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First, thank you for any help even though I know many people ask similar questions.
We are considering a move from the Detroit Michigan area to Akron. My wife is looking at a new job that is a significant promotion from her current position. While we have been to Ohio for dance and baseball, we have little understanding of the Akron area other than what I can glean from Google. My wife's position would be downtown Akron in the medical building. She is a scientist.
We live in Grosse Pointe just a few houses from the Detroit boarder. Grosse Pointe is a mostly well to do area, old vibe, old homes, small lots and dense neighborhood. Good schools and low crime. But, with Detroit next door we get a fair bit of crime over the boarder. Plus, downtown Detroit is a popular area for events and restaurants. We like the GP area (though we would like at least a bit more lot space). GP has a nice small "downtown" with a handful of shops, restaurants, etc. Finding an area with a community feel and something sortof similar to the GP area would be great.
I work from home, so there is no concern there. We have two kids, 10 and 14. One is in private school at UD Jesuit in Detroit which we really love and will be the hardest aspect to leave behind. Finding an area with top quality public schools or near top quality private (preferably Jesuit) schools would be important. My thought is also to stay West / North of Akron in order to (a) reduce the driving time back to visit family in Michigan and (b) stay nearer Cleveland in case my wife's job doesn't workout long term as I assume there will be limited other opportunities in Akron but would be in Cleveland.
Is Akron a safe area to work? Is there much to do downtown? Is there a city/area in Michigan that you would compare Akron too? Any major concerns about living in the general area? We would be looking at a budget in the $500k range so I'm sure we can find something nice. It appears real estate is less around Akron vs GP.
Any other information I forgot to ask about would be great.
First, thank you for any help even though I know many people ask similar questions.
We are considering a move from the Detroit Michigan area to Akron. My wife is looking at a new job that is a significant promotion from her current position. While we have been to Ohio for dance and baseball, we have little understanding of the Akron area other than what I can glean from Google. My wife's position would be downtown Akron in the medical building. She is a scientist.
We live in Grosse Pointe just a few houses from the Detroit boarder. Grosse Pointe is a mostly well to do area, old vibe, old homes, small lots and dense neighborhood. Good schools and low crime. But, with Detroit next door we get a fair bit of crime over the boarder. Plus, downtown Detroit is a popular area for events and restaurants. We like the GP area (though we would like at least a bit more lot space). GP has a nice small "downtown" with a handful of shops, restaurants, etc. Finding an area with a community feel and something sortof similar to the GP area would be great.
I work from home, so there is no concern there. We have two kids, 10 and 14. One is in private school at UD Jesuit in Detroit which we really love and will be the hardest aspect to leave behind. Finding an area with top quality public schools or near top quality private (preferably Jesuit) schools would be important. My thought is also to stay West / North of Akron in order to (a) reduce the driving time back to visit family in Michigan and (b) stay nearer Cleveland in case my wife's job doesn't workout long term as I assume there will be limited other opportunities in Akron but would be in Cleveland.
Is Akron a safe area to work? Is there much to do downtown? Is there a city/area in Michigan that you would compare Akron too? Any major concerns about living in the general area? We would be looking at a budget in the $500k range so I'm sure we can find something nice. It appears real estate is less around Akron vs GP.
Any other information I forgot to ask about would be great.
Hello there!
Always cool when someone is looking to move into Akron!
