I was in Cleveland and hardly remember it. There isn't much there and its pretty gloomy. Yes, there is the Rock n Roll hall of fame, but I didn't visit it! Cleveland isn't really a vacation destination and shouldn't be for anyone!

Cleveland Ohio is the worst city I have ever lived in (was there for a year on contract work). The obvious dreary Erie lake effect and seasonal affective feel this city has is compounded by the mean people that live there (natives). Very cold and crisp personalities and always unabashedly proud of Cleveland like it is so great. I could never get over how they put down other parts of the state (especially wonderful places like Dayton which is FRIENDLY). I wouldn't wish any outsider to this partisan and unhappy place. I was stabbed in the back by the friends I did try to make up there upon departing.

The city also has racial tensions that make the mood even more foul. It is a fading city and who ever heard of relocating to live in Cleveland? Preposterous! I know a bunch of people that have left it and never looked back. Once the elder population dies off it will become even more vacant than it is now. NO ONE WOULD VOLITIONALLY CHOSE TO MOVE AND START A LIFE in such a mean town. Sorry Cleveland you lost my respect in the crappy way you behaved, acted, and treated this person who came with an open mind.

I can't Stand Cleveland Ohio And I was born and raised here, The rent is reasonable and the traffic is OK, compared to other cities. But other than that it sucks, The people are rude, They don't speak, lots of racism in Ohio, I can't stand it. Welcome to zombie land. Only met a few true good friends in this lowlife state, You can't be bothered with too many people in Cleveland they will stab you in the back in a heartbeat, People are Fake as hell in cleveland.

I think Cleveland is way overrated on this forum. Perhaps the reviewers are from Cleveland or the mid-west and hence don't have much to compare the city to. I lived in Cleveland for around a year and it's by far the worst city I've ever lived in. The suburbs are a bit better but the city itself feels like a graveyard. It has no spirit, no soul... it's a drained, listless and dying city. Quintessential rust-belt city.

Just look at the statistics. Population has been steadily decreasing in Cleveland and other mid-western cities for decades. People are moving south where the weather is warmer, sunnier, and where the standard of living is higher. Cleveland has a third-world nation standard of living. The roads are full of gaping pot holes. The city is littered with abandoned buildings and homeless bums. The quality goods and services is extremely sub-par. Average income is low. Crime is high. And racial separation and tensions are quite palpable.

But there are some good aspects about living in Cleveland. Rent is very low. The cost of living is lower than many other parts of the US. And there is little traffic when you are driving through many parts of the city... it gives it an ominous and eery kind of feel.

I actually know people who love Cleveland. But people will always love their hometowns and fail to see it's glaring deficiencies. As a non-Cleveland-native, I can see a enormous gap between a lifeless city like Cleveland and vibrant American cities like Las Vegas, San Diego, Orlando or New York... New York is interesting because despite being the most energetic, cosmopolitan and rich cities in the US. It actually share some similarities to Cleveland such as it's decrepit "third-world" quality transportation system... New Yorkers should be really ashamed! But that's for different discussion...

Riverlover it sounds as if someone has stepped on your toes. Ohio is not the state that it used to be and Northeastern Ohio; Cleveland, Akron, Canton, Youngstown etc. is a shell of what it once was. What constitutes being a real Ohioian anyway? I was born and raised in Akron and could see the decline of the city from a young age until I was old enough to move out of Ohio and leave the state for myself. It isn't that hard to figure out. Sure Ohio has plenty to love about nature and I love the fact of Cleveland being a Forest City or Akron the city of seven hills. And what nooks and crannies other than the major cities in the state are there really worth talking about? The arguments are about the sad state of affairs from an urban perspective, not of the beautiful countryside. As far as New York; yes I love the skyscrapers and the way in which place is built up but I prefer Chicago where there are more than enough skyscrapers for those that want that, but plenty of single home houses and nice suburbia for those who want that as well. Some variety for a change it can't be all concrete all the time, which is what a quintessential New Yorker is looking for; everything else is "country" to them. Having grass and seeing nature is a pejorative idea. Once more New York city for the most part is filthy and stinks, but that is par for the course and you get used to it and move on. Yet on that same token no one wants industry back in Ohio again. The fact that Ohio can't seem to move past it's manufacturing past is a big part of the problem. In particularly Northeast Ohio. I was always in awe of Cleveland but it's turned into a dump and people had fled for suburbia and removed the tax base and it has destroyed what true potential the city has. The same is happening in Akron; it's a shell of city even the little bit that it was back in 1990 when I was there. But because you're a nature lover and hug trees doesn't give you the right to sit in the ivory tower and tell us we know absolutely nothing about our state. I always mention Ohio, in particular Akron regardless of where I go regardless of whether the population is 230,000 or 50,000 that is part of who I am the meat of who I am. Nothing to be afraid of and the reason I do it jerks from other cities, some of which you mentioned that drew that eternal question mark not sure where it was from. They thought it was a nice place like Kent absent of any real urban development with dairy farms and corn fields. Someone from Chicago told me that the population of Akron was like a neighborhood in Chicago, one of many. Larger cities are smaller cities on a larger scale. You have everything in those larger cities that you have in a smaller city in Akron, every neighborhood, every scene it is just on a much smaller scale. It took actually leaving Ohio and visiting some other cities to figure that out. Nothing really changes; New York and Chicago are in a unique position because those are cities that are a bit more international and centers of finance, an enviable position actually. But a lot about those cities are very much the same; if people had moved into Cleveland and transformed that city at the rapid rate at which those cities had to expand in order to keep up Cleveland would be as quintessentially urban as those places are.

