Three Cleveland Communities Are All About Community: Best Places to Live

Rocky River: A Great Lake Community

There’s a walkable historic retail district, lakefront access, a pier for fishing and sunset gazing, and parks in nearly every neighborhood. Sidewalks abound in Rocky River, where children often start preschool together and turn the tassel as graduating seniors — many of whom move back after leaving the nest to raise their families.

“The kids really become like a family,” says Andrea Mediate, who moved to Rocky River in 2004 for this exact reason. Now, she runs a window treatment cottage business from home called Curtains Up and is president of the city’s Green Team of volunteer residents.

“We support the community through communication and education,” says Mediate. She also runs a Safe Streets committee, and more than 250 residents participate in the team’s efforts.

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Beyond this group, many citizens step up to help with park activities and engage in conversations to provide input on major projects, such as a new master plan for Rocky River Park and the recently completed Bradstreet’s Landing, a waterfront rehabilitation of the 590-foot pier.   

These natural assets culminate into a diverse offering, and residents’ voices drive improvements, says Mayor Pamela Bobst, who has served the city for 30 years, 19 as mayor.

“Residents are our partners, and they engage with us in meaningful ways,” she says, pointing to Bradstreet’s Landing’s expanded green space as a byproduct of civic feedback. “The park allows access to the lake at grade, and all of these interests coexist — fishing, beach glass hunting, birding, kayaking, people sitting on the beach or having a picnic.”

All told, Rocky River has nine city parks, Metroparks access to the Rocky River Reservation, riverfront recreation and 4.7 miles of Lake Erie shoreline.

It’s also home to more than 1,200 businesses — a combination of locally owned destinations and national outposts that earn support from residents who prioritize buying local, Bobst says.

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“People here are so committed,” Bobst says of a sentiment that sweeps from schools to social activities. “We are all focused on creating and sustaining a community that our children are proud to call home.”

She adds, “It’s the social infrastructure that really makes a community like Rocky River.”  

Sometimes the really tough times magnify this lakefront community’s resilience and stick-togetherness.  

“When we are faced with challenges like a tornado or COVID, we function at the highest level, helping each other, helping our businesses.”

She cites the response after 2024’s tornado hit, when Rocky River opened its high school’s parking lot to host more than 300 FirstEnergy trucks and crews.

“As a city, we can set the stage and create a culture of caring,” Bobst says, “but it’s the neighbor-to-neighbor outreach that helps us make the best of really difficult situations.”

Mini ‘River’ for Little Cruisers

Winding “tangle town” roads and cul-de-sacs weave through a Safety Town landscape designed as a replica of Rocky River, complete with a clock tower, city hall and other recognizable buildings in town.

The Safety Town project was an all-in community effort and collaboration between Rocky River Police and Fire Departments, the recreation center, schools and city. Students from West Shore Career Technical-
District constructed the wooden landmarks that were painted by local artist Jenny Stratton. Harlan Radford Jr. from the Rocky River Rotary Club raised funds for a dozen pedal cars that were assembled by School
Resource Officers.

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“It’s a safety town community — by the community for the community,” says Rich Snyder, director of public safety service.

A working stoplight completes the realistic experience.

“We wanted it to feel as
realistic as possible,” says Snyder, relating how residents taking a stroll through the city hall’s park space stop to rest on the benches and watch the children zoom around a mini Rocky River. Families stop up year-round for bike rides on its play-and-learn streets.

Actively Aging Into Adventure

A zip line outing, bustling cafe and jamming guitar group that rocks out 1970s hits are not what most people expect to find at a senior center. But Rocky River is bucking stereotypes with a “pro-aging” initiative and an advocacy task force that’s looking at research, like an Ohio Longitudinal Study on Aging and Retirement, that found age beliefs can steal or add nearly eight years to your life.

There’s nothing but life at the Rocky River Senior Center. It is undergoing an expansion that will add a 100-seat lecture hall, gym and dance studio.

“It’s like a miniature college campus here,” says director Deborah Huff.

