Cleveland owes its historic shift in migration to young professionals, as a recent Case Western Reserve University study has found.

"Twentysomethings are creating a new and potentially powerful housing pattern as they snap up downtown apartments as fast as they become available...Neighborhood life is blossoming on blocks once dominated by office workers and commuters, and people are clamoring for dog parks."

According to Smith, there are several reasons to cheer the findings. "First off, a rising center city bucks the trend in a region accustomed to relentless sprawl. Secondly, the ripples are spilling into other neighborhoods. The lure of downtown, coupled with a tight rental housing market, is sending people into Tremont, Ohio City and even Asiatown, [study author Richey] Piiparinen believes. All three inner-city neighborhoods enjoyed stable or growing populations last decade."

"Finally, look who's coming. People between the ages of 21 and 34 make up the largest share of downtown residents. Many of them grew up in a suburb of Northeast Ohio, then moved to a neighborhood their parents would never have considered."