Anyone near Cleveland, OH?

Options
Queen_JessieA
Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
in Chit-Chat
My husband is looking into a possible job that is located near or in Cleveland. We are in GA right now...so I know nothing of that area and it sort of scares me to move so far away! What is the area like? What are the schools like? I have two children in elementary and 1 in middle school.

Also...what would be some good smaller towns around the city? I have no desire to live IN a large city.

Replies

  • Bumblebee26
    Bumblebee26 Posts: 118 Member
    Options
    I'm up there a lot, because I have family in Akron. Coming from GA, you will need a new wardrobe. They have a great parks system in the area. Crime is bad in certain areas as with all major U.S. cities nightlife has its moments. I don't know about schools.
  • Shajsum
    Shajsum Posts: 121 Member
    Options
    I live in Cleveland........i agree with everything in the first comment......some good cities are twinsburg, strongville, beachwood...they all have great school sytems...
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    Options
    I live in Cleveland........i agree with everything in the first comment......some good cities are twinsburg, strongville, beachwood...they all have great school sytems...

    I would love to have a little bit of land w/ a home. Not a ton of acerage like my parents (they have 22 acres)...but up to 2. Is that pretty feasible up that way?
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    Options
    I grew up in a town called Chippewa Lake, OH. It is 30 mins south of Cleveland (take interstate 71) and has a VERY low population (something like 800 people?) and is only 1 square mile large. It has beautiful summers and crisp, snowy winters.

    The northeast part of Ohio can range from -20 degrees to high 90s depending on what part of the year it is. You will need a snow shovel and a scraper for your vehicle, but even if you have a small car you will be able to drive through most of the snowy season. Maybe once every 2 - 3 years there would be a huge blizzard and we'd have to stay in for a day or two.

    Lodi, Seville, Chatham are all good options that are near (30ish minutes away). The school system I went to (Cloverleaf school district) was VERY good but as each year progressed they ran out of money more and more and it got harder to do fun things as a student (like field trips or biology labs). I graduated in 2004 and now live in Arizona, I can see a HUGE difference between the schools here with money, and the Cloverleaf. Arizona schools are not the best around :noway:

    My mother and father both grew up in Brunswick (20 mins from Cleveland) and it is a bit of a large town but nowhere near the size of Cleveland. It has really blossomed into a larger city in the past 10 years, and is full of great schools. My fathers family moved to Atlanta, GA about 20 years ago and they like it much better down there.

    I will say that while some choice days in summer are clear blue skies, the majority of days are filled with a sort of murky, sullen cloudy feeling that gets old quick. Be sure to stay active and aware of depression, because the seasons can really affect it up there.
  • Choirgirl37
    Choirgirl37 Posts: 255
    Options
    I've lived in Cleveland all my life. I have lived on both the East and West side.

    Some benefits of living in the Eastern Suburbs are better stores such as Whole Foods, Trader Joes, and Zigarios for foods. Plus, there is Legacy Village and Beachwood Malls and Coventry Village. The best Cleveland area suburbs are: Cleveland Heights (okay schools) South Euclid (okay schools) Mayfield Heights/Mayfield Village (good schools) Richmond Heights (good schools) Beachwood (elite area) Lyndhurst and Solon (excellent schools).

    The benefits of living on the West side suburban area is...well, that's why I chose not to live on the west side because I couldn't find any real benefit. Don't get me wrong, there are nice areas such as Westlake, and Great Northern, and Brunswick. -and they all have good schools and there are some okay malls too. Personally, I think the eastern suburbs are more fun. The homes are more interesting (especially in Cleveland Heights) The schools systems are solid (i.e. Solon).

    Just don't move into the inner city of cleveland -be it near west or near east. Go for the outer suburbs. You can still get down town in under 1/2 hr from these suburbs, but the school systems are better than Cleveland.

    Let me know if you have more questions!
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Options
    I used to live there (also used to live in Altanta) and have a lovely house in Shaker Heights I could sell you (when my tenants move out) . . . Shaker Heights has one of the best school districts in the country and it is very beautiful. Good price on my house too . . . let's talk :)
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    Options
    I live in Cleveland........i agree with everything in the first comment......some good cities are twinsburg, strongville, beachwood...they all have great school sytems...

    I would love to have a little bit of land w/ a home. Not a ton of acerage like my parents (they have 22 acres)...but up to 2. Is that pretty feasible up that way?

    many lots are set to 1/2 acre or 1/3 acre in the more rural towns. They can get a bit smaller as you get more populated. Check out some satellite images of the towns we all listed to judge them
  • Shajsum
    Shajsum Posts: 121 Member
    Options
    yup...you also have towns like chesterland, hudson....they are still close to cleveland but are a little more rural and are perfect for what your looking for...Ohio is a beautiful state with a lot of beautiful landscapes...i hope you and your hubby find what your looking for...good luck!
  • Shajsum
    Shajsum Posts: 121 Member
    Options
    yup...you also have towns like chesterland, hudson....they are still close to cleveland but are a little more rural and are perfect for what your looking for...Ohio is a beautiful state with a lot of beautiful landscapes...i hope you and your hubby find what your looking for...good luck!
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    Options
    Thank you, guys! I will look into these areas :)
  • shorty458
    shorty458 Posts: 163 Member
    Options
    Well, I know nothing about Cleveland - but I do know what it is like to be far away from family & friends! I grew up in Mass, and now I am living in Florida. Sure, it is hard being 1300 miles away from the people I grew up with - I am happy with my decision. Remember, there is always planes and cars. Also, now with technology - there is Skype, facebook, etc - so it makes the distance seem a lot smaller!

