CareerPlanit - Featured Location

Featured Location

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Cleveland

Long before becoming home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland was immortalized in song. The song may have been a back-handed compliment to the city, but today many residents and visitors would wholeheartedly agree: Cleveland Rocks!

The city has much to recommend it. Out of 343 metropolitan areas in North America, Cleveland ranks as the 14th best place to live, according to Places Rated Almanac. It also is the only city to receive five All-America City Awards from the National Civic League.

What makes Cleveland a great place to live and work? It's a combination of a vibrant job market and affordable housing, major league sports and world-class cultural institutions, and a diverse population with an abundance of community spirit.

A High Quality, Low Cost Standard of Living

The occupational outlook for Cleveland is sunny, with opportunities abounding in the service industry, including retail and healthcare. An added plus is that three out of four residents live within 30 minutes of where they work.

If you're thinking about pursuing a career in the region, a key factor in its favor is a lower cost of living than comparable metropolitan areas, including New York, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Diego, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Chicago. For example, Greater Cleveland homeowners spend 40 to 60 percent less for housing than residents of these cities. In addition, they spend less on utilities, healthcare, and taxes.

Educational Facilities

Much of Greater Cleveland's professional, artistic, technical, and managerial talent is "home grown," thanks to its exceptional educational facilities.

If you plan to continue your education, you can enroll in any of 22 universities and colleges in the region. Among the area's best-known institutions are Baldwin-Wallace College, Case Western Reserve University, Oberlin College, Cleveland State University, John Carroll University, Kent State University, and the University of Akron. Both public and private institutions offer a range of programs--day and evening; full and part time; undergraduate, graduate, and professional.

Downtown - Everything's Waiting for You

In recent years, downtown Cleveland's skyline has been transformed by $3.5 billion in investments, including the Gateway sports and entertainment complex, one of the nation's finest sports and entertainment centers; Playhouse Square Center, the nation's third largest performing arts center; the 57-story Society Tower, the tallest building between New York and Chicago; and the Bank One Center.

Also shaking things up in the heart of the city are the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum; the adjacent Great Lakes Science Center, which boasts the largest Omnimax projection system in the world; and the proposed Whiskey Island Marina, slated to be the largest marina on the Great Lakes.

As one of the few urban centers in the country to experience a rebirth in downtown retailing, Cleveland features two glass-topped malls with approximately 160 specialty shops and restaurants. "The Flats" is another major draw downtown. A strip of more than 45 restaurants and nightclubs along the banks of the Cuyahoga River, this hot spot also features an amphitheater and a waterfront boardwalk.

A Multicultural Magnet

Greater Cleveland's 80 ethnic groups represent all continents and races. The region has the largest mix of Eastern Europeans of any area in America, including the largest concentration of Slovenians, Slovaks, and Hungarians. The area also has some of the most organized Lithuanian communities in the country and a well-represented and active African-American community.

The majority of today's immigrants are professionals and skilled technicians, coming mainly from the Far East: Filipinos, Koreans, Chinese, Taiwanese, Indochinese, and Asian Indians.

Greater Cleveland's ethnic heritage is reflected in the symphony of 60-plus languages spoken by residents and in the many cultural events that take place throughout the year. As the national work force becomes more diverse, the region's multiculturalism provides a social environment well-suited to addressing today's business challenges.

Around the Region

As home to the Indians, Browns, Cavaliers, and Lumberjacks, Cleveland gives baseball, football, basketball, and hockey fans more than their share of spectator sports from which to choose. For those who prefer to actively participate in athletic and recreational activities, the region features 19,000 acres of easily accessible parklands and an abundance of water activities off Lake Erie.

Greater Cleveland residents enjoy unparalleled access to library and information resources whether they phone or walk into their local libraries or use their computers to dial-up the numerous electronic library catalogs and data bases available. A consortium of 77 public, academic, hospital, corporate, and school libraries in Cuyahoga and eight surrounding counties comprise the Cleveland Area Metropolitan Library System.

As one of the leading medical centers in the world, Greater Cleveland is home to 50 hospitals, 23 of which are affiliated with medical schools. In 1994, U.S. News & World Report ranked four of these hospitals among the best in the nation: The Cleveland Clinic Foundation, Mount Sinai Medical Center, Rainbow Babies and Childrens Hospital of University Hospitals of Cleveland, and University Hospitals.

Greater Cleveland's cultural treasures are housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art, one of the top art museums in the world; the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, offering an opportunity to explore the origins of the universe and of mankind; the Cleveland Health Museum, featuring more than 200 participatory exhibits and displays including the transparent talking woman; and the Western Reserve Historical Society, dedicated to preserving and promoting the area's rich heritage.

Musicals, opera, and other stage productions are presented in the city's original and recently restored theatre district. Playhouse Square Center is home to the Cleveland Ballet, the Cleveland Opera, and the Great Lakes Theater Festival. A variety of performances also are staged by the Cleveland Play House, the oldest regional theatre in the country, and the Karamu House, the nation's oldest multiracial metropolitan center for the arts. Elsewhere in the city, the renowned Cleveland Orchestra, the most recorded orchestra in the world, takes the stage at Severance Hall.

A City for the 21st Century City

Often cited as a model for urban revitalization, Cleveland's success is fueled by an ongoing commitment to growth and a global vision for the future. As a place to live (housing is affordable), work (jobs are plentiful), and relax (there's no shortage of things to see or do), the city has shed its "rust belt" reputation for a more polished image. In short, Cleveland rocks!