Akron

Akron is a city of almost 200,000 people (2019) in the Northeast Ohio region in Summit County. Akron is proud of its heritage as a center of industry, and now offers visitors a wide range of recreational and cultural attractions, food experiences, and shopping.

Understand
Akron is called the City of Invention but used to be known as the Rubber Capital of the World, and before that, as the original home of Quaker Oats, and before that, as a pottery works. It was built right on the southern edge of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It is on the shortest possible line drawn between the Cuyahoga River (connecting to the Great Lakes - Lake Erie), and the Tuscarawas River (connecting to the Ohio River and ultimately to the Gulf of Mexico.) The Portage Path, the shortest path for carrying a canoe from one water shed to the next, has connected the two since time immemorial, and is the primary reason Akron grew just where it did.

By plane
There are non-stop flights to Akron Canton Regional Airport from the following cities (some cities may be seasonal or only offer service certain days of the week): Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Fort Myers, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia and Tampa.

There are buses to/from the airport: Metro RTA bus 110 goes a number of times a day between the airport and downtown Akron on a local route through southern Summit County - fare $1.25 and duration approximately 1 hour; SARTA Route 81 travels between downtown Canton, the Belden Village area, the airport and the downtown Akron Metro RTA Transit Center via I-77 Monday through Friday. Route 81L runs from the Airport to the Belden Village area and downtown Canton only (the 81L Saturday route does not travel to Akron) - fare $1.50. Catch the bus at the north end of the airport terminal (new location).


 * Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, - an approximately one hour drive to the northwest of Akron and a hub of United Airlines.

By train
Akron lost its Amtrak station in the last round of cuts, so you'll have to go into Cleveland or Alliance.

By car
Akron has wonderful interstate highway support. I-76 is an excellent way in from the East or West, and I-77 is an easy route to take between Cleveland and Akron. Further south on I-77 is Canton, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Once in the city, there are two other freeways Route 8 and Route 59 (Innerbelt), both of which serve the center of the city. There is very little in the city that is more than 10 minutes from an expressway. One nice by-product of this system is that rush hour is less than an hour.

Nature

 * Portage Lakes State Park, 5031 Manchester Rd. 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.

Annual events




Work
Akron boasts the headquarters location for the following Fortune 1000 Corporations:

Drink
Highland Square the "cultural" district, has a number of bars on West Market Street. Guidance about what location would suit your needs is best dispensed by (younger) locals. Downtown between Exchange and Cedar Streets, has a couple dozen different college oriented establishments, including bars, clubs, and lounges. Kenmore Boulevard is accessible from I-76 and has a number of unique establishments.

Splurge




Stay safe
Given the size of the city, and diversity and activity there, it's really pretty safe. There's almost nowhere in Akron anyone shouldn't go in the daytime, and very few places at night.

Generally, the west side of the city near Copley road is regarded as the worst section of town. With a higher rate of violent crimes and theft, it is best avoided by outsiders. Some housing projects - most notably Joy Park project in the vicinity of the Zoo and Elizabeth Park under the All-American Bridge - are also somewhat unsafe and should be bypassed altogether by foot and car.

If visiting the University of Akron, it's best to stay west of the Market / Buchtel intersection. The near-East neighborhood of which this is the "border" (Middlebury) is not necessarily unsafe, but does have a lot of medium-scale drug activity and the occasional assault and non-violent robbery.



Go next

 * Go north to Cleveland. There's a lot going on up there.
 * To the west lies Medina and other quaint rural hamlets, many of which have preserved town squares.
 * Get a blended taste of the outdoors and American industrial history by touring the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The Canal Byway extends from Lake Erie in Downtown Cleveland through Akron and south through Canton, New Philadelphia and into rural Bolivar and Historic Zoar.
 * Portage Lakes State Park, 5031 Manchester Rd. 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.
 * Cuyahoga Valley National Park - Short distance from Akron and Cleveland. Fifth most frequently visited National Park.