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Northeast Ohio ("NEO"), USA, is usually defined as the 13-county region, with a population of more than 4 million (according to 2000 US Census Bureau), surrounding the Greater Cleveland Area and including the mid-sized cities of Akron, Canton and Youngstown. The Combined Statistical Area of Cleveland-Akron-Elyria, with a population of 3 million, is the 14th largest Combined Metropolitan Area in the United States. The metropolitan hub of the region, Greater Cleveland, is the five-county Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor MSA accounting for nearly 50% of the NEO population.

Counties

Northeast Ohio is defined within the region as including 13 counties including:

Regions

Cities

Cleveland - the Hub of Northeast Ohio
  • Akron, the County Seat of Summit County, was formerly known as the Rubber Capital, and has successfully made the transition from the world's tire manufacturing hub to its high-tech Polymers Research Center, now referred to as the Polymer Capital. It is also the home of the All-American Soap Box Derby.
  • Canton, the County Seat of Stark County, is the "Birthplace of Professional American Football".
  • Cleveland, the County Seat of Cuyahoga County, is the "Rock and Roll Capital of the World" and home to one of the five richest collections of arts and culture institutions in the US.
  • Youngstown, the County Seat of Mahoning County, birthplace of the football penalty flag. Home of The Butler Institute of American Art, the worlds largest collection of American art. Also contains the Mill Creek Metro Park.

Other destinations

State Parks and Resort Lodges

For camping and getaway rental reservations on any of Ohio's Parks tel. 1-866-644-6727.

  • Beaver Creek State Park Columbiana County, 12021 Echo Dell Road, East Liverpool. 53 non-electric camp sites, horseman's camp, Little Beaver Creek canoe trips, fishing, sixteen miles of hiking trails and two mountain biking technical trails.
  • Findley Lake State Park southern Lorain County, 25381 State Route 58, Wellington, 272 non-electric camp sites, fully stocked camp store, sand volleyball, basketball court, two horseshoe pits, 93-acre lake, two launch ramps, canoes, rowboats, paddleboats and ten miles of hiking trails.
  • Geneva State Park, Ashtabula County, 4499 Padanarum Road, Geneva. A full facility campground with electricity, showers and flush toilets. Deluxe Cedar Cabins on the Lake Erie lakefront, six-lane boat ramp, canteen, concession area, 383 docks, three miles of multi-use trails, 300-foot guarded swimming beach and Geneva Lake Resort Lodge and Conference Center.
  • Guilford Lake State Park, Columbiana County, 6835 East Lake Road, Lisbon. On the west fork of the Little Beaver Creek, 41 electric camp sites, play area, fishing dock, drinking water, showers, flush toilets, picnic tables, fire-rings, launching ramps, seasonal dock rentals, 600-foot public swimming beach, bathhouse, changing booths, showers, volleyball, basketball courts, horseshoe pits.
  • Jefferson Lake State Park Jefferson County, 501 Twp. Rd. 261A, Richmond. 97 non-electric camp sites, latrines, water fountains, picnic tables, fire rings, public beach, bathhouse, showers, toilets, fishing, hunting, volleyball, basketball courts, horseshoe pits, eighteen miles of multiple-use trails through the park for hikers, horseback riders and mountain bikers, any season.
  • Mosquito Lake State Park, Trumbull County, 1439 State Route 305, Cortland. 234 campsites, 218 have electrical hookups, boat launching area, unlimited horsepower boating on 7,850-acre lake, fishing, hunting, several hiking trails, ten miles of bridle trails, snowmobilers access to 14 miles of shoreline and 15 miles of wooded trails, mountain biking is permitted on 5 miles of multiple-use trail, basketball, volleyball, horseshoe courts and 600-foot beach.
  • Portage Lakes State Park Summit County, 5031 Manchester Rd., Akron. 74 non-electric campsites, 400 horsepower limit on lake, 8 boat launch ramps, boat rentals, fishing, hunting, beach, five miles of hiking trails, volleyball courts, horseshoe pits, basketball court, hunting waterfowl in designated areas.
  • Punderson State Park, Geauga County, 11755 Kinsman Rd., Newbury. Natural lake, resort manor house, family cottages, golf course, winter sports park, sledding, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, 196-site campground, showerhouses, flush toilets, electricity, pet camping, twenty-six cottages, manor house features a dining room, meeting rooms, outdoor, indoor swimming pools, championship-rated, 18-hole public golf course, pro shop, boat rentals, fishing, fourteen miles of hiking trails, tennis court, volleyball, basketball courts and cross country ski trails
  • Pymatuning State Park, Ashtabula County on the north part of the border of Ohio and Pennsylvania. 6260 Pymatuning Lake Rd., Andover. Twenty-six family cottages, thirty-two standard cottages, beach, 331 camping sites have electric hookups, 21 sites are non-electric, nature center, basketball, volleyball courts, playgrounds, 14,000 acre lake, five boat-launch ramps, fishing, hunting, two miles of well marked trails, ice skating, ice boating, ice fishing and cross-country skiing.
  • West Branch State Park, Portage County 5708 Esworthy Road, Ravenna. 29 full service camping sites, 155 camping sites with 50-amp electric hook-ups, 14 non-electric sites, heated showers, flush toilets, laundry facilities, 700-foot sand beach, showerhouse, change booth, snack bar, year-round fishing, hunting, 2,650 acres lake, twelve miles of hiking trails, twenty miles of bridle trails, horse camp, playground and volleyball court