I looked up Grosse Point and it has basically the same population where I live, Cuyahoga Falls, which is a NE suburb of Akron. Ironically, you mentioned a Jesuit school and it's home to Walsh Jesuit High School.It has a really nice quaint downtown as well, something I think you'd like. As for schools itself, I can't speak for them, I think someone else should hop on that. But hey, I do know St.Vicent-St. Mary is here and that's where LeBron James went to high school
Akron is a city with a lot of nice areas surrounding it, primarily North, West, and East. Don't go South of downtown, not the best areas. Depending on what size you're looking for, they include Cuyahoga Falls, Tallmadge, Fairlawn, Stow, Munroe Falls, etc. The beauty of it is each of those cities are a hop, skip, and a jump from downtown, with Cuyahoga Falls, Tallmadge being closer, but the others aren't bad at all. Fairlawn is a popular area and I know quite a few people who live there and work in downtown Akron and none of them have a complaint on the commute. Literally it's down Market Avenue, the main stretch of the west side of Akron. Also, all of those cities mentioned are close to Route 8 and I-77, so it'll be pretty easy access to hop on to head back to Detroit.
Is Akron a safe city to work? I'd say so. I mean, does it have it's no-so-good parts? For sure. But as a whole, Akron is a pretty safe city. Downtown is under a lot of construction currently to really revamp it. Is there much to do downtown? Yes and no. There's some things going on. Quite a few nice restaurants, there's a minor league baseball team, so it isn't New York City, but for a city of its size it has some things. But with that, the nice thing about Akron is downtown Cleveland is roughly 40 minutes away, give or take, depending on traffic or so. Don't be fooled, Cleveland isn't some lame place like people say. It has A LOT going on. If you like Downtown Detroit you'll certainly like downtown Cleveland. And again, Akron sits right off of I-77, the main freeway. It leads directly to Cleveland. Not on the border though like you currently deal with, so there isn't any Cleveland crime trickling in.
Hmm...this is just off the top of my head. Perhaps someone can jump in and mention more. If I think of anything else I'll be sure to mention. However, if there's any questions, let me know and I'll try my best to help you out.
Schools will be important. Our kids are both fairly high academically, with our son more of an analytical/math mind and our daughter more creative, literature, writing mind. They play sports but they are not stellar athletes so academics will be far more important to sports for school. Just saying that as around Detroit some of the private schools are very big sports schools where they attract top athletes regardless of their academics, while my son's Jesuit school offers sports (and is good as some) but they make it clear that sports is a distance 2nd, or maybe 3rd to academics.
Downtown Detroit is decent, mostly safe for work, restaurants, public events. We avoid most of the rest of the city outside specific events like going to the Art Center, going to Cork Town for St Pats Day (our local Irish area), etc. I don't know much about Cleveland but I also though Detroit and Cleveland were pretty similar. We went to Pittsburgh for dance last year and Pitt is definitely nicer than Detroit for a walk-able downtown. My concerns for Akron are mostly downtown where my wife will work. Is it safe to park and walk into work, go out for lunch, etc. I doubt we hang out downtown much as we don't hang out in Detroit much now. It looks like she would work in a medical complex in the north east part of downtown.
I work downtown (normally--working from home now mostly during COVID) and I think it is very safe in the commercial district. One can walk to restaurants or take a stroll by the canals. My husband is from Detroit and he loves it here. We have 2 kids (12 and 16), one in middle school and one in high school. Both go to Akron Public Schools and we live in Highland Square which is the neighborhood with the highest rated City schools. Our eldest went to Old Trail School for middle school and it was an awesome experience. He now goes to Firestone, which has been a positive experience overall but the new Career Academy approach hasn't been that great for a student more geared for liberal arts education. Our youngest is attending Miller South School for the Arts for middle school and couldn't be happier (other than COVID took away a good part of her first year attending in person).
I think the recommendation above for Cuyahoga Falls is another good bet, particularly given the Jesuit school. So, if schools are your number one priority, that is a good direction. We go to the Falls for Target and Krieger's Grocery Store, etc. Coming from the Detroit area, you will be amazed at how quickly you can travel from point A to B. We live about 2 miles from downtown and typically get there in about 8 minutes by car.
We were just charmed by Highland Square's amazing housing stock, how walkable it is to do just about anything other than go to big box stores, and a greater diversity of residents.
