Cleveland : Ohio

Cleveland is a large industrial city of almost 400,000 on the eastern shore of Lake Erie.  The birthplace of Standard Oil, the city proper has struggled in recent years with the housing market and the U.S. economy, but for the past several years the city has been going through a renaissance with new downtown restaurants, museums, and shops.  The Downtown Civic Center is home to The Renaissance Hotel, a shopping mall, movie theater, casino, and the Ritz Carlton.  The PlayhouseSquare and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame are also two major attractions. Cleveland State University and Case Western Reserve are located here making it a college town.  And the Cleveland Clinic has a major presence  with several medical centers.

The city itself is a tough place for retirement with high crime and foreclosure rates, but there are places in the City and the Metro that many who have lived in this area might like for retirement. There are some pretty beaches and pastoral or suburban towns in the area. Some of those include Chagrin Falls, Lakewood, Aurora, Avon Lake, and several communities along Lake Erie.  Cleveland will host the 2016 Republican National Convention.  Photo of Cleveland skyline courtesy of Wikipedia and Avogadro94; picture of Historic Westside Market courtesy of Wikipedia and Columbusite. Picture of lighted chandelier hangs outside Playhouse Square.

Watch this short Youtube video prepared by Eric the Travel Guy:

Here is Topretirements Mini-Retirement Guide to Ohio

The median sale price of a home in Cleveland in the first quarter of 2018 was $133,500, according to the National Association of Realtors. You would want to pick your neighborhood or town carefully.  There are gentrified neighborhoods such as in the Flats and the Euclid Corridor Project. Shaker Heights was long considered one of the more affluent suburbs. Solon is one place to consider outside of the city, as is Lakewood, a popular and thriving community on the shores of Lake Erie.  There are active adult communities in the area (see link at right). 

Culturally, Cleveland has some of the most important cultural institutions one would expect in an old and large city. Cleveland is home to Playhouse Square Center, the second largest performing arts center in the United States.  University Circle houses an impressive collection of museums along with top tier Case Western Reserve University.  The IM Pei designed Museum of Rock and Roll is a popular tourist attraction.

Retirees looking for a city with a low cost of living, great health care, and major league sports might like it here. The city also offers much to do with their Metroparks, performing arts, music and museums, along with fishing and water sports on Lake Erie.

Tourism, Administrative and Support, Health Care

The average January temperature in Cleveland is 28 degrees, and the average July temperature is 72 degrees.  Lake-effect snow does occur in Cleveland with an average winter snowfall of 62 inches.

All the culture that one could want can be found in Cleveland - from opera to symphonies to art museums to Rock and Roll history. A big part of local culture are its sports teams - notably the Browns (football), Indians (baseball), and Cavaliers (basketball).  Cleveland's cusine includes Polish and Central European contributions, with neighborhoods like Little Italy, Slavic Village and Tremont offering a taste of the various culinary traditions. A visit to the West Side Market, which dates back to 1840, is great place to experience Cleveland's ethnic diversity.