Move to Cleveland - where to live (Lakewood, Euclid: apartment complexes, rental)

[nivi0101]

Hi,
My husband and I are relocating to Cleveland this summer to work at the Cleveland Clinic. We do not plan to buy a house since we do not know where we will be after 3 years. Have been on multiple websites to check out rental places and are thoroughly confused as to the area that would be a good fit. We have all these years lived close to our workplaces and compromised on the neighborhood/ area. We do not want to do that anymore. We would like to stay in an up-scale-ish locality. We also have a large dog, and this is definitely limiting our choices. We are of Asian origin and perhaps a more cosmopolitan suburb may be a good fit? My research so far shows:

1) University Heights/ Cleveland heights -older neighborhood, closer to CCF, gets more snow than the West, a lot of houses are older and so not energy efficient. rental is quite expensive
2) Lakewood - Manageable distance, west gets lesser snow, a lot of houses are older, we were there once but felt that a lot of areas were a little shabby. The high-rises do not allow large dogs.
3) Westlake - new money, further away from CCF, newer places and has an upscale feel, I like the area but a little apprehensive about the drive and scared that will become a little isolated since more future colleagues live in the eatside.
4) Beachwood - Saw the Village apartments (behind the large Mall?) on the net and seems pretty nice. More snow, expensive.
5) Old Brooklyn - got a couple of replies to my ad on craigslist from this city. Seems like a good neighborhood and was told policemen/ firefighters live there but not sure that that's the neighborhood will be a good fit.

Would love any inputs that you may have for a completely confused future Cleveland resident. Any inputs on driving nightmares would be great.
Thanks a ton in advance.

[Peregrine]

There is more snow on the Eastside but I would certainly recommend it for a nice commute. It's not fun commuting from the far westside (Westlake) to the mid-eastside (CCF).

Excellent suburbs close to CCF: Lyndhurst, Mayfield Heights, Pepper Pike, Orange, Woodmere, Highland Heights, most of Shaker Heights, much of Cleveland Heights, Warrensville Heights, Richmond Heights. Hmm... lot's of "Heights" in that list. lol

I am sure others will be along soon to comment. I am not as knowledgeable about the east as I am about the west.

Lakewood, particularly western Lakewood is a very nice suburb, but personally I wouldn't be like that commute. I am like you and sincerely enjoy my 10 mile 15 minute commute.

[nivi0101]

Hi Peregrine,

Thanks for your response. I do not know why, but people are so excited about Westlake and has been recommending it very highly to my husband - who is really swaying towards that. I will definitely check out the other neighborhoods and try to convince him.
Thanks again

[Peregrine]

I work in Westlake. Nothing at all wrong with it. Bit pricey maybe, but it is a nice little town.
I just think you would hate the commute. Especially in Dec-March. You have to go through downtown to get to CCF.

[5Lakes]

I think that Cleveland Heights or Shaker Heights makes the most sense given your employment location. They have some of the nicest neighborhoods in Cleveland and a good amount of apartment buildings. Yes, most of them are old, but that does not mean that you can't find one that has been updated. In Cleveland Heights the best areas are generally south of Mayfield Road and west of Lee Road. In Shaker Heights it's better to stay north of Van Aiken.

Not sure where you were in Lakewood, but most of it is pretty nice. In fact, the areas closest to the lake have a bunch of streets with historic mansions. I guess there are some areas on the east end where houses are not as well taken care of, but I would not hesitate to live in Lakewood if you don't mind the cross town commute.

I was also going to mention Tremont (just west of downtown) since it's trendy and dog friendly, but if you thought Lakewood looked shabby then you will certainly find Tremont to be rough around the edges.

As far as Westlake goes, I would not recommend it for you. Nothing really remarkable about it, and your commute would suck. People like it because it is the west side hot spot for developemnt and it has a lifestyle shopping center, although I don't know if I would really call it upscale. There are similar areas on the eastside if mcmansion style suburbs are your thing - Solon being the first that comes to mind. Personally I would not want to live in any far out area if I was working near the Clinic seeing as there is not good highway access to it.

Oh, and eastside snowbelt you hear about is really not an issue unless you're in one of the east side burbs along the lake. Mostly it is Lake and north Geauga Counties that gets hit with the really nasty snow.

[costello_musicman]

I would also consider Shaker Square if you're just looking to rent...VERY close, and possibly some dog-friendly places. Also Cleveland Hts and Shaker Hts for interesting areas and a short commute.

I like the Tremont recommendation. Very dog-friendly. They even have a "dog park!" 15 min commute.

[nivi0101]

Thanks Peregrine, 5lakes and costello_musicman - those are really helpful suggestions and now has me rethinking my whole choice.

The parts of Lakewood I saw were on the east side - we were staying in one of the high rises with friends. We figured that that was not the place we would like to stay since we will have to walk the dog and did not seem like a fun place to walk. I am moving from a University town and so am used to walking/ taking the bus/ locally owned stores (or Trader Joe's)/ expensive parking/ expensive housing/ dog friendliness/ so is Tremont like that? The other thing is now we want to live in a more "mature" place (as compared to a Univ town) with couples/ families and a place where we can entertain and host friends.

