Official Cleveland relocation thread (Lorain, Lakewood: high crime, buying a home, college)

[citymama]

Originally Posted by kverde18

Lakewood looks like it's right up our alley. Could you expand on what's meant by decent walk score?

All school zones in Lakewood are set up for walking to school. Many streets will allow walking to everything you could possible need. It's an awesome, progressive city.

[kverde18]

Originally Posted by WRnative

I don't know. I just discovered this website and haven't researched it. I would think that Lakewood would have a higher rating than Strongsville, but not on this website. Cleveland Magazine's "Rating the Suburbs," not available online, offers walkability scores for suburbs that always seemed reasonable to me based on my familiarity with individual suburbs. I think the existence of sidewalks is one rating factor.

https://www.walkscore.com/score/hwy-2-lakewood-oh-44107

Better yet, as I suggested earlier, use Google transit to check out routes/times for travel between a residence and any destination (such as a workplace, grocery store, Progressive Field, or the Cleveland Museum of Art). For some destinations, it may be easier to use mass transit to get as near as possible, then use Uber or Lyft, both available in Cleveland.

Google transit offers walk times/routes when mass transit isn't available.

Unlike in many suburbs, RTA buses and the Cleveland State bus rapid in Lakewood have weekend hours as the city is one of the most densely populated in the Midwest and many more residents use mass transit compared to other suburbs.

E.g., check weekday and weekend service for these two main routes serving Lakewood:

26: Detroit | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

55-A-B-C: Cleveland State Line | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

Good walkability IMO comprehends the quality of mass transit, but I'm not certain that is the case with all walk scores.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood,_Ohio

Lakewood Park, Edgewater Park and the Rocky River Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks are major recreation assets for Lakewood residents.

If you live in one Ohio city, and work in a different Ohio city, definitely understand the cumbersome Ohio municipal income tax system -- tax rates, resident credits, etc. Just do a search for a given city and municipal income tax. CCA is the other major municipal income tax agency. Lakewood apparently is one of the few cities to administer its own tax department.

https://www.ritaohio.com/municipalit.../strongsville/

Pay Your Taxes | The City of Lakewood, Ohio

Hope this helps.

Thanks for this! We dealt with similar taxes when we lived in Philadelphia and worked in the burbs. Lakewood park looks gorgeous! I'm getting really excited at the prospect of this move, fingers crossed.

[kverde18]

Originally Posted by citymama

All school zones in Lakewood are set up for walking to school. Many streets will allow walking to everything you could possible need. It's an awesome, progressive city.

Sounds great. I walked to/from school from grade 3 til 12. I'd love that for my son.

[freewheelingvagabond]

Hi!


I'd be moving to Cleveland in October to start at a job in the downtown area (public square). I don't have a car. I'm looking to live in neighbourhoods that are within 30 minutes by public transport.

Which neighbourhoods should I look at?

Also, how is the neighbourhood around the intersection of Prospect Ave and E 40th St.? A friend mentioned to avoid places east of 23rd St, but I want more opinions as she's been in Cleveland for just a year.

About me - male, single, just turned 30, international (Asian Indian), have lived in Tempe, AZ for three years.

To give an idea about my preferences -

Living close (biking distance) to downtown is almost a must. Walkability and safety are important to me. I like places that are multicultural, multiethnic, and diverse. I like artsy neighbourhoods. I'm not the biggest fan of places that are 'sanitised', 'sterilised', uniform, and full of cookie cutter apartments and/or houses. I prefer wooden or tiled floors to wall-to-wall carpeted apartments, and red brick buildings to concrete structures of steel and glass. I prefer Chicago, Boston, and New York to LA, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

Rent-wise I'd prefer to keep it under 800 for a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment (at least 600 sq ft), but I can be very flexible for the right place and location.


Many thanks, and wish you a happy Sunday!

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by freewheelingvagabond

Hi!


I'd be moving to Cleveland in October to start at a job in the downtown area (public square). I don't have a car. I'm looking to live in neighbourhoods that are within 30 minutes by public transport.

Which neighbourhoods should I look at?

Also, how is the neighbourhood around the intersection of Prospect Ave and E 40th St.? A friend mentioned to avoid places east of 23rd St, but I want more opinions as she's been in Cleveland for just a year.

About me - male, single, just turned 30, international (Asian Indian), have lived in Tempe, AZ for three years.

To give an idea about my preferences -

Living close (biking distance) to downtown is almost a must. Walkability and safety are important to me. I like places that are multicultural, multiethnic, and diverse. I like artsy neighbourhoods. I'm not the biggest fan of places that are 'sanitised', 'sterilised', uniform, and full of cookie cutter apartments and/or houses. I prefer wooden or tiled floors to wall-to-wall carpeted apartments, and red brick buildings to concrete structures of steel and glass. I prefer Chicago, Boston, and New York to LA, Phoenix, and Las Vegas.

