Norma Polanco-Boyd grew up in Chicago’s Humboldt Park neighborhood in the 70s and 80s. It was a gritty, blue-collar neighborhood in the grips of a recession then, densely built with brick bungalows and walk-up apartment flats that housed every ethnic group under the sun. It was a great place to grow up, she says, and she has many vivid memories of walking to the library or corner store and playing in the local park.

“There were pockets that were a little dangerous, but elements that were really cool,” says Polanco-Boyd, whose Mexican-born parents immigrated to the U.S. before having kids. “My parents were lower middle-class, and Humboldt Park was affordable and close to their jobs. Growing up, I thought you had to be rich to live in the suburbs.”

After graduating from college, Polanco-Boyd entered the Peace Corps and moved back to Humboldt Park, where she landed a job as Director of the Humboldt Park Economic Development Corporation. In 2004, she interviewed for a position with the Community Affairs Division of the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency. She convinced her husband Joe, whom she was dating at the time, to come out to Cleveland for a look.

“While we were visiting, we discovered Ohio City,” recalls Polanco-Boyd, whose passion for redeveloping urban neighborhoods brims over when she talks. She’s always wanted to give her own kids the chance to grow up in a diverse, urban environment. “The West Side Market was really the clincher for me. I wanted to be able to walk to amenities.”

Although making friends in Cleveland wasn’t easy at first – Polanco-Boyd laughs as she recalls taking long walks with her dog and introducing herself to bartenders just to meet people – they soon found themselves living among friends and neighbors in “the OC.”

So when the Boyds became pregnant in 2006 with their first child, Sophia, the thought of moving out of the area never really crossed their minds. “We were committed to raising our kids here,” says Polanco-Boyd. “There’s a real sense of community.”

Until recently, it was virtually a fait accompli that Cleveland families with young kids would eventually move to the suburbs, drawn by the promise of better schools and family-friendly neighborhoods. Yet in near west neighborhoods like Ohio City, Tremont and Detroit Shoreway, that trend is now beginning to reverse itself. Parents like the Polanco-Boyds and others are putting down roots and discovering the kid-friendly secrets of city living while creating their own DIY, bootstrap parenting ethos.

“We have a lot of freedom and autonomy to create our own activities and the resources to carry out initiatives,” says Polanco-Boyd, citing the creation of a youth soccer league last summer at Fairview Park as one example of how Ohio City parents often come together to fulfill a need. “If you want to do something, people will support it.”

“The sense of community here is fantastic, and people really care about each other,” adds Mary Triece, who lives on Bridge Avenue with her husband and two kids, Dashell and Lily. “We are constantly interacting with people from different races and backgrounds, and that’s one of the reasons I love the neighborhood.”

Yet despite the redevelopment that’s occurred in Ohio City over the past two decades, raising a family here still remains a daunting prospect for many middle-class parents. The joys of raising kids can easily  turn into an isolated, lonely existence without a strong, supportive network to plug into. Although Ohio City has long attracted young people and empty nesters, it hasn’t always had a vocal, organized parent group.

That changed a few years ago with the creation of the Ohio City Babysitting Coop, a grassroots group formed by Martha Loughridge, Polanco-Boyd and others to swap sits and provide a social and community network for other families in the neighborhood.

“There was no sense of community among parents in the neighborhood, and I had no idea how many families there were,” says Loughridge, who lives on West 45th with her husband, Piet Van Lier, and their daughter Nora. She grew inspired to start the group after learning about a similar network created by parents in the 1990s. “Then our kids started playing together, and there was this feeling of, ‘Oh wow, I’m not alone.’”

Yet for these Ohio City parents, raising kids in the city is not just about meeting other middle-class parents, but also about defying stereotypes that the city isn’t kid-friendly.

“My kids are engaged and excited and never at a loss for activities,” says Molly Wimbiscus, who is raising two kids on Clinton Avenue with her husband, Joel. “My son has always been fascinated by transportation and buildings, and we can just walk across the bridge to downtown and there’s a whole new world. And it’s all free.”

Triece cites the near west side’s recreation options, including Fairview Park and Zone Recreation Center, as family-friendly draws. The Dallas, Texas native grew up in a suburban community that she describes as “toxic” and “superficial”; in college, she fell in love with Austin’s urban neighborhoods and hasn’t looked back. She revels in Ohio City’s diversity, authenticity and close proximity to everything that she loves to do.

Of course, not everything is perfect about raising kids on the near west side of Cleveland. Safety, schools, kid-friendly amenities and out-of-school activities remain top concerns. Yet the Ohio City Babysitting Coop, which now consists of more than 20 families and is growing, is working to address some of these challenges.

“The creation of quality school options such as Near West Intergenerational School and Campus International School is a great trend,” says Polanco-Boyd, who is sending Sophia to Birchwood School, an independent school with an international focus. Sophia’s teacher is from Argentina and they often speak Spanish together.

“There are always going to be things that are unfortunate about raising kids in the city, and safety is one of those things,” says Triece. “When I was six years old, I walked to school, but my kids don’t walk to school even though it’s two blocks from my house. However, when you do the cost-benefit analysis, the benefits outweigh the costs.”

Creating a sense of community among families is also one way to address fears about the overall safety of raising kids in the city, adds Wimbiscus. “Our friends are really interesting and have varied life experiences. They’re role models for our kids.”

Although Ohio City is rich with amenities, there are still a limited number of organized activities for kids. “For a lot of things, you still have to go out of the neighborhood,” says Loughridge, who cites the need for traffic-calming measures and more kid-friendly pocket parks. “We need T-ball leagues and other types of activities for kids.”

As Ohio City continues to evolve into a vibrant, multigenerational neighborhood, these families hope that more parents will decide to put down roots on the near west side. Although past marketing efforts have often been geared towards young professionals, a cohesive, organized effort could help to market the neighborhood to families.

“We’re only reaching a tiny percentage of parents now,” says Polanco-Boyd. “If more people knew Ohio City was family-friendly, they could plan to stay here long-term.”