used to it.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by Tangy

I grew up in Medina and live in NR for over 10 years. Medina is much bigger then Ridgeville, has it's own hospital and all the major stores. Pearl Road Route 42 has every store you can ever need or want. Medina is also a weathlier communtiy while still keeping a lot open land. You will see many horse farms and people with an acre or two with a home in the middle. NR is next to Elyria and Lorain which is very crime ridden and very poor, many layoffs. NR has a lot of pizza stores, drug stores. There is no Target, K-Mart, Walmart, no bowling, no Applebees, or other major sit down resturant. Medina has tons. There are no clothing, shoe, book, stores in NR either. Medina again has too many to name. Most people that live in Medina will go into Akron or Cleveland for special events. The one down side of Medina is the hills, it is very hilly and can be a bit scary to drive in the winter if you are not used to it.

I think NR is far enough removed from Elyria and Lorain that the crime and poverty of those areas shouldn't be an issue. And it's close enough to the Great Northern area in North Olmsted which has all the retail and dining opportunities a person could possibly want.

Personally, I like Medina the better of the two, because of the quaint old charm to be found in the center of town. There's actually a sense of history there that I find lacking in North Ridgeville. But then, I'm really not a very suburban/exurban-oriented person (I prefer cities and dense, urban inner suburbs), so I'm probably not the best person to ask.

[todd72173]

ABout 15 more miles more is Medina from Cleveland, than N.Ridgeville. That is too much for me.

No.Ridgeville
Driving directions to Cleveland, OH
22.4 mi – about 31 mins

Medina
Driving directions to Cleveland, OH
34.8 mi – about 41 mins

[jam40jeff]

Originally Posted by Tangy

every store you can ever need or want...Target, K-Mart, Walmart...bowling...Applebees

That sums it up right there, anything anyone could ever ask for in retail.

[Tangy]

LOL I know you are gently poking fun at me. They also have a Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Kohl's and an incredible array of speciality stores and tea shops. There is a store that sells speciality vinager and oils for salads, I love the blueberry vinager, yummy with the lemon garlic oil. A neat 50's diner and well just about everything. Nice places to eat from chains to one of a kind. Medina also has a lovely square with an old fashioned charm. They have a candle store, a chocolate shop, an Army & Navy store, neat things that NR does not have. They have art shows on the square. A country club well I could go on. Why don't I live there. I grew up in Medina and found it too country for my taste, it has changed a great deal but I like the western burbs by the lake more.

Originally Posted by jam40jeff

That sums it up right there, anything anyone could ever ask for in retail.

[jam40jeff]

Ha, yep. I know there is some unique retail in Medina as well. It just cracks me up when people always tell me everything you could ever want is right off I-71 at SR-18. I don't think I'd ever go to ANY of those places, and I know I'm not alone. Then again, I know plenty of people that love those places, so to each his own.