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I grew up in a Cleveland suburb (Cleveland proper is pretty small, but the Cleveland area is huge) and have lived in several other states. I go back to visit family about once a year.
The Cleveland area in general has a lot of positive attributes, but I would never move back there due to the weather. I am affected by overcast, dreary weather more than most people, and unfortunately, Cleveland has this in spades for a large portion of the year.
When I lived there I had serious seasonal depression for roughly half the year. Many years, you barely see any sunshine for several months straight. For this reason, I could never live in Seattle either. I have spent 6 total weeks (not straight) in Seattle for various work trips and while Seattle's weather is milder than Cleveland's it has a very similar depressing effect on me.
If you could move Cleveland somewhere with a better climate without the lake-effect gloominess, I think it would be a pretty decent city. Heck, it already *is* a pretty decent city - just one that doesn't jive with me personally.
I dig it. It's chunky and a sometimes a bit grim, reminds me a lot of St Louis culturally, though it looks very different, it feels a lot alike. I tend to like it's built environment more than StL's. It has loads of character and a real sense of place. It's far from perfect, but I think it's scars and the way they are healing are real tributes to it. I think it's harder to delve into than a lot of its peers, easier to dismiss, or misread or misunderstand, but I've always thought it was a place that didn't have to ask itself very often what kind of thing it was or wanted to be, and that is what I look for above loll else in deciding if a pale is interesting, or genuinely boring (and I'm not one who thinks "everywhere is interesting"). Some places aren't worth my time, Cleveland isn't one of them.
It's a crappy city. It may be marginally better than Detroit, and that is not saying much.
I'd rather live in Cleveland or Detroit than in Washington if its population is anything like you! I'd take a Midwestern city over a Northeastern city anyday! Much nicer and down to earth people are its greatest asset!
Love the suburbs. I've ran across some of the nicest people in the country, even better than in the South, in the NE Ohio outlying burbs. I haven't been downtown Cleveland so I can only comment on my experience outside of the city.
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