Note

The mailing address and actual location of these parks may be two different locations: For more detailed information on these and other Ohio State Parks, contact the Ohio Department of Natural Resources - Division of Parks and Recreation. Click here. [1]

Understand

When visiting or even thinking of Cleveland, the integration of the economies, communities, media coverage, culture and arts is extraordinarily interwoven with all of NEO (as can be proven by analyzing commute patterns among the counties). Unlike the vast majority of large US cities that have grown through annexation of outlying areas in their central counties and beyond (e.g., Chicago or Columbus), the City of Cleveland proper only encompasses 1/3 of Cuyahoga County, which has nearly 60 municipalities. It would be a mistake, frequently made, to consider the City of Cleveland as a point of direct comparison with other major US Cities. NEO simply isn't structured like most US metropolitan regions, in part, because of its rich history of individual centers of industry in the 1800s merging together into one super-metropolis throughout the 1900s.

Although Cleveland is the largest city in the region, the other large cities in Northeast Ohio like Akron, Youngstown, Canton, and Warren, all have their own distinct identities. It might not go over well, for example, to tell someone in Akron that their city is "part of the Cleveland area", even if it is shown that way in some official tourism campaigns or Census and demographic maps.

Northeast Ohio has been hit hard by the recent economic crisis, and locals may complain about the area among themselves. However, they usually don't take kindly to outsiders trash-talking Ohio. Northeast Ohioans tend to be stubbornly proud of their little corner of the world, as evidenced by the cultlike following of the Browns through losing season after losing season. People in Northeast Ohio would want outsiders to see the better parts of living here, such as the booming food and restaurant scene in Cleveland, beautiful Lake Erie shorelines, parks and outdoor activities, among other things.

Get in

By plane

  • Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, CLE. A focus city for United Airlines.
  • Akron-Canton Regional Airport, CAK.
  • Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport, YNG.

By car

Northeast Ohio is served by the following interstate highways:

  • I-71 connects Cleveland to Medina and then runs southwest toward Columbus.
  • I-76 serving Akron and Youngstown and connecting to beyond Pennsylvania to the east.
  • I-77 starts in Cleveland and runs south through Akron, Canton, New Philadelphia and beyond.
  • I-80 is the Ohio Turnpike (a toll road) that runs across the northern part of the state, serving Cleveland, Akron and Youngstown (where I-80 and I-76 criss cross).
  • I-90 also serves the far northern part of the state, including Cleveland, Lorain, Elyria, Mentor, Painesville and Ashtabula.

By train

Cleveland and Elyria are served by Amtrak, although the only trains that serve the two pass through in the middle of the night. Direct service is available to Chicago, New York, and Washington DC, with connections to other destinations. There is also an Amtrak station in Alliance, OH. in Stark County

By boat

The American Canadian Caribbean Line and the Great Lakes Cruising Company provide cruises that include Cleveland on the itineria.