More than 5,000 adults from Rocky River and surrounding communities are participants, and the center’s programming spans from free movie Fridays to the arts and language classes to field trips to try glass blowing.

“The friendships formed here extend beyond the senior center,” Huff says. “Members get together at each other’s homes, have happy hours or go on walks together. The center provides a sense of purpose and connects members with the community and each other.”

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Hudson: Quintessentially Western Reserve

On any given summer Saturday, Hudson’s clock tower and gazebo greens are bustling with families and visitors who peruse the 40-plus tents of just-picked produce, handmade goodies, farm-fresh meats and more at the Hudson Farmer’s Market. The ever-expanding tradition started in 2008, and now it transforms the Downtown into a weekly festival with live music, food vendors and occasional balloon art.

J Hudson has been running the show for most of the time.

“It’s the heart of Hudson,” he says, describing rows of bicycles parked along Church Street and marketgoers from stroller riders to golden agers. (Hudson’s last name is coincidental, though he is a fixture on the greens during market season.)

The city and local organizations hold about 150 events annually in the greens, which include a third grassy open area in the First & Main retail and dining district. Screen on the Green movie nights. Superhero Day. Ice cream socials. There’s a beer garden, and if you’re strolling within the city’s designated outdoor refreshment area, you can stroll the grounds with a cold beverage in hand.

“Downtown is the nucleus, and it’s walkable, accessible and offers ways for families to gather and spend time,” says Mayor Jeffrey Anzevino.

This is exactly what settler David Hudson envisioned when he mapped out plans for the downtown area, says Anzevino, who offers a litany of history factoids about the city.

“The clock tower and gazebo greens were designed to be open spaces with surrounding amenities,” he says. “We preserve this as a place for people to gather.”

As such, there are no drive-thrus in Hudson aside from the McDonald’s that was built before this rule came about and grandfathered in. It lacks golden arches and looks like a tasteful cottage-style home.  

Looking for a big box store? Head outside city limits. You won’t find mega shopping or strip malls in town.

“Our zoning, land development codes and design standards are set to maintain a small-town, charming historic feel,” says Anzevino, who served on the architecture and historic board of review before becoming mayor three years ago.

Last year, Hudson celebrated its 225-year anniversary. The original North Main Street home that founder David Hudson built a couple of years after settling there is still standing.

“A lot of homes have ‘the plaque,’” Anzevino says of this historic designation — a sort of beauty mark.

Connectivity has been a focal point of city planning during the last five years. The outcome is miles more of sidewalks, trails and multi-use paths to give residents ways to bike or walk into downtown. Plus, Hudson Springs Park has a lake for kayakers.

There are 20 parks within Hudson’s 25 square miles, Anzevino points out.

“The green space, parks and canopy we preserve all goes back to not overdeveloping,” he says.

There’s a pride of place in Hudson, says Nicole Alverson, from a multi-generational family of Hudsonites. She’s the executive director of the city’s chamber of commerce.

Togetherness applies to family — and families of businesses, both local and select national names, Alverson says. For example, Green Valley Brewing Co., which opened 20 months ago, “embedded themselves into the community.” The business partnered with nearby Nona’s Hudson Crafted Confectionery to concoct a brew, and the chocolatier sometimes offers its gelato at the brewery.

Hudson has a neighbor afar, too — in Germany. Its sister city is Landsberg, and when the relationship approached its 25th year, the chief magistrate asked if Hudson delegates planning a visit would bring its town a city flag.

It had been decommissioned, so Anzevino assembled a committee, enlisted Kent State University graphic design students and concepted what is now the official Hudson flag. Historic Town Hall has one of Landsberg’s.

“It’s another way to link our two cities,” he says.

Hudson’s next update will be to open Summit County’s first-ever inclusive playground.

The plan is to break ground on the project late this summer or early fall and have it completed by the end of the year, thanks to efforts by the Hudson Inclusive Playground committee and its driving force, Megan Higgins.

