Is Elyria really that bad? (Cleveland, Lorain: condo, travel, houses)

[MImom]

My husband and I and our 3 children are moving from MI and we found our dream house in a really cute sub in Elyria. Now I'm reading all these bad things about it and second guessing it. The house is near Windsor elementary school and close to Spring Valley Country Club. Is anyone familiar with this neighborhood?

[Cle440]

I grew up in Elyria and still go to the city a lot so I know a lot about Elyria. I now live in North Ridgeville. The place you are talking about is on the Northside of Elyria ,which is a really nice area. Windsor is a very good school and the area around it is very nice. The Northside is almost completely white if it matters or not, and it looks suburban. The area is very safe and has pretty much no crime. The houses will cost anywhere from $130,000-$250,000 and are all well kept. The Northside, Eastside, and Southeast are the best areas of Elyria. The best areas are by Overbrook rd. and off of Abbe Rd. and Gulf Rd. You should be very happy with the house and the neighborhood.

The bad part of Elyria is on the Southside between East Ave. and West Ave from 8th St. down to 18th St. and Wood St. The Southwest side is also bad. The Westside of Elyria has a small area thats bad but most the westside is nice. Most the areas in Elyria are nice its just the bad areas that drive the crime rate up.

[MImom]

Thank you soooo much! You have made me feel better!

[Cle440]

Yeah the Northside of Elyria is a very nice and safe place. Some people say it isnt as nice as it used to be 10-15 years ago, but its still really nice and a great neighborhood to raise kids. I would have chose that neighborhood over North Ridgeville, and N Ridgeville is a suburb.

[MiamiU08]

I grew up/spent the majority of my life in Elyria, and I could think of few places better to live in suburban Cleveland. The neighborhoods on the North side (where you are looking) are very friendly and quaint, with no major crime to speak of. You would be close to SR-57 (good for local travel) and I-480 and I-90 for regional/interstate travel. I lived on the East Side (Eastern Heights neighborhood) and could get to downtown Cleveland in less than 30 minutes, Avon in 10-15 minutes, and Westlake in 20 minutes. Your commute times would be similar, with minor differences in routes. As far as access to resources, you would be in a great location - many parks nearby, shopping centers and movie theaters within 5 minutes.

A note on crime: on the SW side of town, there are some run-down areas, but they represent only a small portion of the city. Crime in these areas do not generally affect any other area of the city. In fact, before moving to the East side, my family spent two years in a condo on the SW side of town. The area was bad and there was crime around, but we never felt threatened or in danger.

One point to look out for - Elyria High School is much lower quality than many of the surrounding schools. If private school is an option, Elyria Catholic or Lake Ridge Academy are wonderful choices. If not, try open enrollment at nearby Avon High School. I am not sure of the ages of your children, or if it is a major concern to you, but it is something to consider in your home selection.

Definitely consider Elyria - I cannot see you regretting it!!

[121804]

Originally Posted by MImom

My husband and I and our 3 children are moving from MI and we found our dream house in a really cute sub in Elyria. Now I'm reading all these bad things about it and second guessing it. The house is near Windsor elementary school and close to Spring Valley Country Club. Is anyone familiar with this neighborhood?

Not necessarily "bad" but there are surrounding suburbs that are a little nicer...issue, of course, would then be higher home costs. Avon, Avon Lake, Bay Village are a little better. Lorain County, overall, has its struggles, but many people we know live there, have lived there for years & have never had any problems. You will probably find yourself travelling into Westlake & North Olmsted to do most of your errands & shopping. Personally, not a fan of Midway Mall & find it a little shady, but Great Northern Mall is about a 15-20 min ride & has more selection along with grocery stores right next to it.
You just need to be very wise in your decision & do lots of research. Best of luck.

[Cle440]

Just stay away from the South Side and the Southwest side and you should be okay. The southeast side is a lot nicer and hardly has any crime. Elyria High school is located in between Downtown and the Southside. Just a few blocks south of the high school is considered a really bad area. The Northside is far away from the bad areas and has a low crime rate.

Elyria has almost 60,000 people and it only has one high school (not including Elyria Catholic). Elyria High is pretty crowded and has about 2,200 students but the school isnt that bad its just the neighborhood around it. You should probably send your kids to another school but if you send them to Elyria High its not that bad.

[MImom]

Thank you guys so much for all your info. We have decided to get the home we love in Elyria. My kids are 7, 4 and 3 and we have decided to send them to St. Jude. We took a tour and we loved it. I'm sure they will attend Elyria Catholic High if we are still in the area by then. We are very excited and it sounds like Elyria is a lot like the city I live in which is about a 10 minute drive to Detroit. I feel very safe in my neighborhood too even though we are so close to downtown. I'm sure we'll be fine and once again, thanks for all the info. It has helped.

[Cle440]

St. Judes is a really nice school Ive been there a few times. If you still live in the area by the time your kids go to high school Elyria Catholic would be a good choice. Did you decide to move to the northside, or did you chose another area?

[MImom]

Yes we are still moving to the northside near Windsor elementary school. I have heard that Windsor is a good school but my kids go to catholic school now and I decided to keep it that way. St. Jude is about 3 miles away from our house. Not bad at all. We are all really looking forward to the move. The house is much bigger than our house now and the yard is HUGE, especially compared to our tiny yard that we have now. Thanks again for your help.