Who's from Cleveland?

[Aurora]

And what's it like? DH is thinking of interviewing for a job there. How are the schools, culture, outdoor stuff?

We're born and raised Chicagoans and all we know of Cleveland is driving through on the way to the East Coast!!

[Aggie97]

I truly apologize in advance for what I know will be a really long post.... :)

We moved to Cleveland in Jan. 2004 from Fairfax County, VA (outside D.C.) for my husband's job. At first we really weren't sure about the move, but Cleveland really grew on us!

Cleveland Magazine does a "rating the suburbs" issue every year that is really helpful; they also rate the local school districts. You might want to check out their web site.

The housing prices were just amazing compared to Fairfax County!

The commute traffic was nonexistant -- we lived in Westlake, which is 15 miles west of downtown. It took us an average of 20-25 minutes to drive downtown to work everyday.

People tend to really identify with either the west side or the east side of town. Westlake was a really nice place to live -- other nearby west side suburbs that seemed nice were Rocky River, Avon and Avon Lake. I had a lot of work friends who lived on the other side of town in Hudson, Solon and Mentor, as well as closer to town in Shaker Heights. I believe that most of these areas have good schools, too, but we don't have kids yet, so I can't speak to it first-hand. Many of my coworkers sent their kids to parochial schools as well, regardless of their own religious denominations.

Cleveland is a rustbelt city that has had some very hard times, and I think with that can come a bit of an underdog mentality (much of my extended family is outside Buffalo, NY, which is similar in many ways)... but Cleveland is trying very hard to turn itself around. I really think it has been successful to a large degree.

We found the people in Cleveland to be very friendly and laid-back. Pretty much everyone I worked with was from the area and had all their extended family nearby, which was pretty neat.

They have world-class theater at Playhouse Square -- we saw a lot of broadway shows, concerts and plays before they came to much larger cities. The Cleveland Orchestra is wonderful too and does concerts at beautiful Severance Hall in the winter and at an outdoor amphitheatre in the summer. We were lucky to visit the Museum of Art a couple times before it closed ('til 2012?) for extensive renovations. The Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame and science center are great.

There is a very extensive system of public parks/outdoor spaces called the Cleveland Metroparks. They are wonderful for outdoor activities. And you are right on Lake Erie, which is fantastic.

The professional sports games are a blast. After one Indians game at Jacobs Field, we became fans and bought partial season ticket plans every year. We just loved the atmosphere there. We also enjoyed the Cavaliers, minor league hockey and to a lesser extent Browns games.

Some people really don't like the weather, but it didn't bother us at all. Yes, it's very cold, and there is a lot of snow - often as late as May - but we had a snow removal service at our house. They are efficient at clearing the roads, and people know how to handle driving in it. And the summers were fantastic if you like temps in the 70s/80s with cool nights. There is a lot of stuff to do outdoors (games, festivals, etc.) in the summer, so we were outside all the time from May to Oct.

We really liked the tiny Little Italy area for its authentic restaurants and bakeries (I am totally craving pizza from Mama Santa's and pastries from Presti's right now!).

Not to paint too rosy a picture, as there are downsides: there definitely is much less going on than in some larger cities like Chicago or D.C. Many people have lived there their whole lives, so they already have lifelong friends and family - making it a little difficult to initially get to know them. And the economy can be very depressed, with unstable employment opportunities in many industries. Because of this, houses do not tend to appreciate in value very quickly, and it can be difficult to sell.

My husband's employer moved us to Atlanta, GA, this July. I was devastated to leave Cleveland. I still miss it everyday. I've moved around my whole life, and I honestly would not have expected to feel that way about Cleveland. If we were given the opportunity to move back, we would not hesitate.

Anyway, I'm sorry for being so verbose, but I hope this helps a little. :)

[Ruprect]

Life long Clevelander with no plans to leave and I think Aggie97 sums it up nicely.

If you have any specific questions feel free to email/PM/post here and I or some of the others from Cleveland will be glad to assist.

Edited to add: Hey and we're selling our house so if you need a place we'll be glad to show it to you :)

[CleveSJM]

Born, raised, still here... :thumbsup:

Aggie97's is a great post. Sums it up very well. Weather is the same as Chicago with a bit more snow especially if you live east of the city.

Schools - Public schools are very good in most suburbs. I believe www.cleveland.com (http://www.cleveland.com) has links to good research sites.

Culture - Very good as well. About the only thing we don't have is a resident Ballet company. Steve Jobs moved it to San Jose a few years back. They still visit occasionally. We get the Broadway shows like Cats and The Lion King when they tour. We are going to Wicked in a couple weeks. The Orchestra is world famous. Lots of museums and parks. Music everywhere. Blossom Music Center or the Amphitheaters downtown get all the touring acts.

Outdoor stuff - Lake Erie has all the boating and fishing you could ever want. Cuyahoga National Park (not a good NP but more of a Recreation Area) has lots of hiking trails and canal history. The Cleveland Metroparks ensure nature parks all very close to the city.

All in all, a great place to live.

