Living in Cleveland - any inputs??? (Lakewood, Cleveland Heights: crime, home, neighborhoods)

[nlschr0]

Yes, there is some confusion about the east side: the immediate area of the clinic, just east of downtown, will not offer the safety or amenities that you probably want. However, the "east side" of Cleveland (in relation to the "west side" of Cleveland) offers many nice areas with great schools, beautiful homes, parks, etc, and actually one of the wealthiest towns of the US. Of course, there are also nice areas on the west side, but they may not be as convenient - the interstate

We have about seven good friends that are doctors at the main campus of the clinic, and they all live in east side neighborhoods: Beachwood (more expensive), Pepper Pike (very expensive), Mayfield Heights (several live here - more moderate costs but less "charm" than other areas), Orange (a range from moderate to expensive), Solon, and Shaker Heights.

[CCenthusiasts]

Thank you for all the information you shared on this forum, I never expected I will get definite answers to my query.....furthermore, as regards to the place where it is accessible for me in going to CC, my workplace and putting safety as its priority. What could be the range of the cost of living so to say, 1 bed apartment/house per month? Broadband/DSl connection, etc.....and with the rate of $27 per hour, am not sure how far can this go in a city I yet have to explore as to its economic implication on me as a RN at Cleveland Clinic....thanks again.

[MABCle]

Originally Posted by CCenthusiasts

Thank you for all the information you shared on this forum, I never expected I will get definite answers to my query.....furthermore, as regards to the place where it is accessible for me in going to CC, my workplace and putting safety as its priority. What could be the range of the cost of living so to say, 1 bed apartment/house per month? Broadband/DSl connection, etc.....and with the rate of $27 per hour, am not sure how far can this go in a city I yet have to explore as to its economic implication on me as a RN at Cleveland Clinic....thanks again.

The average for Cuyahoga is $541/month but the Cleveland heights area they can range from $500-well over $1000 depening on what you type of place you get. If you follow this link http://www.clevelandheightsapts.com/ it will show you some apartments in Cleveland heights. Also checkout Cleveland.com in the classified section and search for available apartments.

I quickly browsed that link and it showed rents starting in the $650 per onth range. DSL or cable internet is around $40-$50 per month, but if you bundle it with cable tv it will be around $90 per month. On top of that you'll have to pay utilities. Some apartments include this in the rent some don't, so it varies.


Lastly go to this site:

http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/l...&zipcode=44143


You'll have to fudge the numbers of your yarly pay to get the right number but if you click the "paycheck" tab it will show you aproximately how much you'll be bringing home after taxes.

[CCenthusiasts]

Originally Posted by MABCle

The average for Cuyahoga is $541/month but the Cleveland heights area they can range from $500-well over $1000 depening on what you type of place you get. If you follow this link http://www.clevelandheightsapts.com/ it will show you some apartments in Cleveland heights. Also checkout Cleveland.com in the classified section and search for available apartments.

I quickly browsed that link and it showed rents starting in the $650 per onth range. DSL or cable internet is around $40-$50 per month, but if you bundle it with cable tv it will be around $90 per month. On top of that you'll have to pay utilities. Some apartments include this in the rent some don't, so it varies.


Lastly go to this site:

http://swz.salary.com/salarywizard/l...&zipcode=44143


You'll have to fudge the numbers of your yarly pay to get the right number but if you click the "paycheck" tab it will show you aproximately how much you'll be bringing home after taxes.

you really are of great help to me, at this time, at least, I have a clearer picture as to what my life would be like should I take the offer and needless to say, the information shared here are very helpful to me and am grateful to that....thanks for the links too, I will be exploring them more to know further details I need....thanks again....

[JohnnyHighGround]

Just wanted to say that, not being a nurse myself, $27 an hour sounds a little low for someone with your experience. I have a friend who's about to start studying to be an RN, and she claims that starting salaries around here should be about $60,000 a year, which works out to about $29 for a full-time job. With your experience I would think you could get $30 or even a bit more.

However, even the salary of $55,000 (2060 hours at $27 an hour) will go quite far here. Cleveland is dramatically, ridiculously cheaper than London. I think the exchange rate is around $2 to 1 pound, so figure around 27,000 pounds a year -- but you can rent a very nice apartment for the equivalent of around 300 to 400 pounds, and buy a very nice, very large house for an equivalent total monthly payment (mortgage, taxes, insurance) of around 900 pounds.

