Cleveland (United States)

I

Introduction

Cleveland (United States), city, Ohio, United States. Situated approximately midway between Chicago and New York, within easy reach of raw materials and markets, Cleveland extends 23 km (14 mi) along the shore of Lake Erie, and is a major trading, manufacturing, and cultural centre of the industrial Midwest. It is the centre of the largest metropolitan area in Ohio and a leading Great Lakes-St Lawrence Seaway port. Population 452,208 (2005 estimate).

II

Economy

The manufacture of steel and steel products is basic to Cleveland's heavy industry, and the city's factories lead nationally in the manufacture of machine tools, car and aircraft parts, hardware, trucks, electronic equipment, and appliances. It is also a major centre of printing, publishing, and the legal profession. Iron ore, coal, grain, and livestock are the chief cargoes handled at Cleveland's harbour; manufactured goods are also exported.

III

Places of Interest

The Public Square in Cleveland is an area of civic monuments surrounded by the city's tallest buildings, including the 228 m (948 ft) Society Center. Professional sports teams include the Indians baseball team and the Cleveland Browns American football team. Among the city's numerous institutions of higher education are Case Western Reserve University (1826), John Carroll University (1886), Notre Dame College (1922), Cleveland Institute of Art (1882), Cleveland State University (1964), and the Cleveland Institute of Music (1920). Cleveland’s park system includes a large zoo at Brookside Park, an aquarium at Gordon Park, and ethnic Cultural Gardens in Rockefeller Park.

IV

History

A

Founding and Early History

In the 18th century, trading posts were established in the lower Cuyahoga valley by Native Americans and the French. In 1796 the site was surveyed for the Connecticut Land Company by Moses Cleaveland, after whom the resulting settlement was named (the a was dropped in 1832 to fit a newspaper masthead). With the completion of the Ohio Canal in 1832, linking Cleveland with the Ohio River, the community became a key link in trade between the Ohio Valley and eastern markets served by the Erie Canal. Cleveland was incorporated in 1836.