Wait – you moved to Cleveland?
Six months ago my husband and I packed up our house, our son, our cat, our hopes, our dreams, and our 28 houseplants that would die outside somewhere on the Ohio Turnpike, and moved from Chicago to Cleveland.
When I told people in Chicago that I was moving to Cleveland I was asked the same questions over and over again:
“What?”
“Why?”
“Really?”
“For real for real?”
“No. But why?”
“That makes no sense. Do you know that makes no sense?”
In Chicago I produced a monthly storytelling show, Story Club, and my last Story Club Chicago show was basically a Cleveland roast, with various Chicago-based performers giving their overwhelmingly negative opinions on that other metropolis on that other lake. And I understood their overwhelmingly negative reactions to my new home of choice because, before I first visited Cleveland, here had been my thoughts on the city:
It is surrounded by a belt of rust that will cut you/stain your pants
Water there catches on fire
It smells bad (probably)
The sun doesn’t shine because all of the smoke from the constant water fires
LeBron James is a guy
If it was cool I would have heard more about it
But then I met my husband, who’s from the area, and started visiting his parents for holidays. Last Christmas we were visiting and it was unseasonably warm (thanks global climate change deniers!) and I had eaten my body weight in chocolate and so was motivated to go out for one of only six runs I have gone on in my entire life. I ran up and down country roads and I ran past a house for sale. It sat back from the road, on some property, and looked nice. In Chicago such a house would cost, minimum, $600,000 + your first born child + your soul + all of your future happiness + another $75,000.
When I got back to my in-laws’ I looked up the price of the house. It was a four bedroom, two bath, 1800 square feet, $135,000. That, to you, may seem like a reasonable home price. To me, a resident of Chicago for 14 years, it seemed like a really mean joke. There’s no way! No way that a home, with walls, and doors, and not ghosts and not black mold and not a situation where you live there with three other families, could actually cost an amount of money that I could reasonably pay. No. Fucking. Way.
But it was true. I spent the rest of Christmas looking at local homes online. My husband pointed out that my job back in Chicago had a branch out here and I could transfer. My young son could have in-town grandparents. My husband could start up the business he’d been dreaming of for years. We could have a house. We could all, as a family, smell 82% less urine on a day-to-day basis.
So we moved. When I got here in June I was overwhelmed and excited and eager to blend in. I immediately had to stop driving as though I was in Chicago, which is where you sit in dead stop traffic for 45 minutes and then, when it finally opens up, actively try to murder people with your horn and your middle finger of rage. I tried to be less aggressive in general, more Midwest nice, and stop assuming that everyone else on the sidewalk is a robber or, worse, a tourist. But it would come out that I was from Chicago – I’d give something away in my mannerisms or my inability to respond when some stranger said something nice to me. “I’m from Chicago,” I’d say. “Oh,” they’d respond. “Chicago’s great! Why would you leave it and move here?”
People of Cleveland: This is an intervention. Come in here. It’s all people who love you. Sit down in this comfortable chair. Wrap this shawl around your shoulders. Take this mug of hot chocolate. And look me directly in my lovely blue eyes as I stare deeply back into yours and say: Your city is cool. OK? Your city is cool. In many ways, it’s better than Chicago. When your football team loses no one calls for the actual death of the quarterback. Really, Cleveland doesn’t suck. At all. You don’t have to apologize to people for living here. Like, it’s nice here. It’s clean. It smells good. There are pretty vistas and shit. When I go out to a bar and order the fanciest cocktail I can think of, it arrives promptly and is well-made and costs less than $10. A single digit cocktail! That shit is amazing! And no one in the bar tries to fight me while I’m drinking it! The people here are nice, not Midwestern-nice like those turds up in Minnesota, but nice-nice. You are approachable. You are affordable. You are a city where an artist can come and do their art and live in a house that isn’t also overrun with rats, unless rats are integral to your art, in which case, you do you.
Cool people are doing cool shit here. There’s a thriving food scene and a thriving comedy scene and a thriving theater scene and a thriving music scene and a thriving storytelling scene. Don’t be down on yourselves. Yes, the city is small, and yes, Tremont and Ohio City are the same fucking place even though you insist on pretending that they’re different, and yes, much of your lakefront is off limits because you have to mine it for steel or whatever the fuck all those cranes do. But it’s nice here. I like it here. I’m happy here. So stop asking me why on earth I left Chicago for Cleveland. Believe in yourself. And next time you see me, say, “Fuck yeah you’re here.”
This article appears in Dec 2-8, 2015.
Fellow “mover” here. I actually grew up in Rocky River, moved to Michigan, and came back with my husband as an adult. Cleveland has so many pluses, truly. Three of the biggest, in my mind: Metroparks/National Park, lack of traffic (truly outstanding), and the Cleveland Orchestra/music scene (outstanding).
