Where is a good, safe place to raise a family near Cleveland, OH?
My family and I are thinking about relocating to Cleveland, Oh for a job. We have 3 young children ages 4, 2, and 8 months and are looking for a safe area in a good school district. My husband will be working in Cleveland but we are willing to commute up to 45 minutes for a great area. All input is greatly appreciated.
Cleveland - 2 Answers
People's Answers, Critics, Comments, Opinions :
Answer 1 :
Beachwood, gates mills area, westlake, solon, twinsburg, brecksville, just a few to start...not sure what your price range is, but if you're willing to commute the full 45 mins strongsville, mentor, chagrin falls, are all nice suburbs too. the east suburbs get hit with more snow (all of them get their fair share though) during the winter than the west/south suburbs, so something to think about if you are moving from a snow-free area and aren't used to winter driving.
Answer 2 :
Without knowing where your husband will be working in Cleveland (downtown, suburb, etc.?) or what your price range is, it's tough to give you a succinct answer. Be certain to get a AAA "Northeastern Ohio" and a "Cleveland" map to help you orient yourself. Generally speaking, Greater Cleveland offers many superb housing values relative to the rest of the nation, many excellent school districts (although school systems in Ohio are under great financial duress at the moment), superb park systems, and relatively excellent cultural opportunities. Some areas are well-served by mass transportation systems. Be certain to investigate parks, recreation programs (including swimming and skating opportunities), and library systems, given the ages of your children. These vary widely among northeast Ohio communities. There are a couple search engines you can use to narrow your search. Highland Heights, Solon, and Twinsburg all were ranked among the 50 best places to live in the U.S. by Money magazine. Medina also is in northeastern Ohio, but is further from Cleveland. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2009/search/?population_low=0&population_high=100&homeprices_low=0&homeprices_high=100 As you can see, northeastern Ohio is a fairly good place to live, especially when you consider many area residents wouldn't list one or more of the communities selected by Money in their personal top choices! U.S. News & World Report offers a more detailed search engine. http://www.usnews.com/money/best-places/to-live/listing/search/ Cleveland Magazine also ranks Cleveland suburbs. You'll have to buy the issue as it is not available online. http://www.clevelandmagazine.com/ME2/dirsect.asp?sid=8742D85F320A46E1B4C566DFB94476D6&nm=Rating+The+Subrubs Given the ages of your children, I personally would consider Mentor as it has one of the best beaches in northeast Ohio (Headlands) and arguably the best recreation program in the area (Mentor owns a marina). Its elementary schools are good, but it wouldn't be among my top choices for a high school experience (it has one of the largest high schools in Ohio). It offers a "straight-shot" commute downtown, unlike many of Cleveland's suburbs. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/parks/parks/headlnds/tabid/742/Default.aspx http://cityofmentor.com/play/ Mentor also is near many superb parks, including both an excellent Cleveland Metropark reservation (North Chagrin) and several Lake Metroparks, including the famed Farmpark, which is adored by kids. Mentor is one of the regional retail meccas and possesses a superb transportation infrastructure, including two freeways and service by Laketran, which offers a park-n-ride from Mentor to downtown. Importantly IMO, Mentor is a very short drive from Holden Arboretum, one of the best and largest in the U.S. and one of my favorite places in northeast Ohio. Holden is a tremendous and unique resource for children. http://www.holdenarb.org/home/FallColor.asp http://www.holdenarb.org/photogallery/ Willoughby and Kirtland are two other convenient communities in Lake County, which is located east of Cleveland. On Cleveland's west side and especially convenient if your husband is working downtown, Lakewood offers wonderful opportunties for young children. It also is very close to Cleveland, including Playhouse Square and the cultural center at University Circle. Many of Cleveland's cultural institutions offer special programs for children. E.g., don't miss taking your kids to a Christmas program to hear the Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall. http://www.lkwdpl.org/parentpages/ http://beckcenter.org/ Wikipedia offers useful profiles of most Cleveland communities. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lakewood,_Ohio Rocky River, neighboring Lakewood, is the fifth-ranked suburb by Cleveland Magazine. Rocky River has very highly rated schools and many of Lakewood's amenities would be readily available to Rocky River children. Avon Lake, Westlake and Bay Village, further west, also have top-rated school districts. Cleveland's premier upscale shopping district is comprised of Beachwood Place and Legacy Village in the southeastern part of Cuyahoga County. Beachwood and Chagrin Falls (which has superb schools and one of the 100 best high schools in the U.S., according to U.S. News & World Report) are among the several premier communities in that area. Orange City School District in this area also is highly rated. It serves generally very affluent communities of Hunting Valley, Pepper Pike, Moreland Hills, Woodmere and Orange Village, and parts of other neighboring communities. http://www.orangerec.com/ Aurora and Hudson have excellent school systems, but the commutes from those communities might exceed your 45-minute limit. Hudson is adjacent to the Cuyahoga Valley National Park, and is a beautiful residential area. Read through the resolved Cleveland answers for much more on Cleveland living options and attractions. BOL for a rewarding relocation to Greater Cleveland!
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