Streetsboro

Streetsboro is a city of 17,000 people (2020) in Portage County. Streetsboro was a stop on the Underground Railroad, and primarily a farming community until 1970. The city has become a retail hub for Portage County with the arrival of many national big-box retailers including Wal-Mart Supercenter, Target, Lowe's, The Home Depot and Staples.

History
Long before settlers moved into the Connecticut Western Reserve, Seneca Indians traversed the area now called Streetsboro. They used Old Portage Trail, which crosses the southwest corner of the city, to go from Lake Erie to the Ohio River basin.

The founder of Streetsboro Township was Titus Street from Connecticut, who purchased the land in 1798. The land was surveyed by Streets' agents Ralph Cowles and Lemuel Punderson in the summer of 1822 and divided into lots of 100 acres (0.40 km2).

In 1827, a turnpike from Cleveland to Wellsville, Ohio was completed. It followed much of the route of the present Ohio State Route 14. Major growth occurred in Streetsboro with the opening of a new Ohio Turnpike in 1955, as the Exit is Streetsboro was the only interchange in Portage County. By 1957, with the growth of the automobile industry, Streetsboro experienced a population explosion. Proximity to the Akron and Cleveland areas, along with direct access to Interstate 80 (Ohio Turnpike), Interstate 480 and State Routes 303, 43 and 14, have greatly contributed to the rapid growth of manufacturing, distribution, commercial and residential development in the since 1970.

By Car
Streetsboro is located at the intersection of SR 14, SR 43, and SR 303 and is just south of I-80/The Ohio Turnpike.

By Bicycle
Streetsboro is adjacent to Kent, and is a fairly short bike ride away. It may be best to take backroads to avoid traffic.

Eat
As a stop on the Ohio Turnpike, there are many national and local chains in downtown Streetsboro.



Go next

 * Kent - A quirky college town to the south of Streetsboro.
 * Cuyahoga Valley National Park - The only national park in Ohio.