Thanks for a funny and sweet piece on why you love Cleveland!
Moved from my hometown if LA in June of ’94. No intention of going back!
Thanks for this. I just recently move to Cleveland from warm and turquoise beaches of Puerto Rico. Was a little scary at first. Im a professional Photographer for more than 15 years back on the island and now I have to restart my career from 0, in a place that no one know me or know my work and change my primary language, Spanish to my second one, English (that is a little rusty). To be sincere I came to Cleveland with doubt thanks to the things I read on the internet. Once here I star to explore the city and I most say, I love it. When I know new locals a lot of people came with words of pessimism and the classic “Why you leave such a beautiful place to came here to freeze yourself” ect. Its sad that some people in the city take that approach, I find that only young people and other artist are the ones that said to me “it’s great that you are here we are living a progressive and beautiful time on Cleveland, the city its growing and we have a lot of things to offer”
I wish you and your family the best things on this new adventure in Cleveland.
Att. Alberto Pérez
@Nostikof
Tremont and Ohio City are vastly different but other than that I like your persistence
Boomeranger here. I moved back to Cleveland in 1994 after nine years living near Boston. Cleveland’s advantages: Nicer people. People actually use turn signals when they drive. More affordability. Cultural amenities which easily match those of larger cities. Metroparks rules.
Have I ever regretted moving back? Never. Not for one moment, ever.
Born and bred Clevelander and I have never, not even once apologized for Cleveland. I love this city and her people. I love when people from other places realize we aren’t the cess pit that the whole nation likes to claim we are.
Moving to Tremont next month! I needed to read this today! Thanks….
Totally moved here in June after 11 years in Chicago. Best. Decision. Ever. Our 3 little kids have 2 sets of grandparents in town now…life is easier…and I am no longer a Cleveland fan in enemy territory. WE LOVE IT! We miss our friends in Logan Square, but we’re happy to be here. I, surprisingly, do not miss Chicago at all.
Welcome to Cleveland, and thanks for your kind words about our community. The inferiority complex here is a real problem. We do need to stop apologizing for not being Chicago, New York, Boston, etc. We do have a ton of positives to offer. But sadly, even people who are trying to rebuild the city and make a difference continue to get asked, “if you’re so good at what you do, why are you still here?” I made a film a few years ago that actually went somewhere, and the local media was never interested in covering us (even though a few of their own news anchors were IN the movie) because we were local. They would cover all of the big-budget Hollywood movies that came to town, but if they found out we were locally based, they weren’t interested. And it’s such a shame. This is the primary reason a lot of people leave and go elsewhere to places where they can make their valuable contributions without banging their heads against brick walls.
I’m packing my things. Movers have been called. Coming home go CLE. The Best Location in the Nation.
Total inferiority complex.
I grew up on the west side (Old Brooklyn) in the 80s. I went to public schools, so was bussed to the east side a lot. And, yeah, at the time I couldn’t wait to get the hell out. I moved to Chicago, lived there 7 years, and then NYC, where I am now. A few years back I came back to Cleveland to live for nearly a year to take a break from NYC after grad school. I was a bartender at a couple of popular places, and I can’t tell you how many times people–who seemed like they were reasonably successful and enjoying their lives–asked me why the hell I came back to Cleveland. It saddened me! Cleveland once had a publicity problem; now, like the author says, it’s Clevelanders who have to catch up and realize that the underdog has emerged and people are wising up.
But if we keep telling people it’s cool a full house won’t be as cheap as a studio apartment in most other big cities anymore.
Love this town. I’ve lived in Chicago, Denver and San Diego, but I like Cleveland the best. I’ll die here!
Originally from Akron and was a CLE doubter – moved to NYC for three years and moved back to Ohio via Cleveland. Love this city!
Moved to Cleveland for college 12 years ago and haven’t left. There’s never really been a reason to leave. Cleveland has continued to be a great place to live. I love that I was able to buy a nice house at age 23 and enjoy all Cleveland has to offer. Don’t think I’m going anywhere because the next thing for me is kids and Cleveland is going to be a great place to raise them!
Oh my god…this is fantastic!! I moved here in June from Chicago…by choice too! Love this post, especially the part about changing how you drive😊
There a LOT of pluses here, most of them largely unknown to the rest of the world. But there also are things we need to fix. Poverty. Corruption. Suburban sprawl. The downward spiral in public transportation (which was once excellent for a city this size, and still could be again). The school system. The crime (both the reality, which is bad, and the perception which is perhaps even a bit worse). The difficulty that young and/or minority people have getting started. I say these things not to put my city down but to say we need to fix them so it can live up to its potential as a truly great city.
