COMMUNITY FOCUS
By Faith Boone
Family is a strong reason why people move, stay and thrive in the communities they live in.
Some are born into a community with history, others continue the tradition started by their parents. Meet three Heights families who talk about the differences between Shaker, University Heights and Cleveland Heights, and what keeps them there.
Susie & Bob Zimmer – Shaker Heights
Susie and Bob Zimmer live on Winslow Road in historic Shaker Heights. The two have spent their entire lives here, raised their children in Shaker, and are watching their grandchildren grow up in nearby communities.
“Bobby’s mother, my mother, went to Shaker (schools),” Susie says. “Sam and Ben, our kids, are fourth-generation Shaker students because Bobby’s great-uncle was in the first graduating class at Shaker. A lot of people who go to Shaker end up moving back to Shaker; it’s weird. Bobby’s family never left Shaker.”
Bob’s childhood home is still in his family, sitting just down the street from his and Susie’s brick house on Winslow. Shaker Heights is full of Tudor-style homes like Bob and Susie’s, as well as duplexes on streets like Winslow, although the city is known for its showcase mansions off South Park and North Park Boulevards.
After the couple married, they lived in Cleveland for a year before moving to Shaker Road in Cleveland Heights. They moved to Shaker Heights for the schools, and decades later, have no plans to leave.
Susie and Bob love living within a minute’s walking distance of the continuously developing Van Aken District, and they head to Cleveland Heights or University Heights to visit family, go to restaurants and shop.
Samantha Englander & Nora – University Heights
Across the street from Susie and Bob’s son Ben in University Heights are his neighbors, Samantha Englander and her partner, Nora.
“I moved (to University Heights) in spring of 2021, and during that time, the way the market was, you weren’t really able to go find a house; the house had to find you,” Samantha says. “University Heights feels like a very familiar community to me. I have friends that live within walking distance and being able to reconnect with them was easy. It feels like growing up, and I think it feels really safe. I like the diversity the East Side offers.”
Samantha points out that University Heights is known to be the “City of Beautiful Homes,” a sign you can see as you drive up and down Warrensville Center Road. Warrensville Center Road connecting with Cedar Road is a central hub for the University Heights area and is a prime location for grabbing a bite or a shopping trip at Cedar Center.
Down its side streets are single-family homes with yards lining tidy streets popular among walkers. Nora says one of the best things about University Heights is its central location and close proximity to the highway.
The couple says the Van Aken District in Shaker gets them to cross the border for a meal or a nice evening out. Samantha called it “the experiment that went right.” The couple said the same goes for Cleveland Heights, with its eclectic and interesting restaurants.
Iolanda Ingram – Cleveland Heights
“I’m from Cleveland proper, the Glenville area,” says Iolanda Ingram, a Cleveland Heights resident whose home is on Berkeley Road. She grew up knowing Susie Zimmer. “I went to Beauty School at Cleveland Heights across from my high school, and I met my husband who lived in Cleveland Heights. This is where he wanted to live.”
Iolanda’s quiet street sports homes with spacious front porches on the first floor, and sometimes on the second floor, as well. It’s a mix of single-family and multi-family homes just minutes from restaurants, stores, live entertainment venues and more.
“I like the diversity. On our street, we have African American families. We have white families. You have Asian families. A nice mixture. I like how everything kind of melts together here,” Iolanda says.
She notes that many Cleveland Heights homes were built in the 1920s, including hers, with its charming built-ins, French doors and crown molding.
The Heights exemplify the very best of Cleveland’s East Side neighborhoods: interesting architecture, walkable neighborhoods and easy access to the area’s most creative restaurants, entertainment and shops.
To learn more about The Heights go to:
Photo: Susie & Bob Zimmer and Hank
Faith Boone is a freelance writer from Shaker Heights.