Thank you. I looked at Highland Square a bit. The housing there seems more in line to what we are used to. Our house was built in 1938. Love the old neighborhoods. Glad to hear about the local schools there. We love the old Detroit neighborhoods but crime and schools kept us away. Detroit has good schools too, but it's a maze to move around the district to find the right schools and too many are just not good.
As discussed in my posts in the above threads, Akron has easy access to the cultural amenities of a large metropolitan area, but also to some of the most charming rural areas in the U.S., such as Ohio Amish Country and the Mohican Region.
It's important to understand that while Akron is a distinct metropolitan area from Cleveland, downtown Cleveland (Cuyahoga County) and downtown Akron (Summit County) are only 40 minutes apart. Both cities share common suburbs, such as Hudson, Richfield, and Peninsula. Both metropolitan areas, part of the old Western Reserve (an historical legacy that is fading into history, but still influences northeast Ohio society given the initial influx of settlers from New England), share similar cultural values. Both Cleveland and Akron can trace their growth and prominence to their positions on the Ohio and Erie Canal, and today both are connected by the impressive Towpath Trail biking/hiking/horseback trail.
Like Detroit, both Cleveland and Akron were important centers of the American industrial revolution, with industrialists such as Rockefeller, Sherwin (Sherwin-Williams), Seiberling (Goodyear) and Firestone, leading to the creation of immense fortunes which greatly shaped the region, resulting in the great cultural legacies described in this post.
Two great values somewhat unique, especially for a combined statistical area the size of Cleveland/Akron/Canton combined statistical area, greatly shape the quality of life in northeast Ohio: 1) an immense emphasis on public natural areas; 2) a cherished emphasis on high culture, characterized by exceptional museums, one of the world's best orchestras, great theater organizations, and many local cultural institutions.
Summit Metro Parks control over 14,000 acres (the following Wikipedia article is dated).
<<Congress responded by creating the National Park Service in 1916, and the Ohio General Assembly made possible the formation of metropolitan park districts the following year.
In July 1917, Cleveland Metroparks became the first metropolitan park district in the State of Ohio. On December 31, 1921, Metro Parks (then called the Akron Metropolitan Park District) became the second park system established under Chapter 1545 of the Ohio Revised Code.>>
Posts 7 and 9 in this thread describe the collective heft of the Greater Cleveland and Summit County metroparks (county parks), all of which generally are free to visit by all residents of northeast Ohio. Post 9 also describes the magnificent regional political effort to create Cuyahoga Valley National Park, the heart of a great green belt in the middle of Cuyahoga and Summit Counties that includes adjacent Cleveland and Summit metro parks.
Portage County is the second county in the Akron metropolitan area and in the past decade has ramped up efforts to create a metropark system in that nature-blessed county.
Consider that Akron is 17 minutes from Cuyahoga Valley National Park!
Cleveland and Akron's cultural scene also is closely linked, partially because both the Cleveland Museum of Art and the Akron Museum of Art offer free general admission and are popular among art lovers in both regions. E.g., Fred and Laura Bidwell, among the region's top art patrons in recent decades, heavily support both museums.
You might be surprised to learn that you may find your cultural opportunities enhanced, not diminished, with a relocation to northeast Ohio.
You indicate that you visit the Detroit Institute of Arts Museum. The DIA now is very different from the Cleveland Museum of Art. While the DIA was struggling with Detroit's bankruptcy, the CMA boldly and totally reinvented itself both physically and philosophically in the past decade, refocusing around one of the very best Asian art collections in North America. The CMA offers an exceptionally pleasurable visitor experience with world-leading digital technology, plentiful benches and enjoyable amenities. The CMA also anchors University Circle, one of the nation's top cultural centers, and has beautiful grounds featuring the Fine Arts Garden, Wade Lagoon, and the new Nord Family Greenway.
