Gates Mills

It doesn’t take too much imagination to envision Gates Mills when it was a thriving mill town in the 1850s. Cross the Chagrin River to drive through the heart of the village, and you’ll pass colonial-style buildings, some standing since the 19th century, as well as vintage lampposts positioned every few yards. This is the closest thing to a downtown you’ll see in the community of 2,000 residents to the east of Cleveland. While more developed towns are nearby, Gates Mills’ non-residential buildings are occupied by civic clubs, a theater troupe and a library rather than trendy boutiques or national retail chains. Surrounding the village’s core are homes sprinkled among Gates Mills’ fields and forests. “It has access to everything an urban lifestyle is about – but a country-style feel,” says Howard Hanna Sales Associate Steve Schneider, who has been selling homes in Cuyahoga County since 2016.

That country feel starts with the spacious residential lots; the village’s median lot size is more than 10 times greater than the median lot size of the entire Cleveland metro. Drive down some Gates Mills roads, and mailboxes are the only sign anyone lives among the dense woodlands. But those mailboxes are the start of long driveways that lead to homes tucked among the pines and cedars. Other streets are lined with Tudor- and colonial-inspired houses that boast 4,000-plus square feet. It’s tough to find a home priced below the mid-$400,000s, with the village’s largest houses selling for more than $1 million. “It is one of the more affluent neighborhoods of Cuyahoga County,” Schneider points out. Indeed, Gates Mills’ median sales price of nearly $800,000 is higher than the median sales price in nearly every surrounding neighborhood.

Students have the option of attending the Mayfield City School District, graded an A by Niche, starting with the village’s A-minus-rated Gates Mills Elementary School. After fifth grade, kids can take classes at Mayfield Middle School, an A-minus-graded school barely more than a mile west of Gates Mills. Another 2 miles west is Mayfield High School, which gets a Niche grade of A. Mayfield High’s STEAM2M Program offers teens rigorous pathways to study engineering, biomedical science or computer science. This program pairs Advanced Placement courses with classes designed by education nonprofit Project Lead the Way. For example, a student in the biomedical science pathway may take AP Biology, AP Chemistry and Human Body Systems.

Get active while meeting neighbors at the village’s courts, where pickleball and tennis tournaments are frequent. Meanwhile, the north side of the community contains the Wilson Mills Trailhead, an entryway to the 2,000-acre North Chagrin Reservation wildlife sanctuary and recreation area. You may spot hawks or herons as you trek past lily pad-peppered ponds. If that’s not exciting enough, bring your bike, and cruise the 8-mile loop trail. Or wait for snow to blanket the woodlands to tear down the North Chagrin Reservation’s popular sledding hills.

When they’re not enjoying the outdoors, residents can pass the time catching a play put on by Gates Mills Players. The theater group has put on productions since the 1940s, handling every part of the shows from set construction to musical arrangements. Gates Mills Players is just one of nine community clubs in the village. Residents can join their neighbors at any of these clubs to help the community by planning the July 4 parade, beautifying Gates Mills’ landscape or publishing the monthly Pink Sheet newsletter to keep fellow residents updated on what’s happening around the village.

You won’t find many businesses in Gates Mills, but Sara’s Place offers upscale evenings of dining on a rack of lamb or chicken piccata at tables draped in white linens. To experience the urban conveniences that Schneider mentioned, head less than a mile west of Gates Mills to the city of Mayfield Heights. There you can make quick work of your shopping list thanks to its Target, Costco Wholesale and Giant Eagle Supermarket stores. Drive 20 miles further west, and you’ll reach downtown Cleveland. Or hop on the RTA bus stop in Mayfield Heights to arrive in Cleveland within 90 minutes.

Written By

Alex Soderstrom

Photography Contributed By

Nile Vincz

Video By

Timothy Cerva