What's best...North Olmstead? Rocky River? Lakewood? Beachwood? (Cleveland, Lorain: apartments, rental)

[Abasi]

Hi everyone...still in the process of looking for an apartment. I recently saw one in NOrth Olmstead that was pretty nice. I asked the girl how far it was from downtown and she said 10-15 minutes. I'm thinking it has to be much farther especially during rush hour. Does anyone have any input?

My roommate and I are both females in our mid-20's. We are looking for something safe with some shopping and things to do nearby.

Also, any opinions on Rocky River, Lakewood, Beachwood, Willoughby?

Thanks!

[jam40jeff]

North Olmsted will be more like 25-30 minutes or more at rush hour (and a lot more in the snow). Maybe 20 min on non-peak times.

Lakewood and Rocky River are both very nice places and at least 10 minutes closer to downtown.

Beachwood is a rough drive to downtown. If you are looking at the east side, I would consider the Heights (Cleveland Heights, Shaker Heights, University Heights) instead. All have very nice neighborhoods and you would have the option of riding the rapid to work, which is a great way to get downtown.

It all depends on what you are looking for. What are some examples of shopping and restaurants you like? What type of neighborhood feel do you like? Lakewood, the Heights, and Rocky River will give you a more urban feel, with a greater variety of restaurants (many nice local independent places to eat and shop) while still being close to major malls (especially the Heights, with the upscale Beachwood Place and Legacy Village just up Cedar Rd.). Willoughby and North Olmsted have a more suburban feel, with big box stores, large parking lots, and chain restaurants. A lot of people feel comfortable with that, but I personally think it's a bland lifestyle. They also have worse traffic if you need to get downtown.

But the best advice I can give you is to check out each city for yourself. Drive around and see what the neighborhoods feel like. Visit a few restaurants and shopping districts. It's all about personal preference, as each of the places mentioned are safe cities with great neighborhoods. You can't go wrong in any of them, it's just a matter of what suits your style.

[lbsunsets1]

I agree that North Olmsted is going to be 20-25 from downtown, however there is public transportation you could access to get downtown if you did not want to drive. Rocky River and Lakewood both are closer, and also have buses available. As for safety, my opinion is that Rocky River and the western end of Lakewood would be fine. Near/on Detroit Rd in Rocky River there are apartments and shopping and restaurants. Lakewood has many restaurants and bars withing walking distance and many "doubles" as well as apartments for rent.

[tribecavsbrowns]

Not that there's anything wrong with the above advice, but I want to add that there's nothing wrong with expanding your search to include all of Lakewood, not just the western end. I see this with every mid-twenties professional who moves to Lakewood: someone tells them to avoid the east side of Lakewood because it's less safe. It is less safe on average, but the difference isn't that important. Trust me. You still have Lakewood police and you still have Lakewood schools, so you're going to have crime protection as well as a contingent of people who are vested in the neighborhood. There are a handful of apartments I wouldn't live in because of crime and drugs, but they're crapholes you probably wouldn't be looking at anyway. If you find a place you actually like, I can almost guarantee you're not going to be surprised by crime after you move in.

There are a couple pretty lousy blocks on the far east end of Lakewood, and you can PM me if you have a question about one of those. But I find the west Lakewood mid-twenties lifestyle to be a bit prepackaged at times. People who move to the other parts of Lakewood often find the bars, restaurants, parks, and neighbors actually more interesting. You're also closer to downtown. Plus, housing costs are somewhat lower since not everyone feels like they have to squeeze into western Lakewood just because it's "the place to be."

Don't get me wrong. There are great things about all parts of Lakewood. The only reason it might seem like I'm bringing western Lakewood down a peg is because I feel people are steered there, at times, unnecessarily.

[WeSoHood]

http://tinyurl.com/Rocky-River-Lake-Rd

That is one of my favorite parts of Rocky River.. on the Lakewood boarder.

[andrew61]

Originally Posted by tribecavsbrowns

Not that there's anything wrong with the above advice, but I want to add that there's nothing wrong with expanding your search to include all of Lakewood, not just the western end. I see this with every mid-twenties professional who moves to Lakewood: someone tells them to avoid the east side of Lakewood because it's less safe. It is less safe on average, but the difference isn't that important. Trust me. You still have Lakewood police and you still have Lakewood schools, so you're going to have crime protection as well as a contingent of people who are vested in the neighborhood. There are a handful of apartments I wouldn't live in because of crime and drugs, but they're crapholes you probably wouldn't be looking at anyway. If you find a place you actually like, I can almost guarantee you're not going to be surprised by crime after you move in.

There are a couple pretty lousy blocks on the far east end of Lakewood, and you can PM me if you have a question about one of those. But I find the west Lakewood mid-twenties lifestyle to be a bit prepackaged at times. People who move to the other parts of Lakewood often find the bars, restaurants, parks, and neighbors actually more interesting. You're also closer to downtown. Plus, housing costs are somewhat lower since not everyone feels like they have to squeeze into western Lakewood just because it's "the place to be."

Don't get me wrong. There are great things about all parts of Lakewood. The only reason it might seem like I'm bringing western Lakewood down a peg is because I feel people are steered there, at times, unnecessarily.

Yeah, what he said. Eliminating the entire east end of Lakewood means eliminating some wonderful areas to live in, like the Gold Coast, for example -- which really is 10 minutes to downtown Cleveland by car.

[colorado04]

Beachwood

[Clevelander17]

Beachwood apartments seem pricier as far as rent goes. But the area is very nice and safe. I've never seen Beachwood during morning rush hour, but if it's anything like afternoon rush hour, it's a big headache. Especially near Chagrin Blvd. and Cedar Rd.

[YaFace]

I timed it numerous times, North Olmsted (I live there) is 20 minutes to downtown, about 30 minutes in rush hour. (depending on where you are going)

You don't want to live in Beachwood, its too far from everything, and 271 is a nightmare. If you were going to work at Progressive Insurance I would say Beachwood is fine, but otherwise its just a freaking hassle.

Lakewood is turning into Cleveland light really fast, especially because of all the rental units. There really are some awesome things to do in Lakewood in terms of bars and nightlife, but if you are looking to rent I would look elsewhere as a lot of the apartments are pretty crappy.

North Olmsted is good for renting if you go to some of the high rises, the smaller units closer to Brookpark and Lorain Rds are somewhat overpriced in my opinion for your dollar. If you are looking to buy, North Olmsted is your best bet.

Rocky River is probably your best bet if you are looking to rent. It doesn't have the big box stores that Olmsted has, but has a way more upper class of people in the rental areas, and some killer, quaint stuff to do. Plus you are right on the lake which is awesome.

[jam40jeff]

I am not a big fan of either Beachwood or North Olmsted (not a suburban type of guy), but North Olmsted is every bit as much of a nightmare traffic-wise. As far as suburbs go, Beachwood is much nicer than North Olmsted, no comparison.