Overview: High Tech Meets Rock ‘n Roll in Cleveland
There was a time when Cleveland, America’s 33rd largest city, was also its largest symbol of decline. It was the poster child for Rust Belt cities that lost their manufacturing bases, thousands of jobs and almost as many people. Cleveland also had the ignominious honor of having the Cuyahoga River, which bisects the city, once caught fire.
Those days are long gone.
The Cleveland of the 21st Century is a magnet for high tech industry and some of the top health care facilities in the country. A massive amount of civic renewal has been driven by high-profile projects like the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame; Jacobs Field, one of the most-praised baseball parks in the U.S.; Quicken Loans Arena, home of the NBA Cavaliers and their hoops wunderkind LeBron James; and Cleveland Browns Stadium, home to the city’s storied NFL franchise, which is situated on the lakefront.
Cleveland, as much as it is looking to the future, is linked to its past through the arts, entertainment, the colleges located in the city and the many neighborhoods that make Cleveland distinctive.
While the Rock Hall, LeBron, the Jake (Jacobs Field) and spicy downtown night life attract headlines, it is the city’s affordable housing and central location that makes Cleveland attractive to residents and companies.
Like most major U.S. urban areas, Cleveland continues to fight poverty and joblessness. In addition, their schools face formidable hurdles. Still, one survey by an international business publication ranked Cleveland the most livable big city in the U.S.
Fast Facts
- Location: On the south shore of Lake Erie along the Cuyahoga River.
- Area: 82.4 square miles
- Population: 478,403
- Housing Units: 393,307
- Average Annual Rainfall: 36.6” plus an average annual snowfall of about 40”
- Average Annual Temperature: 49.6 degrees F