East Side or West Side of Cleveland? (Akron, Canton: homes, neighborhoods)

[joyfulgirl13]

My husband has recently gotten a job lead in downtown Cleveland which is looking pretty promising. We currently live in Providence, RI and we've never been to Cleveland so, when looking at places to live, we have no idea where to start! I figured narrowing it down to the East or West Side would probably be the best place to start. We are a small family of 3. My husband is 46, our daughter is almost 4 and I'm 44. We currently live in a great little family friendly neighborhood just over the line from Providence. We are looking for a location that is family friendly, has good "walkability", has some uniqueness and charm with older, pre-war homes with garages and good sized yards. The area we currently live in has a cute little area with shops and restaurants that we can walk to which is something that we really like. We definitely DON'T want to live in an area that is "cookie cutter" (in it's homes or people!) and we prefer an area that has unique stores and restaurants rather than chain restaurants. Also, it is VERY important that there be a good public school system and/or some good private schools to choose from within a 20-30 minute drive. (We prefer private schools that are co-ed and not Catholic.) And finally, we really appreciate good racial and ethnic diversity. We are caucasian and are raising our daughter Jewish (reform) so it would be important to have a JCC and temples nearby. These things said, does either the West or East Side sound more suited to us? Or are they very similar? What would you list as the distinct differences between the West Side and the East Side? Pros and Cons to each would be great, too. We'd love any and all input! Thanks so much!

[Marty711]

Since you're looking for a Jewish community, I think the east side would work best. Cleveland's Jewish population is largely centered around Beachwood and Pepper Pike. Both cities are overwhelmingly Jewish and have numerous schools and temples. Cleveland Heights, University Hts., Shaker Hts., Orange, South Euclid, Richmond Hts. and Lyndhurst also have good sized Jewish populations although it is falling in some of those more inner ring locations. If you're looking to go farther out to the outer ring, both Solon and Hudson have temples. Hudson would fit the bill as having a walkable village area but it is not very diverse and outside of the village, it gets somewhat cookie cutter, not to mention its considered a long drive to the city for many.

Of those listed, Beachwood, Pepper Pike, Orange, Solon and Hudson all have terrific school systems. As for the other ones I mentioned, you'll get nine million different opinions on them (especially Shaker schools) but being on the east side, you'll always have access to elite private schools if you choose to go that route.

Unfortunately, i'm not sure you can fully combine having strong public schools, a diverse population, charming homes and a walkable "downtown" all in one place. That's really up for debate depending on who you ask. I think you need to ask yourself which of those is most important to you and then go from there. Most of these cities fit only one of that criteria or maybe two at the most. My personal opinion would send you to Shaker Hts., University Hts. and Hudson and decide which one offers the most of what you're looking for. Shaker is probably the best fit but all three of them have some real positives. I'm sure some others here have their own opinions on the subject that may differ from mine

[joyfulgirl13]

Wow, Marty...Thanks for the detailed and informative response! I really appreciate it. I've done a little exploring on the web and have come up with many of the same cities that you suggested. My current fav is Shaker Heights, but I'm concerned about the many differing opinions about the schools. Sounds to me like the schools used to be phenomenal but aren't as good as they used to be several years ago. The Jewish community is important, but not as important as the schools and the overall atmosphere. We don't mind driving a bit to get to the temple that's the "right fit" for us. It's important for our daughter to be raised in an environment of racial diversity and to experience that at her school. We're open to either public or private school (she's in a great private school right now), it's more about the right fit than it is about whether it's public or private.
Hudson is another that has peaked my interest, but I'm concerned that the lack of diversity and semi-cookie cutter-ness which puts it lower on our list. I don't know anything about Lyndhurst, S. Euclid, Pepper Pike, Orange, and the other Heights. I think I'll check them out, but so far, Shaker and Beachwood have my vote.
We currently live in Providence, RI and we joke here that if you're driving more than 20 minutes you should pack a lunch, so the idea of Hudson being a far drive from the city is one that might take it down a notch for me, but only if it's more than a half hour. How far a drive would you say it is from Hudson to downtown, on average?
I can't thank you enough for your great response. You've really helped me get some things straight in my head! I'm looking forward to exploring some of the cities you mentioned that I don't know much about!

[Marty711]

On average, it would take anywhere from 30-40 minutes to get from Hudson to Downtown Cleveland. Add more time if its rush hour. Most people I know feel that its worth it as they think it has a higher quality of life and the taxes tend to be lower. Now, if you offset what you pay in gas and travel time, it might not look like such a great bargain. Just depends on how you look at it. If you're interested in Hudson more, I'd recommend asking about it in the Akron-Canton forum. Akronites tend to know more about it because it is in Summit County.

