I posted a few days ago about relocating to Cleveland for my job. I asked for suggestions for nice places to rent an apartment for an early twenties guy. I got no responses. Now I'm nervous. Doesn't anyone on this forum live in Cleveland? Or is there no place for young people to live that is cool in the Cleveland area? Help! I move in about a month.

TTT

Gosh, you are really lucky. I've only been to Cleveland once, and I loved it. Unfortunately I don't know the city well enough to recommend any of the areas.

Keep topping the post, like I just did (To The Top). Someone will respond.

rbnwdln
we live 30min south of Cleveland. We go to Cleveland often for restaurants, social activities, etc. but since we live so close, I have no idea as to residental neighborhoods. As TG said, this message will serve as a topper. Good Luck! It is a great place to live.

I'm going to post this with the warning that in my opinion it's not quite as dire as this blurb paints it:

http://www.forbes.com/singles2004/LI...&datatype=Misc

Cleveland is a fine family kind of city, and culturally it's got good things to recommend it. For young singles, maybe not quite so "hot and happening". I'm sure you'll do fine-- it's a quite nice town, actually.

Nope. No one lives in Cleveland. The city is empty.







Just kidding.


To the top for rbnwdln.

I live just outside Cleveland and always am going into the city it depends on what you are interested in as to where you live. The University Circle area is the area with museums and lots of cultural areas, Ohio City is an wonderful neighborhood for families, the newest area for singles and such is the warehouse district. Most people live outside Cleveland and a good area to search is Lakewood only 10 miutes from downtown with lots of nice old houses turned into apartments. go to Cleveland.com it has a wealth of info on the area

I understand your frustration. My son goes to college in Cleveland and I've posted a few questions on this board in the last 18 months and have gotten very few replies. I don't understand it.

Maybe its a problem with people who know nothing about cities which are not on the east coast or west coast. What a shame. Bi-coastal is more than a word. Its a way of thinking.

It's not that no one lives in Cleveland, they simply don't have computers there...and cannot access Fodors...and those who do have computers with which to access Fodors...don't travel.

Do a search here, and you won't find a Fodors Cleveland GTG.

I lived in Cleveland for 3 years (1996-1999) while I was in law school, and I still have some friends there. Let me know what you are looking for. Most of the single young people lived in either East Cleveland (around Cleveland Heights) or West in Lakewood. I preferred Lakewood because it sits on the lake and wasn't as crowded as the east. The east, however, is more like a city. Lakewood is the easiest commute to downtown though if that is where you are working. There are minimal traffic lights and you zoom right in by the Rock' n Roll Hall of Fame.

I used to travel there occasionally on business. Westlake seems a pretty decent suburb.

I read that article from Forbes. Be glad you're not moving to Cinncinati!

It sounds like a terrible place to live. I wonder if those from there agree??

Nobody goes there anymore...Too crowded.

Someone is actually moving here for a job?!?!? About half of my family/friends here are unemployed or under-employed! It's my impression our economy sucks! I may not be the most objective source - while I have lived in the area for almost 40 years, I am trying to move out of here (for recreation & employment reasons) as soon as my house sells.

Let's see - it's one of the fattest & poorest cities in the country. Real estate is slower than dirt - my house has been on the market for over 8 months. A realtor friend says that in one upscale township east of Cleveland, only one-quarter of the houses listed actually sold in '04!

Let's see, the flip side of this is that cost of living is very reasonable, and home-buying will be a piece of cake - just don't pay too much, re-sale is a bear! Culturally, there is a lot to offer - museums, concerts, theater. Pro sports teams - Browns, Cavs, Indians. Usually one is in enough contention to break your heart at the end of the season, but no championships in my lifetime.

A lot of people are into boating, with the lake right here. But, a lot of lazy people and lame parks - very short, easy hiking trails (that no one ever goes on), limited mountain-biking; the Cleveland Metroparks and their stupid Diamond Necklace are anal about trail usage in that regard. Calling the Cuyahoga Valley National Park a 'national park' is a joke, it should have stayed a 'national recreation area' as it is just not national park calibre. No backpacking at all in northeast Ohio. Our skiing is poor too (a couple of 200' vertical ice hills).

Anyway, for the area, people are spot on with suggesting Lakewood or Cleveland Heights; close to Cleveland, real neighborhoods. Get further out and you get really family/suburban/strip mall oriented. Get a bit further out, and you can get lots of acreage at low price, if you like having land.

Depends what you are looking for; and, anyway, it will be an adventure to try life in a new city. I'm just jaded from being in the same spot for too long!!! - time for me to do the same, try a new city!!!!

As stated earlier, I don't live in Cleveland, have just been there a few times as my son goes to college there. I recall an area around the Flats/Warehouse disrict with apartments that looked like a fun place for an early 20's guy to live. The responses here paint a dreary picture of Cleveland. I thought it was a pretty nice city, nice downtown area and some nice suburbs. Maybe it depends where you are coming from.

I am moving to Cleveland to work for an international company with reps. all over the world. I am a new hire and was told I may be assigned to Los Angeles or Chicago. Then.....Cleveland! Thanks for all your suggestions. I will check out Lakewood, Warehouse/Flats, Westlake.

rbnwdln:

I agree with KathyK . . . Cleveland is not the drab city some here are making it out to be. Does it have problems? Sure, but what city doesn't?!?

I lived in Cleveland in 1996, and LOVED it! I actually lived in Lorain (the county west of Cleveland), and found an apartment right on the lake. It was great to come home after work in the summer, and immediately head out to the water!

Agree w/the other posters -- Lakewood or the University Circle areas are good bets.

If you give it a chance, I think you'll grow to like Cleveland. There really is much to do there, and there are so many cities (Toronto, Columbus, Detroit/Windsor) all within a relatively short driving distance. Plus, I have lived in many different parts of the country, and without a doubt, whenever I am asked which city has the friendliest people, my answer is always "Cleveland!"

Good luck!

We visit relatives in Cleveland several times a year and always have a great time. The lakeshore is great and if you are a boater, its terrific. Everyone we visit lives in the burbs. Some work downtown, but no one seems to chose to live there. There seem to be a few clusters of decent places w/i the city, but the above posters have nailed it-Westlake and eastern suburbs seem to be the most desirable. If you're going to be traveling a lot, you may want to chose an area that is convenient to the airport.

vespertine - I read the article on the link as well and it didn't even mention Cincinnati. I'm not sure why you would think it is a "terrible place to live." I've lived here for the better part of 20 years and love it - small town feel but with big town dining and entertainment options. It is very conservative, which isn't particularly to my liking, but not as conservative as other more rural areas of our fine country. Personally, I've never been to Cleveland. I'd like to go check it out sometime I suppose, but with Chicago a bit shorter drive it always is the preferred option for a quick big city getaway.

Although I don't live in Cleveland, I visit friends/relatives a couple of times a year. I second Lakewood and the Warehouse District. There is a lot to do in Cleveland, you just have to have an open mind and get out of the house. One suggestion I have for meeting single people is to join a ski club. They do more than ski and some clubs party more than others. Here is the link to Cleveland Metro Ski Club Council: http://www.skicleveland.com.