Why Cleveland home sell so cheap? (Lakewood, Ohio City: violent crime, neighborhood, living in)
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That's a great observation!!! I also never thought about how difficult it is to make friends when burdened with long commutes in opposite directions from a workplace, also explained in your post. It's true in Cleveland that friends who live on the East, West and even South sides of Cleveland often socialize downtown (e.g., pro sports, PlayhouseSquare) or in Ohio City and even University Circle/Little Italy, and we take that for granted.
I have one friend who likes parking in a free Red Line lot on the West side and taking the rapid downtown for luncheon get-togethers. Now that I'm a senior (cheaper fares), I've considered doing the same thing from the Red Line Stokes/Windermere park 'n ride, but I currently park in cheap lots on Prospect Ave. and take the free bus trolley downtown. The advantage of buying a day pass and taking the Red Line downtown is that I could return to Windermere on the Healthline bus rapid and explore Euclid Ave. (I've never been to Dunbar Tavern, and there always is a myriad of things to do in University Circle, and in cool weather, I could take a good uphill hike in Lake View Cemetery).
If you haven't figured it out, there are some passive/aggressive posters in the Cleveland forum who rarely, if ever say anything specifically positive about Cleveland. Instead, while professing their love for Cleveland, they constantly insinuate that 21st century Cleveland has a negative image and is mocked elsewhere in the nation. They are gray cloud posters, if not deliberate trollers.
It's wishful thinking that your informed post based on your considerable experience will put an end to the posts by these individuals, but it may help others considering relocating to Cleveland or elsewhere in the Midwest!
I'll admit that I can be one of those posters that you talked about sometimes. I'm trying to work on changing that, so bare with me through this process. Tell me how does the rest of country view Cleveland in the 21st Century? And, how it isn't mocked everywhere? Sometimes I feel that some of the national media can give backhanded comments towards Cleveland. With the RNC, they mentioned how Cleveland was turning around but they still had to talk about population loss and decay. Also, a lot the media assumed that violence was gonna break out just because it was in Cleveland. They didn't say that when they had the RNC in Minnesota or Tampa.
When the Cavs had their NBA Championship parade in Downtown Cleveland two years ago; "There was 1.3 million on the streets of Cleveland that's 3x more than the city's population." What kind dumb s**t is that? Why it can't just be "1.3 million Cleveland Packed Downtown to Celebrate Its First Pro Sports Title in 52 Years?" They just had to go deeper with the population B.S. as if there aren't any other parts of Cleveland or Ohio. It seems a lot of them are ignorant on purpose and just don't want to cover anything that's not in their Coasts bubble. LOL! They didn't do that for any other city's championship parade not even the Royals, Cardinals, Steelers or Penguins parades. I think feel this way because it seems that for years the national media has to go out of its way to humiliate Cleveland. It's not that I'm trying to be passive-aggressive, it's just the same ol' routine gets tiring after awhile. And, yes, I do love Cleveland that's why I get defensive over it.
Last edited by QCongress83216; 02-05-2018 at 01:22 PM..
I'll admit that I can be one of those posters that you talked about sometimes. I'm trying to work on changing that, so bare with me through this process. Tell me how does the rest of country view Cleveland in the 21st Century? And, how it isn't mocked everywhere? Sometimes I feel that some of the national media can give backhanded comments towards Cleveland. With the RNC, they mentioned how Cleveland was turning around but they still had to talk about population loss and decay. Also, a lot the media assumed that violence was gonna break out just because it was in Cleveland. They didn't say that when they had the RNC in Minnesota or Tampa.
When the Cavs had their NBA Championship parade in Downtown Cleveland two years ago; "There was 1.3 million on the streets of Cleveland that's 3x more than the city's population." What kind dumb s**t is that? Why it can't just be "1.3 million Cleveland Packed Downtown to Celebrate Its First Pro Sports Title in 52 Years?" They just had to go deeper with the population B.S. as if there aren't any other parts of Cleveland or Ohio. It seems a lot of them are ignorant on purpose and just don't want to cover anything that's not in their Coasts bubble. LOL! They didn't do that for any other city's championship parade not even the Royals, Cardinals, Steelers or Penguins parades. I think feel this way because it seems that for years the national media has to go out of its way to humiliate Cleveland. It's not that I'm trying to be passive-aggressive, it's just the same ol' routine gets tiring after awhile. And, yes, I do love Cleveland that's why I get defensive over it.
