Moving to Cleveland for work (Lakewood, Euclid: apartments, rental, crime)

[GidgetNolia]

Hello,
I will be starting a new job in Cleveland on E. 9th Street. I am from WI and have no knowledge about Cleveland other than what I read online. I have to maintain my home in WI for a while when I first move to Cleveland; so I am looking for a low cost apartment. Euclid has what seems to be a nice option, but I have seen mixed reviews about the safety of Euclid. The apartment is at Briardale Commons. Does anyone know if this is a safe place for a single woman who has to walk her dogs at night?
I am interested in opinions about low cost housing in the greater Cleveland area. Please let me know some ideas of the best places to look for housing.
Thanks for any advice you can give.

[SquareBetterThanAll]

What would you consider to be low cost? What's your budget?

[Cleverfield]

Originally Posted by GidgetNolia

Hello,
I will be starting a new job in Cleveland on E. 9th Street. I am from WI and have no knowledge about Cleveland other than what I read online. I have to maintain my home in WI for a while when I first move to Cleveland; so I am looking for a low cost apartment. Euclid has what seems to be a nice option, but I have seen mixed reviews about the safety of Euclid. The apartment is at Briardale Commons. Does anyone know if this is a safe place for a single woman who has to walk her dogs at night?
I am interested in opinions about low cost housing in the greater Cleveland area. Please let me know some ideas of the best places to look for housing.
Thanks for any advice you can give.

I think Euclid is a great option for lower cost housing in Cleveland. The city offers great services (including a GREAT library), is reasonably safe in most areas, has lakefront access, is mixed race, and has many restaurants and shops. Briardale Commons is in a pretty good part of Euclid. It's close to the city's biggest park, which includes an ice rink and outdoor pool, as well as the Briardale golf course. You'll also be right down the street from Dave's supermarket and the stores and restaurants in "Downtown Euclid" along Lakeshore. I think you'll be fine there, but do use common sense, as crime does sometimes happen. I live in the Collinwood neighborhood, which is right over the border from Euclid, and I love the Northeast side; it has absolutely everything you could need (nature, urban density/walkability, recreation, dining, shopping, arts & culture), easy access to Downtown, Lake County, and the East suburbs via 90, 2, and 271, and there's a great sense of community, while being incredibly affordable. The only downside is the public schools, if you have kids.

[GidgetNolia]

Thank you for the replies.
My budget is small and I have two tiny dogs which increases the rent for most apartments. My budget is about 500-700 a month depending on what is included. If the apartment includes utilities and WIFI, I could possibly go as high as $700 including increase for pets. However, most do not include all of that so I am mainly focusing on rents below $650.

I am also looking a places in other communities such as Bedford Heights, Eastlake, Oakwood Village, and Lakewood as well as others.

Does anyone have warnings for me so that I do not decide on an unsafe location or a really bad rental location?

[Boffo]

I would definitely look into Lakewood. I don't have any specific apartment recommendations, but you should be able to find something in your price range. Lakewood also has nice parks and is right near the Rocky River Metropark which is a great place to take your dogs. Lakewood is very safe too. If you find anything specific, you can let us know and we can tell you what the area is like.

[Cleverfield]

Are you stuck on apartments, or would you be willing to live in a 2 family? There are lots of 2 families that would fall in your price range. What exactly are you looking for in a city, besides just safety? Do you care about the ethnic make-up, freeway access, shopping, community, restaurants, schools, etc?

[reretarff]

Originally Posted by GidgetNolia

Thank you for the replies.
My budget is small and I have two tiny dogs which increases the rent for most apartments. My budget is about 500-700 a month depending on what is included. If the apartment includes utilities and WIFI, I could possibly go as high as $700 including increase for pets. However, most do not include all of that so I am mainly focusing on rents below $650.

I am also looking a places in other communities such as Bedford Heights, Eastlake, Oakwood Village, and Lakewood as well as others.

Does anyone have warnings for me so that I do not decide on an unsafe location or a really bad rental location?

Bedford Heights is complete junk. On top of that, it's a while from downtown. Try something in Lakewood.

[GidgetNolia]

Originally Posted by Boffo

I would definitely look into Lakewood. I don't have any specific apartment recommendations, but you should be able to find something in your price range. Lakewood also has nice parks and is right near the Rocky River Metropark which is a great place to take your dogs. Lakewood is very safe too. If you find anything specific, you can let us know and we can tell you what the area is like.

Thank you for getting back to me. The only property I found in Lakewood that allowed dogs and was in my price range is the AIY properties. Do you know much about this property?

[GidgetNolia]

Originally Posted by Cleverfield

Are you stuck on apartments, or would you be willing to live in a 2 family? There are lots of 2 families that would fall in your price range. What exactly are you looking for in a city, besides just safety? Do you care about the ethnic make-up, freeway access, shopping, community, restaurants, schools, etc?

I would be interested in 2 family places. I have not been able to pull those in my searches. Ethnic make-up does not really matter. I would like to get to know people of all backgrounds. Freeway access would definitely be great, but is not a necessity. I do not really care at all about shopping, but I am interested in what community activities are in an area. Even though I am interested in the community activities that would be in the area, I am not worried about what activities they are. I am likely to be in this rental for about a year, then I will re-evaluate the options. I do not have children so schools are not important either.

[ctownballr27]

Look at apartments in Detroit shoreway. You should be able to find something nice and in your price range. Lakewood would be my second option. Good luck and welcome to Cleveland!