About 20 miles east of Cleveland is a place specially designed so that it doesn’t become like any other suburban community. Homes built in Pepper Pike must have at least an acre of land surrounding it, though it’s about a 25-minute drive to the hustle and bustle of downtown. “I would classify this area as an upscale suburban/rural community,” says Jerry Kayser, a Realtor Associate with Keller Williams Chervenic Realty with over 23 years in the real estate business. “The houses are upscale and on larger lots, given that requirement. Most are between 2 and 5 acres.” Pepper Pike will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of its founding in 2024. Some of the large lot houses back up to one of three golf courses in the neighborhood. One is just called The Country Club. It’s a private club with membership occurring by invitation only. Members enjoy a fine-dining restaurant, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool and fitness and massage rooms. The course is situated on a rolling terrain of about 240 acres. A brook runs through the middle of the course, providing a slight water hazard. Nestled next to the Country Club is Pepper Pike Club, which has the same course designer. It’s also an exclusive invitation-only club with just over 200 members. Just across Chagrin Boulevard is Beechmont Country Club. Members of this club enjoy indoor and outdoor tennis courts, pool, dining room and an 18-hole course that has played host to PGA tournaments and U.S. Open qualifiers. For the non-golfer, the Cleveland Racquet Club has more than just indoor and outdoor tennis courts. There’s an indoor and outdoor swimming pool, fitness areas and clubhouse. Membership is required but not nearly as exclusive as the golf courses. One of the reasons that people are attracted to Pepper Pike is access to top-rated schools. The Orange City School District is rated an A-plus on Niche, with the same grades in academics, teachers, administration, clubs and activities and college prep. According to Niche, Moreland Hills Elementary scores an A and is the ninth-best public elementary school in Cleveland out of more than 400. Ballard Brady Middle School has a 13-to-1 student-teacher ratio and an A overall grade. Orange High School is ranked the fifth-best public high school in Cleveland and gets an A overall Niche grade. The community is also home to Ursuline College, a private institution established in the late 1800s as a Catholic women’s college. While most programs are women-focused, the school welcomes both women and men. While living in Pepper Pike, having several trees on properties is normal. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated the area a Tree City. That means it spends at least $2 per capita on trees, has a designated person or group of people paying attention to the tree population, and it’s a community that observes Arbor Day every spring. There’s a wide range of styles and eras in the housing stock. A 1950’s ranch-style house with nearly 2,000 square feet and two bedrooms costs around $300,000, while a golf course home on a 3-acre lot and over 5,000 square feet is priced at $2.25 million. Tudor Revival, split-level and Cape Cod are additional styles. “In the Cleveland area, most of the newer construction is multi-story,” Kayser says. “It’s much more cost-effective to expand space vertically than horizontally.” About 95 percent of the people living in Pepper Pike are homeowners. A collection of 59 stores with an indoor and outdoor retail mix can be found at Eton Chagrin Boulevard. Barnes & Noble, Brooks Brothers and high-end activewear store Lululemon Athletica are a small sample of choices. For a luxurious dining experience, Heritage Steak & Whiskey opens at 4 p.m. Tuesday-Thursday and 5 p.m. Friday through Sunday for dinner. Trader Joe’s is nearby for grocery items. For a local grocery store flair, Heinen’s Supermarket is also available. “It’s an upscale market with quality produce and a great wine department,” Kayser says. Interstate 271 runs west of Pepper Pike and, heading south, leads to Interstate 77 and downtown Cleveland. Shaker Boulevard provides a direct western route. The Cleveland Regional Transit Authority has bus stops on Chagrin Boulevard in front of the shopping center. Learn more on the Pepper Pike city guide.