Cuyahoga Falls Neighborhoods, From the Team That Grew Up Here

Cuyahoga Falls neighborhoods give you the best of both worlds. This is not a small city, in size or in population, so you get the amenities of a bigger place: a parks and recreation system that's hard to beat, a revamped downtown, and new schools. But it still feels like a hometown.

You can live within walking distance of Front Street in a home built in the 1920s, or in a newer allotment on the northwest side. Both are Cuyahoga Falls, and both are minutes from Cuyahoga Valley National Park. You can see how the city grew, generation by generation, just by driving through it.

That range is what we love about it, and it's also what makes it confusing when you're new. Two homes at the same price can have very different basements, school districts, and utility setups depending on which side of town they're on. Let's talk about what you need to know before you start looking.

Locals split the city into two sides, roughly along Front Street and 13th Street: the west side is the 44223 zip code, and the east side is 44221. You'll hear both used all the time.

Downtown and Front Street. Some of the oldest homes in the city are here and on the numbered streets nearby, including homes from the 1920s with their original woodwork still in place. Some have been beautifully updated, and some haven't been touched in a long time, which is exactly why a walkthrough with someone who knows these houses is worth it. Many are within walking distance of Front Street.

The east side and the "Heslops." Locals call them Heslops, after the builder. They're Cape Cod style homes, mostly built in the 1950s and 60s, and you'll see a lot of them across the city. Here's the part most people miss: many of the Heslops on the east side (44221) were built without a basement. If storage or a finished lower level matters to you, that one detail changes which streets you look at.

Northampton. The northwest side of Cuyahoga Falls, and where most of our neighborhood work happens. This is where you'll find the newer builds, inside small allotments. Most have an HOA, and in our experience they tend to be light-touch rather than strict. Northampton is served by the Woodridge school district.

The allotments. Cuyahoga Falls has a lot of small allotments, most with somewhere between a few dozen and a few hundred homes. The ones we work most include Regent Park, Brookpark, The Dales, and High Hampton.

Condominium communities. Cuyahoga Falls has a good number of condo allotments with HOAs. For anyone who wants one-floor living and less exterior upkeep, they're worth a serious look.

Next door: Silver Lake. The Village of Silver Lake is its own community, and its homes are served by the Cuyahoga Falls City School District.

Front Street has come back to life over the last 10 years. It sits right on the falls, and the view is breathtaking. The new Riverwalk runs right along the water. Downtown is full of local restaurants and small businesses doing some really cool things, plus breweries, a few speakeasies, and a DORA, a designated outdoor refreshment area where you can carry a drink between spots. It's also home to the city's festivals, like the Italian festival, the Irish festival, and Oktoberfest.

The parks system is a big part of life here. There are wading pools at the neighborhood parks, the revamped Water Works water park, the Natatorium, and halls like Lions Lodge and Northampton Town Hall that host community events. Quirk Cultural Center is now a family center with a lot to offer. For the outdoors, Cuyahoga Valley National Park and the Summit Metro Parks are right there, and Blossom Music Center is practically in your backyard for summer concerts.

Getting around is easy. Akron is about 10 minutes away, and Cleveland, Canton, and Medina are each roughly 30 to 35 minutes. Western Reserve Hospital is in town. And one local detail worth knowing: the city runs its own municipal utilities, so sewer, water, electric, and trash all come on one bill.