Get around

Most points within NEO are easily accessible by auto with longer distances less than 1.5 hours in driving time. Most of NEO's counties are served by public transit systems that have cooperative linkage points among them (in order from largest system to smallest):

  • Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority - [2]
  • Metro Regional Transit Authority (METRO RTA) - [3]
  • Stark Area Regional Transit Authority (SARTA) - [4]
  • LAKETRAN - [5]
  • Western Reserve Transit Authority - [6]
  • Lorain County Transit - [7]
  • Medina County Transit - [8]
  • Ashtabula County Transportation Systems (ACTS) - [9]
  • Geauga County Transit - [10]
  • Portage Area Regional Transit Authority (PARTA)- [11]
  • Community Action Rural Transit System (CARTS) (Columbiana County) - [12]

See

The Heart of Rock 'n Roll is in Cleveland
  • Amish Country travel through rural land and small towns taking great care for the horses and buggies along the way. Find food and crafts for which the Amish community is famous, primarily centered in Geauga County (east of Cleveland) and Holmes County (southwest of Canton) which is the center of the largest Amish settlement in the world, known as Ohio's Amish Country.
  • Hall of Fame Cycle. Tourists can plan visits to:
    • the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland
    • Inventure Place [13] (the National Inventors Hall of Fame), Akron
    • The Pro Football Hall of Fame [14], Canton
  • Museums & Gardens
    • Cleveland Botanical Gardens [15]
    • Cleveland Museum of Art [16]
    • Cleveland Museum of Natural History [17]
    • Great Lakes Science Center A large science museum in downtown Cleveland, next to the Rock Hall. [18]
    • Mark Klaus' "Holly"wood Christmas Movieland [19]
    • Shaker Historical Society A small museum about the Quaker sect that settled in the area in the 19th century. [20]
    • Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens Near Akron [21]
    • Western Reserve Historical Society Downtown Cleveland [22]
  • Ohio & Erie Canal Byway. 
  • Theater & Music
    • Akron's Carousel Dinner Theater [23]
    • Beck Center for the Arts A non-profit, performing arts and arts education organization in a western suburb of Cleveland. [24]
    • Cleveland Opera [25]
    • Cleveland Orchestra [26]
    • Cleveland Public Theater [27]
    • Playhouse Square Downtown Cleveland's theater district.[28]
  • U.S. Presidential Libraries and Monuments, Northeast Ohio includes the homes, museums and monuments for the following U.S. Presidents:
    • James Garfield Cabin Moreland Hills (formerly part of Orange Township). Garfield Home Mentor. Garfield Memorial in Lakeview Cemetery, Cleveland.
    • William McKinley, Presidential Library and Memorial, [29], 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW,Canton telephone +1 330 455-7043, fax +1 330 455-1137.
    • Behind every great man is a great woman. So, pay homage to the Presidents' wives at the First Ladies National Historic Site, 205 & 331 Market Ave. S, Canton; telephone +1 330 452-0876, victorian family home of US Presidential First Lady Ida Saxton McKinley now serves as an educational center on the subject of contributions by the wives of US Presidents and other women with significant roles in historical US politics.
  • Zoos
    • Akron Zoo [30]
    • Cleveland Metropark Zoo [31]
    • Lake Farmpark Petting Zoo [32]
  • Mark Klaus' Hollywood Christmas Movieland, 5001 Rt 82 (E. Royalton Rd.) Broadview Hts, OH 44147 (1/4 mile from I-77 & Rt. 82W), ☏ +1 440-453-5889. Mon - Thurs 11am - 9pm; Friday - Sunday 12-10pm. "Holly"wood Christmas Movieland is a diverse display of  movie memorabilia that you will see from 1947 Santa and reindeer model from “Miracle on 34th Street’s”, opening scene, for seniors to current Christmas movies for children. Will Ferrell’s “Elf” costume, Dudley Moore’s costume from “Santa Claus: The Movie”, Arnold Schwarzenegger’s turbo man costume from “Jingle All The Way”, Tim Allen’s costume from “The Santa Clause” and more! We even have the last can of “Who Hash”. These authentic displays make it a truly "Holly"wood experience. Adults: $7, Kids 2-16 $5, Under 2 FREE. 

Museums

Ashtabula:

  • Ashtabula Marine Museum/Great Lakes Marine and Coast Guard Memorial Museum, 1071 Walnut Boulevard.
  • Hubbard House UGGR Museum, corner of Walnut Blvd. and Lake Ave.
  • Olin Covered Bridge Museum, south on Dibble Road to Dewey Road.