More of the same. I'm not playing your game by admitting that you're statements have general validity and are worth discussing. Saying that the Cavs championship celebration attracted 3 times the city's population isn't a negative in my book.
Read these threads again. You might be able to cherry pick some negative stories, but for the most part Cleveland's press has been glowing in recent years, contrary to your repeated assertions.
You're not defensive over Cleveland IMO. You're constantly painting the city negatively and attributing it to "coasts" or some other amorphous critic, even when persons who have lived on the coasts tell you that you're wrong.
More of the same. I'm not playing your game by admitting that you're statements have general validity and are worth discussing. Saying that the Cavs championship celebration attracted 3 times the city's population isn't a negative in my book.
Read these threads again. You might be able to cherry pick some negative stories, but for the most part Cleveland's press has been glowing in recent years, contrary to your repeated assertions.
You're not defensive over Cleveland IMO. You're constantly painting the city negatively and attributing it to "coasts" or some other amorphous critic, even when persons who have lived on the coasts tell you that you're wrong.
I'm not asking you to play any games, and I'm not asking you to validate my statements either. I'm just asking you to hear what I have to say. Also, I didn't deny that I hadn't made my assumptions or assertions; I'm starting to realize that I've been wrong. And, I'm working on it to change that. It's not gonna be overnight but I'm working on it.
Now, you get it! This is why many of us who live on the coasts want to retire in places like Cleveland. Cleveland is an ideal choice for somebody who wants the amenities of living in a big city but also doesn't want something overwhelmingly large. Bigger is not necessarily better.
That's very true..
I'm looking to move, maybe not to Cleveland but this is a good conversation about what people consider major quality of life issues. I grew up in Lima, lived in Cincinnati so very familiar with Ohio, have toyed with the idea of moving back as I hate the summers in Southern Ga, would rather deal with snow than 95 degree heat day after day.
The things I will look for are..
1.) Schools have a 4 year old...
2.) COL.. Money is a huge issue..
3.) Foodie environment, I want good food choices, restaurants run by immigrants bringing their tasty eats to a strip mall close by me, A michelin star place, exciting new places opened by up and coming chefs..
4.) Entertainment, want a place where you get all the major concert headliners plus a good secondary concert market for up & coming bands.
5.) Parks & hiking/biking trails.
6.) Upscale shopping & malls, I love malls grew up in the 70/80's, love going to the mall & walking around for an hour just checking stuff out.
7.) Healthcare, 47 years old, had angio plasty last week, the Cleveland clinic is a huge plus...
8.) Professional sports teams are a big plus.
Well, that last visit with my wife sealed it! She's hooked! We are in talks with our bank and realtor. She likes Bay Village, RR, and Lakewood. We may actually be in contract by next week!!! We'll rent it for a year as I make it to the final step on the salary sch. next year and that will really help with retirement. I'll then seek an education job after we move.
Well, that last visit with my wife sealed it! She's hooked! We are in talks with our bank and realtor. She likes Bay Village, RR, and Lakewood. We may actually be in contract by next week!!! We'll rent it for a year as I make it to the final step on the salary sch. next year and that will really help with retirement. I'll then seek an education job after we move.
Did your wife ever look at Chagrin Falls?
If you want an education job after moving to Greater Cleveland, I wonder if the combo of your years of experience, mandatory pay schedules, and tightening budget woes due to state support cuts combined with the limit on state and local tax deductions in the new federal bill threatening future tax levies, will prevent you from obtaining a public school job.
If that is the case, your best job opportunities may be the more wealthy parochial schools, such as St. Edward or St. Ignatius on the west side, or parochial schools and private schools on the east side (University School, Hathaway Brown, Hawken School). Those elite private schools may pay much more than parochial schools, and, if so, Chagrin Falls would be a much more convenient commute than Bay Village or even RR.
Depending upon your experience and educational levels, community colleges also may be a possibility, but perhaps with lower pay levels on non tenure contracts (I have a friend who has a similar deal at a CA community college in your area, with his courses largely offered conveniently online, but he has very specialized expertise and a very strong educational background). I wonder if your could teach an entrepreneurial class at a community college....
