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Akron, Ohio

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Akron, Ohio
Flag of Akron, Ohio
Flag
Official seal of Akron, Ohio
Seal
Nickname: 
The Rubber Capital of the World
Location within the state of Ohio
Location within the state of Ohio
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountySummit
Government
 • MayorDon Plusquellic (D)
Population
 (2000)
 • City217,074
 • Metro
694,960
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
Websitehttp://www.ci.akron.oh.us
{
Location within Summit County, Ohio

The city of Akron is the county seat of Summit County in the U.S. State of Ohio. The city is located between Cleveland to the north and Canton to the south. It is located in northeastern Ohio on the Cuyahoga River, approximately 60 miles (100 km) west of the Pennsylvania border.

It was founded in 1825 near the Ohio & Erie Canal, and became a manufacturing center owing to its location at a staircase of locks. The locks were needed due to the higher elevation of the area, which gave rise to the name "Summit County" as well as "Akron", which is a rough translation of "summit" into Greek (Stewart, pg. 233). After the decline of heavy manufacturing, the city's industry has since diversified into research, financial, and high tech sectors.

The Akron-Canton Regional Airport is one of many places near the city that is named for both towns. While the U.S. Census Bureau still counts the two metropolitan areas as separate metro areas, if combined, the total population of the Akron-Canton area equals 1,101,894 people.

Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron in 1935. The city is home to The University of Akron, the Akron Aeros Double A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, and the Firestone Country Club, at which the PGA TOUR's Bridgestone Invitational is annually played. The Akron Cougars, of the Universal Basketball League will begin play in the 2007 season, after spending the 2006 season in Cuyahoga Falls and the [[International Basketball League(2005-).

History

Canal years

Much of Akron's early growth was because of its location at the "summit" of the Ohio and Erie Canal (thus the name "Summit County") which at one time connected Lake Erie and the Ohio River.

Akron started as a small village on the divide between the St. Lawrence and the Mississippi. The village was a 43-block square with its main intersection at Exchange and Main Streets and a north limit one block beyond State Street. It was renamed South Akron when Cascade, an adjacent village north of State Street and centered on Market and Howard Streets, changed its name to North Akron.

South Akron was built to serve people using the Ohio Canal. North Akron developed around a construction project originally intended to provide increased water power for industries. In 1836 the villages joined. The completion of the Cross-cut Canal along Main Street in 1839 started Akron on its climb to industrial importance. Coal, a major railroad, and manufacturing growth from the Civil War, gave the City its next boost — its population jumped from 3,500 to 10,000 between 1860 and 1870.

Because of physical obstacles — the steep hill on West Market Street, the Little Cuyahoga Valley, and the swamp south of the City – Akron grew to the east. This encouraged the annexation of Spicertown, centered on Spicer and Exchange, and then Middlebury, which was centered where the Arlington and Market Street commercial area is now located.

The Rubber City

Panorama of Akron, Ohio in 1911

Akron’s history and the history of the rubber industry are mutually bound. The rubber industry transformed Akron from a small canal town into a fledgling city. The birth of the rubber industry started in the eighteen hundreds, long before America fell in love with the automobile. Akron was incorporated as a village in 1835, and as a city in 1865. In 1869, B.F. Goodrich began the first rubber company to settle in Akron. In 1915, the area increased from 7,254 acres (29.38 km²) to 16,120 acres (65.29 km²). The population rose approximately 200 % from 69,067 in 1910 to 208,435 in 1920. General Tire was founded in 1915, by the O’Neil’s whose department store became an Akron landmark.

The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company became America's top tire manufacturer and Akron was granted the moniker of “The Rubber Capital of the World”. Goodyear's president, F.A. Seiberling, had been building homes costing around $3,500 for employees in what would become known as Goodyear Heights. Likewise, Harvey Firestone began building employee homes in what would be called Firestone Park. These leaders were responding to the housing crunch caused by the boom in the rubber business.

