For the love of God, Lakewood is NOT "turning into a ghetto" (Cleveland: rental, houses)

[kpl1228]

"Lakewood's becoming a ghetto." "It's not 'like it was."
Oh brother. SO tired of hearing it. Ironically, I usually used to hear it in an upscale bar on Detroit Rd. while sipping a microbrew. Looking around at NOTHING resembling anything "ghetto." Is Stella Artois a "beer from the hood?"
So here goes......stop dialing 911 because you saw someone in a hoodie walking down Franklin Blvd. and listen up:
1) schools. Solid. pass their levies, terrific teachers (I know, used to work there), some new buildings. Great extracurriculars, esp. music and sports. Great love for the schools from most of the community. Especially alumni, many of whom still live in Lakewood and send their kids to Lakewood Schools.
2) housing median and average values have stayed consistent (except for a blip during 08 and 09, where everyone took a hit. Medians at around 120-130$, (not bad for the rust belt). and the averages are higher than the medians due to those fancier houses near the lake driving the averages up. NOT ghetto. Quit saying the suburb's housing values are imploding like the South Bronx in the '70's. They're not. Jeez.
3) new development of commercial properties on Detroit (rare for an inner ring suburb nationally)
4) The lake---still there, didn't get "worse than the good old days." It's the lake.
5)Birdtown turning more hip with new ideas and commercial properties on and off of Madison (newer Mahalls, brewpub, newer concert club, rapid station and lot improved in the last few years)----not bad for the "ghetto" part of Lakewood. BTW, this neighborhood has not gotten worse. It's always been the blue collar part of the suburb. ALWAYS.
6. gay community------Lakewood is not as gay as all the nasty local jokes suggest (usually said by someone in Greater Cleveland that has never truly been to Lakewood), and while there is a gay presence, I don't think it's as visible or as active as the one by w110/Clifton or in the Eastern Suburbs (Cleveland Hts, Univ Circle, Shaker Square etc) Also please tell me when the gay community in any city destroyed a town and made it a ghetto? Hate having educated erudite people with disposal income moving in?
7) Gold coast. Not one bit of gangsta graffiti on the highrises. West Siiiiiieeeeede!
8) RTA is good, solid, dependable usually. Senior shuttles galore.
9) more and more bike friendly all the time.
10) Newer immigrant community. Keeping things fresh. Lakewood's next to a big city for the love of Pete. Everything from millionaire brain surgeons to cabbies. And no, scared old white guy on McKinley, they're not "taking over."
11) What's stayed the same? Lakewood Hospital, great local library, tons of cool neighborhood joints (some new, some old and looking like your Uncle Bob's smelly man cave which, by the way ain't a bad thing if you're looking for an old-school neighborhood bar), good parks with terrific beer-league softball, young families, new restaurants, older restaurants (ANGELO'S!!!!). Still the same convenient access to downtown and the Metroparks. Great local arts, drama, and music community. And how many ghettos have an Olympic training-worthy ice rink? How many times have you feared a car jacking or gang war in front of Beck Center? Been scared about a snatch-and-grab while sitting in your folding chair listening to music at the Lakewood Park band shell in the summer?

I am tired of normally sane people griping and moaning about their town, while they stand in their beautiful yard in front of their beautiful house watching solid city services with cops patrolling and ticketing (probably too vigilant, but does that sound like a ghetto?). Active community groups, good parks, etc.
As people age, they pine for the so called good old days, and now that the African American community of Lakewood has increased in the last fifty years from no people to several people, they're scared and frightened. (They do the same thing over skateboarders at Detroit and Warren....oh no! Here comes the riff raff!) Never seen so many people worrying about so few people in such a short time over such a cool city that is stable, solid, and progressing. You folks in Lakewood don't know how lucky you are. Quicherbellyachin'.
And hey, nowhere does Halloween better than a friendly decorated residential street in Lakewood, with everyone smiling and kids going home with truckloads of candy. It's all about the densities. But sure as heck ain't the ghetto.

[L2DB]

lol Stella Artois

[teacherdad]

Awesome!

