Rocky River
This suburb, Cleveland Magazine's Best Place to Live 2024, is the perfect package, housing a comfortable population of 21,515, rapidly growing thanks to 172 home sales last year. Averaging only a 22-minute commute, no way to work is truly the long one, and every route is sure to be scenic. Residents can take in lakeside views among almost a dozen parks in this walkable city.
Pepper Pike
This suburb defends a top-three spot on our list of Best Places to Live, after snagging the No. 1 spot in 2023, thanks to scenic commutes, reliable schools and fair housing. Also scoring top-10 rankings in both safety and education, Pepper Pike rounds out 2024 with a clean sweep.
RELATED: Pepper Pike Mayor Richard Bain Talks About What His City Special
Richfield
Making an impressive jump on our list after ranking No. 18 in 2023, Richfield can dedicate its improvement to manageable property taxes ($1,690) and quick commute times (23 minutes) for workers.
Bay Village
Though it takes a 20-minute drive to find Downtown Cleveland from this West Side suburb, it leaves much to do within its own city limits, bursting with lakeside parks, charming houses and eclectic shops and vendor markets. And with virtually every road having a sidewalk (100%), walkability is rarely an issue here.
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Other suburbs we spent a day visiting:
Medina Keeps A Small Town Feel Despite City Amenities
Willoughby is All About Coolness
Larchmere is Ready to Stand Out
Avon Balances Past With Present
Hudson is a Walkable, Family-Friendly Haven
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Highland Heights
Paving the way with 94.2% of roads having sidewalks, Highland Heights maintains an ideal combination of walkable and scenic. Greenery is always on display at standout attractions like StoneWater Golf Club.
Beachwood
This spot earns some extra brownie points for its education stats, placing the city fourth overall. This district is applauded for a 93.1% attendance rate in their schools and a 98.6% four-year graduation rate.
Chagrin Falls
Small-but-mighty, Chagrin Falls houses a quaint 4,156 residents but keeps a major footprint thanks to a strip of iconic shops and restaurants in its historic downtown. A reputable school system (No. 2 on our list) also keeps it on the radar.
RELATED: 19 Shops and Boutiques to Visit on Your Next Stop to Chagrin Falls
Moreland Hills
No stranger to our Best Places to Live top 20, this suburb continues to run a tight ship. Reporting only five filed criminal cases from the past year snagged it the top spot on our 2024 safety rankings.
Brecksville
Defending the ninth spot on our list for a second year in a row, and holding top-10 spots in both our safety and education rankings, this southside abode of 13,607 does a lot right.
Broadview Heights
Located a quick drive away from Cuyahoga Valley National Park, with more parks and golf courses along the way, this bustling town holds much to see. With 117 home sales last year, that population keeps growing, on the heels of a median home price of $366,500, which has only seen a 39.8% rate of change in the past five years.
Solon
Sweeping the education charts with a No. 1 spot for another year, the Solon school system keeps the city a mainstay on our Best Places to Live lists. It also boasts a host of diversity (34.9% minority groups), heightened by consistently successful home sales (170).
Aurora
Bustling with a population of 17,108 and heavy traffic from shoppers at Aurora Farms Premium Outlets, this suburb still manages to be one of our safest (No. 9 on our list) and most affluent.
Westlake
Trendy living communities backed by a feasible property tax of $1,940 prove Westlake a palatable place to settle down. Well-known entertainment spots like Crocker Park and a host of locally-owned restaurants make every day a new adventure.
RELATED: Four New Westlake Businesses to Check Out
Hudson
This outdoorsy town will find many of its 23,001 residents staying active at one of its many parks, and with 209 home sales in 2023, more people are finding out everything this place has to offer.
Orange Village
Ranking eighth among the suburban school systems, thanks in-part to a 98.3% graduation rate, this town’s performance gets an A in our books.
North Royalton
This West Side haven keeps itself busy with a population of 31,150, sneaking back into our top 20 Best Places to Live, and matching the feat with a top-20 performance in both safety and education rankings.
Bath
Rounding out the top five on our safety stats, this southside gem welcomes those in search of a quiet life. Surrounded by parks and reserves, residents can comfortably settle down beside acres of natural beauty, thanks to consistent home prices in the past five years (36.3% change).
RELATED: This Adult-Sized Dollhouse in Bath Is the Ultimate Northeast Ohio She Shed
Shaker Heights
Our most diverse suburb on the list, with 47.6% of residents coming from minority groups, this East Side neighborhood is certainly a lovable place to call home. Fully walkable with 100% of roads boding sidewalks, residents can take daily strolls past a myriad of housing units, 229 of which welcomed new owners this past year.
Kirtland
New to our Top 20 this year, this standout suburb on the East Side keeps things cozy, with a population of just 6,921. Priding themselves in preservation, the town maintained only one environmental infraction last year, keeping nature hotspots like the Holden Arboretum healthy.
Independence
Rounding out our top 20, this suburb certainly stays well-rounded. A median home price of $329,000 explains why more than 94% of its houses are owner-occupied, and unique attractions like Topgolf and the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad’s Rockside Station explain why residents choose to stay.
RELATED: How an Independence Homeowner Re-Imagined Her Childhood Home with Modern Amenities
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