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Decorative drawing: a small American settlement seen from a low hill. Not a photograph of this place.

Akron, Ohio

22 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1903 and the latest in 1994. It stands in Akron City. It lies in ZIP code area 44308. The Survey maps it on the Akron West quadrangle. 190,469 people lived here at the 2020 count. It stands 1,004 feet above sea level.

Research this city

This curated hub for Summit County, Ohio brings together the page's documented record links, visible map or image evidence where published, and routes to related local records.

What is documented here?

Use the page's provenance and linked records to distinguish the source material from the site's navigation and summaries.

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Akron within Summit County

Population over time

2 figures

Akron fell from 199,110 to 190,469 between 2010 and 2020. These are the recorded population figures Wikidata holds for this place, reached through the Geographic Names Information System number this page is keyed on rather than by name, so they belong to this place and not to another of the same name. Most are census counts, but not all are: an early figure may be a founding or settlement estimate. The change column is computed, and is left blank where more than 20 years separate a figure from the one before it, because a gap that long is not a change between two counts.

YearPeople Change
2010199,110
2020190,469-8,641 (-4%)

Then and now

1903 to 1994

The same ground, surveyed 91 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Akron, surveyed 1994
Topographic sheet of Akron, surveyed 1903

Topographic sheets covering this place

22 sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

In the county-history sources

22,626 words on this township

Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, published 1908 names this settlement in its chapter on Akron City. These are the passages that mention it, exactly as the scans read.

It is inaccurate to say that the Ohio Canal made Akron. The city as it stands today is the resultant of many causes. Many and different influences, and various men and measures, have co-operated toward the end now attained. The start was made long before the Ohio Canal was built. - Within the present limits of the city, settlements at two different points had been made, which antedate the canal by nearly two decades. In 1807 the first settlement had been made in Middlebury. In 1811 Miner Spicer had started "Spicertown." In the same year Paul Williams settled upon the lands immediately west of the Spicer settlement and adjoining the land of General Simon Perkins on the east. When the canal was opened in 1827 Middlebury was an important village. It had attracted many settlers from the East, principally from Connecticut, and boasted of half a dozen mills and factories, a dozen stores, three inns and about five hundred inhabitants. It certainly deserved a place on the maps of the time.

Passage source: Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, published 1908.

Let us search that we may find, if we can, the economic reasons for the existence of Akron. The sentence that begins this chapter contains the idea that is ordinarily advanced as the sole reason for the Akron of today. The unthinking man repeats: "The canal made Akron." The wTiter on Akron history records: "Dr. Eliakim G. Crosby made Akron."

Passage source: Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, published 1908.

Then commenced the great traffic over the Ohio Canal. If the Portage Path was not a highway, the canal certainly was. It is hard to realize now how important an avenue of commerce this great waterway was in the early days of Ohio. It is difficult to estimate accurately the great part it played in the development of the state. The danger to the student of these results will be to overstate them. The village at the mouth of the Cuyahoga had grown rapidly. Cleveland enjoyed an extensive commerce and the products of Pittsburgh, Philadelphia and the East were being distributed thence throughout the West by lake carriage. Ship-building in the vicinity of Cleveland became an established industry. The Cuyahoga at this time was a much larger stream than it is at present and many lake vessels were built as far inland as Old Portage.

Passage source: Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative Citizens, published 1908.

Machine-read from a century-old scan, so expect the errors a machine makes: misspelled names, dropped words, stray characters.

Read the whole chapter on Akron City - it names this place 87 more 87 times.

Photographs

8 photographs, 1941 to 1942

Taken for the Office of War Information and the Farm Security Administration, who photographed the country between 1935 and 1944. Works of United States government photographers, with no known restriction on use. Each opens its catalogue record.