While Severance Hall, the orchestra's iconic home in University Circle, is less than 50 minutes from downtown Akron, Blossom Music Center, arguably the nation's best summer classical music performance venue, is nestled inside Cuyahoga Valley National Park 20 minutes from downtown Akron. See post 23 in this thread.
Cleveland's Playhouse Square is an amazing cultural achievement and "save." It now manages Broadway tours as well at the Univ. of Akron's excellent E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall.
Nearby Akron is a performing arts gem in Wooster, Ohio. The Ohio Light Opera is one of the best in the U.S., and an annual mecca for regional lovers of Gilbert & Sullivan and musical theater in general.
You mentioned Jesuit schools. Apart from Walsh in Cuyahoga Falls, St. Ignatius in Cleveland's Ohio City has developed an exceptional educational reputation in recent decades. Students attend St. Ignatius from all over the region, so you might inquire as to transportation arrangements (e.g., car-pooling), if interested; also the combination of Summit and Cuyahoga County mass transit may offer a commuting option, and could be checked using Google Transit from a prospective residential address).
As you're interested in accessibility to both Akron and Cleveland's University Circle (the center of medical research in the region), certainly consider Hudson (home of the Western Reserve Academy), Richfield and Peninsula. Solon offers one of Ohio's top public school districts. The Orange School District also is highly rated, and might offer a 30-minute commute to Akron (I would want to test drive that commute during commuting hours given the notorious I-480/I-271 interchange). From Orange or Pepper Pike (northeast Ohio's highest income larger suburb and also part of the Orange School District), your son could be dropped off at the Green Road Green Line rail transit terminus, and commute from there through Tower City to the Red Line West 25th St. station (a 1-hour rail commute at 7 a.m. weekdays, per Google transit) and a 5-minute walk to the St. Ignatius campus. Character building? Top-rated private schools in the I-271 corridor include Hathaway Brown for girls, University School for boys and the coeducational Hawken School.
Hudson both is an historic and a highly progressive, higher income community. It was the first community founded in Summit County.
These threads also should be informative. The first thread provides links to many discussions about how to evaluate Ohio schools and discussions of Ohio municipal income taxes and real estate tax rates. The second thread offers discussions of Ohio Amish Country, the Mohican Region, and Akron's Stan Hywet Hall. The third thread focuses on Cleveland area attractions.
The COVID-19 has greatly impacted life in northeast Ohio and it's uncertain what lasting impact it will have on the nation or the region. Presently, all of the impacts seem very negative IMO.
BTW, you should visit the Cleveland Clinic campus before making your housing decision. Definitely, check out Cesar Pelli's Crile Building and the new Samson Pavilion, home of the research-oriented Lerner College of Medicine, which will host the first Biden/Trump Presidential debate. I don't know if the Clinic offers tours, and it may offer a specialized tour for a medical researcher, but its main campus in the Greater University Circle is immense.
That is a tremendous post. Thank you. And thank you for some information on Schools. I was just researching and comparing quality of local public schools. I have a call this week with Walsh Jesuit as well.
Thoughts on living in the city, like Fairlawn Heights or Merriman road area? Is it safe to live there with a family and young kids? Sorry if that's offensive to ask, not knowing the area and living near some not desirable areas of Detroit, safety is important.
I’ve been gone for 10 years now, so I won’t comment on your specific questions, but I don’t think the Akron Art Museum was mentioned. It always gets overshadowed by Cleveland, but it’s a fine contemporary art museum, with programs for all ages. We miss their Downtown at Dusk program.
Thoughts on living in the city, like Fairlawn Heights or Merriman road area? Is it safe to live there with a family and young kids? Sorry if that's offensive to ask, not knowing the area and living near some not desirable areas of Detroit, safety is important.
I have friends who live in Fairlawn, just beyond Fairlawn Heights, and so have driven through the area a number of times. The homes tend to be well-kept, and according to the Lexis-Nexis Community Crime Map, which allows searches for the past year, the area seems reasonably safe. https://communitycrimemap.com/
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