Some of you people don't have a clue as to what you are talking about...and obviously, like most Ohioans, know absolutely NOTHING about all your state offers whether it is in our urban areas or farming areas or forests.... I live in Cleveland but know every nook and cranny of the state I grew up and am proud to call it home, unlike others who seem to be afraid to mention it. Learn what role Ohio played in shaping the entire nation for starters. The reason a lot of prided locals are standoff-ish in defending their state/city is because quite often there is a lot of unwarranted crap hurled at them. I have also traveled the world and have seen many places, so I am not stuck in the perimeters of Ohio, as someone indicated. Those who have really taken the time to learn about where they live, all the good, bad, and ugly, know better. I am lucky to have traveled too...so I cannot be accused of being biased. Oh and you IDIOTS complaining about the weather.... Toughen up you whimps. There will be NO perfect place for weather in the future.. You can go to the sunbelt all you want and place an immense strain on natural resources totally unsustainable---I'll take the abundance of fresh water here--and the channge of season. The rest will get crows feet and skin ailment. Weather... Geeez,.. Like it is all peaches in Seattle, or Chicago...of Boston, or New York, which I am sorry to say will likely be underwater in the future... Oh, and how progressive they are there toooo... a place that for years dumps its garbage in the sea...and then trucks it to other states to dump! Look, why do people get defensive here? Because we're OVER the New York, etc thing that has these people thinking their crap smells like roses!

Naturally speaking, we are a wealth of beauty that too often goes unrecognized. Cleveland is a place that is re-inventing itself to someday become something better than it ever was. Only when we get rid of this mentality that seems to think the days of the industry were the best the place can ever be---and the only role model for the future, will we ever understand the concept that it is changing into another kind of place. It will never be 'what it was', nor will most other cities in the nation's rust belt--BUT, they can be something else.

On Ohio again, I suggest some of you look at the photography works of Ian Adams to see how interesting your state really is. This mentality of 'the grass is always greener' has people leaving in drones, who never took the time to learn the history of what their own state was all about---so therefore, there is s severe lack of civic pride that would foster a mentality of care....and one that will make the state the best it can be.

hey we have to leave somewhere have have lived in cleveland ohio all my 51 years its okay but i have been at my job 22 years unskilled labor so where the heck i'm i going i love the ocean but can i get a job there at my age cleveland is alright

Haven't seen the whole city...but I've been downtown a few times. Not that great.

Do yourself a favor - Move to Pittsburgh!

 There was no doubt that this area was pleasing. I do say that Ohio is the worst state in the country, but Cleveland saves it- it is the only place good in the state. Seeing how nice the Rock and Roll HOF was and the nearby Great Lakes Science Center and Clevand Browns Stadium were along the lake, I was satisfied with my visit. Cleveland Metroparks Zoo was big and natural in most places. RTA Bus and the rapid trolley was reliable, but the transit wasn't totally good- there were some stations that are run down and there are delays on the blue and green lines because the switching gates are controlled by the driver instead of central control. The "Q" was classy and fine for the MAC Basketball Tourney and for the 2007 NCAA Women's Final Four. It seems that the square near Tower City and the grassy mall there are fine places to see local monuments and natural urban settings. It is just that in some places, there was construction along one of their main streets, and some areas of residence were a little unclean but not really bad like Detroit. Coupling that, there is a major homless problem there. I was pleased to shop at the Tower City Center- it was classy and delightful. In addition the people were friendly there. Don't forget though, they have a fine Irish heritage, so they have no reason to have the largest USA parade for St. Patrick.

