Difference between revisions of "Cleveland"

Revision as of 19:05, July 11, 2019

For the 22nd and 24th President, see Grover Cleveland

Cleveland is a city in the state of Ohio located on the southern shore of Lake Erie, and 60 miles from the Pennsylvania border in northeast corner of the state. Cleveland was founded in 1796, near the Cuyahoga River and was a manufacturing center for many years but now has a service based economy. In the 2000 US Census the city of Cleveland had a population of 478,403,^[1] however Greater Cleveland (Cleveland-Akron-Elyria-Mentor Combined Statistical Area) is a larger metropolitan area, with a population of 2,945,831 and is the 14th largest in the United States.^[2] A Major Tourist Attraction in Cleveland is the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Cleveland was once a major steel manufacturing center and even was an early center of the automobile industry before the latter centered in Detroit, Michigan. The city reached its peak in the 1950s and early 60s, but began to decline after that, due in part to inept leadership and a changing business climate. Under the ill-fated mayorship of Dennis Kucinich, the city defaulted on its loans. In the 1980s, George Voinovich took over as mayor and the city experienced something of a rebirth. The precursor to this was the Playhouse Square project. This project involved rehabilitating and restoring a series of 1920s theaters that had been abandoned and fell into disrepair. Although many viewed the project as a pipe dream, a few dedicated individuals made progress and the city's business community gave heavy support to it, and eventually the restoration effort became a great success and created a vibrant arts district. Both Kucinich and (especially) Voinovich were big supporters of this. Also in the 1980s, the flats district, on the Cuyahoga River, hosted a brief revival and several new buildings were built downtown. The revival continued into the 1990s while Michael White was mayor (Voinovich had become the Ohio's Governor by this point), when the Society Bank (now called Key Bank) built its headquarters on public square, new football, baseball, and basketball venues were built downtown, and the city's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened. Cleveland's fortunes declined in the 2000s, but recently there have been signs of a revival: The flats are being revitalized and a number of major projects are underway downtown, many of which have been supported by the JobsOhio program created by Governor John Kasich.

Cleveland is also prominent in the arts and music. The University Circle neighborhood is home to the acclaimed Cleveland Museum of Art and the internationally renowned Cleveland Orchestra. Several other museums are in this area. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is located on the waterfront, next to the Great Lakes Science Center.

Sports

Cleveland is home to the NFL's Browns, the NBA's Cavaliers, Baseball's Indians, and the AHL's Monsters. The Cavaliers rose to prominence in the late 2000s and 2010s under star player LeBron James, who led the Cavs to the NBA Championship in 2016, giving the city it's first major sports title since the 1964 Browns won the NFL Championship.

The Indians have (by and large) been of the top MLB teams from the mid 1990s into the 2010s, winning three American League pennants and winning 10 Central Division titles during that time frame.

The Browns have been known for their futility since returning to the NFL in 1999, with the absolute low point occurring in 2017 when they went 0-16, becoming only the second NFL team to do so in the 16-game season era.

Media

The city is served by 10 full power TV stations (with accompanying digital sub channels)

For the UK county of Cleveland, see Cleveland (UK) See Cleveland, TN

References

1. ↑ 2000 Census
2. ↑ 2000 Census