New job in Bedford...where should I live? (Cleveland, Akron: rental, low crime)

[jodydessi]

I'm possibly getting a new job in Bedford, OH. I have heard that it's not a very nice area to live, so I will want to commute. Perhaps Akron? Let me give you a few of my wants and needs.

1) Low crime. Without having to spend a fortune, this is probably number one. We have four young children, and we want to be safe.

2) Available rental houses. We want to rent. We're not ready to buy, so I just want to find a nice rental home without paying too much. Looking to spend less than $1500 a month for a 1500-2000 sq. ft. single family home. Where (if at all) is this possible?

3) Even though we have school aged children, we don't care about the public schools. We will either home-school, or send them to a private school. There is one school in Richfield that I would LOVE to be near. If I could live in Richfield and commute to Bedford in <30 minutes...that would be perfect.

Thanks for your input. I look forward to any suggestions or comments.

[Sam_in_ND]

Originally Posted by jodydessi

I'm possibly getting a new job in Bedford, OH. I have heard that it's not a very nice area to live, so I will want to commute. Perhaps Akron? Let me give you a few of my wants and needs.

1) Low crime. Without having to spend a fortune, this is probably number one. We have four young children, and we want to be safe.

2) Available rental houses. We want to rent. We're not ready to buy, so I just want to find a nice rental home without paying too much. Looking to spend less than $1500 a month for a 1500-2000 sq. ft. single family home. Where (if at all) is this possible?

3) Even though we have school aged children, we don't care about the public schools. We will either home-school, or send them to a private school. There is one school in Richfield that I would LOVE to be near. If I could live in Richfield and commute to Bedford in <30 minutes...that would be perfect.

Thanks for your input. I look forward to any suggestions or comments.

Looking at your price range Richfield, Brecksville, Bath Township, and any other communities in that area would be out of reach. You may be able to find something in Northwest Akron for that price range, and it is a nice area. Another area that I would recommend would be the inner Western suburbs of Cleveland. Parma, Brooklyn, VII Hills, and Brooklyn Heights are all very safe and affordable, with easy access to I-480 which will take you to Bedford pretty fast, much shorter a commute than if you were to live in Akron.

There are also some good private and parochial schools in these communities, and you are very close to cultural and recreational opportunities in Cleveland. The area is also convenient to shopping, and the metro parks also run through Parma.

If you do decide to home school there is a charter school called Connections Academy which is an on line K-12 school that is tuition free for Ohio residents, I think they even provide you with a computer and INTERNET access. Hope this helps a little.