I have lived in San Diego. Denver. San Francisco. Hawaii. Portland (born and raised). Las Vegas. And Cleveland. Hands down – Cleveland is the best. No natural disasters besides skinny tornados. With the money you save in housing – fly to somewhere sunny for a week mid winter. Food is awesome and cheap. Drinks – cheap…. One time I bought a shot for the whole bar (packed) and I only paid $225. We have inferiority complex because we don’t want you to have incentive to move here. But if you do – we will welcome you. Oh btw- leasing commercial real estate > $20/sq ft ALL IN.
Glad it’s working out well for you. Hopefully the city has changed (for the better, that is) since I departed (!).
While it’s great that the author speaks so highly of Cleveland, why knock Minnesota? I know lots of nice people there, no “turds”.
I spent a year in Florida, four years in San Antonio. And I couldn’t wait to come back to Cleveland! I love it here!
I just moved from Manhattan and was born and breed there for 35 years. I’d visit Cleveland every winter to spend the holidays with my mothers side of the family and it was a nice break from NYC. I moved for family medical purposes and was and still am freaking out that soon I won’t have my wonderful house in Manhattan where I can buy tampons at 4am and have anything and every thing in the world delivered to my door in under five minutes. This article had me pissing myself laughing. That’s literally( minus the kids and husband) how I feel and that’s what everyone said. Cleveland is different in many good ways and has the potential to be like a more sprawled out Brooklyn. I reside in Ohio city in a new building so it feels like NYC but people are nice here. Living is cheap and the summer was amazing. It’s nice not to spend $2000 a month on groceries. The drivers here are by far the worst. I drive in Manhattan to work or rather did, and I’d take a yellow angry taxi driver over a highway driver any day. Aside from that ( and please someone tell me if they know a place with good New York type pizza) it’s better than I had given Cleveland credit for. Dana you are an inspiration to us newcomers that have moved from more thriving cities to Cleveland. Spread the word that Cleveland does rock
Transplanted east coaster from Philly and Boston here. Lived on the east side for 18 years and love our life here! The parks and museums and arts and sports (despite the Browns) are all awesome. Also, I can go from the east side to the west side (egad!) for word in less than 35 minutes. Try that is ANY other cool city!
You have to go eat at Barroco Grill in Lakewood, my brother and dad own it, we opened in 2011 and ever since then it’s been known as one of the best Latin restaurants in the city. I’m currently stationed in Virginia but will be moving back soon, hope you enjoy it! Tell them Alejandro sent you (Juan’s brother, Carlos’ son).
Barroco Grill
12906 Madison ave
Lakewood, OH 44107
We just moved back from Chicago as well,and couldn’t be happier! Welcome to CLE!
only in Cleveland is $10 a single digit 😁
Lifetime Clevelander here. Moved to the Detroit area in 2011 to take a job and got many of the same reactions from my Cleveland friends. “What? People actually have jobs in Detroit?!” I have mixed feelings about moving back right now, but I do miss my friends and family and come back every few weeks when I can. And for all the crap people dog on Detroit, it’s back on the upswing, too. They are both cool.
I moved to the Cleveland area in 1999 from Western NY. When people realize I wasn’t born here of course they naturally ask why I moved here… NY is too busy-bodied. People are rude. And despite it being eons away from the infamous NYC, people act stupid all over the state. Cleveland is laid back. Friendly. Fun. And still to this day I find neat and new things to do. I love this town and I’m glad I’m here.
I feel the same way, only I’ve always been here. Moved from the eastern suburbs to the western suburbs (S Euclid to Parma Heights). Cleveland is not a huge metropolis and it’s not flashy but it, like Nashville, has the urban feel without making you feel claustrophobic, it has everything you can find in New York or Chicago (fine dining, theatre, art, museums, shopping, casinos) and a lot of history, flavor, and surprises for people who care enough to actually look. People have asked why I didn’t move away after college, and my answer’s always the same; I have no need to. Everything I need is right here.
I’m a turd from Minnesota and couldn’t be happier here for the last 7.5 years! People think I’m crazy but I really believe Cleveland ROCKS!!!
“I’m from Chicago,” I’d say. “Oh,” they’d respond. “Chicago’s great! Why would you leave it and move here?”
Well, for one thing, I was born and raised there. Lived there 36 years (Evanston, Rogers Park, Wrigleyville). Plus six more years in DeKalb County. People have been asking me the same question for 23 years now. I just smirk and point to my wife. She’s the reason I came. And she’s why I stayed.
Get used to being asked that question, Dana. A lot of natives still don’t consider me to be a Clevelander. But they have no problem with my wife’s pedigree. Her family came here in the Eighties…as in…Eighteen-Eighties. It’ll take you a good long while. Seriously.
You say you came here in June? Get back to me after a winter here. Or two. Or three. Do not be fooled by our sunny, mild Novembers and Decembers. This is not the norm. Ask around about the last few Januaries. And Februaries. And Marches. Do you like snow? You’d better learn to like it. A lot.
