LIVING HERE:
Akron Area Communities
LIVING HERE:
Akron Area Communities

About 30 miles south of Cleveland, midway along the historic Ohio & Erie Canalway, lies one of the best-kept secrets of the Great Lakes region. In its heyday, Akron was the undisputed Rubber Capital of the World, with manufacturing giants B.F. Goodrich, Goodyear Tire & Rubber, Firestone and General Tire dominating the landscape and economy. Today, Akron remains known as the City of Invention, a world-renowned center of polymer research and development and a trucking industry hub with easy access to a network of superhighways. Yet the city is also surrounded by lakes and rivers teeming with wildlife, 10,500 acres of Summit County Metro Parks and the 33,000-acre Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
Akron is the county seat of Summit County, the fourth largest county in Ohio population-wise. Along with Portage County to the east and Medina County to the west, the region offers a wide range of urban, suburban and rural living options, a growing economy, highly regarded educational and cultural institutions and a plethora of outdoor recreational opportunities, all in the heart of the Cuyahoga Valley.