Plenty to do there, and I hope to see the place again. :)

Cleveland is really not so bad. We just may have the finest MDs here with the Cleveland Clinic and some of the best universities such as Case Western Reserve situated here. Our restaurants have improved and there is a trendy little strip on the near west side of town called Tremont and I would be proud to take any client to some of those great night spots there. No, Cleveland is not Chicago (another great midwest city) but it may be in another 10 years and best of all it's home.

while the "sin tax" sucks, the cost of living remains relatively low. You save tons of money living here as opposed to larger cities. The economy is not the greatest and the politics of Cuyahoga County truly do suck but we have all the major sports teams - and we do have Lebron who decided to stay for at least 3 more years - cultural events, the opera....etc. plus several major universities. We also have writer Les Roberts who used to live in more trendy areas of the country but chose to live in Cleveland Heights and write books centered around Cleveland. In reality, it is probably no better or no worse than any other "city" and is more affordable.

cleveland is a good town. it has gone through the worst things any city in the country times ten has ever seen. it is a rough and tumble kind of town, you gotta be tough to live here. it is cold in winter and blazing in summer. it is fun to freeze and then sweat, i love it, it makes a man hard and tough. if you can survive clevaland you can go anywhere in the world and take what the crap they dish out to you. you wont be scarred of nothing after liveing in the industrial rust belt. weve made all the crap that makes this country what it is, i'm sick of haters hating on cleveland and thinking were just a cow town. if you think you are so great and mighty, then i dare you to come to the industrial wasteland, you won't survive one month here. the weather will tear you up if your not tough. i have gone all over the country and everywhere i have been is the same deal. people living, eating, breathing, working to make a buck and enjoy themselves. haters are nothing more than people who are jealous of what you have and they don't posess, "living and enjoying life". people are weak, we get sick and die, we are mortal and there is no point in wasting your life worrying about where you live and dissing everyone who lives in cleveland or anywhere else. if we didn't have cities like cleveland this country would have no character to it, i'm proud to be an american and you should be too. stop talking crap about where i live, because i have enjoyed living here and i am pumping iron in a mad rage at how everyone is self engulfed in materialism. the lake is awesome to see in the winter, when it is frozen it looks like a white desert as far as the eye can see. this city isn't paris or london, its cleveland, the industrial wasteland where hardasses are born and bread, the backbone of society, the ones who roll through the punches. you kick us down with your jokes like a bully and we get back up. i would like to see any of you come and live here and see what it like to be made fun of because of where you live. the fact is, you couldn't handle it, midwesterners are a tough and big, not like you twigs on the west coast. NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and others are hard ass towns to live in.

cleveland is a good town. it has gone through the worst things any city in the country times ten has ever seen. it is a rough and tumble kind of town, you gotta be tough to live here. it is cold in winter and blazing in summer. it is fun to freeze and then sweat, i love it, it makes a man hard and tough. if you can survive clevaland you can go anywhere in the world and take what the crap they dish out to you. you wont be scarred of nothing after liveing in the industrial rust belt. weve made all the crap that makes this country what it is, i'm sick of haters hating on cleveland and thinking were just a cow town. if you think you are so great and mighty, then i dare you to come to the industrial wasteland, you won't survive one month here. the weather will tear you up if your not tough. i have gone all over the country and everywhere i have been is the same deal. people living, eating, breathing, working to make a buck and enjoy themselves. haters are nothing more than people who are jealous of what you have and they don't posess, "living and enjoying life". people are weak, we get sick and die, we are mortal and there is no point in wasting your life worrying about where you live and dissing everyone who lives in cleveland or anywhere else. if we didn't have cities like cleveland this country would have no character to it, i'm proud to be an american and you should be too. stop talking crap about where i live, because i have enjoyed living here and i am pumping iron in a mad rage at how everyone is self engulfed in materialism. the lake is awesome to see in the winter, when it is frozen it looks like a white desert as far as the eye can see. this city isn't paris or london, its cleveland, the industrial wasteland where hardasses are born and bread, the backbone of society, the ones who roll through the punches. you kick us down with your jokes like a bully and we get back up. i would like to see any of you come and live here and see what it like to be made fun of because of where you live. the fact is, you couldn't handle it, midwesterners are a tough and big, not like you twigs on the west coast. NYC, Chicago, Detroit, Cleveland, and others are hard ass towns to live in.