Do you like winter sunshine? The winter moon? Forget it– they don’t exist (again, this year is not the norm). A week or two straight of continuous, 24-hour, non-stop overcast, from November through March, is nothing. Crayola even has a color for it…it’s called “Cleveland Sky Gray.” Stay here long enough and you’ll get used to it. Sorta like living underwater, at the bottom of a fishbowl.
What you’ve opted for is SAD-inducing gray and 30 degrees–instead of sunshine and five above with a -20 wind chill. But then again, you’ll probably never see 27 below here and have your brake lines freeze and have to drive into a snow bank to stop. That’s gotta be worth something. And if you’ve found that NE Ohio dream house, you’ll get to use it and enjoy it. A lot. Six straight months out of every year.
But enough winter scary stuff. You’ll probably miss Chicago less and less the longer you’re here (unless you’re into live jazz and live Cub games). The only thing you need to worry about is that too many people might eventually discover what used to be called “America’s Best-Kept Secret” and turn this town into another Brooklyn. Maybe even another Chicago.
Chuckles the Clown
Visiting this weekend! All the way from SB, CA. Cousins there! Mom was 1957 Cheerleader. Browns fan my entire life, no matter the record. 🙂 CAN’T WAIT to show my wife CLE. She is a west coast girl and is hesitant. Staying at the Hyatt downtown. Rail pass all weekend- Lakewood, RR, CLE HTS, Little Italy, and downtown. So excited!!!
I love teaching, but with a Masters in Ed., I can apply anywhere. 🙂
Live better in CLE!!!
“only in Cleveland is $10 a single digit” snarks joship.
Read it again, doofus. “it arrives promptly and is well-made and costs LESS THAN $10.”
They call it READING COMPREHENSION for a reason, ass-clown. What public school did you drop out of, anyway?
Chuckles the Clown
“only in Cleveland is $10 a single digit” snarks joship.
Read it again, doofus: “it arrives promptly and is well-made and costs LESS THAN $10. A single digit cocktail!”
They call it reading COMPREHENSION for a reason, fool. What city school did you drop out of?
Chuckles the Clown
only in Cleveland is $10 a single digit, snarks joship.
Read it again, doofus: “it arrives promptly and is well-made and costs LESS THAN $10. A single digit cocktail!”
They call it reading COMPREHENSION for a reason, fool. What city school did you drop out of?
Chuckles the Clown
Basically you moved here bc it’s cheap and the free babysitters…sounds very Ohioian. Will admit the food is very good here, best of luck
What is the deal with the Denver and San Diego pipeline? I moved away 11years ago – to Denver and then San Diego. Moved back 18 mos ago. Heard all the same comments from people here and there. San Diego is like solitary confinement with sun, a beach and $800,000 starter homes. Denver was great – can’t criticize it. But we love being back home. Weather doesn’t compensate for friends and culture. There is so much to do and see here – it’s overwhelming – really. How do I fit in a hike at North Chagin, a bike ride on the tow path, Monet, Dvorak, kitch at the flea, a Kentucky Gunslinger at Lola (best drink ever), and local Charcuterie at Shaker Farmers market —and on and on. Love this Town, it needs no apologies. A green city on a blue lake – who’da think it.
Sorry for the multiple posts…first one kept disappearing for some reason.
Chuckles the Clown
Moved back to Ohio from Chicago area (now in Toledo) originally from Cleveland. You hit it on the head, people are nicer, traffic is better, and prices are more reasonable. Plus Cleveland has a wonderful MetroParks System.
Fuck yeah, you’re here! Just don’t tell anyone else, we like being a small awesome city…if you tell people they will come! Lol.
Your article made me smile. Thanks for the positive shout-out. You’re right. We probably do have a bit of an inferiority complex. Our sports teams might be the death of people like my husband who have held out their entire lives for a championship…of any kind…from any team. We do like the fact that the schools are quite good, the housing is great and the food, lately, has made foodies from all over swoon with happiness (Ginko’s? Spice? Urban Farmer? Thank you Michael Symon!) As a native Clevelander who moved away (to Baltimore, Philly, Chicago no less!) only to return years later, we have become hardened to the jokes and negative attitudes surrounding our mid-west city. However, at least in recent years, I have also noticed a growing sense of pride. We have come to embrace our (slowly) growing economy, the sane traffic (everything’s relative) and green space. Our museums are nationally ranked and the philanthropic community is top of the nation for cities of our size. We’ll all stand next to Lebron, forgetting his painful departure not so long ago, as he (hopefully) provides this city with its long overdue national championship but, even if he can’t, we need to remember we can stand strong and deliver regardless. This city has grit, it has strength, it has fortitude and we can be proud of that.
Clevelanders just need to change the way they ask. They’re coming from a good natured place when they ask why you came here, but it comes across as Cleveland is not worthy for people to move here. Instead of that question, why not ask, what brought you to our amazing city? It asks the same question but puts a positive spin on it. We were at an event last night and four of us had to answer the same question. It was asked by someone who lived all over and also chose Cleveland and had nothing but good to say.
