Help Me Decide: West Park or Tremont? (Cleveland, Lorain: crime rate, houses)

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I'm breaking up with my significant other & moving back to Cleveland. I'm tired of commuting & of suburban sprawl (i.e., having to drive EVERYWHERE to do ANYTHING). But part of me is also reluctant to leave the inherently "safe" feeling of the suburbs, even though it also makes one feel isolated & less a part of a community.

I've found two houses that I love that are both very similar to each other. But one is in West Park, one is in Tremont.

I know that crime is much higher in Tremont, but then again, home values have been rising more steadily there since the mid-1990s, and it's the trendier "hot spot". It's also VERY close to where I work—1.2 miles in fact; I'd be able to bike to work in good weather! I'm also excited to be close to the West Side Market, lots of antique shops on Lorain, and within walking distance of many upscale bars & restaurants.

West Park (at least the part that the home I found is in) is beautiful, and the homes are ALL well-kept. It's so convenient to multiple highways (I-90, 480, 71), nice shopping at Westgate, and close to Lakewood and the Metroparks. But it's also further from work (8 miles), which means I couldn't bike to work, and it's also a location that will continue to force me to use my car all the time for basic tasks (like grocery shopping, going out to eat, to bars, etc.), even though the distances may not be as far as where I'm at now.

I'm a born & raised Clevelander, grew up on the west side (West Park, Bay Village), have lived most of my adult life on the east side (Cleveland Heights, Hudson), and will probably be living in this home, whether it's in West Park or Tremont, for at least 10-15 years I hope, so I'm in it for the long haul.

Was wondering if you guys could offer advice about what your opinions are on the two areas that I'm thinking about moving into--both positive & negative.

Thanks! :-)

P.S. Please no responses about how many blacks/Hispanics live in this area or that... I'm well aware that certain parts of Cleveland have more diversity in their population, and these forums seem to attract a lot of "closet racists" for one reason or another.

[jam40jeff]

Probably the most important question as far as Tremont is concerned is what part of Tremont is the house in that you found? North of I-490, east of I-90 is signifcantly better than the other areas of Tremont.

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Originally Posted by jam40jeff

Probably the most important question as far as Tremont is concerned is what part of Tremont is the house in that you found? North of I-490, east of I-90 is signifcantly better than the other areas of Tremont.

It's north of I-490 and JUST BARELY west of I-90/71. Kind of right near Tremont Taphouse if you're familiar with that place (on Scranton at Starkweather).

[jam40jeff]

I know where that is, and I'm pretty sure that area is nicer than south of I-490, but I'm no expert on that part of Tremont by any means. You may want to ask your question on UrbanOhio, there's some Tremont forumers over there that may know more about that area specifically (and you'll probably get more and better answers there about these two neighborhoods in general):

UrbanOhio.com - Index

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Cool, thanks Jeff! I posted to UrbanOhio, hopefully they'll have some good input.

Truthfully, the neighbors around the house I'm looking at seem a little bit "hillbilly" or "white trash" but that's a broad generalization & stereotype. They might be wonderful people for all I know, I have yet to talk to them. But I've spent some time around the area at various times of the day/night and week/weekend, and it doesn't seem like anyone is causing a lot of ruckus, loitering, or playing loud music.

[5Lakes]

If it's a long term investment I would go with Tremont, as it has the most gentrification potential. It is my guess that in 10 years from now West Park will be about the same and Tremont will have more yuppies and a lower crime rate than it currently does.

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Originally Posted by 5Lakes

If it's a long term investment I would go with Tremont, as it has the most gentrification potential. It is my guess that in 10 years from now West Park will be about the same and Tremont will have more yuppies and a lower crime rate than it currently does.

You could probably group me under the "yuppy" category, lol.

Do you think that the fact that the Ohio courts system is currently deciding on whether requiring Cleveland police & fire personnel to live within the city is constitutional or not could have an effect on West Park?

I mean, if they rule it unconstitutional, and a lot of the police & fire personnel head for the suburbs, could that send West Park home values plummeting? My bet is it definitely could!

[1watertiger]

the house off scranton on starkweather isnt really considered tremont. north of 490 and east of 14th.st is the heart of it and very cool ,fun and pretty safe. especially after the 7th.st. projects were torn down. imo anything around scranton is shady and i often heard gunshots in the summer from that area at night. i think south of 490 and north of clark is getting fixed up faster than scranton ever will.

[sophialee]

kinda shady area(the tremont location). I've been held up at gun point around there. Be careful!

I'm a sucker for the old houses in WestPark and killer manicured lawns and rosebushes, but that's just me.

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Originally Posted by sophialee

kinda shady area(the tremont location). I've been held up at gun point around there.

seriously??