The poor Clevelander who wrote the post below me obiviously does not get out of his city much.. I find the people in Cleveland weird and very rude.. Face Billwatterson Cleveland really does suck.. That is why so many people have left that horrible place. Cleveland is a joke.. It is depressing as hell. It did not get the names and it's jokes for nothing.. It was the Mistake by the Lake in the 70's and still is.. Cleveland = BACKWARDS!!

Cleveland is, frankly, great, and I would like to write a rebuttal to the gentleman lunatic who wrote the review right below this one. His main complaints about Cleveland--by the way, he seems to keep referring to NE Ohio rather than Cleveland, which makes me suspect he doesn't actually live IN Cleveland or visit it often--seem to fall into four categories: a) complaints about the people; b) complaints about the economy; c) complaints about expired food; d) culture. He neglects to mention any of the cultural institutions in the city, and sounds like he's not leading a very happy life--(cf. the rant about expired food). But now to address the complaints: a) The People: I lived in Cleveland for over 20 years and never had any problem with people shouting "buy American!" or religious zealots running after me (though they are creeping into some of the suburban school boards... so watch out). Or rednecks??? My recommendation would be: meet new people. Obviously, there's weirdos there (and aren't weirdos interesting?), but people in Cleveland are also generally, well, nice, something which can't be said of, say, the majority of the East Coast. b) The Economy: point taken--Cleveland does need to readjust to the post-industrial, globalized world... and in fact there are several plans in place to do so. Nevertheless, point taken. (The Score, by the way, is at this point, Cleveland 2, Gentleman Lunatic 1). c) The Expired Food: I think the fact that I've given an entire, lettered category to this complaint says all I can say about the absurdity of this. (Cleveland 3, Gentleman Lunatic 1). d) Culture: GL writes "Turn on the biggest 'News radio' station around here, WTAM on any given moment during the evening, and all they have are sports talk shows ad nauseum... So the next time you want to hear some good, world class news on the radio, and all you're able to hear is how many times the Cleveland Indians catcher picked his nose and scratched his ass in the year of our Lord, A.D. 1984, you'll desperately long for some real culture!" OK, here's my question: if you want "world class news," why are you tuning into WTAM, a talk radio station catering largely to sports fans? (Every major metropolitan area has a dozen of these stations--why pick on Cleveland?) Why not, say, WCLV or any of the 3-4 other NPR-carrying stations in the area? Speaking of which, if you "desperately long for culture" (which, by the way, I don't buy for a minute from this guy), how about the Cleveland Musuem of Art, which is now doubling in size, and which is superior to just about every art museum I've been to in the country (save of course for some of the NY museums, the Boston Museum of Art, etc.)--it's better than any museum in equally large or larger cities, such as LA (it's better than the LACMA) or Seattle or San Francisco. How about University circle, generally? Natural History Museum? Cleveland Insitute of Art and the Cinematech? Botanical Gardens? Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art? They're all there... How about the Cleveland Orchestra? By far the best orchestra in the country, and second best orchestra in the world... well, they don't play on WTAM, so... How about the music scene generally? Didn't MacSweeney's Believer Magazine just advise people not to go to NYC or LA or Portland or even Detroit, but CLEVELAND for new music? Machine Go Boom? The Volta Sound? Oh, how about one of the top couple public library systems in the country? How about the Cleveland Metroparks? They were rated the best in the country... you can take a nap there, they're quite soft and nice. (Score: Cleveland 2,222, GL 1) Well, I could go on and on, but I will point out some flaws with Cleveland: 1) public transportation: except for the Rapid and a few small trains, public transportation is basically bus-based. Cleveland really needs to institute a rail system into the suburbs and, my word!, reopen the subway? 2) Yeah, the weather's bad for a couple months... but so is Boston, NYC, Seattle, Portland, Toronto... Cleveland really needs to get its act together about the weather. 3) Cleveland's done a bad job selling itself as a city, especially to tourists. The public transport situation doesn't help this, and neither are you, Drew Carey. That Cleveland Rocks song isn't helping anything. But so yeah: I highly recommend Cleveland if you're sick of cities which are completely full of themselves (ahem, NYC), are totally overpriced (ahem, Boston, SF), or which are basically just a big sham (LA).