Cuyahoga Falls is Cleveland just like the MIssion District in San Francisco is Oakland and Saturn’s rings orbit Neptune.
Thank you Dana Norris – CLE is definitely a great place for writers and storytellers. I have lived in Boston area, Ann Arbor, Syracuse and, even, briefly in London. As much as I carp about CLE (corruption) – your experience in Chicago (more corrupt) has more than likely prepared you for the crap factor here. I love that CLE has water – we need more access. We have great light shows- great sky, great clouds, great nature – and cultural assets galore. There is a trend world-wide for a car-free lifestyle. CLE has advantage over so many other cities in that we have a fairly legible transit system and the ability to get almost anywhere without a car. Keep telling our story! And, THANK YOU for moving here!!
I’m a transplant from Chicago (my wife is from NE Ohio) going 18 years. Don’t get me wrong, I love Chicago but we could never duplicate our lifestyle here if we lived there.
Welcome to Cleveland, glad to have all call this place home! Having visited my daughter in Chicago while she attended school was nice but sitting for 30 minutes on the Dan Ryan sucked! And I have said for decades that Cleveland is a little Chicago with many of the same attributes on a smaller level. Many benefits to living here and pound for pound you can’t beat the housing prices here!
However for deep dish pizza Lou Malnati’s rocks! Wish they would expand to Cleveland! And nothing like a Binny’s when it comes to alcohol!
Thanks for being a Cleveland supporter!
SHHH!! There is nothing good here, no good food and no affordable housing!! Go away!
I’ve lived in Cleveland since 2004 after having grown up in Chicago. This article is spot on. When I have friends or family visit they are always amazed at how much “bang for your buck” you can get in Cleveland.
Similarly for all of the people who are native Clevelanders, please don’t have a defeatist attitude about this place, it is really a great town.
If I had a nickel for every time a Clevelander asked me why I moved here and what was I thinking…. I would be a thousandaire…..or for how many times for that matter that I have been asked if I went to Ignatius or Ed’s….haha
Great article and thanks for writing this.
I always looked at Chicago as a big Cleveland vs a small NYC. Go big or go charmingly small, but big enough. Welcome!
I have always stated that the biggest resource Cleveland has is it’s people. It is a joy for me to be the unofficial ambassador to our great city. When I meet someone from out of town , I’m proud to extent my hand & say, “Welcome to Cleveland”!!
You. Are. Awesome.
Welcome to the land of relatively sane people…
I was born and raised in Cleveland but I travel a lot for work. While I was consulting on Long Island I thought it was funny that there were a lot of really nice cars parked by homes that looked like they cost $50k.
“That car probably costs more than that house!!” I joked.
I decided to pull up Zillow for fun.
A house that you wouldn’t pay $20,000 for in Cleveland was going for $500,000 in Long Island!!
It wasn’t next to anything particularly awesome, it actually kinda looked like a dicey neighborhood to me (aside from the BMW’s and Mercedes)
I actually felt bad for those wealthy people who drove those really nice cars but were forced to live in homes that we typically reserve for the homeless in Cleveland.
Sad really.
What a wonderful piece. I lived in downtown Cleveland for four years and loved it. My friends living in more “cosmopolitan” cities were jealous when they came to visit me. As a resident of Cleveland in my young 20’s I could afford to live (without roommates!) in a trendy downtown loft and walk to some of the best restaurants and bars in the country. I had an exciting network of friends and could easily get involved in arts, culture and civic organizations. When I relocated to the West Coast, I received the same reaction that you describe. Wasn’t I lucky to have gotten “out” of Cleveland? The answer was always No! Welcome to Cleveland – I hope you enjoy exploring all the city has to offer.
Have you seen the Metroparks?? They are fantastic and offer all types of programs and experiences. There are great programs for children . There are adult classes to learn to kayak, fly fish, backpack… They are the jewel of Cleveland- its best kept secret. You can go to a different park every week and experience different things. You can also take a wonderful stroll- alone (safely) or with a friend. Or if you are a hard core walker you can join the Cleveland Hiking Club. Rich or poor the Metroparks have activities for the whole family. I hope you give them a try.
