Moving to ohio from out of state (Columbus, Cleveland: low crime, house)

[SoCal Fam]

My wife, newborn son, and I are moving from Orange County Southern California to Ohio within this next year. Yeah, yeah, I know...people ask...why leave sunny so cal? For many reasons, our family's are from the midwest/mideast , 4 seasons, we're tired of california congestion, more house for the money, and people are more friendly in the midwest etc. But mostly for family. We're counting on Ohio natives to help us choose where to live.

We are looking at the COLUMBUS and CLEVELAND area. We are looking for a suburb town with these qualities: 1. Great school system (a must), 2. a quaint (cute/gilmore girls type--as my wife calls it) downtown, 3. low crime, 4. nice/quality homes (we are coming from So Cal so we're open to a lot of options $250,000-400,000+ ?) 5. close enough to the bigger city for young parents to get a little culture, but maybe 20-35 minutes away to enjoy some country side and to enjoy the towns own entity.

Here's what we have so far for Columbus: Westerville, New Albany, Gahanna, Powell

Here's what we have so far for Cleveland: Highland Heights, Twinsburg, Solon, Medina.

We plan to visit in December to scope out the areas. Where in Columbus and Cleveland would you choose? Thank you in advance for all your help.

[South Range Family]

If I was forced to live near Cleveland, it would be in Independence. Great schools, great community, and just outside of Cleveland city limits.

I have no other opinion on which part of the State you should live in. I know that my job would decide where I would live, but if you are independently wealthy a job doesn't matter.

[5Lakes]

Overall I would go with the Cleveland area over Columbus as a place to live. It has much better cultural and outdoor amenities and there is generally more to do there for entertainment. Lake Erie, University Circle's cultural institutions, and Cleveland's great metro park system with Cuyahoga National Park put it over the top for me. I also much prefer Cleveland's downtown and like the fact that it has 3 pro sports teams.

If you are looking for a suburb with a quaint "gilmore girls" type downtown then the Cleveland suburb of Chagrin Falls is about as good as it gets. It has a very New England type feel with a waterfall in the center of town and is near some nice parks and forest areas. Downtown Cleveland is about 30 min east, but it is rural to the west of town. There are good suburban shopping areas about 10 min away.

Hudson and Brecksville are some other towns worth checking out in the Cleveland area that are like what you describe.

Twinsburg and Solon are mostly suburban sprawl with no traditional town square. Highland Heights is nice, but it also lacks a town square. Medina is good and has a traditional downtown, but it is not considered as upscale Chagrin Falls, Hudson, or Brecksville and is more isolated from the rest of the region.

[jkratze1]

I voted for Columbus because I like the city and the Bucks, but I'll admit I've never been to Cleveland. But have you considered Cincinnati? There are great suburbs in Cincy such as West Chester, Mason, Deerfield, Liberty, and Loveland. All are fast growing and are great to raise a family. We also have pro sports just like Cleveland (no NBA though) and Cincinnati's downtown is rapidly growing with the Banks project and a new skyscraper going in.

[CortlandGirl79]

I agree w/5Lakes, Chagrin Falls all the way. Close to Akron and Cleveland, beautiful scenery and New England charm.

[BelieveInCleve]

Columbus has a few good choices but I would go with Cleveland.

Medina and Chagrin Falls sound like what you're looking for. Maybe Rocky River and Amherst too.

[costello_musicman]

Sure I'll echo was been stated above here. For Cleveland, make sure to at least take a glance at:

Chagrin Falls
Solon
Aurora
Medina
Hudson
Bay Village
Rocky River
Highland Hts/Beachwood
Strongsville
Brecksville

and if you want more "walkable"

Shaker Hts (maybe Cleveland Hts)
Lakewood


There, I just throw a lot at you!

[costello_musicman]

After rereading your post a little more indepth, I would recommend:

Chagrin Falls
Hudson
Medina

Maybe even Berea

Don't know how far away you're willing to be.

[Daytonnatian]

I think the above posters here have it pretty well-covered, but for C-Bus, you may want to further consider Dublin, Westerville, and Plain City.

[gobucks86]

How well do you like snow? Seriously, it's night and day between the two cities. Cleveland gets hammered because of it's location on the snow belt. If you don't want to deal with a high quantity of snow, then Cleveland wouldn't be a good choice. Besides that, both are great cities!