Official Cleveland relocation thread (Akron, Canton: rent, private school, living in)

[WRnative]

There are now new rental apartment buildings surrounding Cleveland State. They offer easy access to the 24/7 Healthline and would be much closer to Case Western than Ohio City and especially Tremont, Detroit-Shoreway and Lakewood. You could buy an RTA monthly pass. The Healthline, switching to the Red Line at Tower City would offer easy access to Ohio City, and there is a bus line to Tremont from the West 25th St. station.

I know the apartments surrounding CSU aren't dorms and are privately owned, but I don't know if anybody besides CSU students are allowed to rent them. E.g., see Euclid Commons here, but certainly the "off-campus" apartment buildings listed here should be options. The Statler Arms is right on Euclid Ave. It will be very close to the new Heinen's opening in the Ameritrust Rotunda.

http://www.csuohio.edu/international/housing

Also check out East 4th St. apartments.

http://www.east4thstreet.com/live

There also are some new apartments in the large Uptown mixed unit development just east of University Hospitals on Euclid Ave. RTA is relocating a Red Line station to there, so those apartments would offer great access to Tower City and Ohio City.

http://www.uptowncleveland.com/

Your best bet from a budget viewpoint might be Shaker Square, with good bus service to University Circle and rail service to Tower City. Also check out the Coventry and Cedar-Lee neighborhoods of Cleveland Heights.

http://www.clevelandheights.com/index.aspx?page=500

Check reviews/ratings for all apartments that you consider; e.g., I looked at some reviews of the Statler Arms and they weren't glowing.

[sacite]

Question: When I recently spoke about my upcoming Cleveland trip, a friend told me to start in Chicago and take a week to explore the entire Great Lakes region. He said that Cleveland is only a couple hours drive from Chicago, as are a couple of other cities.

Is this accurate and a good suggestion?

[GoodDog2]

Originally Posted by sacite

Question: When I recently spoke about my upcoming Cleveland trip, a friend told me to start in Chicago and take a week to explore the entire Great Lakes region. He said that Cleveland is only a couple hours drive from Chicago, as are a couple of other cities.

Is this accurate and a good suggestion?

It is true that Chicago is close by if you consider 5 hours to be close by. Yes, it is true that if you have a couple of weeks you could explore Milwaukee, Chicago, Cleveland, Buffalo/Rochester in that order. You also would have the option of dipping down (I would) to Indianapolis, Columbus and Cleveland.

Out of all of those cities, I think that Chicago has the most to offer! Columbus, Buffalo and Rochester the least!

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by sacite

Question: When I recently spoke about my upcoming Cleveland trip, a friend told me to start in Chicago and take a week to explore the entire Great Lakes region. He said that Cleveland is only a couple hours drive from Chicago, as are a couple of other cities.

Is this accurate and a good suggestion?

Chicago is a 5-hour drive to Cleveland assuming no stops and no traffic issues.

Here's a travel article that perhaps would be helpful:

United States: A Road Trip to the Great Lakes - TripAdvisor

Chicago and Cleveland are two of the nation's cultural centers, if that is an interest.

Chicago has great music festivals, including the Chicago Blues Festival in early June and Lollapalooza in late July and early August. The CBF is free, but the Lollapalooza requires the purchase of tickets well in advance. Both are huge tourist attractions necessitating hotel reservations well in advance.

City of Chicago :: Chicago Blues Festival

Lollapalooza 2015 | July 31 – August 2, 2015 : Grant Park : Chicago, IL

[JenW83]

My husband has been looking at jobs in various areas to relocate to--we currently live in South Louisiana and are looking at something in the north. We've looked at several areas, and now he's on a third interview with a company in Cleveland so I think this would be the most promising job prospect for us. I'm wondering about housing costs the area--we have a large family (5 kids ages 1 to 10) so we'd be looking at an area that is safe with good schools that is affordable (affordable being housing under $200K for a 4 bedroom or rentals for $1400/m or less). Is there an area like that around Cleveland? Should we be looking in Cleveland itself or a suburb area? Are there a lot of things to do there that are kid-friendly (zoo, etc.)? We have two children with autism (one moderate, one severe) so a school that has a good special ed program would be a bonus. Also, how bad are winters? I know it'll be a lot colder in OH than Louisiana, but is there a lot of snowfall? My kids and I have never seen actual snow, so we're hoping wherever we move gets snow. And how are the summers?

