Cuyahoga

Yes, there’s much more to Cuyahoga County than the City of Cleveland, but make no mistake–this city on the southern shores of Lake Erie is still the heart of it all.

Whether you’re talking about the hottest and hippest residential neighborhoods like Tremont (home of the Christmas Story movie house), Ohio City or Gordon Square; whether you’re into major professional sports like Major League Baseball (The Indians, soon to be Guardians), NFL football (The Browns) or NBA basketball (The Cavaliers); whether it’s the arts that call to you, like the downtown Theater District or the museums and galleries and Cleveland Botanical Gardens, or the MLK Cultural Gardens of the University Circle area (also home to Severance Hall and The Cleveland Orchestra); or whether it is shopping at the historic West Side Market, the stunningly gorgeous Arcade or the quirky Cedar-Fairmount area or dining (the E. 4th Street District, Warehouse District and more, this big city-small town has it all.

The Cleveland lakefront alone makes this town a destination: It’s a trip through past, present and future with The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, The E 9th Street Pier, The Inner Harbor, and the gritty Port of Cleveland. The Cleveland Metroparks has one of the finest zoos in the country and boasts of 18 reservations and 24,000 acres of greenery (The Emerald Necklace) that surround Cleveland and occupy its Cuyahoga County suburbs. The sprawling Cuyahoga Valley National Park is also accessible in the southern portion of Cuyahoga County as it spills into nearby Summit County.

The Cuyahoga River splits Cleveland into its West and East side suburban neighborhoods and there’s plenty of good-natured local debate of which is the optimal location. But you can’t go wrong whether you land in the historic and stately Shaker Heights or Cleveland Heights (East Side!) or the friendly, artsy and warm Lakewood (West Side!); you’ll find modern living in Solon, small-town charm in Chagrin Falls and quirky, old-school community in Euclid and Collinwood (all East); that same modern, upscale feel can be found in Westlake and Bay Village, small-town living in Olmsted Falls and or older communities in Parma or Seven Hills (all West). And that’s not even mentioning the various neighborhoods within the city itself, including Little Italy, Old Brooklyn, Midtown or Slavic Village–each with a strong connection to its historical, ethnic roots, but an equally strong and fierce dedication to an even better future.

And did we mention the food? (Big-name chefs like Iron Chef Michael Symon, Jonathon Sawyer, Zack Bruell) And the breweries? (Yes, Cleveland’s Great Lakes Brewery has a beer called “Burning River,” named after the infamous 1969 fire. A town that can laugh at itself is a town you want to get to know.) And downtown music venues? (Watch concerts alongside the river) And the arts? (Playhouse Square downtown is known as the world’s largest theater restoration project and is the largest performing arts center outside New York City.)

The vibrant economy of Cuyahoga County is anchored by its medical research ecosystem with institutions like Cleveland Clinic and Case Western Reserve University, but also boasts world headquarters of companies Sherwin Williams, American Greetings and Key Bank, Progressive Insurance and Smuckers among others.

For more, go to Destination Cleveland.