Moving to Akron/Canton area (Cleveland, Cuyahoga Falls: income, jobs, hospitals)

[mdstorlin7104]

Hello,
My husband and I are moving to the greater Akron area. We currently live in NYC. Do you have any suggestions on where to live? We want a nice, clean area, and things to do (shopping, restaurants etc).
Thanks All!

[z28farkas]

Hello, I have lived in Stow, Ohio (about 15 mins. north of akron) my whole life, I go to school at the University of Akron, I'd like to chime in on some towns that may be of your interest. Even though i'm trying not to be biased, but Stow has had one of the highest growth in population percentage in summit county. It is a nice area, but I think its only decent for shopping and restaurants. I don't know if you have kids, or are planning to, but Stow has a really good school district, but their levys don't pass at all. When i was in high school a lot of their extra classes have been cut due to money problems.

So, I would suggest moving a little more north..

As you move north into the Hudson/Aurora area you will see much larger houses. Hudson has a nice, clean, little town center that has many specialy shops and restaurants - a place i'm sure your looking for. Hudson also like to do community things, its nice that people of the city get together. They have really good school districts: the school levys pass all the time there. Western Reserve highschool campus is located in Hudson as well, a private highschool that many out of state students attend.

As you move closer and closer to Akron the cities just get worse and worse. More crime, lower-income communities. Its now statistically safer to drive home drunk, rather than to walk yourself home. You have a better chance of getting robbed or being a victim of a violent crime than it is to get in a wreck DWI. Crime in akron as been on the rise, Their police force has always been under maned. There is about 300 or so, and should be about 500 police men.
There was a huge mall that was build, Rolling Acres mall in akron. Beautifull mall, Untill all the hoodlems and thugs robbed all the shops out of business. only the 4 big stores on the ends of the mall are still , the rest of it is a ghost town. the senior citizens use it as a good workout in the morning, walking up and down the deserted mall.I have been there once with my girlfriend, I was absolutley stunned to see a place like that.

But if you stay justified to the north side of akron that boarders cuyahoga falls , the Chappel Hill mall area is nice(for shopping, not for living), I go there all the time, its right between school and home. A couple decent restaurants and tons places to shop.

Fairlawn North west of Akron, is anther nice place. Lots of places to shop, and lots of restaurants. The summit mall is up there, It give me a big city feel when I shop up there.

South, and to the West you will find areas Much better than that of anything in akron, but I don't believe quite as nice, such as stow and green.

If you move down here, tune into 100.1 FM WNIR. It is a very good local talk radio station, and they keep you informed on whats happening in and around akron, as well as opinions by people that life in or around akron.

Though i don't know too much more specifics about the other cities around Akron, I know Green, ( South!/ SouthWest) of akron Is another excellent place to live. Ive heard of a good school district there as well. But as for shopping and restaurants? I think its somewhat similar to Stow, but I don't head down there too often.

Canton is known for its gangs. thats all the advice I can tell you about that.

I am graduating (relativly soon) And areas i'm considering if I stay in the area are hudson/aurora and anything to the north east of there. And someplaces near fairlawn.

Well I could go on and on, but this should be good for starters. Its early, i'm tired and don't feel like proof reading. any other questions you may have about the area i'd be glad to answer! I'll probly get people from the cities ive bashed pretty mad, but all well. Good Luck!

[z28farkas]

oh check this out too Hudson Ohio

and even though the houses there are really expensive, there are neighborhoods with houses in the low 200K range, so I think most hard working families, even if they don't have very well paying jobs, can afford to live in hudson.

[htlong]

take a look at Coventry/new franklin aka portage lakes. you have summer recreation and housing is reasonable ,some parts are old cottages some are big mansions and some are in between. shopping is always close in Akron no matter where you live.
i recommend this area because if i was going to buy a pretty expensive house i would much prefer having it be lakefront property .but then i enjoy boating i couldn't imagine plunking down 300-500 grand to have someone living 15 feet from me. but hey thats just me maybe some like the nosey...i mean coziness of that life...

[JamesAbilene]

I haven't lived in Akron for quite awhile, but I lived in West Akron near Fairlawn and worked in Fairlawn. We were really pleased with that area. The last time we visited, Fairlawn seemed to be holding its own...good shops and restaurants especially out toward Montrose. Good luck. We lived in the area 12 years and enjoyed it. My wife taught in a private school in Stow-Hudson area, and it was a great area then. Like the poster said, however, there is not a great deal of shopping out there.

[Robhu]

Hi,
I was born and raised in the Akron area. Grew up in Green township. Now called the city of Green. I have lived in the area for 60 yrs except for the time I was in the service.
Stow, Hudson, Fairlawn, are kind of upscale areas that might interest you if you are in a position to pay higher housing costs.
City of Green is getting that way also but they are all good areas to live in and raise a family. Parts of Cuyahoga Falls are good . That is just to the north of Akron. Personally I would tend to stay away from Kenmore and parts of the south Akron area. Also some areas of Copley I would shy away from.
If you want to kind of get away from the Metro Akron area you might consider Barberton, Uniontown, Coventry, the Portage Lakes area, Manchester, Canal Fulton, Norton. These are all areas you can Google and find out more about. They are all close to Akron. Guess you might call them suburbs.
I live in Barberton which is just southwest of Akron. The east and west sides of Barberton are nice places to live. I would stay away from the dowtown area as far as living there. Not that it is all that bad, just that I find the east and west sides to be more appealing. I don't mean to make it sound like it is dangerous to go dowtown Barberton. It isn't any more dangerous than any other small town. Probably safer than most.
There are some good malls in Akron. Summit mall, Chapel Hill, Montrose, and Belden Village in Canton which is only about 20 minutes away.
Jobs are here if you look for them and have moderate skills. We have good hospitals and medical facillities. The school systems are as good as most places and better than some. Some upscale restaurants, and little family owned places too.
There are alot of things to see and do in the area.
I like the Akron area but I would not want to live in Cleveland mostly because Akron seems to be more slow paced and relaxed than Cleveland. I'm sure there are some great places to live around Cleveland. I just like things on a little smaller scale. I don't know much about Canton but I know there are some nice areas down there too.
My wife and I have raised 6 kids here and it has been a good place to live.
I'm not a politicion trying to sell you on how great this area is. I can only speak from my own experience. I have no regrets of growing up and living here. It is much better and safer than some other cities I have visited over the years. I was always glad to get back home where I felt comfortable.

[Robhu]

I forgot to mention Tallmadge. A good place to live. Kind of out of townish but close and a nice area. Mogodore is in that area too. Another good place to check out.

[ILOVEOHIO]

I was raised in Akron. In my opinion, it may seem like a rundown ghost town at times but, it's booming again. With all that said, I would not suggest actually living in Akron. The school system is dying along with the property value.

My husband and I currently live in Canal Fulton (about 10 miles south of Akron and 5 miles north of Canton). We have a little, quiet town. A quaint downtown area and still close to shopping areas (Westfield Belden Village and The Strip) and dining and dancing areas of Akron. The schools here are amazing and the people are friendly.