Why Indians Are Moving to Solon — and Where the South Asian Community is Thriving Across Cleveland, Akron, and Canton
Walk through the hallways of Solon High School and you’ll notice something that sets it apart from most schools in Ohio: nearly half its student body represents minority backgrounds, with Asian students — a significant portion of them of Indian descent — making up roughly 23% of enrollment. That kind of diversity doesn’t happen by accident. It’s the result of decades of deliberate choices made by Indian-American families who have looked at Northeast Ohio and decided: this is where we want to build our lives.
Here’s a closer look at why Solon, in particular, has become such a magnet for the Indian community — and where South Asians are putting down roots across the broader Cleveland-Akron-Canton region.
Why Solon? The School District Says It All
Ask any Indian family why they chose Solon and the answer is almost always the same: the schools.
Solon City School District holds the top spot among all school districts in the Cleveland area, according to Niche rankings, and ranks third in the entire state of Ohio. Aihscorp The numbers behind that ranking are striking. Solon schools post math proficiency scores of 93% and reading proficiency of 92%, compared to Ohio state averages of 55% and 60% respectively. The district’s graduation rate sits at 97%, and it ranks within the top 1% of all 916 school districts in Ohio. Indian Health Service
Solon High School ranks fourth in Ohio and 174th nationally, with an AP participation rate of 72%. Indian Health Service For Indian-American parents — many of them engineers, physicians, and IT professionals who place enormous value on academic achievement — these numbers make Solon an obvious destination.
The city has also been voted the number one best town to raise a family by Northeast Ohio Parent magazine and ranks in the top three best places to live in the Cleveland area. IHCRC
Beyond Schools: What Draws Indian Families to Solon
The schools may be the headline, but the full picture is more layered.
Proximity to Major Employers. Solon sits at a geographic sweet spot in Cuyahoga County. The city serves as the intersection of US Routes 422 and 91, with quick access to I-480 and I-271, connecting residents easily to Cleveland’s major employment hubs. Solon, OH The Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals, Case Western Reserve University, and corporate employers across the region are all within reasonable commuting distance. Solon itself is home to major companies including Swagelok, Nestlé, and several technology and manufacturing firms — meaning many Indian professionals can live and work within the same corridor.
Affordable Homes Relative to Coastal Cities. Indian professionals relocating from New Jersey, Texas, California, or directly from India quickly discover that what a dollar buys in Solon is dramatically different from what it buys in Silicon Valley or New Jersey’s Edison township. The median property value in Solon is around $392,900, with a homeownership rate of 84.3%. Yelp For a dual-income household of engineers or physicians, that level of housing quality and space would cost two to three times as much in major coastal metros.
A Growing Desi Community. One of the quieter but most powerful forces driving Indian migration to Solon is community itself. Once a critical mass of Indian families settles in an area, others follow — for the familiarity, the social networks, the shared temples and cultural events, and the simple comfort of neighbors who understand. Solon has developed a well-established Punjabi population in particular, making it a natural landing spot for newcomers from that community.
Foreign-Born Population on the Rise. Nearly 20% of Solon residents were born outside the United States as of 2024, and that rate has been climbing steadily. India is the single most common country of birth for foreign-born Ohio residents, with over 66,000 Indian-born people living in the state. Yelp
What Are Indians Working On in Northeast Ohio?
The Indian-American community in Northeast Ohio is heavily concentrated in high-skill, high-education professions — a pattern that stretches back to the earliest waves of immigration.
From the very beginning, Cleveland’s Indian arrivals included a large number of physicians and engineers, drawn by the city’s hospitals, industries, and universities. Midstory That tradition has only deepened over time.
Healthcare. The Cleveland Clinic is one of the most renowned medical institutions in the world, and it has long attracted Indian physicians, researchers, and specialists. University Hospitals and MetroHealth round out a healthcare ecosystem that employs thousands of medical professionals across the region. Indian-American doctors, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and researchers are deeply woven into the fabric of Cleveland’s medical establishment.
Technology and Engineering. Northeast Ohio’s manufacturing heritage has evolved into a modern tech and engineering economy. Indian IT professionals and software engineers work across the region — from consultancies clustered in suburbs like Middleburg Heights (where staffing firms like Cognizant have placed significant numbers of IT contractors) to in-house roles at corporate headquarters and research institutions.