Akron was, indeed, booming. For a time it was the fastest-growing city in the country, its population exploding from 69,000 in 1910 to 208,000 in 1920. People came for the jobs in the rubber factories from many places, including Europe. Of those 208,000, almost one-third were immigrants and their children.

In the fifties and sixties Akron saw a surge in industry as use of the automobile took off. But while America was still using bias-ply tires, Europe had already seen the wave of the future in radial tires. The radials had almost three times the tread life of bias-ply, and Akron’s rubber mills were not equipped to handle the manufacturing requirements. As a result many companies tried to produce ‘hybrid’ tires, which were troublesome at best. Firestone manufactured the ill-fated 500 series, which was recalled in the millions. B.F. Goodrich eventually bit the bullet and transformed all the old equipment with new machinery that would facilitate the manufacturing of the newer radial tires.

In the seventies and eighties the rubber industry experienced a major decline as a number of strikes and factory shutdowns delivered the final blows to the industry. In ten years the number of people working within the rubber industry was slashed in half. By the early nineties all but Goodyear had moved their headquarters out of Akron.

Today

Art Deco buildings in downtown Akron

Goodyear and Firestone continue to manufacture racing and experimental tires, and Firestone’s technical center remains in Akron. Because the rubber industry is still a major employer in the region, Akron has suffered less than other cities of similar size which have gone through Rust Belt decline, such as neighboring Youngstown.

Zeppelins and Blimps

Beginning in the early 1910s, Goodyear began experimenting with airship development, and in 1917 created a subsidiary with the Zeppelin Company to build dirigibles in the United States. During the 1920s and 1930s, Akron and Lakehurst, New Jersey, were the American epicenters of dirigible research and manufacturing. The United States' largest airships, Akron, and Macon, were both built in Akron. After their tragic accidents in 1933 and 1935, and the Hindenburg Disaster in 1937, rigid airships were abandoned and Goodyear focused on the production of blimps. The US Navy used many Akron-built blimps in World War II for aerial observation, and Goodyear famously began utilizing them to advertise. Though very few new airships are built today, the Goodyear Blimps remain a popular corporate symbol. The former Goodyear Airdock, now owned by Lockheed Martin, is, along with several other airship hangars, one of the largest buildings in the world without interior supports.

Nicknames

  • "The Rubber City"
  • "AK-Rowdy"
  • "The AK"
  • "CrAkron"
  • "The Ak-Right"
  • "A-Town Junior"

Firsts

Geography and climate

Akron is located at 41°4′23″N 81°31′4″W / 41.07306°N 81.51778°W / 41.07306; -81.51778Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.073155, -81.517900)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 161.6 km² (62.4 mi²). 160.8 km² (62.1 mi²) of it is land and 0.9 km² (0.3 mi²) of it (0.54%) is water.

Akron has a humid continental climate, with cold but changeable winters, wet, cool springs, warm (sometimes hot) and humid summers, and cool, rather dry autumns. Precipitation is fairly well-distributed through the year, but summer tends to have the most rainfall (and also, somewhat paradoxically, the most sunshine), and autumn the least. The mid-autumn through early-spring months tend to be quite cloudy, with sometimes less than 30% possible sunshine. The cloudiest month is December, and the sunniest month is usually July, which is also, somewhat ironically, the wettest month.

Winters tend to be cold, with average January high temperatures of 32°F (0°C), and average January lows of 17°F (-8°C), with considerable variation in temperatures. During a typical January, high temperatures of over 50°F (10°C) are just as common as low temperatures of below 0°F (-18°C). Snowfall is lighter than the snowbelt areas to the north, but is still somewhat influenced by Lake Erie, generally averaging about 47.1 inches (118.7 cm) per winter. During a typical winter, temperatures drop below 0°F (-18°C) on about 6 occurrences, generally only during the nighttime hours.