Rent-wise I'd prefer to keep it under 800 for a 1 bedroom 1 bathroom apartment (at least 600 sq ft), but I can be very flexible for the right place and location.


Many thanks, and wish you a happy Sunday!

Given your preferences and price goal, my hunch is that Lakewood is your best bet. Use Google Transit (available at the RTA home page) to estimate your commute time, but also check it out personally before signing a lease.

I too would be cautious about Prospect at East 40th St.

Other possibilities (perhaps at a higher rent) would include the Warehouse District or East 4th St. area. Both of which would be very convenient for Public Square.

Ohio City and Tremont are possibilities (perhaps a tad less safe than the downtown districts), and Ohio City offers the easiest mass transit with both a rail station and the Ohio City Connector bus lines.

Introducing the Ohio City Connector | Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority

University Circle and Little Italy are served both by the Healthline bus rapid and the Red Line rail rapid. Cleveland Hits. neighborhoods such as Coventry Village and Cedar Fairmount also might work, especially given your interest in biking (Cleveland buses, and rail and bus rapids accommodate bikes).

City of Cleveland Heights, OH : Cedar Fairmount

Good Luck!

[teacherdad]

My cousin sent me this today:

New York Post puts CLE at #15 Best City to Live

15. Cleveland, Ohio

With median house prices around $60,000, Cleveland is significantly more affordable than many other Eastern cities, yet it feels like a boom town, with a revived downtown, new hotels and an exploding food scene. The formerly industrial Detroit Shoreway neighborhood has become an arts district and breweries cluster in Ohio City. It’s not just for hipsters: The city is also home to one of the country’s top hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic, and Huntington Beach, the cleanest spot on Lake Erie.

[GoodDog2]

Originally Posted by teacherdad

My cousin sent me this today:

New York Post puts CLE at #15 Best City to Live

15. Cleveland, Ohio

With median house prices around $60,000, Cleveland is significantly more affordable than many other Eastern cities, yet it feels like a boom town, with a revived downtown, new hotels and an exploding food scene. The formerly industrial Detroit Shoreway neighborhood has become an arts district and breweries cluster in Ohio City. It’s not just for hipsters: The city is also home to one of the country’s top hospitals, the Cleveland Clinic, and Huntington Beach, the cleanest spot on Lake Erie.

I think that all of that is true. However, you need to spend a winter in Cleveland before you assume it is all rosey! I grew-up in Cleveland and didn't realize that the sun actually shines in the winter until I moved to the east coast! During WWII the govnmt built a weapons arsenal just south of Cleveland, because it is one of the cloudiest places in the entire country. There is still lots of drugs and crime around the inner city.
Hey, I love Cleveland. It is my home, but just sayin........................................

[bjimmy24]

Originally Posted by GoodDog2

I think that all of that is true. However, you need to spend a winter in Cleveland before you assume it is all rosey! I grew-up in Cleveland and didn't realize that the sun actually shines in the winter until I moved to the east coast! During WWII the govnmt built a weapons arsenal just south of Cleveland, because it is one of the cloudiest places in the entire country. There is still lots of drugs and crime around the inner city.
Hey, I love Cleveland. It is my home, but just sayin........................................

Yeah the east coast is SO SUNNY in the winter! Sometimes, the sun doesn't set until 4:15 pm! In my opinion, east coast is more depressing in the winter. It's similar to Cleveland really, only with less sunlight. Really not sure what you're talking about here.

[GoodDog2]

Here is what I am talking about:
In Cleveland during the winter you need to scrape the ice off of your car windows in the morning before heading out for work. When I lived in south Jersey, not only had the sun melted the ice off the windows by 8 am, but my car was already warm from the sunshine. It may have been 25 degrees, but that is the difference between sunshine and no sunshine. That NEVER happens in Cleveland.
I don't know where you are from..................just sayin....................

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by GoodDog2

Here is what I am talking about:
In Cleveland during the winter you need to scrape the ice off of your car windows in the morning before heading out for work. When I lived in south Jersey, not only had the sun melted the ice off the windows by 8 am, but my car was already warm from the sunshine. It may have been 25 degrees, but that is the difference between sunshine and no sunshine. That NEVER happens in Cleveland.
I don't know where you are from..................just sayin....................

Total baloney in recent years, not even considering that many persons in Cleveland park their autos in garages.

Except in ice storms, which are relatively rare, you can avoid much ice on your car windows by cooling the car off before parking it in a snow storm. I've often done this, and it works well.

Most ice is removed in less than a minute with a good scraper, and often you don't have to remove the ice because it doesn't block any view. Modern cars melt most ice on windows rapidly, especially given rear window heating strips.