[Aurora]

Thanks for all the information! I've heard lots of good things about Cleveland in the last few years. Still scary to contemplate a move but it's nice to hear so many good things about the area.

[Celestria]

cleveland is nice, but my parents (even though they worked in the city) lived in another town.

only one thing i have to say about cleveland.. what other city can set a river on fire?

[CleveSJM]

what other city can set a river on fire?

Ouch, cheap shot... ;)

It's true though, no other cities in the United States we polluted in the 60's and 70's, just Cleveland...:cool:
A lot has changed. I would not go back in a time machine and move to Cleveland in the 70's. I'd go somewhere nice like Buffalo and that nice Love Canal neighborhood.

[Celestria]

i was just joking, i thought it was a funny thing to say

[CleveSJM]

i was just joking, i thought it was a funny thing to say

It was funny. I was joking as well. I should have put more winks ;););) in there.

We have a good sense of humor about that, there is actually an up and coming car parts company in Cleveland called "Flaming River." :cool:

[Belle619]

Well, let me first say that while I don't live in Cleveland, I think I can add something to the conversation.

We lived in Chicago for two years when we found out that we were being moved for my husband's company to either Cleveland or NY (where we grew up.) I have a sister who had been living in Cleveland for about five years at the time, which helped with the idea of having to move to a new city, but I still wanted to be sure it was right for us, so we made numerous trips to the area.

My sister also lived on the west side in Westlake and she absolutely loved the area, as did we, but there were also nice areas on the east side of town, which were closer to where my husband's job would be. Either way, it doesn't matter in Cleveland - you don't have the traffic issues that you do in Chicago! You can totally live on one side of town and work on the other.

Another benefit that we found was the decreased cost of living in Cleveland. We could actually afford a house there instead of just renting one like we did in Chicago. And if you already have a house, you'll probably find that you could get a bigger one for less money! Another benefit is that Cleveland doesn't have that cramped feel that some areas of Chicago have.

As for the cultural/entertainment aspect, Cleveland will get all of the new attractions, shows, restaurants, shops, but probably just not as quickly as Chicago would. I often would have my sister get us tix to great Broadway shows, concerts, etc - there definitely was not a lack of things to do in the area.

The main reason we were willing to move to Cleveland was because it was a nice blend of a city atmosphere with great suburbs and parks. In the end we ended up being sent to NY, but if we had gone to Cleveland, I know we would have enjoyed it.

[Donald A]

I lived in NE Ohio for 29 years moving from Twinsburg (a suburb SE of Cleveland) in the summer of 2005 to take a job in Indianapolis. I grew up an hour south of Cleveland in the Akron / Canton area and went to The University of Akron. I went to medical school in Cleveland and did my residency in Cleveland. I am going to give you my honest opinion of Cleveland and I feel I have a right to. I am going to try not to be offensive, but feel I need to be honest so I might make some Hoosiers and Buckeyes mad. However, I was a Buckeye and now am a Hoosier so I can speak about myself.

The good of Cleveland:
1) Sports: Cleveland is the heartbreak city of sports. Living here in Indy I truly miss my Indians and Browns and even the AHL hockey team. The Cavs are OK too. Clevelanders and Ohioans love their sports. Talk radio is full of arm chair QBs. Sports is a passion in Cleveland and I have not seen a more passionate group of fans. There is something so special about a Tribe game at Jacob's Field and seeing the Indians play that I try to catch one every couple years even over here in Indy.
2) HealthCare: With both the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals, Cleveland truly does have some of the nation's, if not world's, finest medical institutions.
3) The Cleveland Orchestra: This group is often called the "best band in the land." Many experts call this classical orchestra the finest of its kind in the world. Severance Hall is awesome and the summer home, Blossom Music Center is a fine outdoor venue.
4) The arts: Playhouse Square Center is, I believe, the largest theater complex outside of NYC's broadway. They have 4-5 theaters with something going on all the time. We are not talking little events we are talking big acts. The Q (formerly the Gund to me) has hockey and the Cavs but also the large indoor concerts. For the smaller concerts (6-8 thousand people) there is a nice convocation center affilated with Cleveland State University.
5) The metroparks: A lot of nice, no cost, parks to enjoy. The Cleveland Metroparks Zoo is not free but fun to visit.

The Bad:
1) The city is not clean and well-kept. There are abandoned buildings downtown. I notice a huge difference on a night out there vs. here in downtown Indy.
2) The economy is not good. People and businesses are not moving into Cleveland, they are moving out.
3) The weather is not fun in the winter. However, unlike here in Indy, they can take care of it OK. 6-8 inches of snow here is terrible and there a regular occurrance.
4) The people there can be quite unfriendly sometimes. I know, I was one of them :secret: However, you can have this any where.

I would say in general, Cleveland is a great city and has a lot to offer. There is really a special place in my heart for Cleveland as it made me the physician I am today and I even met my wife (born in Pittsburgh) in Cleveland and our first date was the zoo and a Cavs game (pre-LeBron) Best of luck to you!