If you're looking for something with a similar feel to London, definitely consider the Cleveland Heights, University Circle, Shaker Heights area, but you might also consider Lakewood on the near West side. Now, understand that the feel of these places isn't very close to London at all -- it's just the closest you can get here. All of these places would be very easy commutes to the Clinic. You might even be one of the lucky ones who can use the Rapid Transit (light rail) system. (Which isn't very far-reaching but can be quite convenient if you're close enough to a stop.)

If you're looking to have a more typical American Midwest experience, with a large house, big yard, quiet streets, and the whole bit, you might want to look a bit farther out: Mayfield Village, Beechwood, and Orange are all quite nice, I hear. Mayfield Heights is solid but less remarkable. If you own property in London that you'll be selling, chances are you'll have your pick of any of the suburbs here, even the most expensive. If that's the case, you might want to also look at Pepper Pike and Highland Hills.

Also, another thing to consider: When native Clevelanders talk about distance, we're usually speaking from fairly limited experience. Having been to London and seen how long it can take to get, well, pretty much anywhere, and having lived in Chicago and San Francisco, I can say with some confidence that if you're moving here from pretty much any large city, you will probably be pleasantly surprised by the traffic at nearly all times of the day. So you might not want to necessarily exclude farther suburbs because they may look quite far out on a map. We have about twice the land area as Greater London, but about 1/6th as many people -- so things are not nearly as congested.

As a final note, when looking at a map of Cleveland, you can get a rough idea of the characteristics of specific areas by thinking of the city of Cleveland at the center of a bull's-eye. Each concentric ring outward has similar characteristics, from very old neighborhoods right near the center, growing newer (and generally safer) as you move out from the center. House and land sizes generally increase the further you get from downtown, until you're out in the country with more land than you know what to do with! There are, of course, always exceptions, little pockets of nice areas near the center, or suburbs gone bad out near the edge. But speaking very broadly, it can give you a good idea of where you might want to look.

Good luck!

[CCenthusiasts]

Thanks for the detailed information, it is indeed incomparable for London and Cleveland as far as cost is concerned, that is one of the reasons so many Nurses opted to look jobs elsewhere due to its increasing cost of living....the contract which is to be paid $27 per hour will then be reviewed in 6 months time, thus, the opportunity to get an increase within a year is deemed achievable, since I have my papers processed through an agency, then, the rate given is far better than in other areas where I knew they were offered only $25 an hour, as per my research and through the responses of this forum, it had given me a view as to how would it be like once I will be relocated there....shaker heights, cleveland heights and lakewood are among those few mentioned most often if we are asking for low crime rate, good neighborhood and reasonable prices for house rentals for a start, though we are given a month free accommodation, it would probably enough to explore the different areas surrounding the vicinity, specifically that I will be working with Cleveland clinic, thus, traffic and travel time has also been into consideration. It would be by far an escape from the city of London where the money is not worth your effort since a large portion of your income will just be going to settle the bills, no life so to say, having said that, am looking forward to enjoy life there in cleveland in the near future.....

[12paws42]

Hey,

Check out the Westside too; Avon, Avon Lake, Westlake, Bay village are small commutes (especially if travelling Lake Road - 445 mintues commutes) and have great communties that are safe.

[CCenthusiasts]

Originally Posted by 12paws42

Hey,

Check out the Westside too; Avon, Avon Lake, Westlake, Bay village are small commutes (especially if travelling Lake Road - 445 mintues commutes) and have great communties that are safe.

How about the travelling time to and from Cleveland Clinic? how long will it take? I will explore those you mentioned too....thanks...

[12paws42]

Yeah, goofed on the commute time in my post. About 45 minutes. There are several bus routes that take you to CC that are called Park N Ride. You park your car at the bus center, and the bus then takes you through the traffic, you don't have to drive.

[Road Map]

Lots of doctors and medical professionals live in Shaker Hts. Areas directly adjacent (E.Cleveland), have the highest crime rates in the city. There is a large asian population in the downtown area.

While some will say there are better restaurants and cultural interests on the east side. I think the west side has its charm. Good libraries, parks, golf and shopping. It is easier to find your way around and gets far less snow than the east side. It is also growing rapidly.

Many young professionals live in Rocky River, Bay Village, Avon Lake and Westlake. The first three cities are directly along the lake. They are a short drive to the nearest highway (I-90). Very low crime rate.

Check out Cleveland.com. Read the police blotter. Another helpful site is: About.com/Cleveland.

The housing market in Cleveland is bad. One of the 10 top worst. If you buy, it might take you a LONG time to sell. I would highly recommend renting until you get a feel for what area you prefer. Taxes vary greatly from one community to the next.