Which areas of NE Ohio (Euclid/Ashtabula) are best to raise a family? I need help! (Cleveland: real estate)

[peaches97467]

We might possibly be relocationg to this area (Euclid/Astabula areas) if my husband gets the promotion he put in for. We are currently living on the Oregon coast. We have 4 girls 13,11,2, and 4mos. I am looking for the best areas to raise a family with good, clean, friendly, neighborhoods with good schools near by, low crime...ya know what I'm talking about. Close to shopping (groceries, retail, ect.) Although we won't mind driving about a half hour if we need to. We are currently having to drive that far (about 25miles) to get to GOOD shopping, as we live in a small town of about 1500-2000 and just have a couple grocery stores, severl reteraunts and gas stations. Possibly the Cleveland area, or some place in between all three. We are currently renting a 3bd 1ba house in a nice neighborhood near schools, fire dept, med. facilities etc. for $700. How is housing? If my husband get this promotion, it will also mean a pay increase so we might be able to afford a little more but with 4 kids, I don't wanna be paying TOO much! . How is the cost of housing to BUY one? I have been looking online but I figured it would be BEST to ask peopl that are acutally IN those areas. I need as much help and info as possible! please help! Thank you so much!

[Pathwalker]

Something you need to keep in mind is that the eastern areas of the Cleveland metro get TONS of snow in the Winter. But not only that, they are also, generally speaking, the wealthier areas. Geauga County is one of, if not THE, wealthiest in the state. So if you want to live east of town, you're going to need to expect higher real estate prices.

Offhand, my first guess was to recommend Mentor or maybe Chardon (if you like a smaller town with nice homes and friendly people.) I'm not entirely familiar with the Cleveland area, so there might be other areas that are either wealthier or less so, but I'm sure someone from NE Ohio could help you better. I'm just speaking from the perspective of one whose grandparents lived up there a number of years ago.

[CTownNative]

Originally Posted by peaches97467

We might possibly be relocationg to this area (Euclid/Astabula areas) if my husband gets the promotion he put in for. We are currently living on the Oregon coast. We have 4 girls 13,11,2, and 4mos. I am looking for the best areas to raise a family with good, clean, friendly, neighborhoods with good schools near by, low crime...ya know what I'm talking about. Close to shopping (groceries, retail, ect.) Although we won't mind driving about a half hour if we need to. We are currently having to drive that far (about 25miles) to get to GOOD shopping, as we live in a small town of about 1500-2000 and just have a couple grocery stores, severl reteraunts and gas stations. Possibly the Cleveland area, or some place in between all three. We are currently renting a 3bd 1ba house in a nice neighborhood near schools, fire dept, med. facilities etc. for $700. How is housing? If my husband get this promotion, it will also mean a pay increase so we might be able to afford a little more but with 4 kids, I don't wanna be paying TOO much! . How is the cost of housing to BUY one? I have been looking online but I figured it would be BEST to ask peopl that are acutally IN those areas. I need as much help and info as possible! please help! Thank you so much!

Im from Euclid,its still my favorite place in the world,but there is an increasing problem with crime and poverty,not a huge problem,but I wouldn't recommend Euclid to someone who doesn't know the area.Plus you got kids,and the schools in Euclid aren't very good.Housing is cheap in the whole Northeast Ohio area,compared to most places in the US its very inexpensive to live in Northeast Ohio.There is still some nice parts of Euclid,but again you have kids and the school system of Euclid is not in good shape right now.Theres other areas of Cuyahoga county that are better,or theres Lake county,which there isn't much crime in Lake County at all.I don't know anything about Ashtabula,except that its a city of around 20,000 people,Im not to sure about the crime there,or the schools.

[peaches97467]

Originally Posted by CTownNative

Im from Euclid,its still my favorite place in the world,but there is an increasing problem with crime and poverty,not a huge problem,but I wouldn't recommend Euclid to someone who doesn't know the area.Plus you got kids,and the schools in Euclid aren't very good.Housing is cheap in the whole Northeast Ohio area,compared to most places in the US its very inexpensive to live in Northeast Ohio.There is still some nice parts of Euclid,but again you have kids and the school system of Euclid is not in good shape right now.Theres other areas of Cuyahoga county that are better,or theres Lake county,which there isn't much crime in Lake County at all.I don't know anything about Ashtabula,except that its a city of around 20,000 people,Im not to sure about the crime there,or the schools.

Which areas of Euclid are the best? Its going to be hard for us to get over there to look at houses and stuff since we live so far away so any info is greatly appreciated! thanks

[CTownNative]

Originally Posted by peaches97467

Which areas of Euclid are the best? Its going to be hard for us to get over there to look at houses and stuff since we live so far away so any info is greatly appreciated! thanks

The Northeast part is the best part of Euclid.I have a suggestion for you,there is a town right by Euclid,Willowick,which is real nice.Its pretty small at around 15,000 people,very low crime,and the school district for it is very good.Its in Lake County,but its right by Euclid.If your trying to avoid crime,Euclid wouldn't be a good place because the crime is up there.I don't live in Euclid right now,but the last couple years I lived there robberies were starting to get big,and I've heard from people I know back there that the crime has gotten worse since I left.But yeah Willowick is right by Euclid,and there is not much crime in Willowick at all.Or do you only have a choice between Euclid and Ashtabula?The crime in Euclid is not terrible,but you siad you were looking for someplace with low crime,and the crime in Euclid is not really low.Thats why I suggested Willowick because the crime rate is really low.

[peaches97467]

Originally Posted by CTownNative

The Northeast part is the best part of Euclid.I have a suggestion for you,there is a town right by Euclid,Willowick,which is real nice.Its pretty small at around 15,000 people,very low crime,and the school district for it is very good.Its in Lake County,but its right by Euclid.If your trying to avoid crime,Euclid wouldn't be a good place because the crime is up there.I don't live in Euclid right now,but the last couple years I lived there robberies were starting to get big,and I've heard from people I know back there that the crime has gotten worse since I left.But yeah Willowick is right by Euclid,and there is not much crime in Willowick at all.Or do you only have a choice between Euclid and Ashtabula?The crime in Euclid is not terrible,but you siad you were looking for someplace with low crime,and the crime in Euclid is not really low.Thats why I suggested Willowick because the crime rate is really low.

yes i have heard about willowick and no i think it just has to be in the general area but euclid and ashtabula were the two that were listed however it did say NE ohio (and then the two cities) on the listing when my husband put in for the promotion. see he would be a district manager for a payday loan company called Advance America and would be in charge of overseeing all the centers in that area, so no i don't think it HAS to be either of those two cities. 15,000 isn't too bad for population, we live in a small town now of about 1500-2000 and my husband drives 25miles to work, about a half hour 45min drive depending. thanks for the info i will check out willowick a little more.

[CTownNative]

For shopping,in Willowick theres a Giant Eagle(grocery store)than in nearby Eastlake theres A K-Mart and Wal-Mart.

[OhioNative]

You need to realize that Willowick and Euclid are older suburbs with very small bungalow style houses that are packed into a small space, with very small yards, and where you can't spit without hitting your neighbor's house. Look at the satellite images from Google Earth or Maps and see what I mean. I think that somewhere a little more rural would be more like your small town setting, such as Geauga County. Ashtabula county is certainly rural in some areas, but has a reputation as being a little "redneck" in culture.