Living & Nursing in Cleveland, Ohio

It’s easy to call Cleveland home because there is so much to offer young nurses just beginning their careers – or “veteran” nurses making career moves to a better position.

Cleveland is the second largest city in Ohio, and Greater Cleveland, incorporating the surrounding suburbs, is the largest metropolitan area of Ohio. Cleveland’s population is approximately a half million hardy souls, and the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor Metro area is home to over two million.

Clevelanders have worked hard and been successful in bringing in service-oriented businesses such as financial services, insurance, legal and (most importantly to you) healthcare to replace the manufacturing-based economy that was once the area’s mainstay. The city’s largest employer may well be the nationally-known Cleveland Clinic. It ranks among America’s Best Hospitals as named by U.S. News and World Report. The city has also emerged as a center for biotechnology and fuel cell research with Case Western Reserve University, the Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals of Cleveland leading the way. University Hospitals and MetroHealth Medical Center are also major players in Cleveland’s burgeoning healthcare industry.

Cleveland has long solicited high tech companies for its downtown offices. The high speed fiber networks running beneath downtown city streets have proved very attractive to many of those firms. The OneCommunity Project technology initiative links the major research centers stimulating the type of growth that has led to Cleveland being named a Worldwide Digital Community by Intel. This type of growth is exactly what the city needed to turn around its economy.  

Located on the southern shore of Lake Erie, near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, Cleveland was destined to become a manufacturing city due to the easy access through those bodies of water and the numerous canals in the area. The economy is now much more stable due to the diversification and is better positioned for growth. In 2005, Cleveland, along with Pittsburgh, was named one of the most livable cities in America by The Economist. Cleveland is consistently ranked as one of the best cities for business meetings in the continental United States.

The city’s public-private partnerships, downtown revitalization and urban renaissance have been held up as examples for other cities to follow. Called the “Comeback City” by many, the redevelopment of the downtown area near the Gateway Complex and North Coast Harbor has been an indicator of the growing strength of the city. It encompasses the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Quicken Loans Arena, Progressive Field and the Great Lakes Science Center.

University Circle, just east of downtown, is a hotbed of cultural, educational and medical facilities. Here you’ll find Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, the Cleveland Botanical Gardens, the Cleveland Museum of Art, Severance Hall (home of the Cleveland Orchestra), and the Western Reserve Historical Society.

What do you do for fun in Cleveland after taking in all that culture? Cleveland hosts many enjoyable fun-filled and food-oriented cultural and neighborhood festivals each year. There’s also the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, the Children’s Museum of Cleveland, the Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, the NASA Glenn Research Center and much, much more. Enjoy sports? You’re covered! Professional sports teams calling Cleveland home include: the Cleveland Indians for baseball, Cleveland Browns for football, Cleveland Cavaliers basketball, Cleveland City Stars soccer and Lake Erie Monsters hockey team.

Finding your way around town is fairly easy. Downtown districts include the historic Warehouse District, home to unique shops and boutiques, restaurants and nightlife. Many of the old warehouses have been converted to loft apartments and condos. The Historic Gateway District is home to the sports arenas, fields and concert venues. There are also many pubs for refreshments and eats before and after events. For upscale eateries and entertainment, go to the East 4th Street Entertainment District. Playhouse Square District is the theater district. PlayHouse Square is the second largest performing arts center in America and host to ballet, concerts and the Broadway Series and Great Lakes Theatre Festival. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame & Museum, Great Lakes Science Center, Cleveland Browns Stadium, the International Women’s Air & Space Museum,  the U.S.S. Cod WWII submarine and the steamship William G. Mather can all be found in the North Coast Harbor District.

Tower City District houses the renovated train terminal. Tower City Center is filled with shops and restaurants. You’ll also find a cinema, the Ritz-Carlton Cleveland and the Cleveland Renaissance Hotel in the District as well as the Time Warner Cable Amphitheater and the Regional Transit Authority’s light rail system. The Flats district, on the Cuyahoga River is home to restaurants, concert venues, nightclubs—even a cruise ship-the Nautica. You’ll find the 5,000 seat Plain Dealer outdoor pavilion here as well.

Cleveland has great historic neighborhoods like Little Italy, also known as Murray Hill. Its art galleries, shops and ristorantes offer Old World charm. Ohio City, with its lovely renovated Victorian homes, also offers the West Side Market with almost 200 booths of fresh produce, baked goods, meats and specialties from exotic locales around the world.

Shaker Heights has the feel of a historic downtown with restaurants, cinema and an arts and antiques district with galleries, bookstores and antique shops. St.Clair/Superior is also known as AsiaTown Cleveland. Predominately Chinese, the area also has many other cultures including Vietnamese and Korean American. Widely known for its studios, galleries and artists, its main claim to fame is the authentic Asian cuisine. Tremont, a blue collar neighborhood with a rich cultural heritage, is quickly becoming home to more and more urban professionals and artists. Around Lincoln Park you’ll find award-winning restaurants, pubs and lounges mixed among the galleries and boutiques. University Circle is the cultural center of Cleveland with more cultural and performing arts institutions within a one square mile park-like setting than anywhere else in the country. Coventry Village retains some of the hip counterculture vibe that made it home to the bohemians of the 60s. This is the place for eclectic, vintage cool shopping!

Whatever your tastes, whatever your budget, this could be your starting point. There are many other neighborhoods, both old and new, that you would love to call home. Cleveland is a still-growing city that welcomes you to come grow with it!  •

Photos Courtesy of the Convention and Visitor’s Bureau of Greater Cleveland.  Visit www.positivelycleveland.com.