Cleveland: Still 'Most Liveable'

When I was a Cleveland School District kid, we had periodic field trips to Severance Hall for Young People's Concerts. (Pictured at left are student's who are following that same tradition today).  It expanded my world. I got lost in the music. The Cleveland Orchestra is still a world class orchestra. My friends and I try to attend concerts whenever we can. Have you been there since the rennovation of a few years back? IT IS MAGICAL. And the acoustics? Sit in the last row at the top and hear a pin drop on stage. What a gem we have in Severance Hall.

Although we may be rivals on the football field (!!!), Cleveland and Pittsburgh share the honor of being voted one of the World's Most Liveable Cities. The Economist Magazine does this research and in 2005 they looked at almost 130 cities WORLDWIDE. Cleveland and Pittsburgh were voted THE most liveable!  This was based on things like education, culture, healthcare and stability.

Cleveland is providing others with a sense of place. But don't take my word for it, listen to what non-native Clevelanders are saying! I checked out the Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) Undergrad Admissions Blog and  was delighted to see why some people who transplant themselves here Believe In Cleveland. One  post from Trish Schreiber talked in more depth about why Cleveland is so liveable.  I posted a comment on another blogger's post, John Gest, who works in the CWRU Undergrad Admission's Department. He sent me a thoughtful email and has allowed me to post it here for you. Some insights from a New Englander who now calls Cleveland home:

"I am not a native of Cleveland. I grew up in New England and came to Ohio
for school (Bowling Green State Univ.). I moved to Chicago for several years
and then decided to move here to be around my friends from college.

I have now been here just over two years and find so many things enjoyable.
I find Cleveland to be very affordable, have a city that is much easier to
get your head around than Chicago and easy to access.


I live in Lakewood which is also good place to be if you are twenty
something and single."

Many of us talk about how to entice people to stay in Cleveland after they finish their undergraduate studies here. How nice that we have someone at CWRU who did just that, works in Admissions, and feels passionately about the value in Northeast Ohio. You can check out Trish's Blog and John's Blog by clicking on their names above. Cheers John for letting me tell your story!