Lindsey Frierson and her husband Gerald Whitsett grew up in Cleveland Heights. Growing up they were very familiar with the Northeast Ohio suburbs. After they married, they purchased a townhome that didn’t have a backyard in a nearby suburb. Once they had their daughter, Rian, they started looking for a home that was more conducive to raising a child and would be in a location where they would still be close to both of their parents. They decided to move to Beachwood in 2017, when their daughter Rian (now almost 10) was 2.
Frierson says what keeps her family in Beachwood is, “The community, the neighbors, and the people I met along the way. I found that people look out for one another, so you don’t feel alone. I love that Rian will ask, ‘Can I go outside and play?’ I love to hear that because I just feel like we don’t see it as much anymore.”
Neighborhood
What makes Beachwood so attractive is its ability to cater to a diverse range of needs — it’s a place where everyone can find their niche. The city’s reputation for exceptional schools, safe neighborhoods, and prime location contributes to the stability and desirability of the housing market.
There are a variety of housing styles, from single-family homes to condos, townhouses, and apartments. With tree-lined streets and well-maintained properties, the diverse architectural offerings ensure a robust real estate market and competitive property values. Beachwood offers a tranquil and secure environment where residents can enjoy peace of mind. With well-maintained neighborhoods and a vigilant community, safety is prioritized, ensuring a sense of security for all who call Beachwood home.
The city provides many services at no extra charge. These include services that residents in other cities typically pay for themselves— things like sidewalk repair and snow removal, senior transportation and rubbish and recycling removal. One of the newest services is the Rust Belt Riders composting program. This program is free for all residents and is designed to minimize waste and promote sustainability in the city.
Location
Beachwood is centrally located so it’s easy to get to many other locations. In fact, location is another reason the Frierson-Whitsett family decided to move to Beachwood.
“The location is almost perfect,” Frierson says. “Beachwood is super close to the freeway. If you don’t want to take the freeway, then it’s really easy to just take the side streets.”
Positioned east of Cleveland, Beachwood offers easy access to major highways, making it ideal for commuters and travelers.
It’s also only 30 minutes from Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Premier shopping including Beachwood Place, dining, parks, and the Maltz Museum and other cultural attractions further enrich the area.
Community Life
Beachwood is dedicated to promoting an active and healthy lifestyle among its residents. With numerous parks, recreational facilities, and outdoor spaces, there’s no shortage of opportunities for residents to embrace wellness and enjoy the outdoors. Whether it’s a leisurely stroll through the park, a workout session utilizing the outdoor exercise equipment, or a family outing to the Beachwood Family Aquatic Center, there’s something for everyone to do.
“I see the community center as the hub of what’s going on in the city,” says Derek Schroeder, community services director. “We exist to positively impact the residents. We focus on curating activities that can provide a smile, teach a new skill or a lesson, or bring a family together to experience something together. So that’s where you go if you need to know what’s going on. There are classes at the community center for children and adults.”
The Community Services Department publishes the Recreation Guide three times a year. This guide has activities for all age ranges across a variety of interests. For example, dance, sports, baking, pottery, gymnastics, chess, STEM, day camps, travel, and more.
Beachwood will be unveiling a brand new, state-of-the-art playground. The entire playground will be fenced in, ADA accessible, and it will have a pavilion with picnic tables.
In the summer, Beachwood hosts three outdoor movie nights. One of the other big events is “National Night Out” an event that happens all over the country to celebrate the police department and its role in the community.
Schroeder also encourages residents to provide suggestions if they have ideas for programming.
For those who are more entrepreneurial in Beachwood, whether full-time, part time, or as a side hustle, the city is home to the active Beachwood Chamber of Commerce which also hosts the Women of Beachwood Chamber of Commerce Coffee Hour. CoHatch, which is a co-working facility, is conveniently located in Beachwood Place.
Library
“Beachwood is such a library loving community. It’s one of the busiest branches and families come there often for programming,” says Tracy Strobel, Cuyahoga County Library CEO.
The library has programs for all ages —particularly for families. There are storytimes for babies, toddlers, and preschool children. The library offers the Art Explores program and STEAM program for school aged children. There are teen programs as well including art, sewing, button-making and more. For adults there are a variety of events including author events, book discussions, and even cooking classes.
“Teens come more than any other demographic because it’s conveniently located near the middle school and high school so we get a lot of after school traffic which we love,” Strobel says. “Many of those students are coming to meet up with tutors to improve their school performance. We often hear that we run out of chairs for students and tutors to sit in on weekdays which is one of many reasons we are building a new branch on that site.”
Beachwood Library Manager, Amia Wheatley says, “We also do a lot of outreach. We go into the schools, have a table at the Beachwood Fall Fest and sometimes other city events. We also do a lot of outreach to the Maltz Museum. We try to be here for the community.”
Parks
Lindsey Frierson is an avid runner.
“I love to run through the community, past the homes, through Beachwood City Park, and see other people outside walking and running,” she says. “Sometimes my husband and I will take a 30-minute break from work to go for a walk.”
She even runs or walks to one of her favorite places in Beachwood – Beachwood Truck Park to visit the variety of food trucks to sit down and dine on a nice day.
Beachwood City Park East and West are located between Shaker Boulevard. There are miles of trails for bicycling, walking, running, and skating. The park also has a pavilion and bathroom. The outdoor Fitness Park at Beachwood City Park East is open year round to everyone at no cost.
“Kids can ride their bikes at the park,” Schroeder says. “Some people ride from one side of the city to the other. They ride to the library, then from the library over to our recreation hub, which is the pool and the playground. Beachwood is small enough that you can get to things without having to drive, which is great.”
Community Garden
Growing up in Beachwood, I graduated from Beachwood City Schools, and moved back after having my twins. My children and I love to participate in the community programming, amenities, and big events such as Fall Fest. In addition to the programs, one of my family’s favorite things to do is grow vegetables and herbs in the community garden during the summer.
The Community garden has 86 garden plots and is centrally located near the pool, playground, and tennis and pickleball courts. The garden is a great place to meet other residents while enjoying
the process of tending the garden and enjoying the fruit (and vegetables)
of your labor.
Family Aquatics Center
Frierson says during the summer one of her and her family’s favorite things to do is go to the pool. “You almost can’t beat the Beachwood pool,” she says.
“Beachwood pool is one of the most unique pools in northeast Ohio,” Schroeder says. “So that is always going to be the place to be in the summer. This year we added two late night after hours pool parties and water aerobics.”
The pool is also the location of concerts every Tuesday night throughout the summer. At the end of the summer, the pool season ends with the dogs coming in to swim.
Dog Park
Not forgetting the furry companions, Barkwood provides a space for dogs to roam and play, fostering a sense of community among pet owners. Barkwood is a big reason why the Ghosh Family– Abhishek, Rini, Raaya (8), and Aarysh (4), and dogs Onyx, and Oreo – moved to Beachwood. Rini Ghosh said that back in 2019 she and her husband, Abhishek, were living in a suburb of Boston when her husband got a job at the Cleveland Clinic. Rini’s first question for the realtor was, “Does this city have a dog park?”
Beachwood City Council had just approved the building of a dog park that would open in Summer, 2019. That’s when the Ghosh Family decided on Beachwood and only looked at homes within walking distance from the dog park. With an astroturf surface, and key fob entry system, Barkwood is a popular amenity among Beachwood’s dog owners.