A track for an Army halftrac car nears completion as curing plates nuts are removed with an air pressure wrench on the trimming rack of a Midwest rubber plant. Goodrich, Akron, Ohio
A track for an Army halftrac car nears completion as curing plates nuts are removed with an air pressure wrench on the trimming rack of a Midwest rubber plant. Goodrich, Akron, Ohio
Palmer, Alfred T., photographer, 1941. Library of Congress
Subcontracting aircraft parts. Here is the "dope room" at a huge Ohio plant. The fabric covering control surfaces for military aircraft is here doped, or covered with protective paints. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio
Subcontracting aircraft parts. Here is the "dope room" at a huge Ohio plant. The fabric covering control surfaces for military aircraft is here doped, or covered with protective paints. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio
Palmer, Alfred T., photographer, 1941. Library of Congress
Aircraft tire manufacture. Every airplane tire for military aircraft is carefully balanced on a special machine to guarantee flawless performance in service. Inspector is making final check on airplane tires destined for military service. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio
Aircraft tire manufacture. Every airplane tire for military aircraft is carefully balanced on a special machine to guarantee flawless performance in service. Inspector is making final check on airplane tires destined for military service. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio
Palmer, Alfred T., photographer, 1941. Library of Congress
Military tire manufacture. Huge truck tire like those shown in this tire storeroom are playing important part in the nation's war effort. Tires like these are used on huge trucks and military prime movers. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio
Military tire manufacture. Huge truck tire like those shown in this tire storeroom are playing important part in the nation's war effort. Tires like these are used on huge trucks and military prime movers. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio
Palmer, Alfred T., photographer, 1941. Library of Congress
Molds automatically open. At the end of the curing time, the mold draws the steam out of the airbag, opens the lid and ejects the tire from the tread pattern. Workers need to do nothing but pull out the finished tire and put in another uncured carcass. General Tires, Firestone, Akron, Ohio
Molds automatically open. At the end of the curing time, the mold draws the steam out of the airbag, opens the lid and ejects the tire from the tread pattern. Workers need to do nothing but pull out the finished tire and put in another uncured carcass. General Tires, Firestone, Akron, Ohio
Palmer, Alfred T., photographer, 1941. Library of Congress
Subcontracting aircraft parts. War production is in large measure a story of conversion, a story of using at once facilities already available while newer facilities are being readied. Formerly an airship dock, this huge building--thought to be the largest in the world with no interior supports--is now the scene of many busy shops turning out aircraft sub-assembly parts. Either new housing close to the plant or vastly improved public transportation will eventually have to be supplied, for the tires on the cars of the workers, and perhaps even the cars themselves, will in many instances give in before the end of the present emergency. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio
Subcontracting aircraft parts. War production is in large measure a story of conversion, a story of using at once facilities already available while newer facilities are being readied. Formerly an airship dock, this huge building--thought to be the largest in the world with no interior supports--is now the scene of many busy shops turning out aircraft sub-assembly parts. Either new housing close to the plant or vastly improved public transportation will eventually have to be supplied, for the tires on the cars of the workers, and perhaps even the cars themselves, will in many instances give in before the end of the present emergency. Goodyear, Akron, Ohio
Palmer, Alfred T., photographer, 1941. Library of Congress
War production suggestions. For making a contribution that will safeguard lives of combat pilots, James A. Merrill, research chemist at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, was presented with a Citation of Individual Production Merit by War Production headquarters of the War Production Board (WPB). His suggestion concerned development of a resistant barrier to aromatic fuels used in bullet seal tanks on airplanes. It will help keep planes in the air under extreme weather conditions, save the lives of pilots returning in planes with gas tanks pierced by bullets, and lessen unnecessary plane crashes
War production suggestions. For making a contribution that will safeguard lives of combat pilots, James A. Merrill, research chemist at Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Akron, Ohio, was presented with a Citation of Individual Production Merit by War Production headquarters of the War Production Board (WPB). His suggestion concerned development of a resistant barrier to aromatic fuels used in bullet seal tanks on airplanes. It will help keep planes in the air under extreme weather conditions, save the lives of pilots returning in planes with gas tanks pierced by bullets, and lessen unnecessary plane crashes
United States. Office of War Information, 1942. Library of Congress
Synthetic rubber (Ameripol). Carefully selected soap is used in the making of solutions used during the manufacture of synthetic rubber. This worker is mixing a solution at the B.F. Goodrich plant, in Akron, Ohio. It is mixed in a nickel-lined tank. Goodrich
Synthetic rubber (Ameripol). Carefully selected soap is used in the making of solutions used during the manufacture of synthetic rubber. This worker is mixing a solution at the B.F. Goodrich plant, in Akron, Ohio. It is mixed in a nickel-lined tank. Goodrich
Palmer, Alfred T., photographer, 1942. Library of Congress

