The city of Akron is the county seat of Summit County in the U.S. State of Ohio. The city is located between Cleveland to the north and Canton to the south. It is located in the Western Reserve in northeastern Ohio on the Cuyahoga River, approximately 60 miles (100 km) west of the Pennsylvania border.
It was founded in 1825 near the Ohio & Erie Canal, and became a manufacturing center owing to its location at a staircase of locks. After the decline of heavy manufacturing, the city's industry has since diversified into research, financial, and high tech sectors.
In 1870, 10,000 people lived in Akron, Ohio; in 1890, 27,601; in 1900, 42,728; in 1910, 69,067; in 1920 (following the increase in the size of the city), 208,435; and in 1940, 244,791. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 217,074. Akron is the 82nd largest city in the United States and is the 5th largest city in Ohio (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). Akron has a metropolitan population of 694,960 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Akron is also part of the larger Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area, which was the 14th largest in the country with a population of over 2.9 million according to the 2000 Census.
Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron in 1935. The city is home to The University of Akron, the Akron Aeros Double A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, and the Firestone Country Club, at which the PGA TOUR's Firestone Invitational is annually played. The Akron Quakers, of the ibl(2005-) will begin play in the 2007 season.
Akron has a sister city in Chemnitz, Germany.
Akron is located at 41°4'23" North, 81°31'4" West (41.073155, -81.517900).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 161.6 km2 (62.4 mi2). 160.8 km2 (62.1 mi2) of it is land and 0.9 km2 (0.3 mi2) of it is water. The total area is 0.54% water.
Akron has a humid continental climate, with cold but changeable winters, wet, cool springs, warm (sometimes hot) and humid summers, and cool, rather dry autumns. Precipitation is fairly well-distributed through the year, but summer tends to have the most rainfall (and also, somewhat paradoxially, the most sunshine), and autumn the least. The mid-autumn through early-spring months tend to be quite cloudy, with sometimes less than 30% possible sunshine. The cloudiest month is December, and the sunniest month is usually July, which is also, somewhat ironically, the wettest month.
Winters tend to be cold, with average January high temperatures of 32°F (0°C), and average January lows of 17°F (-8°C), with considerable variation in temperatures. During a typical January, high temperatures of over 50°F (10°C) are just as common as low temperatures of below 0°F (-18°C). Snowfall is lighter than the snowbelt areas to the north, but is still somewhat influenced by Lake Erie, generally averaging about 47.1 inches (118.7 cm) per winter. During a typical winter, temperatures drop below 0°F (-18°C) on about 6 occurrences, generally only during the nighttime hours.
Summers are warm, sometimes hot, with average July high temperatures of 83°F (28°C), and average July lows of 62°F (17°C). Summer weather is more stable, generally humid with thunderstorms fairly common. Temperatures reach or exceed 90°F (32°C) about 7 times each summer, on average. In hot summers, such as 1988, however, as many as 30 days over 90°F (32°C) have been observed, and in cooler summers, such as the summer of 2000, the temperature may never reach 90°F (32°C). Temperatures over 100°F (38°C) are rare (about once per decade on average), most recently occurring on several occasions in the hot summer of 1988.
The all-time record high in Akron of 104°F (40°C) was established on August 6, 1918, and the all-time record low of 25°F (32°C) was set on January 19, 1994.
As of the census of 2000, there are 217,074 people, 90,116 households, and 53,709 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,350.3/km2 (3,497.3/mi2). There are 97,315 housing units at an average density of 605.3/km2 (1,567.9/mi2). The racial makeup of the city is 67.22% White, 28.48% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.43% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. 1.16% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 90,116 households out of which 28.5% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.5% are married couples living together, 17.7% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% are non-families. 33.1% of all households are made up of individuals and 11.2% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.35 and the average family size is 3.01.
In the city the population is spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 13.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 34 years. For every 100 females there are 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 87.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city is $31,835, and the median income for a family is $39,381. Males have a median income of $31,898 versus $24,121 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,596. 17.5% of the population and 14.0% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 25.7% of those under the age of 18 and 9.7% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
The July 1, 2004, Census Bureau estimate for Akron places the population at 212,179.
Akron is home to two Fortune 500 companies: the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company and FirstEnergy. In addition, Akron is home to a number of smaller companies such as Gojo, makers of Purell, Advanced Elastomer Systems, FirstMerit Bank, and Roadway Express, a subsidiary of Yellow Roadway. The City of Akron created the first Joint Economic Development District to promote regional commerce with neighboring suburbs.
Source:
AkronOH.com
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