- Photo Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
National love for Lakewood is making the rounds on Twitter today, after Business Insider named the Cleveland suburb one of the 10 most exciting small cities in America.
To gauge just how exciting Lakewood is, the folks over at BI evaluated six criteria:
1. Nightlife per capita (bars, clubs, comedy, etc.)
2. Live music venues per capita
3. Active life options per capita (parks, outdoor activities, etc.)
4. Fast Food restaurants per capita (the fewer the better)
5. Percentage of restaurants that are fast food (the lower the better)
6. Percentage of young residents ages 20 to 34 (the higher the better)
Lakewood schooled the nation’s other small cities in pretty much every category.
Here’s the write-up:
Resident Ohio native David Cross (of awesome lists about Columbus fame) says he can attest to Lakewood’s eligibility for our top 10. The numbers say that, out of all the criteria we measured, this Cleveland suburb ranked highest for things related to active life. This isn’t really surprising when you consider all of the things to do on and around Lake Erie. Things like the Lakewood Park and the Rocky River Reservation.
In the town proper, there’s a pretty happening (does the 20 to 34 crowd, 24 percent of Lakewood, even say that?) nightlife scene along Madison and Detroit Avenues. There are even places lauded for their dual specialisation in grub and brews, such as Melt (with its deep fried sandwiches) and and Buckeye Beer Engine, which is renowned in the area for its burgers. Best of all, they aren’t chains; only 7 percent of restaurants in Lakewood are, which is something to be excited about.
We’ll go ahead and forward this on to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This article appears in Dec 18-24, 2013.
The Lakewood Peace Stone, part of the National Coast-to-Coast ‘Great American Peace Trail’ and the ‘Worlds Children Peace Monument’ (WCPM) was dedicated at the new Lakewood Park as Official part of the 2013 International Peace Day Activities.
The Lakewood Peace Stone Committee thanked Rep. Marsha Fudge and Senator Michael Skindell (D) for their support for making the worthwhile peace project a success and Lakewood Mayor Michael P. Summers for making it a reality to the children of Lakewood! In the historic re-unification of the North Coast Community, as part of the Iceality Silver Revelation, North East Ohio Area has been ‘branded’ as the Home of the Environmental Art(s) Movement by the International Center for Environmental Arts (ICEA) as a ‘Cultural Industry’, to foster civic identity, cultivate jobs and tourism, and brand Ohio Environmental Arts and Culture District in the Bioregion.
“We now have the power to make this World a beautiful place one child at a time. Begin with your own child and watch how that child radiates towards the other Worlds children.” says Ambassador Renate.
The “Worlds Children Peace Monument” (WCPM) and the “Great American Peace Trail” (GAPT) Projects are international, public participatory art projects designed to engage children with cross-cultural awareness in order to attain the common goal of sharing peace and diversity with their neighbors. The peace projects utilizing the Theory of Iceality on Environmental Arts, have direct community impact through neighborhood beautification, community and economic development while building self-esteem and hope in America. They will help to build better neighborhoods where everyone can live, respect and accept each other as they diplomatically negotiate errors and differences of prejudice and hatred and instill in its place the belief in the necessity of communication.
Lakewood Park is an absolute gem……and the city does an outstanding job in clearing the looping trail in the winter.
My love for Melt led me to equate Lakewood with grilled cheese for many years, lol.
THE ROOT!!!!!!!!
All of these factors – and more – made us proud to buy a home here. Love the food, the people, and the conscious development that’s happening!
Lakewood: great college town feel and cheap rent. Combined with a bar on every corner and many varieties of food. Good schools, laid back police mostly, and great parks. How could you go wrong? Gonzo.
Hey Now! That is my Adopt-A-Spot I work hard on keeping the Gateway to the Great Lakewood Park pretty!
Schools here are paranoid and closed minded. The police pull people over at random and menace civilians, as well as talking/texting while driving, and violating other traffic laws in excess. It has also become a haven for “slum lord” land lords, who do the absolute minimum to maintain their properties, and bring the value of property in the neighborhood down. There is a bar on almost every street corner, though. Hmm. Not the prosperous, safe little burg it was 20 years ago.
When the hipsters and the trendoids discover a nice quiet town, and start pouring in, it’s all over. Next come the entremanures, the foodies, the beer snobs, and the yuppies. Prices go up, neighborhood joints are replaced by bistros and brewpubs, house prices and rents become ridiculous, parking becomes a hassle, noise and pollution increase, drunks knock you over, and criminals and thugs look for easy pickings.
Long-time older (and poorer) residents are gentrified out of town. For those non-hipsters still left, it becomes time to move. I already know of a number of once-happy Lakewood residents who are no longer happy, thanks to all the so-called “changes for the better”…and are looking to flee, mostly west. So it goes. That’s America, buddy.
Seen it happen elsewhere, and have been forced out of places I once loved dearly. Now it’s Lakewood’s turn. From blue-collar to blue-blood in a few revolutions around the son. Thanks a lot…like hell.
Chuckles the Clown