Over the years, Mentor has been named among the best places to live by local and national news outlets. Using indicators such as safety, education, housing, public services, diversity, and walkability, this “City of Choice” consistently scores high. It’s also among the 12th “Happiest Places in Ohio,” based on median household income, low crime, and divorce rates.
Then again, to those who have resided in Lake County’s largest city, these accolades come as no surprise.
“My husband, Mark, and I lived in Mentor from 1990 to 2001, and just loved it,” recalls Susan Schervish. “When we moved to another city for closer proximity to work, we found that we didn’t care for the isolation of the houses and soon wanted to get back to the neighborhoods of Mentor and all the city has to offer.”
Among the many things the city has to offer are great housing options. Mark and Susan have been rehabbing houses for years and they know that Mentor appeals to every walk of life. “It’s pretty amazing the variety of houses there are here,” Schervish says. “Not only that but you can find a house that meets any budget, and compared to some other suburbs in northeast Ohio, you can get more land too.”
When the couple moved back to Mentor in 2004, they vowed to never leave again. “We found the perfect house here, and our daughter loved attending Mentor High School,” she says. “We try to take advantage of all the amenities, such as the paved bike paths, the lagoons, variety of parks, and soccer fields. Best of all, we happily discovered that it really doesn’t take much longer to commute to work because the access to the freeways is an easy hop on, hop off. So yes, we’re here for good.”
Finding the Perfect Mentor Home
One of the biggest decisions in life is where to live and there are a number of factors to consider when searching for the right house. What you might be looking for in a starter home as a single person can be quite different than if you’ve already established your family, and different still when you’re looking to downsize in your retirement years. Style of homes are a wide-ranging choice in Mentor, too. You can choose from condos, ranches, split levels, colonials, Cape Cod styles, newly constructed contemporary designs, or even century homes.
Jacob Vitale recently purchased his first home at age 23. “I wanted to live in Mentor because it has the best access to stores and gyms, and close proximity to family and the freeway, making it easy to commute to Cleveland where I work,” says Vitale, who is a chemical engineer. “I wanted a house in a nice, safe location that can be turned into a home.”
“Mentor is definitely a popular place to live because there’s a great lifestyle to be had here,” says Amanda Alafi, real estate agent at Home Smart in Mentor. “The value of the homes are very good and so are the schools.”
According to Realtor.com, home values in Mentor have risen 5.1% over the past year, with the typical home averaging around $289,900. It’s been a seller’s market for some time and that’s often the case in this lakeside city. “People move here to raise their family and often just stay because there’s really no reason to leave,” says Alafi, who has been a licensed agent since 2017. “So there’s a bit of a housing shortage because there isn’t a lot of turnover. Oftentimes there are less houses to consider for the amount of people who want to move here.”
Because of that, some who want to live in Mentor opt to begin by renting a home. Houses to rent in Mentor start at about $900, which is fairly reasonable compared to other cities.
While the Schervish family moved away from Mentor only to return, many Mentorites never left. Generations, in fact. “My mother moved here in 1943, raised all seven of us kids here and my father had his own business here as well, J&N Cycle Shop,” says Annie Felice Kline, “I’ve never even considered moving away, not even when I attended Ursuline College.”
It Really Is Better in Mentor
Once you find the right house and school for your family, the fun really begins. Whether your interests include hiking, biking, swimming, golfing, shopping, dining, basking on the shores of Lake Erie, observing wildlife, or taking in your favorite music outdoors, Mentor has it covered. With over 170 eateries, the city has a restaurant to please every palate. It’s a shopper’s delight as well, with over 300 retailers ranging from big box retailers to cozy mom-and-pop establishments.
There are plenty of ways to enjoy nature as well. Headlands Beach State Park is Ohio’s largest natural beach and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. The dunes are a major birding destination and serves as the northeast terminus for the 1,400-mile Buckeye Trail.
Nearby Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve & Marina includes 1-1/2 miles of shoreline, winding wooded paths, and a brand-new marsh-rim boardwalk and observation deck. Canoes, kayaks, paddle boats, and pedal boats are available for rental during the summer months.
Mentor is rich in history as well. The first presidential library established in the U.S. is located in the James A. Garfield National Historic Site, which is commonly referred to as Lawnfield. The 20th president purchased the Mentor Avenue home in 1876 and conducted the first front-porch campaign. Managed by the National Park Service, the home and museum are available to tour year-round.
The historic Wildwood Cultural Center & Park, located at 7645 Little Mountain Road, is a cultural gem consisting of 34-acres of stately trees and scenic gardens that is a beloved location for events and photographing special moments. The 1908 manor house is one of the earliest versions of the English Tudor Revival style in northeast Ohio, and has been on the National Register of Historic Homes in 1981. The facility is used year-round for a number of programs and workshops, and is available for rent by the public for social and business functions.
Among the highlights in Mentor each year is the ever-popular Mentor Rocks summer concert series which takes place each Tuesday from June through August at the state-of-the-art Mentor Civic Amphitheater. The Amp has been compared to a “mini-Blossom” and features a 3,000 square-foot stage, 35,000-watt sound system, and two 14’ x 7’ video screens. Nearly 6,000 music lovers converge each week to enjoy top touring tribute acts as well as special performances by national recording artists which have included Lita Ford, Gin Blossoms, Darryl Worley, Everclear, Soul Asylum, and Cracker, just to name a few! Admission and parking to Mentor Rocks is free.
What’s New in Mentor?
Mentor has a legacy of forward-thinking city councils that have worked hard over the years to make Mentor a great place to call home through thoughtful acquisitions as well as new business attraction. The 52-acre Springbrook Gardens Park now includes the 4,400 square foot Springbrook Gardenhouse. The much-anticipated state-of-the-art Cleveland Clinic Hospital is opening this summer, as is the new Mentor Community Recreation Center. And, more is on the way to keep Mentor a vibrant and inclusive community for all.
“I think the biggest appeal is that Mentor offers so much at every stage in life,” notes Susan Schervish. “Whether you have kids, no kids, are young or a senior, whatever your interests may be, Mentor really does have it all.”
More information is always available at www.cityofmentor.com.