Cleveland:

The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
  • Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
  • Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum, 10825 East Boulevard.
  • Cleveland Museum of Art
  • Cleveland Museum of Natural History
  • Crawford Auto-Aviation Museum
  • Great Lakes Science Center
  • NASA Glenn Research Center
  • The Cleveland Children's Museum, 10730 Euclid Ave.
  • Maltz Museum of Jewish Heritage
Pro Football Hall of Fame - Canton

Akron

  • National Inventors Hall of Fame Museum
  • Akron Art Museum
  • Goodyear World of Rubber Museum, 1144 East Market St.
McKinley Monument - Canton

Canton

  • Cultural Center for the Arts
  • Canton Museum of Art
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame
  • National First Ladies' Library, 205 & 331 Market Ave. S.
  • Wm. McKinley Presidential Library and Memorial, (McKinley Monument), 800 McKinley Monument Drive NW
  • Zoar Village State Memorial, 2.5 miles east of I-77 (exit 93) on State Route 212

Milan

  • The Edison Birthplace Museum, 9 Edison Dr.
  • Milan Historical Museum, 10 Edison Dr.
President Garfield's Home Mentor

Mentor

  • James A. Garfield National Historic Site, 8095 Mentor Ave.

Orrville

  • The Orrville Historical Society, 142 Depot Street
  • The Orrville Railroad Heritage Society, 145 Depot Street
  • Remember When Agriculture Museum, 930 Penn Ave.
  • Toy and Hobby Museum, 531 Smithville-Hostetler Road.

Wooster

  • The College of Wooster Art Museum, 1220 Beall Ave.
  • Secrest Arboretum at The Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center, 2680 Madison Ave.
  • Wayne Center for the Arts, 237 South Walnut St.
  • Wayne County Historical Society and Museum, 546 E. Bowman St.

Vermilion:

  • Inland Seas Maritime Museum, 480 Main St.

Do

Sports

Progressive Field (formerly Jacobs Field) - home of the Cleveland Indians

Outdoors

Brandywine Falls in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park

Learn

Northeast Ohio's network of 55 colleges and universities comprises the second largest concentration of educational institutions in the nation (after New York City). Outstanding university and vocational training programs, coupled with exceptional liberal arts colleges, provide abundant educational opportunities.

Northeast Ohio offers a variety of educational institutions. Among the area's colleges and universities are:

Cuyahoga County

  • Baldwin-Wallace College, Berea
  • Capital University, Cleveland Center
  • Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland
  • Cleveland College of Jewish Studies, Beachwood
  • Cleveland Institute of Art
  • Cleveland State University
  • Cuyahoga Community College
  • David N. Myers College, Cleveland
  • John Carroll University, University Heights
  • Notre Dame College of Ohio, South Euclid
  • Ohio College of Podiatric Medicine, Cleveland
  • Ursuline College, Pepper Pike

Summit County

  • University of Akron
  • University of Akron Community Technical College

Portage County

  • Kent State University, Kent
  • Hiram College, Hiram
  • Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine, Rootstown

Lake County

  • Lake Erie College, Painesville
  • Lakeland Community College, Willoughby

Lorain County

  • Oberlin College, Oberlin
  • Lorain County Community College, Elyria

Stark County

  • Malone College, Canton
  • Mount Union College, Alliance
  • Kent State University Stark Campus
  • Stark State College of Technology, Canton
  • Walsh University, North Canton

Mahoning County

  • Youngstown State University
  • YSU College of Health Human Services

Columbiana County

  • Allegheny Wesleyan College, Salem
  • Kent State University East Liverpool Campus
  • Kent State University Salem Campus

Trumbull County

  • Kent State University Trumbull Campus, Warren

Wayne County

  • The College of Wooster
  • Ohio State University's Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center and the Agricultural Technical Institute

Work

Enjoy your visit, but you'll probably want to stay. Northeast Ohio is a global corporate center where national and international corporations grow and develop from the area’s strong, diversified economy. Poised as the leading center of commerce between New York City and Chicago, NEO has been ranked by Fortune magazine as the sixth best location in North America to conduct business. Five major industries have evolved to become the economic strength of the region: Health & Medicine, Science & Engineering, Biotechnology & Biomedical, Manufacturing and Education.

Twenty-four companies headquartered in Northeast Ohio are on the 2008 list of Fortune 1000 U.S. corporations. More than 37% of the Fortune 500 companies are present in Northeast Ohio through corporate headquarters, major divisions, subsidiaries and sales offices. In addition, more than 150 international companies have a presence there.

