Cleveland
On the 22nd of July 1796, surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company laid out a new settlement near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. They named this place Cleaveland after General Moses Cleaveland, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War who had overseen the New England-style design of the town plan. The general returned to Connecticut and never visited Ohio again, yet his name remained etched into the landscape. The first permanent European settler arrived in May 1797 when Lorenzo Carter built a cabin on the banks of the river. This small community grew rapidly after the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal in 1832. The canal linked the Ohio River and the Great Lakes to the Atlantic Ocean via the Hudson River. By 1836, Cleveland was officially incorporated as a city with John W. Willey elected as its first mayor. The waterfront location provided access to Great Lakes trade despite nearby swampy lowlands and harsh winters. In 1854, the independent municipality of Ohio City was annexed by Cleveland following a bridge dispute that nearly erupted into open warfare.
John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in Cleveland in 1870 before moving its headquarters to New York City in 1885. The city became a major center for manufacturing automobiles including Peerless, Chandler, and Winton during the early twentieth century. Steam cars produced by White and electric cars made by Baker also emerged from local factories. Between 1881 and 1886, seventy to eighty percent of strikes were successful in improving labor conditions for workers demanding better wages. The Cleveland Streetcar Strike of 1899 stood out as one of the more violent instances of labor strife in the city. During the Great Depression, significant labor struggles included strikes against Fisher Body in 1936 and Republic Steel in 1937. The city served as an important supply post for the U.S. during the Battle of Lake Erie in the War of 1812. Locals adopted war hero Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry as a civic icon and erected a monument in his honor decades later. By 1910, Cleveland had become known as the Sixth City due to its status as the sixth-largest U.S. city at that time.
Between 1910 and 1970, the black population of Cleveland increased significantly as African Americans migrated from the rural South seeking jobs and constitutional rights. By 1920, the foreign-born population reached thirty percent while the total population grew to 796,841 making it the fifth-largest city in the nation. Housing discrimination and redlining led to racial unrest with the Hough riots erupting from July 18 to 24, 1966. The Glenville Shootout took place on the 23rd of July 1968 following years of tension. In November 1967, Cleveland became the first major American city to elect an African American mayor when Carl B. Stokes took office serving until 1971. The city has substantial communities of Irish especially in West Park and Italians concentrated in Little Italy. Central-Eastern European ethnicities including Czechs, Hungarians, Lithuanians, Poles, Romanians, Russians, Rusyns, Slovaks, Ukrainians, and ex-Yugoslav groups such as Slovenes, Croats and Serbs also reside here. A 2020 analysis found Cleveland to be the most ethnically and racially diverse major city in Ohio.
The burning of the Cuyahoga River in June 1969 brought national attention to industrial pollution issues affecting the waterway. The river had caught fire a total of thirteen times beginning in 1868 due to extensive industrial contamination. This event spurred action under Mayor Carl B. Stokes and played a key role in passing the Clean Water Act in 1972. Industrial restructuring resulted in job losses particularly within steel and automotive industries causing economic decline throughout the 1960s. Unemployment peaked at 13.8 percent in 1983 during the national recession which further eroded the traditional economic base. Downtown saw construction of the Key Tower and 200 Public Square skyscrapers while developing the Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex. The city emerged from financial default in 1987 after entering into federal loan default in December 1978 during Dennis Kucinich's mayoral tenure. Since then Cleveland has been recognized by national media as an environmental success story with extensive cleanup efforts led by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
Playhouse Square serves as the second largest performing arts center in the United States behind New York City's Lincoln Center. It includes five theaters: State, Palace, Allen, Hanna, and Ohio hosting Broadway musicals and special concerts year-round. The Cleveland Orchestra plays at Severance Hall during winter months and Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls during summer. The orchestra is widely considered one of the world's finest orchestras often referred to as the finest in the nation. The Cleveland Museum of Art houses more than sixty thousand works of art offering free admission to all visitors. The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame stands on Cleveland's Lake Erie waterfront at North Coast Harbor designed by architect I.M. Pei. Jazz legends including Louis Armstrong, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billie Holiday performed in local clubs. Legendary pianist Art Tatum regularly played in Cleveland clubs during the 1930s while gypsy jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt gave his U.S. debut performance here in 1946.
The Cleveland Guardians won the World Series in 1920 and 1948 before changing their name from Indians between 1915 and 2021. They also made appearances in the World Series during 1954, 1995, 1997, and 2016 seasons. Between 1995 and 2001, the team sold out four hundred fifty-five consecutive games setting a Major League Baseball record until 2008. The Browns have been among the most successful franchises winning eight titles between 1946 and 1964 though never playing in a Super Bowl. Former owner Art Modell relocated the Browns after the 1995 season causing tremendous heartbreak for fans before returning under new ownership starting in 1999. The Cavaliers won their first NBA Championship in 2016 coming back from a three-one deficit against the Golden State Warriors. Over one point three million people attended a parade held in honor of the Cavs on the 22nd of June 2016 downtown. The Cleveland Monsters of the American Hockey League won the 2016 Calder Cup marking their first championship since the Barons in 1964.
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Common questions
When was Cleveland founded and who named it?
Cleveland was laid out on the 22nd of July 1796 by surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company. The settlement was named Cleaveland after General Moses Cleaveland, a veteran of the American Revolutionary War.
What major historical events happened in Cleveland during the 1960s?
The Hough riots erupted from July 18 to 24, 1966, and the Glenville Shootout took place on the 23rd of July 1968. Carl B. Stokes became the first African American mayor of a major American city in November 1967, and the Cuyahoga River burned for the thirteenth time in June 1969.
Which performing arts venues are located in Cleveland?
Playhouse Square serves as the second largest performing arts center in the United States behind New York City's Lincoln Center. It includes five theaters: State, Palace, Allen, Hanna, and Ohio hosting Broadway musicals and special concerts year-round.
How did the black population change in Cleveland between 1910 and 1970?
Between 1910 and 1970, the black population of Cleveland increased significantly as African Americans migrated from the rural South seeking jobs and constitutional rights. By 1920, the foreign-born population reached thirty percent while the total population grew to 796,841 making it the fifth-largest city in the nation.
When did Cleveland become known as the Sixth City?
By 1910, Cleveland had become known as the Sixth City due to its status as the sixth-largest U.S. city at that time. The city maintained this ranking until later demographic shifts changed its national standing.