Cleveland

Cleveland (pop. 502,500), Ohio's largest city, situated on Lake Erie at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. It is a major port and railway center and an important manufacturer of steel, automobile parts, chemicals, paints, plastics, precision machinery, petroleum products, trucks and tractors, machine tools, and electrical products. When the Ohio and Erie Canal was completed in 1832 with Cleveland as its terminus, the settlement began to grow rapidly. In 1851 the first railroad reached the city, which was established as a major shipping point. Cleveland was a center of the abolitionist movement, aiding escaping slaves on their way to Canada on the underground railway. During the Civil War the city's iron and petroleum industries mushroomed, and the organization of the Standard Oil Company by John D. Rockefeller (1870) made Cleveland the nation's leading oil center. The post-Civil War boom continued until the Great Depression of the 1930s, which saw the collapse of several financial empires. However, because of its industrial diversification, the city survived the depression decade relatively well. In 1967 Cleveland became the first major U.S. city to elect a black mayor, Carl B. Stokes. Surrounded by 15,000 acres (6,000 hectares) of scenic woodland, the central city contains over 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares) of park and recreation area, including Rockefeller Park, which contains the Cleveland Cultural Gardens, and Brookside Park, the site of the Cleveland Zoo. The Cleveland Natural History Museum has a renowned collection, as does the Cleveland Museum of Arts. There is also a unique health museum. Cleveland's universities and colleges include Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland-Marshall Law School, and Cleveland State University. The Cleveland Orchestra enjoys a national reputation for excellence. The city is also the home of the Cleveland Browns football team and the Cleveland Indians baseball team.

See also: Ohio.