I am supposed to check out a place in Cleveland Hts this weekend but since we are not moving till summer, doubt the place (which is to be ready in March) will wait on us. With large apartment complexes, the good thing is you can be on waitlists but not for the singles/ duplexes. I am a little paranoid about not finding a place if we start looking in May and we are driving to Ohio this weekend to get a feel of Cleveland and its suburbs.

Can anyone suggest some routes that we can drive through to get a feel of Cleveland Heights/ Shaker Hts/ Shaker Square/ Tremont? Or perhaps even references to area businesses/ shops that we can drive to and check out the area? We do see a place near the Beachwood Place Mall and would start driving from there.

Thanks once again for the great suggestions.

[Peregrine]

Sure. Let's play with Google Maps!

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?doflg...,0.188313&z=13 - FROM Legacy Village in Beachwood which is just west of Beachwood Mall.

This will take you down Shaker Blvd which many consider to be the MAIN DRAG in Shaker. Then you will turn right onto Coventry which is a hip little area. Instead of turning right on Mayfield you could turn LEFT at Mayfield which will take you through Little Italy. Turning around at Euclid might be tough though. Euclid is worth seeing if you turn left on Euclid. The Mayfield - Euclid area might be a tad confusing. Easiest way to get back to my map is to turn right on Euclid and then right on Superior to get back to my map. Go down Belvoir to Fairmount. Right on Fairmount, Right on Warrnesville Center. That road is worth a look.
I also like Fairmount, too. Lot of pretty houses on that street.

Hope I haven't confused you to much.

But as I said earlier I am no eastside expert. Maybe someone else can adjust that map a bit better?

(Can't seem to figure out how to leave it open so anyone can edit it..... anyone know? It says OPEN COLLABORATION...)

Figured it out. You have to login to Google to edit the map... but anyone can.

[nivi0101]

Thanks Peregine -this is just wonderful!!!! So start driving in a few minutes and hopefully will be online later tonight. Let's see how my Cleveland tour goes - am getting excited!

[5Lakes]

Originally Posted by nivi0101

The parts of Lakewood I saw were on the east side - we were staying in one of the high rises with friends. We figured that that was not the place we would like to stay since we will have to walk the dog and did not seem like a fun place to walk.

The section of Lakewood with the highrises is probably not the most pedestrian friendly since they are all on big lots. Try looking in the central and west ends of lakewood close to Detroit and Madison Avenues - it will mostly be houses for rent and smaller buildings to choose from. Lakewood is actually pretty pedestrian friendly, and covers a very large area. There are also smaller apartment/condo buildings that front the street near the lake highrises. At the west end there is a metro park and a dog park.

I am moving from a University town and so am used to walking/ taking the bus/ locally owned stores (or Trader Joe's)/ expensive parking/ expensive housing/ dog friendliness/ so is Tremont like that? The other thing is now we want to live in a more "mature" place (as compared to a Univ town) with couples/ families and a place where we can entertain and host friends.

It terms of walking/transit/locally owned stores, you have basically described most of Lakewood, The western parts of Cleveland Hts. (mostly Coventry Village), Tremont, Ohio City, Shaker Square, and Little Italy.

None of these are expensive or upscale really, because Cleveland is a cheap place to live. The best high end retail is around the Beachwood Mall area, which caters to the wealthier residents on the east side. Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights (more so) have large sections of wealthy neighborhoods with historic housing. Also, Cleveland's most well off areas are east of I-271 (Pepper Pike, Gates Mills, Chagrin Falls, etc.).

As far as Temont goes, it is funky and gentrifying, but is still gritty. Lots of hipsters with dogs live there, but riff-raff is also around. Some of the best bars and restaurants in town are in Tremont, but it still has a certain sketch factor to it. None of the people I have know that lived there ever had any problems though. Ohio City is a similar area that is close by.

Can anyone suggest some routes that we can drive through to get a feel of Cleveland Heights/ Shaker Hts/ Shaker Square/ Tremont? Or perhaps even references to area businesses/ shops that we can drive to and check out the area? We do see a place near the Beachwood Place Mall and would start driving from there.

Cleveland Hts. - Coventy Road between Mayfield and Ceder, Euclid Hts Blvd, and also Fairmont Blvd going south from Ceder.

Shaker Heights - Drive Shaker Blvd, maybe Park Blvd. Shaker Square is at Shaker Blvd and Coventry Road. Things get rough west or south of Shaker Square, but are nice in the opposite directions.

Lakewood - Drive Madison, Detroit, and Lake throughout the city. Central and west parts are better.

Trement - Centered around Lincoln Park ( W.14th St @ Starkweather Ave). Some cool places to check out around Professor Ave. Kind of a difficult area to explore unless you really know where you're going though.