Give Cleveland a chance?

January 18, 2010 2:05 PM

My husband and I are thinking of moving to Cleveland in just under two years. We love Cleveland for the restaurants, parks, museums, orchestra, and the people. We just want to know that we'll be able to stay and that there will be jobs for us there. Does Cleveland have a future for us? Current Clevelanders and others: what's the mood there, and is our vision feasible?

I'm originally from the area and we're going to be choosing between Cleveland and Indianapolis, where my husband grew up. If we moved to Cleveland, we would be interested in living in Cleveland or Shaker Heights. My husband (at a top ten law school in the Midwest) would want to work for one of the big law firms in Cleveland, and I may be looking for work as a librarian. We have one child and will probably have two when we arrive... probably sending them to Montessori at first.
Any advice would be wonderful!

posted by mrstrotsky to Society & Culture (9 answers total)

I don't know how it compares to Indianapolis, and I know precisely nothing about job openings at Jones Day and the like. Cleveland is much better off than Detroit. Overall, it seems remarkably stable. There wasn't much of a boom in housing during the bubble that affected most of the country; neither have housing values suffered as much here as they have in many other areas. I do get the sense that Shaker has been knocked down a few pegs over the last decade or so, but there are plenty of nice places to live. I don't see it enjoying any dramatic economic revolutions any time soon, but neither do I see it spinning into chaos.
posted by jon1270 at 2:39 PM on January 18, 2010

My mom works at Shaker Heights High School and I went to Cleveland Heights High School. I have friends who got a "Montessori start" at Ruffing and then moved on to public schools, and I have friends from most of the privates in the area. I had an amazing experience in the public school system. I've heard anecdotally that Heights High has gotten rougher over the past few years, but take that with a grain of salt. My mom hasn't mentioned any problems at Shaker, and she tends to see the worst of it.

From what I understand from my mom, who just sold her house in Cleveland Heights (she stayed in Heights), the housing market has been pretty stagnant for the past few years, but I think it's slowly starting to free up.

Depending on what kind of library work you do, I'd think you could find work. The CHUH public library system got a huge influx of money recently and built a big addition across Lee Rd. Don't know how their finances are now. You'd have a number of public and private schools to work at, and of course there are all of the universities around that may or may not be hiring.

I personally love Cleveland, particularly Cleveland Heights and the West Side (my sister lives in Tremont currently), and have very few bad things to say about it. Feel free to message me with any further questions.
posted by emilyd22222 at 4:02 PM on January 18, 2010

Ex-librarian, married to a law librarian, buying a house in Shaker. Memail incoming.
posted by chesty_a_arthur at 4:14 PM on January 18, 2010

I am from Indy, and will say it's a good place to raise a family, and the economy isn't too terrible. Housing is cheap and varied. There are many school districts, ranging from the great to not-very-good, so you'd want to investigate that if you are going to have children.

But Cedar Point is only 20 miles from Cleveland, and that is worth a lot. LOVE Cedar Point.
posted by pippin at 9:14 PM on January 18, 2010

And ... wow ... this gorgeous home is, like, a third or fourth the price it'd be if it were where I live now. Hey, I want to live in Cleveland, too.
posted by bz at 10:44 PM on January 18, 2010

Hmm. Here is the home's URL again but shortened with twi.bz.
posted by bz at 10:46 PM on January 18, 2010

But Cedar Point is only 20 miles from Cleveland, and that is worth a lot.

It's a good hour and a half from where she plans to live.
posted by emilyd22222 at 10:56 PM on January 18, 2010

I moved to Cleveland in '94 with the intention to stay for a couple of years. Sixteen years later...

I need not re-emphasize how stable both the law and librarian fields are in the area, although both experienced the self-same setbacks that employers everywhere in the country have.

With regard to mood, well, Clevelanders generally are more willing than most to show their inner-Puddleglum. But, there is the broad belief that an upswing is taking place, and among my professional friends, most are optimistic about the area's future.

If you have more specific questions, please don't hesitate to email me either.
posted by Avogadro at 2:33 AM on January 19, 2010

CWRU graduate here. For every part of town that's gorgeous and scenic, there's a part that's depressing and run-down. Being in college without a car, I spent 95% of my time in the latter (we're talking serial killer territory here), so admittedly I was far more cynical than my friends who grew up on the west side. Still, I was always taken aback by walking a few blocks to the east and seeing houses owned by millionaires of 1900, still in pristine condition.

Clevelanders have a dark humour about their city. It's on the news, in the papers, part of conversation. The beauty gets overlooked constantly as people snark about the East 1xx streets. Cleveland has a freakin' national park stuck up its south end. You may have to learn to roll with the 'mood,' but don't let it scare you from otherwise quality neighbourhoods.
posted by spamguy at 8:06 AM on January 19, 2010