It’s a grassroots effort with multiple fundraising powers that resulted in raising $1.3 million within slightly over one year. The Ohio County Department of Developmental Disabilities, through Summit County, provided a $430,000 grant to purchase the playground equipment.

“The disability community is the largest minority group in the world and the only one that anyone can join at any point in their life,” Higgins points out.

Anyone who visits will be able to find a way to play at the future attraction. You can be 95 years old on a zipline, sensory sensitive or navigating the playground without sight or hearing.

Higgins says, “This is the evolution of play.”

Independence: The Small Town Within a ‘Second Downtown’

If you’re looking for something, whatever it is, you’ll find it in Independence. Healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, hospitality — the list goes on with about 850 businesses, including homegrown shops like Indy Sewing Studio.

The key commerce district draws in about 25,000 people daily.

But what many who spend time there to work might not realize is how entirely small and close-knit Independence is, with 7,600 residents. Cuyahoga Valley National Park consumes 21% of its square mileage. And an average class size in the school district is about 80 students, with roughly 1,000 students total, says Superintendent Kelli Cogan.

To know Rockside Road does not really mean one understands Independence.

The city connects “town and country” with collaborative programs that invite businesses into the schools and civic activities, making Independence a forward-thinking second downtown with connectivity to the city’s values of small-town charm and traditional values like hard work and self-reliance.

Mayor Gregory Kurtz is a lifelong Independence resident. A strong tax base affords exemplary city services.

“We plow our seniors’ driveways. We pick up rubbish by residents’ garages. We transport those who need it to appointments,” Kurtz says, adding that $5 lunches are available three times weekly to the city’s older
residents at the civic center.

The city is ready for calls for assistance.

“We received 6,000 calls on top of that, and we pride ourselves on having a team with a great ‘I can help you’ attitude,” says Kurtz, who’s been mayor for 28 years. Major appliance removal? “If you call, there’s a good chance we can help you out.”

In Independence, there are parking lots and lots of parks.

Trails for miles and miles are accessible from Independence, with CVNP just as much a part of the city’s landscape as its parks.

“We are very fortunate to have that permanent green acreage,” says Kurtz.

Kurtz says the city has created five areas that are part of its strategic plan to guide the way forward. He calls these opportunity districts “uncut diamonds,” citing a potential for development, which includes a new residential subdivision that is in the approval process, catering to a demand for housing.

Economic development director Jessica Hyser grew up in Independence and has children in the school system. Houses get sold to family members, she says. A new subdivision will fulfill housing demand.

Kurtz calls Independence a “crown jewel and the heart of Cuyahoga County.”

Take-Action Collaboration

Road to Readiness in-service days for Independence teachers allow educators to soak in straight talk from local employers across industries. The initiative stemmed from conversations between the economic development department, schools and the business community. It was launched two years ago.

The idea: to help teachers understand the skills students need to succeed in today’s workforce, so they can stay in Northeast Ohio to pursue careers.

“The program educates the educators so they can understand the work environment of career paths,” says Hyser.

“The businesses love it. They can showcase what happens behind the scenes and directly tell teachers who are preparing the next generation of workers what skills they will need.”

Any opportunity to invite businesses into the schools and vice versa is exercised.

And educators, along with business owners and residents, are personally invested in the community, says Kelli Cogan, superintendent. “We have so many teachers who went to school here, grew up here,” she adds.

The schools host an annual cultural fair that moved to the civic center to welcome more residents to experience the diverse flavors of Independence restaurants that set up booths to offer samples, while kids prepare presentations on various countries.

Sew Cool!

Dana Rowan was looking for a creative outlet and came from a family of sewing hobbyists. But these days, many don’t learn from family. She created a special spot just for that in a charming two-story former home that’s now Indy Sewing Studio.

“We are in the business of education,” she says.

But Indy also has a handmade clothing line that is ramping up. Rowan sources reclaimed fabrics and scours secondhand stores like Savers so she can make the most sustainable garments possible.

It’s all taking off. Rowan says, “Now we are at the point where we need to scale.”  

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