If you're looking at rentals in Akron, West Akron and Highland Square will likely come up in your search — and for good reason. This is where Akron's independent restaurant scene lives. It's where you'll find coffee shops with actual character, locally owned bookstores, live music on a Tuesday night, and neighbors who have opinions about which pizza place is better.
It also happens to be genuinely affordable compared to similar neighborhoods in Cleveland, Columbus, or any coastal city. If you're relocating to the Akron area, or just exploring your options in Summit County, West Akron deserves a close look.
"West Akron" covers a fairly large area on the west and northwest side of the city, but the anchor that most people mean when they talk about it is Highland Square — the neighborhood centered roughly around the West Market Street corridor between Portage Path and Hawkins Avenue.
This stretch of West Market Street is Akron's version of what Ohio City or Detroit-Shoreway is to Cleveland: a walkable commercial strip with independent businesses, street parking, and a community identity built around local culture.
The surrounding residential blocks fan out from this core — streets of bungalows, Craftsman homes, duplexes, and Victorian-era houses that give West Akron a character that's hard to find in newer suburbs.
Food and drink: The Square has a legitimate food scene. You've got Moe's Deli, Wally Waffle, Nervous Dog Coffee, Portage Crossing — and more. The concentration of quality local spots along that stretch of West Market rivals much larger cities.
The arts: Highland Theatre (the classic kind, showing independent and foreign films) is a neighborhood institution. Local galleries rotate through exhibitions. The community has always had a strong tie to Akron's arts culture.
Walkability: For Akron, Highland Square is exceptional. Within a 10–15 minute walk of most of the neighborhood, you can hit a coffee shop, grocery store, multiple restaurants, a park, and most of what you need for daily life. By Ohio standards, that's genuinely impressive.
Community events: The Highland Square Neighborhood Association organizes regular events — the area has real civic participation and a strong block-level sense of community.
West Akron and Highland Square offer solid value. Here's what you'll typically pay for well-maintained rentals in the area:
Studio / 1 Bedroom: $650–$900/month
2 Bedroom: $800–$1,100/month
3 Bedroom: $950–$1,300/month
4 Bedroom (single-family): $1,100–$1,500/month
For context, comparable properties in Cleveland's Ohio City or Tremont would run $200–$400/month more. For Akron's other residential neighborhoods like Ellet or Kenmore, West Akron is mid-range to slightly higher — you're paying for the walkability and neighborhood quality.
Utilities: Budget separately. Older homes in the area can have higher heating costs in winter. Ask about furnace age and whether windows are updated. A home with a newer heating system and insulated windows is worth more than it might appear in the listing price.
Cleveland Comfort Housing manages rental properties near West Akron, including homes in the 93 Oakdale Avenue area. See what's available at /rentals.
The residential streets surrounding Highland Square are primarily older homes — built anywhere from the 1920s through the 1960s. You'll see:
The stock has character, but character comes with age. Before signing, always check:
A well-maintained older home in West Akron is a genuinely wonderful place to live. The key word is maintained.
West Akron is served by the Akron City School District. Akron Public Schools has individual schools with varying strengths — the quality differs building to building, so research the specific elementary or middle school in your address zone.
Notable options:
Alternative options for families:
West Akron has reasonable access to several major Akron corridors and beyond:
Downtown Akron: 8–12 minutes via West Market Street or Copley Road. Easy commute.
Akron Children's Hospital / Summa Health: 10–15 minutes.
University of Akron: About 10 minutes east.
I-77 (south to Canton or north to Cleveland): Access via downtown Akron — about 10–15 minutes to get on the highway. From there: Cleveland is 40–45 minutes north.
I-76 / I-277 (east-west corridor): 10–15 minutes to access via the Copley Road interchange.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park: Remarkable as it sounds — the national park border is about 10–15 minutes from Highland Square. This is one of West Akron's best kept secrets. You can be on a forest trail in 15 minutes from your front door.
Metro RTA (Akron's transit authority) has bus service in West Akron along West Market Street and connecting routes. Service frequency is moderate — useful for downtown Akron commutes, less useful for accessing suburban employers.
For transit-dependent living, the Highland Square / West Market corridor is Akron's best bet — most other parts of Akron are heavily car-dependent.
This deserves its own section because most people don't realize it until they're living there.
Cuyahoga Valley National Park — 33,000 acres of river valley, forest, waterfalls, farms, and trails — sits on Akron's northern border. The Towpath Trail runs the length of it. Brandywine Falls is one of Ohio's most dramatic natural landmarks. The Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railroad runs through it.
From West Akron, you can be at a trailhead in 10–15 minutes. Boston Mill and Peninsula are both close.
If you like hiking, biking, cross-country skiing, or just having a national park as your backyard — this is genuinely hard to beat at any rent level, let alone Akron's prices.
South of Akron proper, Portage Lakes State Park is about 20 minutes from West Akron. Multiple interconnected lakes with swimming, boating, and kayaking in summer. Fishing year-round. A different kind of outdoor access than the national park, but equally genuine.
Highland Square and West Akron attract a mix:
Artists and creative types who want a neighborhood with culture at Akron prices. Cleveland's arts scene gets more attention, but Akron's has real depth — the Rubber City has been producing musicians, painters, and makers for decades.
University of Akron students and faculty who want to be off-campus but close. The proximity to UA means the neighborhood has an academic edge to it.
Young professionals who work in Akron's healthcare, polymer, or tech sectors and want walkability without paying Cleveland or Columbus prices.
Long-term residents who have lived in these blocks for years and are the civic backbone of the neighborhood association. There's real community here, not just temporary renters cycling through.
The mix creates a neighborhood that feels alive without being noisy, and local without being insular.
Park the car before you tour. Walk the neighborhood. See if the coffee shop feels right. Talk to people sitting on their porches. Neighborhoods are experienced at street level, not from a car window.
Ask about parking. Some blocks have limited street parking. Many single-family homes have driveways. For multi-unit buildings, ask specifically about parking availability.
Understand the lease. West Akron has a mix of independent landlords and small property management companies. Smaller landlords may be more flexible; quality varies more than with a large company. Read your lease carefully regardless of who you're renting from.
Get clarity on utilities. Heat is the big one. A well-insulated, updated home will save you money from October through April. Ask specifically.
Check for noise on weekends. The West Market strip is active Friday and Saturday nights. If your potential rental is on or very close to the commercial strip, take an evening walk before signing to understand what Friday sounds like.
We have rental properties near West Akron and know the neighborhood well. Our tenants in this area get the same responsive maintenance and attentive management we provide across all our properties.
Browse available homes at /rentals, explore our full tenant resource library, or call us at (216) 480-4166 to talk through what's available and what fits your situation.
West Akron is one of northeast Ohio's best-kept secrets. If the vibe fits your life, the value is hard to argue with.
Browse our available properties or get in touch. We respond fast.
Looking to rent a house in Cleveland? This guide covers everything — how rental applications work, what to expect during the approval process, and how to be a strong applicant in today's market.
Cleveland winters bring cold, snow, and ice that can cause real problems in rental homes. Here's how to stay warm, prevent damage, and know when to call your landlord.