This is a detailed guide of Cleveland's neighborhoods, written by local shop owner (and lover of all things Cleveland) Danielle Dubow. The guide details local businesses to eat, drink, shop and play within each neighborhood.

DSCO is home to the Gordon Square Arts District, which includes Cleveland Public Theatre, Capitol Theatre and Near West Theatre.

Address: 6516 Detroit Avenue, Suite 1
Phone: (216) 961-4242
Fax: (216) 651-5096

While 58.3% of the artists in Downtown Bedford are visual, the rest are spread among dance, design, and music each at 8.3%, and media and interdisciplinary both at 4.2%.

The Harbor District is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, a museum with 7 floors of exhibits that tell the story of the world’s most powerful art form; the Great Lakes Science Center, an amusement park for the mind with more than 100 hands-on exhibits that satisfy the curious scientist in each of us; and Voinovich Bicentennial Park, a man-made park with artistic landscaping & an outdoor festival stage. And currently Cuyahoga County, in partnership with the City of Cleveland and the Group Plan Commission, is leading a process to design and build a new pedestrian and bicycle bridge from the downtown Malls to Cleveland’s lakefront.

According to the 2011 “Putting Artists on the Map”, the two largest classifications of artists are those who work in visual (49.5%) and interdisciplinary (20.2%) media. Other artists are involved with craft (6.4%), design (3.7%), theater (3.7%), media (2.8%), dance (1.8%), literary (1.8%) and music (1.8%).

Downtown Cleveland Alliance is the not-for-profit organization dedicated to building a dynamic downtown. It is committed to making downtown Cleveland the most compelling place to live, work, play and visit in the region. Downtown Cleveland Alliance, working hand in hand with downtown property owners, creates forums for communication and involvement by a diverse group of downtown stakeholders, including local development corporations, city and county governments, civic and arts organizations, residents, young professionals and business stakeholders.

Address: 50 Public Square, Suite 825 Cleveland, Ohio 44113
Phone: (216) 736-7799
Fax: (216) 736-7792

Of all the artists who live in East Shaker/Mercer, 48.8% are visual. Also, there are a high percentage of literary artists at 18.6% and interdisciplinary artists at 14%. Musicians make up 7% of artists, while design and education artists make up 4.7% each. These are closely followed by craft artists who make up 2.3% of artists in East Shaker/Mercer.

Edgewater is the setting for two summer festivals. The Clifton Arts & Musicfest brings live music and more than 100 juried artists to Cleveland early in June. The Festival of Freedom features fireworks and music at Edgewater Park on July 4th. Edgewater also boasts of how well a person can get along without a car. Shops, restaurants, banks, schools, churches, dry cleaners, and a state park are all in walking distance.

The dominant artistic medium in Edgewater, as with most artist neighborhoods, is visual at 40.6 % of all artists in the neighborhood. There are a high number of other categories here that reach double digit percentages including music at 15.9 %, craft at 11.6 %, and literary at 10.10 %. This shows that the neighborhood is diverse in the types of artists it presents. Literary is followed by theater at 7.2 %, design at 4.3 %, interdisciplinary at 2.9 %, and both dance and media each at 1.4 %.

Fairfax Renaissance Development Corporation’s (FRDC) commitment is “to improve and enhance the Fairfax neighborhood in Cleveland, Ohio through comprehensive community development.” Our shared vision has rekindled the strong community spirit and pride that you will discover as you visit Fairfax and FRDC

Address: 8111 Quincy Avenue #100 Cleveland, OH 44104
Phone: (216) 361-8400
Fax: (216) 361-8407
E-mail: info@fairfaxrenaissance.org

Fairview Park is home to an annual Winterfest and Summerfest. Winterfest includes a tree lighting, live entertainment, ice carving, food trucks, community booths, etc. Summerfest includes a parade, carnival rides, live entertainment, a fireworks display and much more. Rocky River is home to the Rocky River Chamber Music Society, an organization that presents high-quality professional chamber music concerts for the Northeast Ohio community. Rocky River is also home to the Rocky River Fall Arts Festival which celebrates the talent of local artists.

The Fairview Park/Rocky River artist neighborhood has a high percentage of visual artists, coming in at 74.3 %. This is followed by design at 8.6 % and craft, education, music, and theater, each at 2.9 %.