Summers are warm, sometimes hot, with average July high temperatures of 83°F (28°C), and average July lows of 62°F (17°C). Summer weather is more stable, generally humid with thunderstorms fairly common. Temperatures reach or exceed 90°F (32°C) about 7 times each summer, on average. In hot summers, such as 1988, however, as many as 30 days over 90°F (32°C) have been observed, and in cooler summers, such as the summer of 2000, the temperature may never reach 90°F (32°C). Temperatures over 100°F (38°C) are rare (about once per decade on average), most recently occurring on several occasions in the hot summer of 1988.

The all-time record high in Akron of 104°F (40°C) was established on August 6, 1918, and the all-time record low of −25°F (−32°C) was set on January 19, 1994.

See also: Akron Neighborhoods

Demographics

City of Akron
Population by year [1]
Year Population U.S. Pop.
Ranking
1900 42,728 87th
1910 69,067 81st
1920 208,435 32nd
1930 255,040 35th
1940 244,791 38th
1950 274,605 39th
1960 290,351 45th
1970 275,425 52nd
1980 237,177 59th
1990 223,019 71st
2000 217,074 82nd

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 217,074 people, 90,116 households, and 53,709 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,350.3/km² (3,497.3/mi²). There were 97,315 housing units at an average density of 605.3/km² (1,567.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 67.22% White, 28.48% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.16% of the population.

There were 90,116 households out of which 28.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% were married couples living together, 17.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $31,835, and the median income for a family was $39,381. Males had a median income of $31,898 versus $24,121 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,596. About 14.0% of families and 17.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 25.7% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

The July 1, 2004, Census Bureau estimate for Akron places the population at 212,179.

Akron is currently in the Top 100 list of the largest cities in the United States. In 1870, 10,000 people lived in Akron, Ohio; in 1890, 27,601; in 1900, 42,728; in 1910, 69,067; in 1920 (following the increase in the size of the city and making it the 32nd largest city in the United States), 208,435; and in 1940, 244,791. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 217,074. Akron is the 82nd largest city in the United States [1] and is the 5th largest city in Ohio (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). Akron has a metropolitan population of 694,960 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Akron is also part of the larger Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area, which was the 14th largest in the country with a population of over 2.9 million according to the 2000 Census.

Law, government, and crime

The city adopted a new charter of the commissioner manager type in 1920, but reverted to its old form in 1924. The current mayor of Akron is Don Plusquellic. Mayor Plusquellic is currently serving his fifth term, and was the President of the United States Conference of Mayors during 2004.

In 1915, a new municipal water system was established. It also included a reservoir on the Cuyahoga River with storage capacity of 2,385,200,000 gallons (9,027,982,000 liters), a complete purification system, and a pumping station.

The city has been found to have an unusually large amount of methamphetamine labs, with 20 meth lab seizures in the year 2005 alone. In 2004, over 25 percent of the State’s methamphetamine lab seizures reported to EPIC occurred in Summit County, Ohio (Akron, OH area – 43 labs seized).

See also: List of Mayors of Akron, Ohio

Economy

Akron is home to two Fortune 500 companies: the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and FirstEnergy. In addition, Akron is home to a number of smaller companies such as Gojo, makers of Purell, Advanced Elastomer Systems, FirstMerit Bank, Roadway Express (a subsidiary of Yellow Roadway), Myers Industries, an international manufacturer of polymer products, Acme Fresh Market and Lockheed Martin, Maritime Systems & Sensors division. The City of Akron created the first Joint Economic Development District to promote regional commerce with neighboring suburbs.

Education

The University of Akron is home to over 23,000 students, making it the fourth largest public university in the state, and is a world leader in polymer research. While Akron continues to predominantly serve commuter students, the university has worked hard to shake off its image as a “commuter school." A $300 million dollar construction project saw the completion of nine new buildings, fourteen renovated facilities, and a freshly landscaped campus. The University also offers a combined B.S./M.D. program with the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine.

The Akron Public Schools are currently going through an $800 million rebuilding process that will take 15 years, remodeling some schools and entirely replacing others. Some schools will be closing permanently due to a drop in city population. The school board could not get a levy passed to pay for its portion of the construction expense so it worked out an arrangement with the city of Akron where the city will use the money from a new income tax to pay for Community Learning Centers, which will serve as schools but be owned by the city.[1] Meanwhile the academic situation has improved recently as the city’s schools have been moved from “Academic Watch” to “Continuous Improvement” by the Ohio Department of Education.