Fires near this place

1 since 2014

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 1 fire within 5 miles of Akron between 2014 and 2014, burning about 0 acres in total. None started naturally. None was recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Missing data/not specified/undetermined1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
27 April 2014Missing data/not specified/undeterminedunder an acreCuyahoga Valley National ParkCANYON TRAIL

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Summit County

Specimens collected near this place

12 of 810 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. Museums hold 810 specimens collected within 10 miles of Akron between 1867 and 1975: 694 Animalia, 69 Plantae, 45 Fungi, 1 Unrecorded, 1 Bacteria. 12 distinct Species records are shown. Collected by (no collector listed), A. Black, A. W. Cusick and others. Each is a physical object with a catalogue number, and each entry opens the museum's record. This is what was collected and kept, not a survey of what lives here - nothing can be concluded from a species being absent.

Image SpeciesYear Collected by Where, as recorded
Specimen of Botrychium virginianum subsp. virginianumBotrychium virginianum subsp. virginianum1888Wright, A.A.Tallmadge.
Specimen of Asclepias quadrifolia Jacq.Asclepias quadrifolia Jacq.1889Foltz, Kent O.Sand Run Park; Akron
Specimen of Asclepias verticillata L.Asclepias verticillata L.1889not recordedAkron
A photograph of the species Accipiter striatus, not of this specimenAccipiter striatus velox (A.Wilson, 1812)1867Collector(s): James Lee PetersAkron
A photograph of the species Dryopteris carthusiana, not of this specimenDryopteris carthusiana (Vill.) H.P.Fuchs1880F. O. PayneAkron
A photograph of the species Hydrastis canadensis, not of this specimenHydrastis canadensis L.1888E.L. Sturtevant II
A photograph of the species Lonicera dioica, not of this specimenLonicera dioica L.1888K. O. Foltz
A photograph of the species Penstemon hirsutus, not of this specimenPenstemon hirsutus (L.) Willd.1888K. O. Foltz
A photograph of the species Carex pensylvanica, not of this specimenCarex pensylvanica Lam.1889Foltz, K.O.Akron
A photograph of the species Peltandra virginica, not of this specimenPeltandra virginica (L.) Schott1889Foltz, Kent O.Akron; Blue Pond
A photograph of the species Platanthera flava, not of this specimenPlatanthera flava var. herbiola (R.Br.) Luer1889K. O. FoltzCopley Swamp, near Akron
Specimen of Osmunda cinnamomea L.Osmunda cinnamomea L.1890Kofoid, C.A.Akron.

All 810 specimens within 10 miles, at the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.

Mines and quarries near this place

10 of 11 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 11 workings within 5 miles of Akron: 9 past producers, 2 producers. 2 still produce. What was taken out: Sand and Gravel, Construction. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Alden PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Arlington PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Flesher PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Herbruck Trucking PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Herbruck Trucking PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
J.P. Pollo PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
J.P. Pollo PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Lerkis Pit & PlantSand and Gravel, ConstructionProducer
Riverside PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary
Robert E. Alden Sand & Gravel PitSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast ProducerSedimentary

