I Can't Quit You (Cleveland, Cleveland Heights: college, living, stores)

[L2DB]

Originally Posted by Minervah

Interesting.

A couple of weeks ago I was introduced to Chagrin Falls and actually saw a town square with a gazebo and New England type houses along the way. I don't know just where that was though.

Chagrin Falls didn't strike me as being particularly hipster but then coming from Portland, Or and having lived in what was considered one of the largest hipster neighborhoods in that city, Chagrin Falls wouldn't seem all that hipsterish to me. I guess everything is relative.

Maybe it would be worthwhile for the OP to check it out for himself.

Maybe fake hipster-y isn't the right way to describe it. If it's a New England-ish town, it's like Newport, RI where there's an over-abundance of tourists (Cleveland tourists, not from around the country) and the downtown district is more geared towards them than the people that live there.

My impression, YMMV.

[5Lakes]

Vermillion is right on the water and has a main street, but does not have a square like a New England town. It's a nice town though.

Fairport Harbor is another town right on the water that has a main street. It has a square, but not right on the main street.

Hudson and Chagrin Falls probably have the best New England layout, but are yuppie towns and not that close to the water.

I would suggest considering Madison, Burton, and Chardon. Madison is the closest to the water. These towns all have a downtown main street with a town square/village green, and are more rural feeling.

[bluecarebear]

Great suggestions. I will check all of these out.

BTW, the thread title is because I keep looking throughout the country and end up with the best bang for my buck in Ohio. Congrats.

What are the Firelands?

[andrew61]

If you're willing to venture out further from Cleveland, you might check out Wadsworth (Medina County) or Wellington (Lorain County). Both are pretty far from the lake, however.

[Cleverfield]

Geneva on the Lake and Chardon come to mind. They are both quaint little towns, one right on the lake, the other not far. Both have somewhat of a NE feel. They are both about 45 mins-1 hour away from Cleveland. They both get a lot of snow, particularly Chardon, but they are both great towns.

[Cleverfield]

Originally Posted by bluecarebear

Great suggestions. I will check all of these out.

BTW, the thread title is because I keep looking throughout the country and end up with the best bang for my buck in Ohio. Congrats.

What are the Firelands?

They are lands on the Western edge of the Western Reserve, that were set aside for survivors of the Connecticut towns that were burned by the British during the Revolutionary War. Firelands - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[Bballer10891]

Chagrin Falls and Bedford are really the first ones that come to mind, especially because they're so close to downtown Cleveland.

[TPH2]

Where in NE are you from?

[Cleverfield]

Originally Posted by Bballer10891

Chagrin Falls and Bedford are really the first ones that come to mind, especially because they're so close to downtown Cleveland.

Bedford? Weren't you the one saying you'd rather move to Hough or Fairfax than Bedford? Bedford is definitely not a quaint New England style town, though it does have a nice little main street. And neither is really close to downtown, Chagrin Falls being about 35 minutes away, and Bedford being 25-30.

[Bballer10891]

Originally Posted by Cleverfield

Bedford? Weren't you the one saying you'd rather move to Hough or Fairfax than Bedford? Bedford is definitely not a quaint New England style town, though it does have a nice little main street. And neither is really close to downtown, Chagrin Falls being about 35 minutes away, and Bedford being 25-30.

I don't think I ever said I would move to Hough or Fairfax rather than Bedford, as 1. That's stupid, and 2. If anything I would've said Bedford Heights, as I'm there every day, but barely once a year am I in Hough or Fairfax.

Bedford has a nice downtown, that almost looks like a smaller poor-man's downtown Chagrin Falls. Bedford as a city is decent. It is a mixed racial 50%+ white, and has very nice houses, on top of having the famous Bedford auto mile. The only downside is that the kids in Bedford go to the Bedford Heights City School District. Other than that, it's a great place to live.

Bedford is closer to downtown, but it still takes a while to get there due to traffic, etc. But when you think about it, all you have to do is take Broadway from Bedford straight to downtown. Plus, Bedford has east freeway access. From Chagrin Falls, it's 35 minutes minimum. It takes like 15 minutes just to get to downtown Solon from Chagrin Falls. It usually takes 45 minutes at least to get to downtown, with slight traffic.

I'm not sure if you're getting Bedford mixed up with Bedford Heights, or not. But if you've ever been to Bedford, you would know that it's a great place.