Where should I live in Akron?

March 15, 2008 11:54 AM

My company is temporarily (6 months) assigning me to work in their Akron office beginning next week. I am staying in a hotel for a week or two but would like to find an unfurnished one bedroom apartment. What neighborhood(s) are recommended for a 30 year old single girl that likes the city life?

I have never been to Ohio, I don't know anyone there, and Google/AskMe searches have not been much help, except for one thread that talked about places to eat. I have previously lived in Queen Village in Philly and Fells Point in Baltimore and loved both neighborhoods. Is there anything like this in Akron? My office is near the Akron Fulton Airport. My company pays my living expenses, so cost is not a problem.

Also, any recommendations on places to eat/drink/hang out would be greatly appreciated. And I love the outdoors so any fun activites would be great.

posted by jshort to society & culture (10 comments total)

I can't help you but I did look up the city and this part of their website made me laugh

Akron, OH website 311 page
posted by evilelvis at 12:47 PM on March 15 [2 favorites]

Highland Square.
posted by box at 2:18 PM on March 15

That's the place to live.

I don't know what you like, and haven't lived in Akron in a little while, so I'm reluctant to recommend eating/drinking/hanging spots. Chrissie Hynde's vegan restaurant has gotten some very mixed reviews, but might be worth a shot.

As for outdoor activities, though, NE Ohio is surprisingly well-equipped. Start with the Towpath Trail and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park system.
posted by box at 2:37 PM on March 15

My wife went to school at Akron and when I asked her about your question, she started laughing. Take that for what it's worth. Akron is not Philly or Baltimore.

She says that Highland Square is "pretty much it", but given where you're working, neighborhoods in North Canton might be more convenient. It's going to be the burbs, though.

Cleveland's nightlife (an hour to the north) has more of a "city" feel. There are cultural-type things going on in Akron, but I always liked Cleveland better. (But then again, I grew up in Cleveland so I'm biased.)

Definitely check out Blossom -- the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra. It's relatively close and it's a great venue. For other outdoorsy stuff, look at the Metroparks.
posted by QuantumMeruit at 2:52 PM on March 15

Ditto Highland Square. First and only thought. I grew up there.

Good stuff in that area: Aladdin's (Middle Eastern food), Dodie's (diner food), Two Amigos (decent Mexican food), Angel Falls (coffee shop), a couple cute stores--Revival (vintage clothes) and Square Records.

A bit further away: Get hamburgers at Swenson's or Skyway (try both. I am a Swenson's girl). There is an awesome E. European restaurant called New Era Cafe. Ken Stewart's Grill is the go-to chichi place. Crave, downtown, has nice lunch/dinners. Don Drumm Gallery, near the university, is great for gifts and generally poking around.

If you don't mind driving, I'd say live in Cleveland Heights, frankly.
posted by liketitanic at 6:54 PM on March 15

Also Luigi's Pizza! And West Point Market for specialty foods.

Also a divey bar in Highland Sq called Annabelles and an ice cream shop, Mary Coyle's.
posted by liketitanic at 7:01 PM on March 15

Cleveland.
posted by xanthippe at 1:40 AM on March 16

Agreed that there isn't much in Akron that an East-coaster would recognize as "city life." There are fun things to do, but they will be much more spread out than you're used to. Cosmopolitan neighborhoods with interesting nooks and crannies to explore are few, far between and small. You'll definitely want a car. Pick up a copy of the locally popular restaurant guide book called "Cleveland Ethnic Eats."
posted by jon1270 at 4:14 AM on March 16

Thanks for the suggestions. I arrived in Akron yesterday and started work today. It's definitely not Philly or Baltimore...

I'm going to start my apartment search in Highland Square, but there doesn't seem to be much available, at least not on craigslist. I'm also tempted to go with some place like Canal Square - downtowns are hard for me to resist. Is this a bad idea?
posted by jshort at 6:16 PM on March 17

Try squaremanagement.com or http://highlandsquare.org/rentals.php

Downtown isn't so great. More in Highland than there.
posted by liketitanic at 11:22 PM on March 17