Written by Leadership Council Member: Jestin Alancheril

I lived most of my life in Fort Worth, TX; had a lot of family and friends there, and traveled to larger cities for professional reasons or personal interest. With no prior exposure to Cleveland, I didn’t have an opinion one way or another until I met my fiancé, now wife of 11 years. She and I met, fell in love, and I was open to moving here so we could begin a new life together, but the intent was to move back to Texas at some point as I always considered that “home”.

After living here for a bit and starting a family, Cleveland reminded me of my early childhood in New Jersey with four seasons, i.e., a beautiful Fall, winters where it’s cold enough to appreciate a warm firepit, and summers that you want to spend outside instead of running from one air-conditioned place to another. I grew to appreciate its amazing history, character, Midwest friendliness, and tribal affinity for its sports teams. When hearing people pronounce Cleveland like it’s spelled with a question mark at the end, I understood “Cleveland Against the World”. Then, a miracle happened that began to change my perspective and others: the Cavs won a world title! I was in The Flats with friends watching Game 7, and remember the building shaking when they won, complete strangers hugging me in the street screaming “We’re World Champions, man. We’re #1!”. It’s as if the clouds parted and the sun came out. It gave me hope that if the city could collectively find a way to start putting more wins on the board, the local and national narrative about The Land would change.

Over the years, Cleveland has stacked wins. Conventions and All-Star games are held, run smoothly and outsiders leave pleasantly surprised. The city is investing in a more walkable, greener city with public art. There’s a new generation of leaders aligned and energized on priorities to maximize Cleveland’s natural strengths, i.e., its waterfronts, and doing what it takes to make sure we get a serious look at opportunities, e.g., Forbes 30 Under 30. People used to really complain about our winters, but they’re mild now and Cleveland’s actually benefited from climate change. Imagine Sun Belt summers averaging >100 degrees for several days at a time: couldn’t be me! Finally, looking at the cost of living nationally, Cleveland is one of THE cities everyone should be checking out. If you look at real estate metrics, there’s more housing stock freeing up for one bedrooms, but far less for two bedrooms or greater and the cost of it all is increasing. Yet, it’s still at a fraction of what it costs in Dallas, to pick on my old stomping ground. People are moving here. My wife and I committed to staying for overall quality of life; we’re not missing out!

If you’re a young professional, couple, or family who still believes in the idea of living the American Dream, come check out Cleveland. You don’t have to live in a tiny place or sit in hours of traffic to access it. 

There are multiple unique neighborhoods with great restaurants and shops like Lakewood, Ohio City, and Shaker Heights. My wife and I fight over Il Rione vs Cents for the best pizza. My brother the foodie visited us from Seattle and said Mia Bella in Little Italy is the best Italian food he’s had. Paradise Biryani is my favorite for authentic Indian food. The West Side Market is a gem and I can’t come back empty-handed.

Cleveland has the amenities of a larger city with art and culture represented by its museums, orchestra and theater district, its sports teams, universities, metro and national parks, multiple beaches/waterfronts, etc.. The difference is one can actually access all of it within a 25-30 minute drive and it’s 2-3 times the travel time to amenities in a larger city.