    If your husband gets offered the position and you do decide to move - good luck with the move.

    Not sure if you will be living in an apartment or house - but one website I use is apartmentratings.com. Of course you can take them with a grain of salt (since a lot of people only use that site to complain)- but if a lot people complain about safety that would help you to know which areas to avoid.
  • sleepytexan
    sleepytexan Posts: 3,138 Member
    Options
    I live in Cleveland........i agree with everything in the first comment......some good cities are twinsburg, strongville, beachwood...they all have great school sytems...

    I would love to have a little bit of land w/ a home. Not a ton of acerage like my parents (they have 22 acres)...but up to 2. Is that pretty feasible up that way?

    Cleveland is very inexpensive compared to Atlanta (and insanely inexpensive compared to Southern CA, where I live now). I don't know where you are in GA, so I can't say. The schools will DEFINITELY be better in OH than GA. Shaker Heights and Cleveland Heights have some of the most beautiful old homes anywhere -- grand old tudors on lots of land -- it is very lovely, but truth be told, the weather is ROUGH.
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    Options
    Don't mind the pic of me and my pet rat :)

    but I did find this in my image files - most of them taken in Brunswick and Medina county.

    Where_I_live.jpg

    if it's too big, right click and select 'view image'
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    Options
    Thank you for the pics and the information!!

    Hubby told me that he is talking to a recruiter right now, but he hasn't even been presented before the company yet. Found out that it is actually near a town called Akron (sp?) and not IN Cleveland.

    I would definitely miss my family and friends. GA is all I have ever known. Yes, the schools do suck down here, so I wanted to make sure wherever we went, we would be in a good school district!!

    Thanks again for the response!!
  • sarah44254
    sarah44254 Posts: 3,078 Member
    Options
    Akron is a good place. Still sorta 'big city' feel but lots of outlying small towns / farm towns you can look for large acreage and not much of a commute. Plus Akron has a very decent community college :)

    The harsh winter weather is a big change from southern living, but I think it made me a tougher person :laugh:
  • RyanDanielle5101
    RyanDanielle5101 Posts: 533
    Options
    Hi:) I live in Mount Vernon; it’s about 1hr 15mins south west of Cleveland and about 45 mins north east of Columbus. I don't know a whole lot about the Cleveland area but I do know that the school systems are much better here than in Florida (where I moved from). It is very cold here in the winter but I wouldn't trade the change of seasons for the world. This fall has been so beautiful. Where I live has the perfect combination of just enough town to have restaurants and a few shopping places but it also takes less than 15 mins to get from one side of town to the other. It's also pretty cool because our town is surrounded by the country and corn fields. You can buy a big beautiful home in the country from 150,000 - 250,000, even lower if it's a foreclosure. Good luck and keep in touch if you come join us in OHIO.

    P.S. We are very proud of our Buckeyes and we HATE Michigan. (I don’t have anything against Michigan, I have family there, but when it comes to football all bets are off).
  • Queen_JessieA
    Queen_JessieA Posts: 1,059 Member
    Options
    Hi:) I live in Mount Vernon; it’s about 1hr 15mins south west of Cleveland and about 45 mins north east of Columbus. I don't know a whole lot about the Cleveland area but I do know that the school systems are much better here than in Florida (where I moved from). It is very cold here in the winter but I wouldn't trade the change of seasons for the world. This fall has been so beautiful. Where I live has the perfect combination of just enough town to have restaurants and a few shopping places but it also takes less than 15 mins to get from one side of town to the other. It's also pretty cool because our town is surrounded by the country and corn fields. You can buy a big beautiful home in the country from 150,000 - 250,000, even lower if it's a foreclosure. Good luck and keep in touch if you come join us in OHIO.

    P.S. We are very proud of our Buckeyes and we HATE Michigan. (I don’t have anything against Michigan, I have family there, but when it comes to football all bets are off).

    Thanks! I will definitely keep you guys posted :) And thanks for all of the information!!
  • SKHaz1
    SKHaz1 Posts: 145 Member
    Options
    Just saw this post. If you still need some info I'd be glad to help!

    Try looking for places to live around Richfield or Hinckley. They are located between Cleveland and Akron. They have subdivisions, but also have homes available with acreage like you requested. Its beautiful and hilly...you have the benefits of being close to both Akron and Cleveland, but its definitely got a small town feel to it. In general most of the outer ring suburbs in cleveland have pretty good school systems. I grew up in Broadview Heights, and we have a great school system along with North Royalton, and Strongsville. I am not very familiar with how school systems are in the Akron area.

    Cleveland is a great place to live! Lots to do in the area! But buckle up for a true winter! I love having all 4 seasons...but then again I dont know what it feels like not to!

    Hope this helps, and wasn't redundant from previous posts!

Categories