Cleveland is, frankly, great, and I would like to write a rebuttal to the gentleman lunatic who wrote the review right below this one. His main complaints about Cleveland--by the way, he seems to keep referring to NE Ohio rather than Cleveland, which makes me suspect he doesn't actually live IN Cleveland or visit it often--seem to fall into four categories: a) complaints about the people; b) complaints about the economy; c) complaints about expired food; d) culture. He neglects to mention any of the cultural institutions in the city, and sounds like he's not leading a very happy life--(cf. the rant about expired food). But now to address the complaints: a) The People: I lived in Cleveland for over 20 years and never had any problem with people shouting "buy American!" or religious zealots running after me (though they are creeping into some of the suburban school boards... so watch out). Or rednecks??? My recommendation would be: meet new people. Obviously, there's weirdos there (and aren't weirdos interesting?), but people in Cleveland are also generally, well, nice, something which can't be said of, say, the majority of the East Coast. b) The Economy: point taken--Cleveland does need to readjust to the post-industrial, globalized world... and in fact there are several plans in place to do so. Nevertheless, point taken. (The Score, by the way, is at this point, Cleveland 2, Gentleman Lunatic 1). c) The Expired Food: I think the fact that I've given an entire, lettered category to this complaint says all I can say about the absurdity of this. (Cleveland 3, Gentleman Lunatic 1). d) Culture: GL writes "Turn on the biggest 'News radio' station around here, WTAM on any given moment during the evening, and all they have are sports talk shows ad nauseum... So the next time you want to hear some good, world class news on the radio, and all you're able to hear is how many times the Cleveland Indians catcher picked his nose and scratched his ass in the year of our Lord, A.D. 1984, you'll desperately long for some real culture!" OK, here's my question: if you want "world class news," why are you tuning into WTAM, a talk radio station catering largely to sports fans? (Every major metropolitan area has a dozen of these stations--why pick on Cleveland?) Why not, say, WCLV or any of the 3-4 other NPR-carrying stations in the area? Speaking of which, if you "desperately long for culture" (which, by the way, I don't buy for a minute from this guy), how about the Cleveland Musuem of Art, which is now doubling in size, and which is superior to just about every art museum I've been to in the country (save of course for some of the NY museums, the Boston Museum of Art, etc.)--it's better than any museum in equally large or larger cities, such as LA (it's better than the LACMA) or Seattle or San Francisco. How about University circle, generally? Natural History Museum? Cleveland Insitute of Art and the Cinematech? Botanical Gardens? Cleveland Museum of Contemporary Art? They're all there... How about the Cleveland Orchestra? By far the best orchestra in the country, and second best orchestra in the world... well, they don't play on WTAM, so... How about the music scene generally? Didn't MacSweeney's Believer Magazine just advise people not to go to NYC or LA or Portland or even Detroit, but CLEVELAND for new music? Machine Go Boom? The Volta Sound? Oh, how about one of the top couple public library systems in the country? How about the Cleveland Metroparks? They were rated the best in the country... you can take a nap there, they're quite soft and nice. (Score: Cleveland 2,222, GL 1) Well, I could go on and on, but I will point out some flaws with Cleveland: 1) public transportation: except for the Rapid and a few small trains, public transportation is basically bus-based. Cleveland really needs to institute a rail system into the suburbs and, my word!, reopen the subway? 2) Yeah, the weather's bad for a couple months... but so is Boston, NYC, Seattle, Portland, Toronto... Cleveland really needs to get its act together about the weather. 3) Cleveland's done a bad job selling itself as a city, especially to tourists. The public transport situation doesn't help this, and neither are you, Drew Carey. That Cleveland Rocks song isn't helping anything. But so yeah: I highly recommend Cleveland if you're sick of cities which are completely full of themselves (ahem, NYC), are totally overpriced (ahem, Boston, SF), or which are basically just a big sham (LA).