I am a Cleveland Area Lifer… I love Cleveland and would never leave. Well, except when I retire I hope to be a snow bunny and go somewhere warm in the winter for health reasons. I LOVE Cleveland. The museums, the theaters, the lake, and the food…. As for great pizza, you have to try Guido’s Pizza in Chesterland. It is fabulous! Other places you need to visit are Castle Noel in Medina for a great time, the Goodtime or Nautica Queen, Lake Farm Park, Squire’s Castle. Lakeview Cemetery, Garfield’s House in Mentor, the Middlefield Amish community and their food, Middlefield Cheese, the haunted Castle on Franklin, Happy Dog and the Harp on Detroit, West Side Market, Lake County Captains, Mentor Headlands, Pickle Bills, Pentitentiary Glen, Holden Arboretum, Great Geauga County Fair, Rib Cookoff, Science Center, Rock Hall, Boston Mills, Brandywine, Alpine Valley, the Thomas the Tank trip on the Cuyahoga Valley Railroad Memorial Day Weekend, Cuyahoga Valley National Park, The Flats, CEDAR POINT!, Wildwater Kingdom, (Too bad you can after Seaworld and Geauga Lake Park left, but for a fun day with smaller kids try Conneaut Lake Park, the spillway just inside the PA line near Pymatuning Lake Park, and that is just some of the things to do around here…..
I made a joke the other day when discussing my plans to leave Chicago. I told my friend that I want to get away from all this crime, all this traffic, all these people. I want to move to a place that no one knows exists and where no one wants to be, I want to move back to Cleveland! Now I love this city, defend it and become a booster any chance I get and even I still hold that loser Cle card for a cheap laugh. That’s messed up. Thanks for the intervention, man.
I moved her from Long Island (yes the one that east of NYC, home of the Hamptons and ridiculous taxes where I lived for 55 years), 4 1/2 years ago and I love it! I laugh when anyone complains about traffic here..the description in the article is similar except do that in two hours of traffic every day on the Long Island Expressway. I had to force myself to slow down here..especially on 271 where 80 mph is easily attainable..Cleveland doesn’t need to apologize for not being New York..it has its own personality which is wonderful and charming and approachable. It’s just missing pizza and bagels!!!
Great article overall- the only thing I want to comment on is that most people who live in Cleveland already DO believe in it- and it’s our pride for our town that makes it so beautiful. So be careful to assume that we’re all sad and embarrassed of our city, because in reality it’s quite the contrary.
Lived in Tremont (the southside) my entire life. Thanks Cleveland is awesome
I returned in May, after spending 20 years in Alaska. This town is the best kept secret in the US. I’m a Rolf Structural Integrator and came back to the CLE because no one else is here doing this useful work. Great parks, food and people, I’m so glad I’m here now. Thanks for the article!!
After being in one place for 50 years, we moved here to the west side of Cleveland in a bedroom community called North Ridgeville … from … drum roll, please …. Southern California 2 years ago! Yes, I hear it all the time! “Why did you do that?!” The cost to live in SoCal is out of this world. We can get 3 – 4 times more here than I could there. Water issues, open borders, There are slight “bummers” here in NE Ohio. Mexican food and Asian food suck! Can’t find good Mexican produce or it is way too expensive to make. Cilantro for example you can get 3 for .99 in California but in North Ridgeville it is $1.99 just for ONE! And my last huge bummer is….there isn’t any “In n’ Out”. That sincerely sucks!
I was transferred from Cleveland to Chicago 17 years ago. We have enjoyed Chicago but I was always a fan of Cleveland, with the museums, orchestra, park system, reasonable cost of living, manageable traffic, etc. Now with my kids almost done with college and retirement coming up in a few years, my Ohio roots are looking mighty attractive…
Thank you for such a great article. It’s NICE that people can APPRECIATE CLEVELAND. Is it perfect? NO. Can it use improvement? YES. BUT IT’S CLEVELAND. For all her imperfections and jaded sides….she is still a great place to BE.
I think the key is to have been somewhere else and then come to Cleveland. We moved to Cleveland 20+ years ago from Boston. My husband is a native of NE Ohio, my roots are primarily New England. We had been married a few year and expecting our first child when we started thinking about moving to Ohio to be near family and for more affordable living. It did strike me how negative natives could be about Cleveland and a little bit of the I’m going to tell you how bad before you tell me how bad it is attitude. I loved Cleveland!! The lake is awesome and some of the beaches rival anything you find on the Cape. The museums, music and food are just incredible and yes, the sports teams are an asset. Even though they may not be the best (yet), the venues are great and how wonderful that we have three professional franchises. This past year we moved from the area for a job and find ourselves in another under appreciated city, Birmingham, Alabama. I’m approaching life here as I did when we moved to Ohio, getting involved, and exploring what the city has to offer. Much like Cleveland of a few years back their food scene is coming into it’s own. Looking forward to visiting Cleveland and tell anyone who will listen what a great city it is and a great place to live, play and work.
Why is it that most native Clevelanders I have talked to seem to knock their city? On the other hand, those who have relocated to Cleveland are very taken with our city. I am originally from NYC and have lived here for more than forty-eight years. When I visit NY, I get worn out after a couple of days there.This is a great place to live. I’m currently enjoying our non-winter; I do not like our usual winters here, but I know they do pass. I am very excited to see the changes taking place within the city as well as the suburbs.
