What is Great About Cleveland? (Cincinnati, Cleveland Heights: waterparks, loans, house)

[nolimits76]

I might have an opportunity to live in the Cleveland area, and just curious what is great about this city. I have never been to Cleveland, nor has the city ever been on my "radar" as a must-see place to visit/live.

I would appreciate all the feedback you could give.

[5Lakes]

The best part about Cleveland is that it offers quality big city amenities that are very accessible along with a low cost of living.

[CityLightsontheWater]

Not to be a Negative Nancy...but Cleveland sucks. I live is a nice suburban area in the Cleveland Area. the actual Cleveland City is so ghetto and run down, although not as bad as Detroit, MI is. If you are into music a lot, there is the House of Blues, Rock Hall of Fame, and Quicken Loans if you like concerts as well. There is also the Agora which has lots of cheap tickets but don't go there, it's very ghetto. Downtown Cleveland also has lots of restaurant...Lola's is pretty good. There is also the usual waterparks, and amusement parks (i.e Cedar Point which is ~an hour away from Cleveland).

Another thing anyone moving to the Cleveland should know--Lake effect snow. Live as far from Lake Erie as possible; and stay away from the cities east of Cleveland. 3 feet of snow is pretty normal in these areas.And work is never ever canceled. Same with school, if you have kids. Inconclusion, Cleveland sucks and I would like to move somewhere warm and less ghetto. Like Charleston, SC. But that is just me.

[Boffo]

I have a question for you CityLightsontheWater. Why would you create a screen name just to rip on the area you live in? Also, why don't you move to South Carolina if you hate it here so much?

I'm not going to go into the whole Cleveland has problems just like I do in a lot of other posts. I understand the problems facing the city and the region, but I also enjoy living here and I am trying to do my part to make it better. The region has no use for people like you.

[Townes Van Zandt]

Haha, citylights, your post cracks me up.

Some people just don't have the stomach for a city like Cleveland. I think the main issue is that most Americans prefer to live in their little slice of suburban paradise and visit a city every once and while. Larger cities like NY, Chicago, Boston, etc and smaller cities that have resisted change like Charleston, Savannah, etc make this easy.

Where as in Cleveland, if you aren't used to walking in an urban area, much of Cleveland can be somewhat intimidating.

If Cleveland is to be considered "ghetto", then so is Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Buffalo, Baltimore etc.

I don't think that you only dislike Cleveland, you dislike the type of city that Cleveland is. In which case....fair enough. Just save us all some time and say that.

[Cleveland_Collector]

Originally Posted by CityLightsontheWater

Not to be a Negative Nancy...but Cleveland sucks.

That's about all you need to read into this yutz. Move along now.

If you must keep reading, there's always this:

Inconclusion, Cleveland sucks and I would like to move somewhere warm and less ghetto. Like Charleston, SC. But that is just me.

My recommendation for you: North Charleston

[Leafygreens]

The Cleveland Metroparks, great tasting cold tap water right out of the faucet no home purification system needed, variety in the seasons, world class museums, affordable cost of living, short commute times, and a great sense of community and people are more friendly/caring then in other cities.

[tribecavsbrowns]

North Charleston is great! Fun in the sun!

[AGuyFromCleveland18]

The people, the cultural institutions, the location near other big cities, lake Erie, the sports teams, the weather (yes, april-november is great), the Cleveland Orchestra, rock concerts (we get tons of big-names because of the rock hall), Cleveland Heights including Coventry Rd. and Lee Rd., the Art Museum, Broadway plays at Playhouse Square (and the appreciative audience that goes to them), the Cleveland Clinic and UH, the food, and the many projects under construction to look forward to.

[nolimits76]

I'm surprised no one has went over board on your sporting events. Coming from a city with NO professional teams in it, I can say for me, this appears to be a benefit. Perhaps I am wrong. I love football. And while never a Browns fan, I freakin' love the Steelers!!! Still, not being a Browns fan (or hater), I believe it would be a lot of fun to go watch games.

Is your fan base radical? I know the people in Pittsburgh are border-line crazy with their Steelers. I know that isn't always good, but in a sense it kind of unifies the city with a common link.

How about the Indians or the Cavs? Are the games fun? Are the stadiums something that impresses when you walk in and check them out? How do they compare to others?

What about the weather? Not the current temp, lol. But what should I expect? Currently it feels like I live one tick above h*ll. This past summer we went right about 60 days well above 100, with "real feel" temps much higher (think 115+) because of high humidity. Ugh. I know it's not that hot there. What worries me is we rarely get snow here. More ice than snow and it shuts down the city. I know it snows quite a bit in Cleveland, but I don't know what "quite a bit" is and how to brace for that. Can anyone give more detailed info on what to expect in this regards, and what people to do while "snowed in"?

Lastly, the safety issue. Everything I read says how Cleveland isn't good. It's been on the worst cities list for a few years, but seems to have moved from #1 worst to #10/#11 tie for worst this past year. While not thrilled, it shows maybe a sign of improvement. Is it the people? The areas? Or what? I do have a family I have to think about, and this worries me.