Every working recorded in Summit County

Storms near this place

60 of 75 shown

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Akron in 75 storm reports between 1996 and 2025: 38 hail, 31 thunderstorm wind, 5 flash flood, 1 lightning. The reports record 2 deaths. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
July 2013Flash FloodAkron1 killed, $3,800,000On Wednesday afternoon, July 10, the City of Akron experienced 3 to 4 inches of rain in an hour and a half. Flooding occurred causing the closings of roadways and expressways. Along with the roadway flooding, the City received reports of nearly 200 flooded basements. Widespread flooding was reported throughout the city and numerous homes, businesses, and vehicles were inundated by the rain.
May 2024Thunderstorm WindAkron1 killed, $20,000Weakened tree fell onto home in Akron and killed occupant. Thunderstorm was likely sub-severe per radar data. The nearby Akron-Fulton International Airport ASOS recorded a peak convective wind gust of 44 mph at 9:26 AM EST. No other reports of thunderstorm-related damage or severe convective weather were received as the cluster of storms moved through the Akron area.
June 2007HailAkron$288,000,000A severe thunderstorm moved across Summit County and caused unprecedented damage. Hail as large as softballs fell across much of the county. Extensive damage was done to homes and vehicles in Akron and surrounding areas. Nearly 51,100 insurance claims were filed for damage in the county. The south side of Akron was the hardest hit.
July 2012HailAkron$750,000Hail as large as golf balls was reported. Many vehicles and a few homes were damaged by the hail.
September 2016Thunderstorm WindAkron$50,000Thunderstorm winds downed trees and limbs in the Akron and Stow areas resulting in scattered power outages. At the peak of the storm a few thousand customers were without power.
June 2009HailAkron$50,000Half dollar size hail was observed.
May 2002Thunderstorm WindAkron$50,000Thunderstorm winds downed several trees in Akron. Three cars were damaged by the fallen trees.
August 1998Thunderstorm WindAkron$50,000In Akron and in Springfield Township, trees and power lines were downed, some on vehicles and houses.
August 1996LightningAkron$40,000no account filed
June 2011HailAkron$15,000Thunderstorms produced nickel size hail for several minutes. The size of the hail increased significantly around 8:40pm EST, to half dollar size.
August 2009Thunderstorm WindAkron$15,000Many trees were reported down throughout the county.
July 2006Thunderstorm WindAkron$15,000Numerous trees were reported down.
June 2016Thunderstorm WindAkron$10,000Thunderstorm winds downed a tree. The tree landed on a house and caused some damage.
April 2013Thunderstorm WindAkron$10,000A trained weather spotter reported windows blown out of a building on Main Street and roof damage to a shed.
July 2006HailAkron$10,000Hail ranging between quarter and nickel size was observed.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindAkron$10,000Thunderstorm winds downed several trees.
June 2000Thunderstorm WindAkron$10,000Thunderstorm winds downed four large trees.
January 2012Thunderstorm WindAkron$7,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees.
December 2013Thunderstorm WindAkron$5,000Thunderstorm winds downed three trees. All three trees blocked streets.
July 2012Thunderstorm WindAkron$5,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few trees.
September 2002Thunderstorm WindAkron$5,000Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs.
September 2002Thunderstorm WindAkron$5,000Thunderstorm winds downed one tree and a large limb.
June 2008HailAkron$3,000Nickel size hail was observed.
June 1998Thunderstorm WindAkron$3,000Thunderstorm winds, estimated at up to 80 miles per hour, downed trees.
September 2019Thunderstorm WindAkron$2,000Parts of an air conditioner blew off a rood near Grant Street in Akron.
June 2013HailAkron$2,000Reports of quarter size hail were received from trained spotters and via twitter north of downtown Akron.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindAkron$2,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs.
June 2006Thunderstorm WindAkron$2,000A tree and large limb was reported down.
July 2003HailAkron$2,000Nickel size hail was observed.
July 2002Thunderstorm WindAkron$2,000Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree.
August 2001Thunderstorm WindAkron$2,000Thunderstorm winds downed a large tree.
May 1997Thunderstorm WindAkron$2,000no account filed
August 1996Thunderstorm WindAkron$2,000no account filed
October 2018HailAkron$1,000Large hail damaged a window.
June 2013Thunderstorm WindAkron$1,000Thunderstorm winds downed a tree.
July 2013HailAkron$1,000A trained weather spotter reported quarter size hail.
May 2010Thunderstorm WindAkron$1,000Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree limbs.
June 2010Thunderstorm WindAkron$1,000Thunderstorm winds downed a few large tree limbs.
June 2025Thunderstorm WindAkron-Large tree limbs downed in the Goodyear Heights neighborhood of Akron.
August 2024Thunderstorm WindAkron-Several large tree limbs downed in Akron.
March 2020HailAkron-Social media report with picture of tennis ball-size hail about two miles north of downtown Akron.
September 2020Flash FloodAkron-Route 8 northbound was closed from Perkins St to E. Tallmadge Avenue. Akron police reported traffic accidents and delays due to the high water conditions. Route 8 southbound closed at Seasons Rd in Hudson/Stow to flooding. Storm total rainfall from Hudson 4.75.
June 2015Thunderstorm WindAkron-Thunderstorm winds were estimated at 65 mph.
May 2014HailAkron-Penny sized hail was observed.
May 2014HailAkron-Quarter sized hail was observed.
July 2014HailAkron-Penny sized hail was observed.
September 2012HailAkron-Nickel sized hail was observed.
September 2012HailAkron-Quarter sized hail was observed.
July 2012HailAkron-Nickel sized hail was observed.
July 2012HailAkron-Nickel sized hail was observed.
July 2012HailAkron-Quarter sized hail was reported.
August 2011HailAkron-Quarter sized hail was observed.
August 2011HailAkron-Quarter sized hail was observed.
August 2011HailAkron-Penny sized hail was observed.
May 2011Thunderstorm WindAkron-Thunderstorm winds downed several large tree branches.
May 2011HailAkron-Penny sized hail was observed.
April 2011HailAkron-Quarter size hail was reported.
June 2011Thunderstorm WindAkron-An automated observing station measured a 59mph wind gust.
June 2010HailAkron-Penny sized hail was observed.
September 2010HailAkron-Thunderstorms produced nickel size hail.