Akron also has many private, parochial and charter schools. Akron Public Schools made headlines in 2004 when a freshman student of Akron Digital Academy, the district’s own online charter school, was not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, an event later covered and satirized by The Daily Show. St. Vincent - St. Mary High School, just west of Akron’s downtown, also made headlines when basketball star LeBron James was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers first overall after his graduation in 2003.

Akron Public Schools has 2 performing arts schools. Miller South School for the Visual and Performing Arts and Firestone High School. Miller South has grades from 4-8. Most MS students move on to Firestone to continue in the Visual and Performing Arts Program. They are the only two schools which teach VPA in Summit County.

Culture and entertainment

Akron has a diverse and colorful heritage of old restaurants and shopping centers. Quaker Square, located in the heart of Akron’s downtown, is a mall made out of the old Quaker Oats factory, which originally operated there. The oat silos have been transformed into hotel rooms providing a unique experience to the patron. The Trackside Grille, themed with railroads which run parallel to the building, provides a narrative of Akron’s history.

Akron also supports independent retailers. West Point Market, a nationally-known specialty food and wine store, offers Akron residents exceptional imported and gourmet food items in addition to locally grown produce.

Highland Square, located in West Akron and anchored by the historic Highland Theatre, is one of Akron's fastest-growing entertainment districts. Square Records, a locally owned music shop supplies the area with unique selections.

Each summer Akron hosts the All American Soap Box Derby. Children from across the country race their homemade, gravity-powered race cars down the steep hill at Derby Downs in the shadow of the Lockheed Martin Airdock.

The city is also home to several museums, including:

The Akron Aeros minor-league baseball team plays downtown at Canal Park. The season runs from early April through Labor Day.

Akron is the hometown of Janelle Couts who was crowned Miss Ohio for 2003 and represented Ohio in the Miss America contest. She previously held the title of Miss Medina.

Akron was designed a Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.

Local start-up league RubberCity Demolition Dolls is part of the national resurgence and rebirth of roller derby.

Media

Radio

Television

Akron is unique in that despite its size, it does not form its own television market, primarily due to being less than 40 miles (64km) from Cleveland. It is part of the Cleveland/Akron (Canton) Media market. However, five stations in the market are licensed to Akron.

WVPX, WAKN, WAOH and WEAO mention Akron in their promotions, while WBNX calls itself "Cleveland's WB" and is based in nearby Cuyahoga Falls. Cleveland-based WKYC broadcasts Akron's only dedicated nightly newscast on Akron's Public access cable channel.

One common thought about Television in Akron is that if another station had set up shop as a network affiliate after WVPX (Was known as WAKC-ABC until 1996) Akron and Canton could have made their own television market.

Infrastructure

Health

Akron has an extensive and distinguished health sector, with a large number of hospitals for a city of its size. Akron has two large hospitals, Akron General Medical Center and Akron City Hospital (run by the larger Summa Health System). Akron City Hospital and Akron General have both been on the U.S. News and World Report Magazine's list of "Best Hospitals" many times. Akron is also home to Akron Children’s Hospital, a specialist in pediatric and burn care, and St. Thomas Hospital (also part of Summa Health System), an orthopedic hospital located in the North Hill neighborhood. It is worth noting that both AGMC and Summa are designated Level I Trauma Centers. By comparison, Akron's much larger urban neighbor to the north, Cleveland, has only one.