[OhioNative]

[quote=kpl1228;36721056]"Lakewood's becoming a ghetto." "It's not 'like it was."
...and now that the African American community of Lakewood has increased in the last fifty years from no people to several people, they're scared and frightened. (They do the same thing over skateboarders at Detroit and Warren....oh no! Here comes the riff raff!) Never seen so many people worrying about so few people in such a short time over such a cool city that is stable, solid, and progressing. QUOTE]

My family members say the same thing about Mentor. Now that a few African-American families have moved in over the past 10 years, I have to constantly hear from family how they are "taking over" Mentor! I guess 96% white isn't enough for them, or something...

[teacherdad]

I love how people user the term, "taking over." Someone moves into your area and they take over? Are you not allowed to visit a restaurant, pub, school, etc.? My uncle said the same for Solon years ago. He's a racist. Case closed.

Maybe if we focused on building UP our communities, like the OP, we'd not waste so much energy on negativity. Guess what? "Those" people probably moved to your city for the same reason you did....schools and lifestyle!

[jlawrence01]

Agree with the OP completely. NO city works harder to keep their housing stock up by AGGRESSIVELY enforcing their housing codes.

There seems to be a tendency on the Ohio boards to label areas with more than a token presence of AA residents as "areas in decline" which is unfortunate.

[Kamms]

[quote=OhioNative;36731693]

Originally Posted by kpl1228

"Lakewood's becoming a ghetto." "It's not 'like it was."
...and now that the African American community of Lakewood has increased in the last fifty years from no people to several people, they're scared and frightened. (They do the same thing over skateboarders at Detroit and Warren....oh no! Here comes the riff raff!) Never seen so many people worrying about so few people in such a short time over such a cool city that is stable, solid, and progressing. QUOTE]

My family members say the same thing about Mentor. Now that a few African-American families have moved in over the past 10 years, I have to constantly hear from family how they are "taking over" Mentor! I guess 96% white isn't enough for them, or something...

Reactions based on what the history of what happened in Cleveland neighborhoods. You forgot to include that Lakewood armed robberies increased in the last fifty years from none to several. Lakewood may not be ''ghetto'' but ''ghetto crime'' has increased there.

[andrew61]

I think my body is turning into a ghetto. My eyesight isn't what it used to be, my gums are receding, I have various aches and pains for no apparent reason, and I'm on blood pressure meds which make me dizzy when I bend over and then stand straight again, and make me need to pee every time I turn around.

Like Lakewood, my body is aging -- and is having to deal with various challenges it just never faced when it was younger.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by andrew61

I think my body is turning into a ghetto. My eyesight isn't what it used to be, my gums are receding, I have various aches and pains for no apparent reason, and I'm on blood pressure meds which make me dizzy when I bend over and then stand straight again, and make me need to pee every time I turn around.

Like Lakewood, my body is aging -- and is having to deal with various challenges it just never faced when it was younger.

Such as going ''ghetto''?

[andrew61]

What I meant was, Lakewood has to deal with aging infrastructure, aging housing stock, trying to take in enough revenue to keep things up even as the population dwindles as some decide that "the grass is greener" in newer, more upscale 'burbs further out.

Even back when I lived in Lakewood, during my 15 years there, I observed a noticeable decline in upkeep of rental properties, the caliber of people who were moving in, more "disorderly conduct" issues, etc.

I lived on the south side of Edgewater Drive in the Gold Coast area for ten years, and watched it go from being a very quiet area populated by older people, to becoming a much more boisterous place populated by a new younger crowd who often got drunk and rowdy.

Sometimes little old ladies would corner me at bus stops and tell me they were visiting Lakewood after being gone for 30 years, and they'd say things like, "Well, Clifton and Warren is the same as I remember, but then I went down Thoreau Avenue and I couldn't believe how rundown it had gotten."

Lakewood is more racially and ethnically diverse than it used to be, and as different people come in with different customs, it makes some of the oldtimers nervous. People who are used to things being a certain way for a long time can be very resistant to change.