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Akron is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County.[4] In 2007, its population was estimated to be 207,934[5]. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland to the north and Canton to the south, approximately 60 miles (96 km) west of the Pennsylvania border.
Akron was founded in 1825 near the Ohio and 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
in the 1970s and '80s, the city's industry has since diversified into
research, financial, and high tech sectors.
Akron and nearby Canton are often referred to as a single region or considered twin cities. The Akron-Canton Regional Airport is one of many places near the city that is named for both places. While the U.S. Census Bureau
still counts the two metropolitan areas separately, if combined, the
total population of the Akron-Canton area would equal 1,101,894 people.
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron in 1935. [6]The city is home to The University of Akron, the Akron Aeros Double A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, the Soap Box Derby World Championships and the Firestone Country Club, at which the PGA Tour's WGC-Bridgestone Invitational is played every three years.
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 River and the Mississippi River.
The village was a 43-block square with its main intersection at
Exchange and Main Streets; its northern limit was one block beyond
State Street. It was renamed South Akron when Cascade, an adjacent
village north of State Street and centered at 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
contributed to a population increase from 3,500 to 10,000 inhabitants
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 Capital of the World
Akron’s history and the history of the rubber
industry are intertwined. The rubber industry transformed Akron from a
small canal town into a fledgling city. The birth of the rubber
industry started in the 1800s, 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
started the first rubber company 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. Among the factory workers in the early
1920s was a young Clark Gable.
In the 1950s and '60s 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. Radials
had almost three times the tread life of bias-ply tires, 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 replaced its old equipment with new
machinery to enable the manufacturing of radial tires.
In the 1970s and '80s 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 '90s
Goodyear was the only remaining rubber manufacturer based in Akron.
Panorama of Akron, Ohio in 1911
Zeppelins and blimps
Aerial view of the Akron-Fulton airport (then NAS Akron) in the 1940s, with the Goodyear Airdock visible on the left.
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 centers 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 blimps in World War II for aerial observation, and Goodyear famously began using 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.
Akron milestones
History made in Akron
- One of the only Y-shaped bridges in the United States, the All-American Bridge, is located in Akron, Ohio.
- Italian-American mobster Rosario Borgio
arrived in Akron, Ohio in the early 1900s and established one of the
first organized crime operations in the Midwest during the 20th century.
- The height of Akron, Ohio's tallest building the FirstMerit Tower roof is 330 in feet which is the city's area code.
- Thomas Edison married his 2nd wife Mina Miller Edison on February 24, 1886 in Akron, Ohio.
Akron's Awards, Rankings, and Notability
- Winner of an All-American City award in 1981,1995 and in 2008.
- Ranked ninth in the nation by Site Selection Magazine for locating new manufacturing plants in 1994.
- Ranked ninth in the nation by Site Selection Magazine for locating new manufacturing plants in 1994.
- Ranked 16th by Farmers Insurance Group of Companies as the Most Secure Place to Live (Large Metro Area) in June of 2005.
- Was awarded with the Business Incubator of the year award by the National Business Incubation Association May 06, 2008.
- Summit Data Communications took 2nd place for Outstanding Incubator Client in the technology category.
- Akron, Ohio made it into the All-American City hall of fame in 2008, Ohio has more cities than any other state in the hall of fame.
- Once known as the "Rubber Capital of the World," now a
world-renowned center for polymer research and development. There are
400 polymer related companies located in the Akron area.
- Birthplace of Aviation.
- President Taft and Helen Keller stayed at Stan Hywet Hall &
Gardens-Former home to Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company Co-FOunder
F.A. Seiberling-in Akron.
Akron in Pop Culture
- In the television series Prison Break Micheal calls a hospital in Akron, Ohio.
- In a Robot Chicken episode a retired fictional movie character was said to be livng in Akron.
- One pilot for a television show called "The Virgin of Akron, Ohio" was shot in 2007.
- The full movie "The Instructor"(1983) was shot in the city of Akron, mostly downtown and firestone park.
- Chrissie Hynde made a song called "Downtown(Akron)" and "My city was gone" referring to the city.
- V.E.C. smash hit "AK-Rowdy" was about north Summit county and Akron.
- "Ak-Anthem" and "Akron Niggas Are The Hardest" made by Chino Nino talks about Akron, Ohio's ghettos life style.
- In Ice Cube 's hit single "Today Was A Good Day" he is quoted rapping "The lights on the Goodyear blimp read Ice Cube's a pimp."
- In Stephen King 's movie and novel "Needful Things", the supernatural mysterious Mr. Leland Gaunt claims to be from Akron, Ohio.
- On the bottom of LeBron James Nike Zoom LeBron 5 the map of Akron is on it and in other areas depending on shoe type.
- On LeBron's right forearm is a "330" tattoo with a fire burning in
the background Done by Shawn Rome of Evolutions tattoos in Akron.
- The Nike Dunk Low - Akron (Lebron James) was created for LeBron's
family and friends, it feature a black and gold outline of Ohio and a
star marking Akron's location.
- In the hit NBC tv show The Office, the fictional business Dunder Mifflin has an office located in Akron, Ohio.
- The Morgue Boyz world famous rap group got started in Akron at Garfield High School
Akron's sons and daughters
- rock musician Chrissie Hynde
- cavs basketball team member LeBron James
- International Player Rev. Brice Scot
- Famous Radio Personality Steve Z
- Frog giggin Champion Marvin Taylor
- former Judas Priest singer Tim Owens
Geography and climate
Akron is located at 
41°4′23″N, 81°31′4″W (41.073155, -81.517900)[7].
According to the United States Census Bureau,
the city has a total area of 62.4 square miles (161.6 km²), of which,
62.1 square miles (160.8 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles
(0.9 km²) of it (0.54%) is water.
Akron has a
Classical
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