Akron, Summit County, Ohio, USA

Akron is the county seat and largest city of Summit County in northeastern Ohio, located about 35 miles south of Cleveland on the glaciated Allegheny Plateau. The city occupies roughly 62 square miles of rolling terrain near the watershed divide between Lake Erie and the Ohio River systems, a high point reflected in its name, which derives from a Greek word meaning “summit.” The Little Cuyahoga River and the historic Ohio and Erie Canal pass through Akron, while nearby parkland and river valleys connect the city to the broader Cuyahoga Valley region. Akron developed into a major industrial center during the late 19th and early 20th centuries and became known as the “Rubber Capital of the World” through companies including Goodyear, Firestone, General Tire and B.F. Goodrich. Although most large-scale tire manufacturing later left the city, Akron remains a regional center for advanced materials, health care, education and government, anchored by the University of Akron and several major medical systems. The city had 190,469 residents in the 2020 census and forms the core of the Akron metropolitan area.