Official Cleveland relocation thread (Lakewood, Shaker Heights: 2013, tenants, utilities)

[Squirrelisland]

Originally Posted by Kamms

Where are at in Philly?

Currently in the southwest (Cedar Park if you’re familiar inbetween University City and Cobb’s Creek.) Would like a similar feel but more grass/less college students.

[Kamms]

Originally Posted by Squirrelisland

Currently in the southwest (Cedar Park if you’re familiar inbetween University City and Cobb’s Creek.) Would like a similar feel but more grass/less college students.

From what I know of your current location, it's a racially diverse, crowded area gentrifying due to its proximity to Penn's expansion etc. Lots of students I bet. Cleveland Hts/Coventry, even into Shaker Hts., are the areas that initially come to mind for racial diversity, not sure what rents are there. Van Aken Blvd. has a lot of apartments.

Do you use public transportation in Philly? Will you have a car in CLE? Cleveland is pretty easy to drive in and around the metro area.

Detroit-Shoreway has access to Edgewater Park, not sure about night dog walking there but rents are climbing as they are in Ohio City and Tremont. I'm thinking you're not dog walking at midnight though. Further west along Clifton is decent and getting better, south of there, not as great. Good bus access to downtown though on Clifton.

Shaker Square is another area you may want to consider.

Downtown: Playhouse Square, Flats, east bank, west bank, Warehouse District. Areas best for access to work.

Cleveland is not nearly as densely populated as Philly, so it can seem like you have a lot of space to yourself. I'm getting to like that but I'm not a young female, or a female at all, and that's a completely different safety perspective.

I personally would live somewhere from the Flats East Bank to the CSU area. I particularly like Playhouse Square. Very walkable generally and for your job. Affordability and availability are your issues around there most likely.

Lakewood: not as ''diverse'' if that's really important to you but otherwise very nice area/s there. Lots of apartments. On the west edge of Lakewood you have the Rocky River Reservation, part of the Emerald Necklace metro park system. Check that out for sure.

Go Eagles!

[Squirrelisland]

I use mostly transit here, but have a car that would come with me that I anticipate using much more often. Diversity is a big plus but not a requirement. I’ve looked into the Coventry area as the rents look great, though there does seem to be additional income taxes living in Cleveland Heights that concern me, but I worry that it would be college student heavy. I’m unsure if that is accurate.

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by Squirrelisland

I use mostly transit here, but have a car that would come with me that I anticipate using much more often. Diversity is a big plus but not a requirement. I’ve looked into the Coventry area as the rents look great, though there does seem to be additional income taxes living in Cleveland Heights that concern me, but I worry that it would be college student heavy. I’m unsure if that is accurate.

Is your employer located close to Euclid Ave.? Will you be driving to work? If you're going to have a car, you also need to check monthly apartment builidng parking fees, which may be significant downtown; using Uber or Zipcars may be cheaper. With some research, you may find monthly parking fees cheaper than at the parking facility associated with your apartment building, if your apartment building has an unloading zone for residents.

[jamy2000]

Originally Posted by Clevelander216

ahhh I miss the California Mexican food! the california burritos that to my knowledge, only served in san diego, were probably the most delicious thing I've ever eaten. here in Cleveland I would say the mexican food is definitely sub par compared to the west coast; although there is still quite a few good puerto rican and other hispanic restaurants around the west side that make a good taco. a few to check out are barrio in lakewood or tremont which is sorta like a mexican fusion place where you create your own tacos from a checklist, pupuseria la bendicion is a good salvadorean place which is on w.105th near thrush park, pupuseria katarina in old brooklyn, and lastly barroco grill in lakewood which is sort of a latin american fusion place I'd say. check a few of those out.

May I ask specifically names of towns in this area? We are probably relocating to Ohio in July and are a latino family and we are looking for a diverse area with a mixture of people and great schools for my youngest!!! Somewhere centrally located to everything like highways, stores, banks would be great. Not looking into Urban areas definitely suburban!! We know NO one in Ohio so just taking a leap of faith! Thank you for your help!

[teacherdad]

Hi jamy! I live in Santa Barbara, CA. The one thing we would miss about CLE is our Spanish culture here that makes it so great. HINT: I have not found a true Mexican restaurant yet... I visit CLE as much as possible and hope to move there in the next year...the wife is slowly seeing the light. THere is SO MUCH going for it, vs. the west coast cost of living. You have your west and east side neighborhoods. NONE are Latino strong in terms of population, but it's slowly growing.

Schools: There are many solid schools because the area spends money on them.

I guess we should know where you are now. That would help.
If you move, we'd be happy to be your neighbor!

[WRnative]

Originally Posted by teacherdad

I have not found a true Mexican restaurant yet...

If you don't mind a hole-in-the-wall, largely take-out place, El Senor's frequently is accredited as such by foodies. Given that none of the workers (I've had difficulty ordering in the past) in my experience speak English, it's not surprising.

https://www.clevescene.com/cleveland...nt?oid=3861162

See Lakewood's La Plaza Supermarket discussed in an addendum to the above article.

For my take, I much prefer the Mod Mex cuisine at Momocho's, the highest rated Mexican restaurant in Cleveland. It's on Fulton Road in Ohio City; reservations definitely needed. Have you been? The PD/Cleveland.com lists it as a "Cleveland Classic."

http://www.cleveland.com/top-restaur...g_guide_1.html

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...land_Ohio.html

Have you been to Barrio Gateway in the 5th Street Arcades? Compared to El Senor's, they aren't authentic Mexican, but it's a personal favorite.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...land_Ohio.html

Ohio City Burrito on West 25th gets good reviews, but I've never been there.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...o.html#REVIEWS

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...land_Ohio.html

Orale, which has a booth at the West Side Market often is described as authentic, but, again, I haven't tried their offerings.

https://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaura...land_Ohio.html

[teacherdad]

If you don't mind a hole-in-the-wall, largely take-out place, El Senor's frequently is accredited as such by foodies. Given that none of the workers (I've had difficulty ordering in the past) in my experience speak English, it's not surprising.

I'll have to try this place. These are the places I prefer out here. The ones I have tried are "marketing hype" Mexican food with fancy decor, trying to be edgy, IMO.

There is a taco stand here, that Julia Childs wrote about years ago. The line is out the door every day. It looks like an old house/shack.

[ferraris]

It's not in Cleveland, but I'll give a little plug for Toledo, two hours away. The Old South End has parts that were about 25%-30% hispanic in the 2010 census, and it's likely an even higher proportion now. Broadway Avenue has a few bakeries and restaurants that you might want to make a trip for one day. Telera's, La Paloma, and Taqueria La Authentica Michoacana are all within a block of each other. And Tex-Mex Tortilleria and San Marco's are also on Broadway within a half mile. El Tipico on South Avenue is about 1.5 miles away and also typically gets pretty good reviews.

It's not a neighborhood that would normally be considered a destination for tourists, but if you want a cluster of Mexican places, it's worth checking out. I can't personally vouch for the authenticity, but the high hispanic population seems like a good sign. There's even some Spanish language churches.

[stl81]

Moving to Cleveland at the beginning of April. I am single, no kids, no pets, in my mid 30s. I will just be renting. Budget is $1,100 depending on amenities and parking. I would like an area with some foot traffic, bars, and restaurants within walking distance. I have my own car and I know parking in downtown can be quite expensive.

I've been looking at downtown from warehouse district to playhouse square. also looking at Ohio City.

Any pros and cons to those areas? Other areas I should look at? I'll be commuting to Chagrin Falls for work.

Thanks for any help. I'm headed that way in a couple weeks to look at places.