I see us becoming a destination city. Little by little we are developing into a city which is catching major interest around the USA. My only concern is I don’t want our secret to get out too much lest we become too over crowded.
There are so many highly ranked public schools to choose from and our private schools match anyone’s in the country. That is a huge difference from bigger cities
In some cities you can have a boat or country club and drive an hour to see them. Here you can afford both and enjoy them in the same day
I’m a native Clevelander and I just moved back after nine years in L.A. For family reasons and The city has changed a lot for the better. We have a thriving food scene, a vegan food community, the music scene is still going strong and even Burlesque is finally common knowledge. The Flat’s are being transformed But, the city has become violent. All these shootings over this past summer of children.. The crime seems worse for a city so small. I’m living on the Eastside near Coventry for the first time in my life, I’m a born and raised west sider and I just don’t feel safe over here. I don’t feel safe on the public transportation. The buses. Nope!! Again I’m coming from Los Angeles where I would use the subways, and the trains and buses constantly at all hours, but here, I just don’t feel don’t feel safe. Why is there such a huge a socio-economic divide on the Eastside??? I don’t understand how walking two blocks in opposite directions takes me to two completely different worlds.
I love cleveland, lived there my entire life. Moved to louisville 3 years ago…am loving it. Not going back to Cleveland moving farther south in a few years
I moved to Cleveland nearly two years ago from Portland, OR. People on both ends said “Why?” especially those in Portland. Portland was somewhat similar to Cleveland some 37 years ago when I moved there from Chicago. Now it’s a ridiculous hipster/yuppie xenophobic enclave that takes itself much too seriously. And it costs a large fortune to live there.
Cleveland has everything Portland says it has and at half the price. Adding to that the people here are great. They are nice and unpretentious. They know who they are without having to try and convince others they are special.
I wanted to return to the Midwest region. Chicago is too big for me to now to so Cleveland suits me . I am so glad to be home.
Cleveland born and bred but now living in central PA. I like it here but in the spring and hall it smells so bad outside from the farms you don’t even want to open your mouth outside. Cleveland will always be my home and I will end up moving back. My biggest complaint about Cleveland POTHOLES!!!
wish they would do something about that, came home one February for a visit and by the time I got go back to PA I needed an alignment. I am glad you like your new home.
Nice piece…and apparently SCENE agreed…so nice they ran it twice…in the Comedy Issue in December and again in March for the City Guide.
Got a lot of positive feedback the first time…the second time–not so much.
A much bigger mistake was trying to stretch “I Moved To Cleveland” into a series, full of snarky Millennial one-liners about our biggest draws and tourist attractions… sorta like taking an amusing “feel-good-hit-of the-summer” comedic film and attempting to turn it into a “hip, cutting-edge, laff riot” sitcom series.
The formula worked once, and only once.
It didn’t fly the second time around .
It’s crashing and burning now.
Chuckles the Clown
Look, Cleveland is OK, but merely just OK. The reason why real estate is cheaper here is because it’s more BORING and BLAND here! Once you’ve experienced the good food, orchestra, zoo, theatres, metroparks, etc., there is nothing much else to do here. Lake Erie is a joke of a mud puddle, compared to the great salt water beaches of America, the traffic lights are timed to stop you from advancing a few blocks at a time when driving, and the culture is a lot more homogenous than the more larger cities and metro areas. Drive just a few miles away from Cleveland proper, and you enter vast swaths of unexciting farmland. The people that diss Los Angeles, Boston, New York, Chicago, etc. are usually the ones that can’t AFFORD it! I’ve lived in some of those cities, and I would, without hesitation move back if I could! But for now, i’m STUCK in Cleveland!
Lived in Chicago for nearly half my life, and after 24 years here, I can safely say that Cleveland is boring and bland only to those who are themselves boring and bland. There’s plenty to do here, so get off your ass and off the couch and out of your house. Or else…just go away.
Yeah, I still miss the ocean, decades after leaving Florida, but here’s a newsflash, doofus…Chicago is on a joke of a mud puddle, too…it’s called Lake Mishigoss. Or didn’t you notice? So don’t give me any of yours.
Drive just a few miles away from Cleveland proper, and you enter vast swaths of …ESCAPE. In a relatively short drive. Try doing that in New York or L.A. or even Chicago.It takes you a couple of hours, minimum, get out of the city, not minutes. Be careful what you wish for.