Cleveland/NE Ohio sucks BEYOND SUCK itself! I've lived in different parts of the country, and have been here 10 years now, due to my wife's long established family business being here (we can't move; yes, I must love her a LOT, eh? LOL). There are so many negatives about NE Ohio, where do I begin? * The weather SUCKS bigtime. This is the most overcast/cloudy metro area in all of the U.S. You will NOT see the sun or sunlight between December and March, except for maybe a day or two if you are lucky. It's almost as if 'god' forgot this place! SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) and depression runs high around here. * The economy SUCKS bigtime. Those that are able to find good paying, quality jobs and utilize their College educations are indeed lucky. I've met way too many degreed individuals around here that work as servers, or at places like 'Target' or 'Wal-Mart'. Answer a typical vague 'Management Position' ad from the 'help wanted' ads in NE Ohio, and you'll end up interviewing for a night shift manager position at McDonalds or selling vacuums door to door. Cleveland was recently (about 2 years ago) rated as the POOREST American city, and still has a very high rate of it's citizens living in poverty. Even many of the suburbs' foodbanks and church help groups are strained to the limits providing food for 'those less fortunate'. * This place abounds with religious fanatics and white trash rednecks. In just a one year period, i've had so many knuckle-dragging yahoos scream 'buy American' as I idled my VW at a red light with the windows down, than I had in all my years living on the East Coast. In addition, maybe 'The Watchtower' should move from Brooklyn, NY to Cleveland, given the sheer number of Jehovah's Witnesses I have knocking at my door on a weekly basis! And you can't reason with them. The other day I went to 'Boston Market' for a chicken dinner, and the 50-something fat pig behind the counter goes to me 'Jesus loves you son... may I help you'?!!! This place is like a huge insane asylum, I tell you! Plus, so many denizens of NE Ohio seriously cannot speak proper English. They will say things like 'ruff' instead of 'roof', or 'rutt' instead of 'root', or 'kurr' instead of 'car', or 'warshing machine' instead of 'washing machine', etc. etc. Talk about raping the English language! * Moving right along, if you run a food store or supermarket, and want to pass along food past it's expiration date to consumers, NE Ohio is THE place to open your business! In my 10 years here, I have had to speak to supermarket managers countless times about food that is past its expiration date, and still sitting on the counters for sale. Last month alone, this happened 4 times, with past expired items like yogurt drinks, milk, and cream cheese being sold at places like 'Giant Eagle, 'Tops', and 'Trader Joes'. Unfrigginbelievable! I've NEVER had this problem when I lived elsewhere. * Let's talk about the traffic lights around here. I am convinced that the lights in NE Ohio are timed to frustrate you and purposely slow you down. In a typical suburban street around here, the light will turn green and as you start to accelerate, the next light coming up turns red almost immediately! Just which assclown is in charge of the traffic light timing around here? I am convinced that whoever it is, he must suffer from premature ejaculation AND A.D.D. combined! * Another sad commentary about how bored many around here must be is that 95% of people around here seem to be stuck on one subject in conversation. Mainly 'The Indians' or 'The Browns'. They have 2-track minds. Turn on the biggest 'News radio' station around here, WTAM on any given moment during the evening, and all they have are sports talk shows ad nauseum. They dissect and analyze every inane inconsequential fact and statistic pertaining to their pro teams, and do so for hours on end. So the next time you want to hear some good, world class news on the radio, and all you're able to hear is how many times the Cleveland Indians catcher picked his nose and scratched his ass in the year of our Lord, A.D. 1984, you'll desperately long for some real culture! I could go on and on and on, but I need to go out and walk my dog now. It's getting dark, and this is an opportune time to do so, as to avoid my ass-backwards redneck neighbors! LOL! To summarize, Cleveland does NOT 'rock', by any means. Cleveland SUCKS!

Cleveland gets a bad rap. I thought it was a pretty cool city by the Lake.

I have lived in a few different parts of this country and visited many others. I've lived all over the NYC Metro area (Manhattan, North Jersey, Central Jersey), I went to college in Central Virginia and have traveled all over the south, I've spent significant amounts of time in DC, and I've also had some stints in Cleveland, including a very recent one. I'm back in NYC now, and I love it, but Cleveland is honestly not far behind. I enjoy the fast-paced culture and history in NYC but there's a lot of things Cleveland offers that NYC doesn't, including 1. Golf (technically you can play golf in the NYC area, but I'm trying to be realistic here) 2. Normal guys who like sports, beer, and good bar food (of course NYC has some of these, but the proportion is much smaller and people here think you're some kind of pig if you'd rather watch football than read poetry while sipping on chai tea) 3. Good bar food (yes, there are a few diamonds in the rough, but Cleveland blows NYC away in this category. If a bar in Cleveland tried serving breaded wings they'd be run out of town) 4. Other sports/outdoor activities generally (these EXIST in New York but not to the extent they do in Cleveland. Joining a softball league in Central Park is both a luxury and a hassle. Summer softball is part of life in Cleveland. I could also going skiing just 30 minutes outside of Cleveland.) Now, when I lived in other places, like Virginia, all of the things above were present. But Cleveland offers things that those places don't; it's still a normal big city with tall buildings and a business district and nice restaurants and all that other good stuff. If you're a city person at all, you'll miss those things in a place like Central VA (which I also loved, but this weakness was very present there). Bottom line: Cleveland has a little bit of everything. If you're a pure yuppie city-slicker type, you'll be happier in NYC. If you're a country person, you'll be happier in the South. But if you want some of everything, like me, there's a LOT of places that can't offer what Cleveland does.