Northeast Ohio has a diverse mix of business activity, including the following Fortune 1000 Company Headquarters (according to the 2008 list):

  • 119 Goodyear Tire and Rubber, Akron - Rubber
  • 175 Progressive Corporation, Mayfield Heights - Insurance
  • 207 Eaton Corporation, Cleveland - Motor Vehicle/Parts
  • 209 FirstEnergy, Akron - Utilities
  • 226 National City Corporation, Cleveland - Banking
  • 247 Parker-Hannifin Corporation, Cleveland - Aerospace
  • 316 Sherwin Williams Company, Cleveland - Paint and Coatings
  • 321 KeyCorp, Cleveland - Banking
  • 376 Aleris International, Beachwood - Metals
  • 395 TravelCenters of America, Westlake - Highway Retail
  • 457 Timken Company, Canton - Bearings and Specialty Steel
  • 505 Lubrizol Corporation, Wickliffe - Lubricants and Chemicals
  • 591 Nacco Industries, Cleveland - Industrial Equipment
  • 619 RPM International, Medina - Chemicals
  • 743 PolyOne, Avon Lake - Chemicals
  • 807 Medical Mutual of Ohio, Cleveland - Health Insurance
  • 820 Lincoln Electric, Cleveland - Arc Welding Equipment
  • 822 Cleveland-Cliffs, Cleveland - Mining & Crude Oil
  • 836 Ferro, Cleveland - Chemicals
  • 852 JM Smucker, Orrville - Food Consumer Products
  • 895 Applied Industrial Technologies, Cleveland - Bearings
  • 922 Jo Ann Stores, Hudson - Specialty Retailer
  • 944 A. Shulman, Akron - Chemicals
  • 957 American Greetings, Cleveland - Greeting Cards

Eat

see also: Fast food in North America

Not only are there great places to dine and things to eat in Northeast Ohio, but these cuisines, several of which define American Food, were born here:

  • Ballpark/Stadium Mustard the popular brown mustard comes from Cleveland.
  • Hamburgers invented by the Menches brothers of Akron.
  • Hot Dogs, while obviously descending from the global sausage family and much debate exists about naming the American treat, the first frankfurter wrapped in a bun (a "Hot Dog") was invented by Harry M. Stevens of Niles in 1904.
  • Ice Cream Cones the cornucopia ice cream cone was also invented by the Menches.
  • Lifesavers Candies invented in 1912 by Clarence Crane of Cleveland (also the father of famous American poet Hart Crane).
  • Maple Syrup go to Geauga County in Northeast Ohio, the Village of Burton is the heart of maple country. Pancake Breakfasts offered in Geauga County and other places on Sundays in March are a great way to warm up from the dismal, rainy early-spring weather.
  • Candy Buckeyes where else would you go for this delicious snack but the Buckeye State? A candy composed of a peanut-butter center partially covered in chocolate to resemble its poisonous namesake.
  • Salisbury Steak created by and named for Clevelander Dr. James H. Salisbury who desired to perfect the meat curing process (you can pay homage to him at Lakeview Cemetery near University Circle.) Just ask the Menches brothers who must claim, "It's just a fancy hamburger covered in gravy."
  • Chef Boyardee, also known as Hector Boiardi, first canned his pasta and sauce in Cleveland.
  • Jo-Jo potatoes are breaded, fried potato wedges often served with fried chicken.

Drink

Northeast Ohio is home to numerous wineries and breweries.

Stay safe

Go next

  • Lake Erie Islands. Located west of Cleveland, a group of picturesque and festive islands in Lake Erie are accessible via ferry. In addition to several Ohio State Parks located on the islands, there is plenty to do including wineries, restaurants, bars, marinas and beaches.
  • Lake Erie Tour Route and Lighthouses. Go back to the mainland and see the shoreline. The drive (or boat ride) around Lake Erie takes you through the Working Waterfronts around Buffalo NY, Cleveland OH, Detroit MI, Erie PA, Toledo, OH, and southern Ontario and is intermingled with beautiful preservations of flora and fauna as well as the history of North America's first westward expansion, the Old Northwest Territory.
  • Niagara Falls
  • Wayne National Forest
  • Nearby cities (less than 3 hour drive) include: Detroit, Toledo, Columbus, Pittsburgh, Buffalo.
This region travel guide to Northeast Ohio is a usable article. It gives a good overview of the region, its sights, and how to get in, as well as links to the main destinations, whose articles are similarly well developed. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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