Chuckles the Clown
I’ve ‘been around the block’ in my 66 years. We could have lived anywhere in the country, (and have lived in [almost] all parts at one time or another. Long story short: Cleveland is the best kept secret. Please don’t tell anyone from the coasts that we exist. Thanks…
I live in Cleveland by choice. I have lived in many larger cities, but Cleveland has so much to offer and most people outside of Cleveland have no idea. Too name a few, A Top 10 IN THE WORLD Symphony Orchestra that plays at one of the best acoustically built venues anywhere (Severance Hall). The USA’s second largest Theater District (behind only NYC). A top 10 in the USA Art Museum that is always FREE because it was left so well endowed. The Always Majestic Lake Erie shoreline,(may I suggest visiting the Solistice Steps in Lakewood for a beautiful Lake Erie sunset!) Not to mention Cuyahoga Valley National Park, The Metroparks system, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that brings in great acts, WORLD CLASS DINING and diverse resturants, many great micro breweries, including one of the USA’s BEST in Great Lakes Brewery, Little Italy, Slavic Village, etc…. As well as the Cleveland Indians, the Cleveland Cavaliers, yes, even the Cleveland Browns, all playing in state of the art venues. Also several minor league teams in various sports. To those that are still stuck back in the 70’s when Cleveland went bankrupt, and indeed the river did catch on fire, come visit. You will change your mind!
Hell yeah! Welcome home!
We moved here from just outside of Chicago almost 19 years ago and I love the accessibility, the low cost of living, the plentiful suburbs and small towns, the wonderful local colleges and universities and the local, city, state and national parks!
I moved here in the 80s. I have always enjoyed the city. Wherever you live, you have to visit the amenities and enjoy it ! Metiparks, the lake and the few beaches, severance and the orchestra, and the Srt museum!
Moving to Cleveland from NJ this fall. I love this article because it is exactly how I feel! I tell people I am moving to Cleveland and all they ask me is why would you ever want to do that. I fell in love with the city while visiting my boyfriend’s family and now I cant wait to move there!
Cleveland sucks. Come
In with your money and hipster attitudes and gentrify Ohio City. When you cant handle real city living, say in about 18 months, youll be out in the suburbs. The schools are bad, the streets are falling apart, the public transportation is terrible. Just keep drinking your cheap cocktails and congratulating yourselves on how much money youve saved until you leave.
I loved reading this. So real and I laughed out loud several times. In my opinion we are all pretty nice in Cleveland and for the most part we all get along. I love that Clevelanders are loyal to our Sports teams We have a beautiful water front ( just need better access) bars, food, music, health facilities and fantastic parks.
Sssssssshhhhh!!! Don’t tell anyone! We don’t want it to get crowded and expensive!!!
Loved this article. I live in Florida, but born & raised in Cleveland and burbs. I go back twice a year even winter. I love the 216. I will be a snow bird next year. Too many good things to say about the city to write here.
Moved here from Austin, TX at the beginning of the year. And I 100% agree with everything you said. I can afford to live here. Yes, there is winter but with the money I’m saving on cost of living I’m getting a great new wardrobe. (Jk… I don’t understand how to dress for winter)
I moved here 21 years ago after living in the Washington DC area most of my childhood and early adulthood. I freaking LOVE it here. Everything you said and more. People talk to you in the grocery store! They let you go ahead of them in line. The first time that happened to me I was convinced the person was either on crack or mentally unstable. DC is cut throat, dirty, smelly, the traffic is insane and people actively hate each other for no good reason.
Cleveland has neighborhoods, filled with people that look out for each other. We can disagree and still respect each other. And yeah, I will always let you ahead of me in line if you only have a couple things cause that’s what we do here.
…. If you`re looking for the Alabama of the North.. Ohio`s the place for you..
I miss Cleveland and I appreciate the writer’s comments. Clevelanders are the worse when it comes promoting the city. The city has problems but so does every city. The Westside revitalization is great but until the Eastside combats it’s issues it will be hard to change opinions of the locals.
Dammit, quit talking about how amazing Cleveland is. We locals know it. We love the minimal traffic, great food and arts scene and the incredible seasons we have. Our fantastic baseball team makes us hope, and we all love talking about next year for the other teams (except for 2016, thanks, LeBron!). Quit getting others to move here!!!! We don’t need more traffic!! But seriously, we know we have a gem here, and it is the best spot for a family in the U.S.
Oh, Dana – I wish I would have been at your show in Chicago. I would have given you a dozen or more things to do and some great people to connect with in Cleveland. Reach out to me if you want to, but it looks like you’re doing fine on your own. CLEVELAND: Be nice to Dana!
I was raised in Cleveland Hts and lived in many cities after college. I loved the novelty of living in other cities especially Chicago until we had children. I longed for not having to donate/bribe to get my kids into the “right “ preschool to ensure they were in the right feeders for elementary through high school. Exorbitant money for a postage stamp home. Most importantly I wanted my kids to have a kids life… ie riding your bike with your friends, going to the library, “gasp” waking to school. I was blessed to move back to Cleveland Heights and raise my kids here from elementary through high school/ college. I have a house I love and live in a very walkable neighborhood but without big city hassles. My husband a south sider Chicagoan and he loves it here (although he occasionally complains about it being too quiet).