[GoodDog2]

I think that Cleveland is a great move for a large family with your budget. The only downside to Cleveland is the winter weather. While the weather can be harsh with lots of snow at times, the real problem is the lack of sunshine between November and March. It can be pretty gray and depressing.
However, the good news is that it is a great area economically with lots of good reasonable housing, lots to do for the kids and great family activities around town and in the suburbs year-round. The metro parks system is huge with great parks, trails, fishing and even a really fun toboggan chute (in Strongsville, a Cleveland berb). You won't find better fine arts institutions and museums anywhere. There is the science museum downtown for the kids and a newer aquarium for the family. World class sports events (although the quality of the local teams are suspect).
There are lots of great places to live on your budget, but that depends upon where you would choose to locate with regard to your preferences. I would suggest the west-side suburbs south of the city. (i.e. Olmstead Falls, Middleburg Hts., Strongsville, etc.), but that is only, because I grew up on the west-side (Seven Hills). You should easily be able to find a nice home on your budget. There are also lots of great east-side suburbs. In my opinion, arguably, the east-side of Cleveland has much better shopping and restaurants than the west-side. I would not recommend living in the city if you have kids. It can be a safety and school quality issue. Although living in downtown Cleveland has become a very trendy place to be for young adults.
I think you are coming from a low cost-of-living area, so you will find Cleveland to be very similar. We have among the lowest car insurance rates in the country. Our homeowners ins. rates are also very low. We do have a 2% local work tax in most areas. The state tax is pretty darn low comparatively. The sales tax rate is also reasonable 6%-7% in most areas except Cuyahoga County where it is 8% (I think?). Cuyahoga County encompasses the City of Cleveland and most of the close-in suburbs.
One last thing......for what it is worth.......the medical care in this area is exceptional. Lots and lots of top quality hospitals. Only problem is that we have been losing lots of doctors in recent years. I think that is, because of their malpractice ins., but I am not exactly sure?
Hope this helps a little.

Originally Posted by JenW83

My husband has been looking at jobs in various areas to relocate to--we currently live in South Louisiana and are looking at something in the north. We've looked at several areas, and now he's on a third interview with a company in Cleveland so I think this would be the most promising job prospect for us. I'm wondering about housing costs the area--we have a large family (5 kids ages 1 to 10) so we'd be looking at an area that is safe with good schools that is affordable (affordable being housing under $200K for a 4 bedroom or rentals for $1400/m or less). Is there an area like that around Cleveland? Should we be looking in Cleveland itself or a suburb area? Are there a lot of things to do there that are kid-friendly (zoo, etc.)? We have two children with autism (one moderate, one severe) so a school that has a good special ed program would be a bonus. Also, how bad are winters? I know it'll be a lot colder in OH than Louisiana, but is there a lot of snowfall? My kids and I have never seen actual snow, so we're hoping wherever we move gets snow. And how are the summers?

[jprice15]

Originally Posted by JenW83

My husband has been looking at jobs in various areas to relocate to--we currently live in South Louisiana and are looking at something in the north. We've looked at several areas, and now he's on a third interview with a company in Cleveland so I think this would be the most promising job prospect for us. I'm wondering about housing costs the area--we have a large family (5 kids ages 1 to 10) so we'd be looking at an area that is safe with good schools that is affordable (affordable being housing under $200K for a 4 bedroom or rentals for $1400/m or less). Is there an area like that around Cleveland? Should we be looking in Cleveland itself or a suburb area? Are there a lot of things to do there that are kid-friendly (zoo, etc.)? We have two children with autism (one moderate, one severe) so a school that has a good special ed program would be a bonus. Also, how bad are winters? I know it'll be a lot colder in OH than Louisiana, but is there a lot of snowfall? My kids and I have never seen actual snow, so we're hoping wherever we move gets snow. And how are the summers?

There are a number of organizations in Cleveland for families who have children with autism, one such organization is Milestones Milestones Autism Resources | Northeast Ohio Autism/Asperger's Resources

[GoodDog2]

Originally Posted by JenW83

And how are the summers?

I forgot to address the question about the summers..................That is the main reason (excuse) most of us have chosen to stay here. The summers are wonderful! The closer to Lake Erie you are, the nicer (cooler) the summer!
Spring, Summer and Fall in the Cleveland area has simply wonderful weather!
The winter......well

[Clevelander216]

This thread probably shouldn't be stickied anymore seeing as how nobody even uses it.

[costello_musicman]

Back to "Cleveland Developments" perhaps? As the a renaissance of new construction is being announced almost daily/weekly nowadays it seems.