Macedonia or Twinsburg (Cleveland, Solon, Ravenna: apartments, HOA, daycares)

[couponqueen71]

My husband and I just had a baby and are looking to relocate out of University Hts (Cuyahoga County) to Macedonia or Twinsburg (Summit County). I work in Macedonia and he works in Independence. The school districts rate about the same based on research I've done. I know more people from Twinsburg and, of course (probably with bias), they say Twinsburg is better (I've heard various reasons -- less congestion near shopping centers, better schools, less diversity, more community like). Thoughts?

Sagamore Hills is also in the running (which is the same school system as Macedonia)

Oh, the downside with Twinsburg is my husband would obviously have a much longer commute to independence due to the 271/480 bottleneck. In Macedonia, he could take canal...(avoid highways)

[Clevelander17]

Less diversity as a positive? Care to expand? Anyhow, Twinsburg is a bit more "diverse" if anything.

[LoveSports]

Here is why I would choose Twinsburg. We moved here in 1998. I live closer to Macedonia border, close to Ravenna Rd/Chamberlin Rd. I go to Independence often: I always take Canal Rd ... go via Ravenna Rd to Alexander Rd which leads you to Canal Rd! The schools are fantastic because of various reasons like dedicated to education, great teachers, free full-time K with busing, free busing to all 5 schools, free half-day Preschool for children identified with delays and there are model students along with all bused (if you have a child without delays you can sign them up to be a model student and if selected there is a fee. This Preschool is amazing!); when there has been a levy it is always justified and passes, updated technology where years ago, all classrooms received SmartBoards, schools are WiFi and keep up with technology (Nordonia doesn't have all of this), programs for children who need any range of educational assistance which includes some integration for special needs in regular classrooms so they don't feel/treated as being "different"; sports friendly; diversity; not congested; Cleveland Clinic; nice developments including older developments with no HOA and new developments with HOA - I live in an older development (with fantastic neighbors & yard) so don't rule those out as you can easily update and add-on unlike newer developments - with that being said, there are nice newer developments too; various business to help keep taxes fair; some say stay in Twp so you don't have to pay RITA taxes, however, it is not that much per year! Living within the City vs Twp or Reminderville (all same school district) allows first choice when signing up for most programs; lots of community programs some free or reasonably priced (summer camp; various activities/programs at library and rec center; outdoor pool yet close to WWK, indoor pool at fitness center, Rock the Park concerts during the summer, various nice playgrounds, various nice trails to walk/run/bike, etc); Heinen's, along with GE; local restaurants; various parks and even a dog park; very safe (except section off of Hadden Rd which you wouldn't go to anyway since those are low-income apartments); friendly; plans to redo the downtown to modernize; more walkable, restaurants, etc. (great vision); roads maintained (exception right now due to Rt 91 expansion being done from water tower to Twinsburg/Solon boarder which will reduce rush hour business travelers); various business to help keep taxes fair; fantastic police/fire departments; high rated Library with nice Children section/activities; property values go up. I am not trying to be biased as I grew up in the country and what I loved about Twinsburg is green space/parks without a city feel. I am very active in our schools and community as a volunteer. There is various diversity (I think I saw posted on this site: 75%/25%), which i feel is important for children because they learn about other cultures and most importantly, regardless of which category they fall into, there is not discrimination. (clarifying diversity before someone takes incorrectly: I'm sure you feel the same way seeing as though you live in a diverse community.... it isn't about the color of your skin or where you came from, it is about the way you choose to live your life and treat others on a daily basis!). As for daycare, there are many wonderful mom's who provide daycare in their homes! There is also a few daycares/preschools in the community. I will say that Reminderville and Twinsburg Twp are lovely places to live too and are Twinsburg School District - only difference is some of the perks (especially for the children activities) the City offers. However, Reminderville and the Twp are starting to add more for their residents. Good luck on your search!