If you are able to get a public school/community college job in Greater Cleveland, have you researched whether you can buy extra years of experience in the California system, or whether it would be possible and beneficial to transfer your California experience to the Ohio State Teachers Retirement System? Most likely, you could opt out of the Ohio system and have your contributions put in a 401(k), etc., but you might lose the employer contribution. I know the questions, but not the answers.
Anyway, congrats on finally convincing your wife. When I consider our weather this February, I think she might not find Cleveland winters very objectionable in coming years. A record 73 degrees one day last week, 4 degrees above the previous record, and the fact that I live in the snow belt and haven't used by snow blower in weeks and likely will have to drain the gas (a task that I detest and try to avoid by using the snow blower whenever possible until the tank is dry), I really wonder if global warming isn't accelerating much more quickly than anticipated by scientists, let alone our crazed politicians. I know that we've had cold Februarys in the last five years, but winters just seem much less fierce to me on average than in decades past, as snowfall and ice, not cold, is the real winter aggravation.
Temperatures in the 70s definitely break the winter, allowing residents to air out their houses, clean up the yard, etc.
Look at the February temperatures here, and at the March forecast. February was much warmer than normal based on the temperature graphs at the bottom of the page and March appears to be rather average, but with no snow accumulation opportunities.
BTW, Third Federal often offers the best mortgage deals in Cleveland, and generally is used by my friends. I don't know if any of them checked Quicken Loans online. Quicken, owned by Cavs owner Dan Gilbert, is a larger employer in Cleveland and has a major presence here.
What did your wife like about Bay Village and RR compared to east side suburbs? I get Lakewood's relatively easy access to downtown and its own more urban vibe. Were lakefront parks important differences?
Doesn't renting complicate the mortgage process? You also might want to check local rental codes. Suburbs sometimes can have requirements such as mandatory classes for landlords and other restrictions and mandatory registration.
I can relate to the discussion regarding the “trade-offs”.
I only lasted two years in Northern Virginia. Everyone’s obsession with continuing professional accreditations/certifications, pursuance of terminal degrees, Federal GS scale ranking, accumulation of wealth, etc. burned me out as I am NOT someone who wants to be defined by my career. I was paying nearly $1,400/month for a dated 1-BR apartment about 40 minutes outside The District. I was miserable just living to work.
I moved to Pittsbrugh, which offers only slightly lower salaries and a significantly lower cost of housing, and I’ve been much happier overall. I have a Bachelor’s Degree here, and I don’t feel “under-educated” with that the way I did in NoVA where it seemed like everyone had their Master’s Degree or were actively pursuing it.
To be honest Pittsburgh is now becoming more expensive due to the national hype and tech boom, so Ohio, which is much cheaper, has now crept onto my radar. I visit Ohio regularly, especially Northeast Ohio, and I like what I see in regards to the emphasis on family, friends, and friendliness. Unlike NoVA where nearly everyone drove a BMW or Audi I see few of them in the roads in Northeast Ohio. It’s refreshing because in NoVA for every one person who drove a luxury vehicle because they just liked the vehicle it seemed like there were two others who were trying to “keep up with the Jones’s”.
My dream would be to live in Detroit-Shoreway. I could bike to work Downtown, bike to Ohio City for the West Side Market, or bike to Lakewood, which reminds me a lot of Pittsburgh’s Mt. Lebanon—just with a rigid street grid and lakefront setting. I could bike to Happy Dog and Melt—the places I always hit up for lunch and dinner, respectively, when I visit. I could bike to Heinen’s, The Q, or Playhouse Square. I could bike to Euclid Avenue and take the HealthLine to University Circle and Little Italy. People on here hype up Tremont like it’s the best urban neighborhood in the country, but if what I was supposed to be impressed by was Professor Avenue, then I can profess I wasn’t impressed since Pittsburgh has a half-dozen neighborhoods that blow Tremont out of the water.
You can live better on $40,000/year in Cleveland than you could on $70,000/year in NoVA, NYC, San Francisco, Boston, or LA. Hell, you can live better on $30,000/year in Cleveland than on $40,000/year in Pittsburgh these days, too, since our rents keep rising.
Yeah. I make <$40,000/year (including overtime) working for the police in Pittsburgh. Cleveland is looking better and better each day.
Two of the listings you posted are in the West 80s near Detroit. You probably don't realize this being an out-of-towner, but that's a more "fringe" part of the neighborhood and still a very sketchy area.
I certainly would not be looking to live over there. Rule of thumb is West 80s/90s off Detroit = Bad.
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