West Boulevard, Clark-Fulton, Stockyards: A lot to give on Cleveland’s West Side; industry, vibrancy, delicious dining, friendly people

CLEVELAND, Ohio – Nestled in the Stockyards neighborhood, Mom’s Family Restaurant has been a go-to place since the 1940s.

At the corner of Clark Avenue and West 65th Street, and across the road from Max S. Hayes High School, the mom-and-pop diner prides itself on comfort food, as if you were home with your family eating.

Brenda Burnett, the front house manager, grew up in the Stockyards neighborhood and has family who live in the Clark-Fulton neighborhood next door. She’s worked there since 2008 and went to Mom’s as a child.

It’s a slice of life on the near West Side. Residents in the neighborhoods of Stockyards, Clark-Fulton and West Boulevard know their neighbors, they have each others’ backs and look out for each other.

This is part of a series of stories from cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer exploring Cleveland’s neighborhoods. Follow ongoing coverage at Get to Know Cleveland’s Neighborhoods.

The original owner, whom everyone called Mom, lost her life when the old Mom’s Family Restaurant caught fire. She ran in to save her dog, Burnett said. Mom’s daughter rebuilt and reopened the restaurant in honor of her Mom, Burnett added.

“Everyone from the neighborhood comes here. It’s where friends meet. I know everyone by name. Everyone knows me by name,” she said. “This is definitely a neighborhood place.”

The Stockyards, West Boulevard and Clark-Fulton neighborhoods offer an eclectic spread of dining options to the middle West Side of Cleveland.

The Stockyards neighborhood is very industrial in that it has a number of mechanical shops and three scrap yards, Burnett says. Its name comes from the Cleveland Union Stockyards Co. Though it may be industrial in some areas, that doesn’t take away from the neighborly atmosphere, Burnett said.

“You walk into a store and they’re like, ‘Oh, hey!’ because they know you,” she said. “The Stockyards is old-school because people still sit on their front porches and talk to each other.”

Nearby, MetroHealth Medical Center has proudly called Clark-Fulton home for the last 168 years. Greg Zucca, executive director of community transformation for MetroHealth, called Clark-Fulton a “culturally diverse community with a rich history and a very vibrant future.”

“From the first settlers of Cleveland to the arrival of immigrants, through industrialization to the welcoming of newcomers from abroad and across the country, Clark-Fulton has been and remains a neighborhood open to all,” he said. “Being part of a community means being committed to its people and its vibrancy. It means going beyond the four walls of the hospital or doctor’s office to engage with people to build a healthy community.”

The hospital celebrates with residents at events like La Placita and honors its culture by working with local artists to install eight murals throughout Clark-Fulton, Zucca said. The hospital also supports families as students graduate from Lincoln-West School of Science and Health, he further said.

“In the end, being part of and serving a community is more than an institutional response to challenges, it’s about listening, living and growing with a community,” he said.

West Boulevard, a quaint largely residential neighborhood, is home to Mercedes Cotner Park, which has been recently improved. The park now has a new playground, new lighting, and an outdoor bike pump track, among other amenities.

The biggest attraction in the neighborhood is Ray’s Indoor Mountain Bike Park, close to Mercedes Cotner Park. The concept of the indoor bike park came to fruition around Thanksgiving of 1996 and the place opened Thanksgiving weekend 2004.

Where are these neighborhoods?

West Boulevard’s borders generally are Interstate 90 on the north, Memphis Avenue on the south, West 117th Street on the west, and West 73rd on the east .

Stockyards is between Interstate 71 to the south, around Ridge Road to the west, West 44th Street to the east, and is just south of I-90. Clark-Fulton is surrounded by Clark Avenue on the north, Scranton Road on the east, Daisy Avenue and Interstate 71 on the south and West 48th and West 49th streets on the west.

Demographics:

West Boulevard is the largest, by population, at about 15,000. Clark-Fulton has about 11,000 residents. About 10,000 people live in the Stockyards area.

Clark-Fulton has the largest population of Hispanics in Cleveland, most of whom are of Puerto Rican descent, and much of the neighborhood has that flavor.

And that flavor extends to the entire area. The three neighborhoods have among the highest concentrations of Hispanic people in Ohio, with 51% claiming Hispanic heritage in Clark-Fulton, 41% in Stockyards and 28% in West Boulevard, according to research of census data by the Center for Community Solutions.

By race, the majority of the residents are White, ranging from 55% to 65%.

History of neighborhoods:

In previous centuries, West Boulevard was occupied by members of the Chippewa, Delaware, Munsee, Ottawa, Potawatomi, Shawnee and Wyandot nations.

The Stockyards neighborhood was once home to the Pilsener Brewing Co., located on West 65th Street near Clark Avenue (Close to Mom’s Family Restaurant) from 1892 to 1963. Brewing stopped after Pilsener was bought by Duquesne Brewing Co. but started up again after Duquesne Brewing Co. sold its brand name to C. Schmidt & Sons. Brewing stopped under that label in 1984.

By the late 20th century, large West Side employers had closed up shop, which shifted the social, ethnic and racial character of the West Boulevard neighborhood and its neighboring communities.

Clark-Fulton’s first immigrants were Germans, Slovaks, Czechs and Italians. They worked in breweries on Train Avenue and factories in the Flats.

Places of interest

Ray’s Indoor Bike Park at 9801 Walford Ave. is a hidden gem in the neighborhood and one of a kind. Mountain bikers can ride terrain in an old factory that has been turned into a bike park.

Noted churches include St. Ignatius of Antioch Catholic Church in West Boulevard, and in Clark-Fulton St. Rocco Parish Church, the first Italian church on Cleveland’s West Side.

James M. Dunphy Park in West Boulevard between Clinton Road and West 102nd Street features two baseball fields.

Places to eat/get amenities

Among the places to eat and shop: Browns Beverage in Stockyards; Cleveland Mofongo Latin Grill in West Boulevard; Diana Baker’s Diner in Clark-Fulton; Gually’s Bakery & Restaurant in Stockyards; Mom’s Family Restaurant in Stockyards; Pupuseria La Bendicion in West Boulevard.