Just today, I found myself on a winding road lined with homes on large lots that ran along a river and took me past both a pretty little community park and a country club.
But it wasn’t Pepper Pike or Moreland Hills.
It was Elyria.
The median home sale price in Elyria is $139,000 (much less than the $495,000 in Pepper Pike or the $505,000 in Moreland Hills).
Why do I mention this? Because as much work as we put into this issue (and it is months of gathering data and analyzing it) it’s still just a guide. There are so many beautiful places to live in Northeast Ohio. It's a question of finding the right fit for you.
That’s why we print the data for all 77 suburbs we track, not just the 20 at the top of the list. Looking for low taxes? Our charts will point you toward the likes of Amherst and Mentor. Or maybe you have no intention of moving but would like to see how your city stacks up? We’ve got you covered there, too. Our education information is also a valuable tool, especially since the pandemic has put a two-year halt on the state-issued grades for school districts across the state of Ohio.
I live in Avon, which scores decently high on education and has nice housing appreciation. But what I love most about where I live is that, this month, I’ll be able to walk two houses over and attend the graduation party of a boy I’ve watched play kickball, baseball and tag his whole life on our cul-de-sac. And he’s just one of two dozen or so kids who have grown up with mine as we parents watch them take the school bus for the first time, drive for the first time and then head off for college.
So, while the numbers are a huge help, maybe the real lesson is that the data can only take you so far — and it’s really the people who make the place.