High taxes, uneducated workforce, and an outdated loyalty to labor unions thrives. Thus, this is not a competitive place in today's economy. NE Ohio college graduates mostly move away to places like Columbus (Ohio) or move out of Ohio entirely. A few stay 'home' but they are in the minority. I moved away from NE Ohio. I have a degree, and sorry, I don't want to work in a machine shop. Memo to Cleveland: the steel mills are mostly gone. Move on like the rest of America and stop electing politicians who are nothing more than labor union stooges. There was a turnaround of the city's downtown during the 1980's and early 90's, but it has slowed down as the Cuyahoga County Democratic Party regained power. I never thought I'd see Dennis Kucinich elected again, but it happened! The ugly numbers of today's Cleveland reality are at www.city-data.com

A craphole plain and sinple. The only thing worth seeing here is the R&R Hall Of Fame which is very cool. Rude people, bad drivers and a rundown dirty city overall, yuk!

This city has got to be one of the worst! It snows way too much and is also cloudy about 70% of the year. Your car can rust out easily because of all the salt they have to put down due to the horrible winters. They like to import used cars from the South because they have no rust. Summers are full of brief warm spells with a lot of rain and drizzle. It gets really depressing. Not only is the weather here horrible and depressing but so are the people. Cleveland (known also as the Mistake by the Lake) which lies in the Rust Belt has been the nations biggest eye sore and joke for many years. Once a city of over a million people in the early 70's has now decreased to a little under 400,000 which is smaller than Atlanta and many other fine Southern cities. The crime rate in Cleveland is also out of control. They cannot keep the city street lights on because the city cannot afford it. Nor can they afford to repair roads. Also this town is Mafia ran which seems to control everything. The town is just very backwards and reminds me of when I visited Communist Eastern Germany before the wall came down. HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE, HORRIBLE!! I can best describe the people there as, racist, depressing, rude, ugly, weird and very backwards. Cleveland was also one of the last US cities to get Cable Television. Up until the late 1990s Cleveland did not even have a decent major grocery retailer or even much more than a K-Mart in the entire Metro area. No Home Depot, No Lowe's, No Wal Mart, No major grocery chains. All they had were these little Mom and pop type places that charge super high prices. Race's are separated into different segments of the city not living together like most Southern cities. Oh lets not forget that the mayors hair caught on fire once on pulic tv and a major river caught fire there once because of all of the pollution in it. No wonder so many Yankees are moving south.. Cleveland just needs to blown up and rebuilt. Oh and some people call the Flats a pary area there? RIGHT and Mars has bars too..

Deffinetly gets a bad rap. Deserved or not i'm not really sure. I love great lakes cities, but people seem to judge all of them on Cleveland, which isn't fair to the rest of them.

Good city, very friendly outgoing people, but colder than a witches tit...

I feel bad for Cleveland. Its on a lake and yet The Flats cant make a city.... Rust belt cities are really harsh....im not really used to that. There is a bleakness to this city that reminds me of Buffalo....sort of a bygone town.

Thinking outside the box in Cleveland: the International Buffet.

Bleh, I hate Cleveland.

People don't give my hometown area enough credit - it's suprising nice, and anyone who visits tends to agree that we have a very nice City and metropolitan area to live in. Culture is great, CWRU and CSU (the two big universities) are looking to become major partners in regenerating interest in the city beyond the rust belt days into the tech economy, and anyone who still thinks of it as the Mistake on the Lake is either from Pittsburgh :) or hasn't been to the city since the 70s.

A city with a terrific atmoshphere. Lots of places to entertain yourself whether it be in the Flats or Downtown. Plus you have the Indians, Browns, and Cavs all within 10 blocks of each other

Cleveland is a surprisingly fun place to spend a weekend-pretty neighborhoods (Lakewood, the Westside area, University Circle) the best museums between Chicago and the East Coast, good restaurants; and of course don't miss 'The Flats'. Together with one of the best hospitals in the world, and several respectable universities, Cleveland is getting by just fine. But while Cleveland has managed to survive as a coherent entity (unlike Detroit or St. Louis) I don't think it will ever return to its glory days, for all the talk of 'renaissance' and 'revitalization'. The continued stagnation and decline of most of Cleveland (outside the neighborhoods noted above) cannot be blamed entirely on its god-aweful mayor. Excepting Chicago (which had the unique advantages of being a gigantic metropolis, and the nation's transportation hub) no other rustbelt city has managed to thrive in the late 20th Century, and regain the prosperity and importance it once enjoyed. In other words, survival and stability is probably the best that Cleveland can hope for.