Every storm recorded in Summit County

Newspapers printed here

0 digitised pages

2 papers published in this town, digitised by the Library of Congress and free to read: 0 issues, 0 pages. Every page is searchable, so a name or a street can be looked for directly in what the town printed about itself at the time.

NewspaperPublished
Akron Daily Democrat1892 to 1902
Summit County Labor News1923 to 1976

What the paper printed

27,685 words

Front pages of the local paper, read from the Library of Congress scans: 10 issues spread across its run from 1899 to 1960, 27,685 words in total. Each is reproduced on its own page, exactly as the recogniser returned it.

These pages read less well than anything else here, and the number is worth stating: about three words in four come through cleanly, against nine in ten for the building records. An 1896 broadsheet sets eight-point type in seven columns on microfilm, which is the hardest thing in this archive to read by machine. We tested our own recognisers against the Library's and they were not better, so the Library's text is what appears, with the wholly unreadable columns removed. Read it as a guide to what the paper covered, and follow the link to the scan before quoting anything.

IssuePaper Length
1944-06-02Summit County Labor News1,649 words
1944-07-21Summit County Labor News2,588 words
1944-09-29Summit County Labor News1,966 words
1944-11-17Summit County Labor News2,067 words
1960-12-30Summit County Labor News2,685 words
1899-05-01Akron Daily Democrat2,599 words
1899-06-15Akron Daily Democrat3,864 words
1899-08-01Akron Daily Democrat4,233 words
1899-09-15Akron Daily Democrat1,575 words
1899-11-22Akron Daily Democrat4,459 words

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Cascade (historical)0.3 miles22
Arlington1.4 miles16
South Akron1.4 miles22
West Akron1.6 miles22
East Akron1.7 miles16
Forest Hill1.8 miles16
North Akron1.9 miles22
Bettes Corners2.2 miles16

Elsewhere

Matched on this settlement's Geographic Names Information System number rather than its name, so it cannot be a different place of the same name in another state.

Wikipedia article on AkronAn encyclopaedic summary. Its text is share-alike, so it is linked here rather than copied.
Wikidata item Q163132The structured record the population and elevation above come from. Public domain (CC0).

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 1064305. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Specimens. Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), https://www.gbif.org/. Only records licensed CC0 or CC BY are used. Records licensed CC BY-NC are excluded because this site carries advertising. Images are checked individually and any whose licence is non-commercial, no-derivatives or unreadable is refused.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.