The unbelievable park system--rarely mentioned
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8/3/2019
I grew up here and there is good and bad, just like any place. This review is not for the city of Cleveland proper, but for the whole area. First thing to keep in mind is that the landscape and "cityscape" varies WIDELY. The inner urban areas are depressing and tired, but there is revitalization. Some of the suburbs like Parma, Brookpark and neighboring areas are fairly nondescript--but typical of most large cities. Going east, the beginning of the Allegheny Plateau brings hills and a welcome relief from the flatness of the west side. The far east area would remind anyone of the horse country in England and it is beautiful. The far west area going into Lorain County is the beginning of soybean and corn land and is flat and boring. There are only a couple of towns that have real town centers with a small town feel--Bay Village, Berea, Chagrin Falls, Lakewood, and Chardon (which is actually in Geauga County). The others just feel like undefined "areas" with neighborhoods and shopping areas. Downtown Cleveland is on the upswing with lots to do and a great theater district. That said, it does have an industrial feel and there is unfortunately little access to Lake Erie since a highway cuts between the city and the lake. That may change in the future. So that's the overall lay of the land.
So here's the good news--Cleveland has the absolutely best park system in the United States. The Cleveland Metroparks is HUGE HUGE HUGE and literally encircles the greater Cleveland area. Probably 80% of households are just a step away from the park system, and it literally feels like stepping into wilderness. We live in Berea and the park/river run right through the middle of our town. We put the dogs in the car and in less than two minutes we unloading and going for our walk. The park system consists mostly of a deep river valley, which is why we say here "we're going down the park". There are bike clubs galore, nature centers, fishing and hiking and new mountain bike trails. And then the Cuyahoga Valley National Park is about a half hour drive from almost any point in the Cleveland area. The other big plus about Cleveland is housing--it is abundant and so affordable compared to other parts of the country. And there is a wide variety of charming, older homes with lots of character and plenty of '60s type not so charming homes. Plenty to choose from. And another big plus--the Cuyahoga County Public Library system cannot be beat. It is well funded with a branch in every town.
The downside to this area is the weather. Summers are inconsistent but count on anywhere from a week to four weeks of hot and humid weather (AC is definitely needed here). A lot of days are gorgeous with temps in the upper 70s and low 80s--but generally count on a hot summer with many humid days. There is usually a dry spell in midsummer. Often, thunderstorms roll in from the west to make things interesting. No real tornado worries here. Fall is usually beautiful and long, with gorgeous Indian Summer days well into the first part of November. In mid-December it's as though a switch is flipped and it is winter with snow and ice and wind. This goes on until mid-April (gradually decreasing of course). The worst news is that winters are VERY dreary. Cloudy, damp, icy, depressing. Oftentimes I can barely walk my dogs around the block because of the ice. It gets to everyone by the end of February, yet there are still over two months to go until things improve. And the snowfall is very inconsistent. We love to cross-country ski, and some years we ski a lot, some years a little, and some years not at all, like in 2018/19. Some years there is a lot of snow, some years very little. Sometimes it is too icy to ski or walk. In the snow belt on the north and eastern end of the Cleveland area, count on a LOT of snow; elsewhere it is variable. Spring is short, cool and often too wet. On June 1 another switch is flipped and it is immediately summer again. In summary, winter is bad but there are many beautiful days here too; it is a very green and diverse place with a lots of gorgeous mature trees; it is a top birding area since this is a flyway to Canada for migrating birds; and there are definitely four seasons and all the joy that brings to the senses. And the insects? Eh, nothing too bad, just some expected mosquitoes in late summer and early fall.
I won't get into the politics of the area or the schools--other people have commented on that for sure. But if parks, affordable housing and a great library system are important to you and you can put up with not so great weather, then this area cannot be beat. We have never seen any place in the country that has such an accessible and huge park system.
Kathy | Berea, OH