Cleveland is much improved from what it was 20 years ago when I remember it being quite an unpleasant place to visit. The downtown area is quite a place with the RRHOF, the sports venues, and good nightlife. Outside of the downtown area, the Cleveland Museum of Art on the east side is a must see attraction for visitors. One of the best museums I've been to period. Cleveland is presently an OK city that over time could evolve into a great city if more of the old neighborhoods continue to be revitalized.

I have spent alot of time in Cleveland and even though it has its problems as every other city, it is a very fun city to spend time in. I currently live in Pittsburgh, the boring and depressed capital of the world, and Cleveland is by far a million times more fun a much better area to live. I cant wait to get out of Pittsburgh. CLeveland is great and has alot of potential. Pittsburgh is a has been city and is spiraling down so fast it isnt even funny.

Its merely ok. About 90 miles from me, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is about the best thing here. The Jake is ok, and the Cleveland Clinic is world renound, but really, it is pretty basic.

Actually, I wish I could give Cleveland 3 1/2 stars. The biggest problem about Cleveland is the unjustified obsession the locals have about their hometown. They can't seem to talk about anything beyond the perimiters of the People's Republic of Ohio. The local newspaper is by far the worst example of journalism that I have ever read. (Plain Dealer) There is incredible brain-drain: the best academic and cultural minds leave for greener pastures. What's left is Ohio-centrist people with tunnel vision who think they're big-time because they live in a big city. Having said that, Cleveland does have a terrific nightlife: people who complain about the flats puzzle me. . .you can park your car and party all night. Cops usually don't mess with drivers coming home from the flats b/c the town wants to foster the atmosphere of being a friendly and cheap place to party. This is a very affordable city. . .restraunts are as good as anywhere in bigger areas. The locals are very approachable in Cleveland and down-to-earth. . .arts, theater, and universities are only in the B or B+ range. . .Nice baseball stadium!!!!! Browns fans are a cult and are somewhat entertaining considering their maddening tunnel vision. Traffic is not bad- Clevelanders think 6 minutes in a car is a 'jam'- they're so cute. . . all in all, a nice place to spend a few years of college or to beging your career before getting tired of the whole place. Rock and Roll hall of fame sucks but worth a look if you are in town for a few days. But I would say that the city is a good time and is somewhat overlooked.

Yes Cleveland is a nice city and all but in light of the fact that it's the dropback for that horrible, horrible "Drew Carey Show" it gets two stars. P.S. Drew: You stink.

One of my fave cities to go to. Even though I live in Buffalo, I was born and raised here and still have family on the West Side, heading out towards Avon. The various Heights---Shaker, Cleveland, University, Mayville, Warrensville, Parma, etc.---each lend their own diversity to a very dynamic city. A fantastic medical center in the Cleveland Clinic (one of the planet's finest). Dynamic theatres and museums thrive along Euclid Avenue. And of course, my beloved INDIANS. CSU is a nice urban campus, and CCC is a decent juco. The Rock-and-Roll Hall of Fame is here as well. To paraphrase Drew Carey (also a hometown boy): "CLEVELAND ROCKS! CLEVELAND ROCKS! CLEVELAND ROCKS!!!! O-H-I-O!!!!!"

The city has come a long way from the burning river days. But what about outside the tourist areas? Is that going to be revived too? Transit workers were very rude. Loved Terminal Tower and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Cleveland Rocks!, Cleveland Rocks!, Cleveland Rocks!, Cleveland Rocks!, Cleveland Rocks!, Cleveland Rocks!, Cleveland Rocks!

Cleveland is a great place to live and raise children. It has real neighborhoods, with corner stores and coffee shops and affordable restaurants... It's becoming an ever-more-integrated community, so if you care about teaching your children the value of diversity it's a living laboratory... If you can get a ticket to an Indians game, you'll have a ball! And if you can't, you can take the kids to the Akron Aeros, or a WNBA Rockers game, or soccer, or hockey... Around University Circle there is a lot of international community, film, music...

Cleveland does not rock. Cleveland is OK - it is there and it is cold and there are a lot of cheesey people in Cleveland. i think the whole underdog thing rooting for Cleveland as a cool city has passed us by. Just one of those places that made a push, but will only draw people from Ohio to live there. Not much of an international or business presence there. The Cleveland Browns say meow meow.

The people in Cleveland are really friendly and welcoming. The cultural institutions are terrific.

I love Cleveland. People don't give it enough credit.