Transportation

Akron's road network does not run on any grid system, and it can be confusing for out-of-town motorists. Roads frequently change name or direction without warning, or stop and continue elsewhere. In addition there are two sets of numbered roads, one in Kenmore (1st -31st Streets), and one along Arlington (1st - 9th Avenues), the rest of the city has no numbering at all. This disparity between areas is due to Akron's many annexations over the years. Akron’s transportation needs are fulfilled by two major interstates, Interstate 76 and Interstate 77. I-76, I-77, and Route 8 meet at one central interchange, which is commonly known by the same name. The central interchange divides the city into four quadrants. The Interstate 76 Eastern Expressway weaves through much of Akron’s warehouse sector and the Goodyear world headquarters is easily visible. I-76 is paired with I-77 for about two miles (3 km) west of the central interchange, and then splits off again, with I-76 later being paired with US-224 and I-77 heading north towards Cleveland. This portion of highway is currently under review by ODOT for reconstruction. The Western highway is a major route to Cleveland and Columbus, and is a near term destination to Fairlawn a major commercial area. Route 8 has been overhauled numerous times and serves as a major entryway for the north-eastern suburbs, namely Cuyahoga Falls, Munroe Falls, Stow and Hudson. There are also two highways to the south, U.S. Highway 224, and Interstate 277. I-277 connects I-77 directly with the southern portion of I-76 providing a quick route between neighbouring Barberton and south Akron. The Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway, commonly known as the Innerbelt, includes part of the longer Route 59. It serves the very center of the city, and was supposed to run from the I-76 / I-77 to Route 8. However, due to poor planning, the Innerbelt was never completed and only runs to Main St. Route 59 also lacks direct I-76W / I-77N inbound and offbound ramps, furthering its problems. Mayor Don Plusquellic has brought up the idea of tearing up the northern end of the Innerbelt in order to free land for development, although some residents have stated that they would like to see it completely connected as originally planned.

Public transportation is available through the METRO RTA system, which has a fleet of over two hundred buses and trolleys, and operates local routes as well as running commuter buses into downtown Cleveland. SARTA also has a bus line running between Canton and Akron. Amtrak closed its station near Quaker Square in 2005. Airline passengers travelling to or from Akron use either the Akron-Canton Regional Airport in Green or Cleveland Hopkins International Airport. Two low-fare airlines, Frontier Airlines and AirTran Airways, have begun serving Akron-Canton in recent years, making that airport a fairly popular alternative for travellers to or from the Cleveland area. Akron Fulton Airport serves private planes and is the home of the Lockheed Martin Airdock, where the Goodyear blimps were formerly stored and maintained.

Famous people born in Akron

See also List of people from Akron, Ohio

Sister cities

Akron has two sister cities, as designated by the Sister Cities International:

Publications

  • 'Akron Chamber of Commerce Year Book', (1913-14)
  • The University of Akron Press
  • Dyer, Joyce, Gum-Dipped: A Daughter Remembers Rubber Town, The University of Akron Press: Akron (2003)
  • Endres, Kathleen, Akron's Better Half: Women's Clubs and the Humanization of a City, 1825-1925, The University of Akron Press: Akron (2006)
  • Jones, Alfred Winslow, Life, Liberty, & Property: A Story of Conflict and a Measurement of Conflicting Rights, The University of Akron Press: Akron (1999)
  • Russ Musarra and Chuck Ayers, Walks around Akron, The University of Akron Press: Akron (2007)
  • S. A. Lane, Fifty Years and Over of Akron and Summit County, (Akron, 1892)
  • S. Love and David Giffels, Wheels of Fortune: The Story of Rubber in Akron, Ohio, The University of Akron Press: Akron (1998)
  • S. Love, Ian Adams, and Barney Taxel, Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens, The University of Akron Press: Akron (2000)
  • F. McGovern, Written on the Hills: The Making of the Akron Landscape, The University of Akron Press: Akron (1996)
  • F. McGovern, Fun, Cheap, and Easy: My Life in Ohio Politics, 1949-1964, The University of Akron Press: Akron (2002).
  • George R. Stewart. Names on the Land Houghton Mifflin Company: Boston (1967)

References

  1. ^ Imagine Akron Community Learning Centers (2005). What is Akron CLCs?. Retrieved October 21, 2005.

Government and other public institutions

Organizations

Health care

Online communities, forums, wikis

History and memorobilia

Geography

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