You'll probably be criticized for looking into Beachwood while trying to avoid cookie-cutter ness. Beachwood has its share of strip malls and office buildings. That said, Beachwood has some really nice neighborhoods along its borders. I'd recommend looking into those neighborhoods as they tend to have more character than other parts of the city which gives Beachwood that "boring suburb" reputation. Another thing to note is that while Beachwood is more diverse today than it ever has been, its still overwhelmingly white in most neighborhoods although it has much more diverse communities surrounding it.

[TBideon]

Orange, Pepper Pike, Woodmere and Moreland Hills all share Orange as their school system, and it is a very diverse one; in fact, I don't think white kids are a majority there anymore - though certainly still a plurality. There are a few problems here and there that weren't there when I was a high schooler (late 90s), but overall it's still a pretty good school and atmosphere.

[bjimmy24]

Hudson is far away and not worth the commute. It's also not really "Cleveland." To me, Hudson is Akrony. But I guess that is neither here nor there...

There are good public schools in the area, as well as excellent private schools. Maybe you would consider Fuchs Mizrachi? Home Page :: Fuchs Mizrachi School . There are also some other great private schools, but they are very expensive.

Honestly, Beachwood is a good place to live, but I would not say it's diverse, walkable, charming, or anything like that. It's suburbia. If you live close to Green and Fairmount, it's better though, close to John Carroll University.

I really think the best choice is Shaker Heights. More diverse, still a Jewish presence, good schools, though not as good as Beachwood probably. But if you go the private school route, it doesn't matter.

[CHEFJASON911]

Chagrin Falls may work for you guys. Great old homes and walkability. Awesome schools, close to the Temples in Beachwood and Pepper Pike, awesome family activities and 30 minutes to downtown.

[joyfulgirl13]

Thanks everyone for all the great responses! I'll definitely check out the other forum to learn more about Hudson. I've been told that Hudson has a real New England feel to it which is appealing to me, but the more I find out, the more I think I like Shaker Heights for a lot of different reasons. I've read in another thread that the East Side is more "Northeastern" than the more Midwestern feel of the West Side. Any thoughts? Of course having been born and raised in the Northeast that's appealing to me, but I've read that the snow on the East Side can be brutal and I'm really looking forward to being surrounded by friendlier people than Northeasterners tend to be! Would you say there's a difference in the approachability and friendliness of the West Side vs the East Side?
CHEFJASON brought up Chagrin Falls so I think I may check it out. Anyone have thoughts on that?

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by joyfulgirl13

Thanks everyone for all the great responses! I'll definitely check out the other forum to learn more about Hudson. I've been told that Hudson has a real New England feel to it which is appealing to me, but the more I find out, the more I think I like Shaker Heights for a lot of different reasons. I've read in another thread that the East Side is more "Northeastern" than the more Midwestern feel of the West Side. Any thoughts? Of course having been born and raised in the Northeast that's appealing to me, but I've read that the snow on the East Side can be brutal and I'm really looking forward to being surrounded by friendlier people than Northeasterners tend to be! Would you say there's a difference in the approachability and friendliness of the West Side vs the East Side?
CHEFJASON brought up Chagrin Falls so I think I may check it out. Anyone have thoughts on that?

Cleveland was founded by New Englanders. The Western Reserve was part of Connecticut for a while. There are certainly some New Englandy aesthetics to Cleveland, especially the east side. However, people are nothing like New Englanders. The area is much more diverse and has a completely different history from New England through the 20th century for example. For example, Cleveland probably has a much higher percentage of ethnic Slavs than a place like Boston. We have way more black people too. There is not nearly as much "old money" types either. No Cleveland Brahmin.

As for west side vs. east side people, I'm sure some will get on here and claim that the people from their side of town are better, but they're all wrong. West siders and east siders share the same general Cleveland culture. I feel that even the mental barriers are being torn down these days.

East side snow is worse the farther east you go. Yes, there is more snow in Shaker than anywhere on the west side. But I would contend that there is just no equivalent to Shaker Heights anywhere else.

[5Lakes]

I would agree with the Shaker Heights, Cleveland Heights, University Heights area. Out of those Shaker has the best schools (although it's debatable that the Shaker schools are suitable to some), with Cleveland Heights/University Heights schools considered poor. FYI: These communities have the highest rate of private school attendance in the region so that should tell you something.

Cleveland Heights is the most pedestrian friendly, but Shaker is served by rail lines.

Beachwood is pretty generic suburbia.

Forget Hudson. It's a nice town but if you're looking for New England charm then Chagrin Falls does it better and it's closer. Neither of these towns are particularly Jewish though.

The west side does feel more midwestern, but that's more noticeable in the outer suburbs where the west side gives way to farmland. I will say that I think Lakewood, which is on the west side, is the best of Cleveland's urban style suburbs. Overall it's the most pedestrian friendly, is on the lake, and it has decent schools. The downside for you though is that Lakewood lacks a Jewish community.