Interesting new article highlighting the unique character of Parma’s Ukrainian Village, from the perspective of George Mount, a new Parma resident:

There’s an effort in Cleveland to recreate what it once was: a city of integrated neighborhoods valuing culture, family, and civic pride. But I often feel no sense of continuity with the past in these urban enclaves. Few of the hippest restaurants and coffee shops have been around for more than a few years. Emblematic of this difficulty to integrate the past are posh condominiums repurposed from closed schools and factories.

It’s great to breathe new life into these structures, but unfortunate that many longtime residents, likely alumni of West Tech or long-ago Eveready employees, can’t afford these luxury dwellings. This fracturing could make you wonder: can the neighborhoods of Cleveland grow stronger while respecting the past?

I believe the answer is “yes,” and the proof is right over the 480 bridge at State Road. It’s a place many urban pioneers reactively call the opposite of cool…

…Ukrainian Village, on the town’s northern border, is a classic inner-ring suburban neighborhood. Unlike many others, it is livable in its own right, proving that there is a way to combine old-world customs, livable neighborhoods, and affordable housing.

(excerpted from The Cleveland Neighborhood Guidebook )

Read the entire article at: http://beltmag.com/opposite-cool-parmas-ukrainian-village/