Aerospace Research. NASA’s John H. Glenn Research Center, located near Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, is a world-class facility focused on aeronautics and space exploration. Glenn employs approximately 1,650 civil servants and 1,850 support contractors, working in areas including propulsion, power systems, communications technology, and space flight systems. Solon, OH Indian-American engineers and scientists have long been a part of that workforce.
Academia. Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State University, Kent State University, and the University of Akron all host substantial populations of Indian faculty, researchers, and graduate students — particularly in engineering, computer science, and the life sciences.
Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Across the region, Indian-Americans have built successful businesses in real estate, hospitality, restaurants, retail, and professional services. The entrepreneurial thread runs strong through the community.
The Indian Community Map: Where South Asians Cluster in Cleveland, Akron, and Canton
The Indian-American population is not distributed evenly across Northeast Ohio. Over time, distinct pockets of concentration have emerged, often organized by regional origin, profession, or social ties.
Greater Cleveland
Solon — Home to a large and growing Punjabi community, with excellent schools and suburban amenities that make it a top destination for families.
Strongsville — A well-established hub for Gujarati families, many of whom have built businesses and community institutions in the area. Strongsville’s good schools and family-friendly character make it a peer to Solon for Indian families on the southwest side.
Parma and Parma Heights — One of the more mixed and longstanding Indian communities in the Cleveland area, Parma Heights is home to Indian grocery stores, including India Grocers, making it a practical hub for the broader community.
Twinsburg — A growing community of Punjabi and South Indian families, with proximity to both Cleveland and Akron making it appealing for professionals commuting in either direction.
Westlake — A popular choice for Indian professionals on the west side, offering good schools and proximity to corporate employers along the I-90 corridor.
Mayfield Heights — A well-regarded suburb on the east side with a notable Indian presence.
North Royalton — Particularly popular among Telugu-speaking families, giving it a distinctly South Indian character.
Middleburg Heights — Known for concentrations of IT professionals working on H-1B visas, many placed through tech staffing firms.
Cuyahoga County is home to an estimated 12,000 Indian-Americans, with Summit County adding approximately 3,500 more. Lake County accounts for around 1,000, Lorain County 800, Portage County 700, and Medina County 550. American Indian COC
Akron
The Asian and Asian-American population in Akron is particularly diverse — Indian-Americans make up about 15% of that group Niche, alongside significant Nepalese, Bhutanese, Burmese, and Vietnamese communities. Indian professionals in Akron tend to cluster in suburbs like Stow, Hudson, and Fairlawn, drawn by the University of Akron’s research programs, Summa Health, Akron Children’s Hospital, and manufacturing employers across Summit County. Hudson, in particular, has attracted Indian families for its outstanding school district and suburban character similar to Solon’s.
Canton and Stark County
The Canton area has a smaller but steadily growing Indian-American community, concentrated in suburbs like North Canton, Green, and Massillon. Aultman Hospital and Mercy Medical Center employ Indian physicians and specialists, and manufacturing companies in Stark County have drawn Indian engineers. The region’s lower cost of living compared to Cleveland and Akron makes it appealing for families willing to trade some urban amenities for affordability.
A Community That Has Been Building for Generations
The Indian presence in Northeast Ohio is not new. The India Community Center of Northeast Ohio was established in 1977, and in subsequent years, regional organizations including the Gujarati Samaj of Greater Cleveland, the Bengali Cultural Society, the Jain Society of Greater Cleveland, and the Marathi Mandal of Cleveland all formed to represent the community’s rich cultural diversity. Yelp
Today, the Greater Cleveland Shiva Vishnu Temple, the Swaminarayan Temple in Parma, and numerous cultural and religious organizations provide anchors for a community that spans multiple generations, multiple languages, and multiple decades of life in Northeast Ohio.
From Solon’s math classrooms to the Cleveland Clinic’s operating rooms, from Strongsville’s Gujarati-owned businesses to NASA Glenn’s propulsion labs — the Indian-American community has become one of the most consequential forces shaping the region’s professional, educational, and cultural landscape. And by all indications, that influence is only growing.