Famicos is a not-for-profit affordable housing developer and social service provider - not your characteristic philanthropic "foundation". Over the years many have thought Famicos was Spanish for families, which it is not but families are our mission. Over our history the name "Famicos" evolved from "Family Cooperators". The "Foundation" is symbolic of our work to provide solid foundations for growth and development. Famicos also provides full real estate development services for projects that meet our mission, primarily the development of affordable housing.

Address: 1325 Ansel Road Cleveland, OH 44106
Phone: (216) 791-6476
Fax: (216) 791-6485
E-mail: info@famicos.org

Forest Hill is at the heart of northeast Ohio, conveniently located minutes from University Circle and the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland Museum of Natural History, Cleveland Botanical Garden, Western Reserve Historical Society and Crawford Auto and Aviation Museum, Cleveland Orchestra at Severance Hall, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Music and Cleveland Institute of Art. Forest Hill is also home to Heights Arts, a nonprofit community arts organization that shows regional artists in its Arts Gallery.

Based on the 2011 “Putting Artists on the Map”, visual artists make up 41 % of all artists in Forest Hills. There are also many artists involved in music (14.1 %), design and literary, each at 9 %, interdisciplinary at 7.7 %, and media at 6.4 %. Craft, education and theater artists make up the remainder with each at 3.8 %.

The mission of Glenville Development Corporation (GDC) is to provide residents, business and institutions with the advocacy, guidance and resources needed to improve their economic health, making Glenville a safe, self-supporting community in which anyone would be proud to live and raise a family.

Address: 10640 St. Clair Avenue Cleveland, OH 44108
Phone: (216) 851-8724
Fax: (216) 851-8941
E-mail: glenville@excelnet.net

Global Cleveland is an organization focused on regional economic development through actively attracting newcomers, and welcoming and connecting them both economically and socially to the many opportunities throughout Greater Cleveland. Global Cleveland will provide a point of contact for all newcomers, both domestic and international, to help them establish greater organizational and individual connection within the Greater Cleveland community. They have programs for jobseeker, employers, immigrants and boomerangers.

Gordon Square Arts District is home to the Cleveland Public Theatre (CPT), producer of a wide range of performance including theatre, dance and musicals; The Capitol Theatre, presenter of independent, foreign and documentary films; and Near West Theatre, producer of large-scale, inter-generational musical productions. 

Since 1988, the neighborhood has been a leader of Downtown Cleveland's renewal and emergence as a place to live, work, visit, and enjoy entertainment.

The Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation (HWDDC) was formed in 1980 to coordinate and stimulate redevelopment and create a unique, mixed-use neighborhood for downtown Cleveland. The nonprofit local development corporation was formed from two groups: downtown business interests and architects who believed in the economics of historic preservation and the people who had moved into one of the under-utilized warehouses, creating their own loft living spaces. This newly formed "neighborhood organization", with the help of the Cleveland Landmarks Commission, had the Warehouse District declared a Cleveland Landmark District in 1982.

Address: 614 Superior Avenue N.W. Suite 680 Cleveland, OH 44113
Phone: (216) 344-3937
Fax: (216) 344-3962
E-mail: staff@warehousedistrict.org

Kamm’s Corner is a happening entertainment district with authentic Irish Pubs and several live music venues, including BackStage Bar and West Par Station. Kamm’s Corner also has great things to offer in the summer including a Farmers Market, which along with offering fresh produce also includes local musicians. Kamm’s Corner also has Asphalt Cinema which offers a family friendly movie on the third Friday of each summer month, also including music, art, dancing and games.

Based on the 2011 “Putting Artists on the Map”, of the total artists living in the neighborhood, Kamm’s Corner has 36.8 % visual artists and 21.1 % craft artists %Theater artists make up 15.8 %, designers make up 10.5 % and interdisciplinary artists make up 5.3 %.

Restaurants and shops on both sides of Lorain Avenue from West 162nd to West 176th Streets. Authentic Irish Pubs and several live music venues. Destination retail such as Carol & John’s Comic Book Shop, Starship Earth, Damascino's, Dad’s Smoke Shop, and Skaters Edge.

Lakewood is a very diverse neighborhood with great restaurants and shopping. The city is home to the Beck Center for the Arts, a non-profit organization that combines professional theater with arts education. The neighborhood is also home to Lakewood Civic Auditorium which plays host to many events.

Based on the 2011 “Putting Artists on the Map”, the major disciplines of artists in Lakewood are visual at 44 %, followed by design (10%), literary (8.6%), music (7.9%), theater (7.2%), interdisciplinary (6.5%), education (1.7%) and media (1%).

Landscape. Art. Neighborhoods. Development.