City of Cleveland
—  City  —
Flag Official seal of City of Cleveland Seal
Nickname(s): The Forest City
Motto: Progress & Prosperity
Location in Cuyahoga County
City of Cleveland Location in Ohio
Coordinates: 41°28′56″N 81°40′11″W / 41.48222°N 81.66972°W / 41.48222; -81.66972Coordinates: 41°28′56″N 81°40′11″W / 41.48222°N 81.66972°W / 41.48222; -81.66972
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Cuyahoga
Founded	1796
Incorporated	1814 (village)
	1836 (city)
Government
• Mayor	Frank G. Jackson (D)
Area[1]
• City	82.4 sq mi (213.4 km2)
• Land	77.6 sq mi (200.9 km2)
• Water	4.8 sq mi (12.5 km2)
Elevation[2]	653 ft (199 m)
Population (2010)[1][3]
• City	396,815 (45th in U.S.)
• Density	5,113/sq mi (1,974/km2)
• Metro	2,250,871
• Demonym	Clevelander
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Area code(s)	216
FIPS code	39-16000[4]
GNIS feature ID	1066654
Website	www.city.cleveland.oh.us

Cleveland ( /ˈkliːvlənd/) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County,^[5] the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately 60 miles (97 km) west of the Pennsylvania border. It was founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River, and became a manufacturing center owing to its location on the lake shore, as well as being connected to numerous canals and railroad lines. Cleveland's economy has diversified sectors that include manufacturing, financial services, healthcare, and biomedical. Cleveland is home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.^[6]

As of the 2010 Census, the city proper had a total population of 396,815 and was the 45th largest city in the United States,^[7] and the second largest city in Ohio.^[8][9] It is the center of Greater Cleveland, the largest metropolitan area in Ohio. The Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor Metropolitan Statistical Area in 2011 ranked as the 28th largest in the United States with 2,068,283 people.^[10] Cleveland is part of the larger Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area, which in 2011 had a population of 2,871,084, and ranked as the country's 15th largest.^[11]

Residents of Cleveland are called "Clevelanders". Nicknames for the city include "The Forest City", "Metropolis of the Western Reserve", "Sixth City", "The Rock 'n' Roll Capital of the World", and "C-Town".^[12][13][14] Due to Lake Erie's close proximity to the city, the Cleveland area is sometimes locally referred to as "The North Coast".^[12]

History[link]

Cleveland obtained its name on July 22, 1796 when surveyors of the Connecticut Land Company laid out Connecticut's Western Reserve into townships and a capital city they named "Cleaveland" after their leader, General Moses Cleaveland. Cleaveland oversaw the plan for what would become the modern downtown area, centered on Public Square, before returning home, never again to visit Ohio. The first settler in Cleaveland was Lorenzo Carter, who built a cabin on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. The Village of Cleaveland was incorporated on December 23, 1814.^[9] In spite of the nearby swampy lowlands and harsh winters, its waterfront location proved to be an advantage. The area began rapid growth after the 1832 completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal. This key link between the Ohio River and the Great Lakes connected the city to the Atlantic Ocean via the Erie Canal and later via the St. Lawrence Seaway; and the Gulf of Mexico via the Mississippi River. Growth continued with added railroad links.^[15] Cleveland incorporated as a city in 1836.^[9]

Bird's-eye view of Cleveland in 1877

In 1836, the city, then located only on the eastern banks of the Cuyahoga River, nearly erupted into open warfare with neighboring Ohio City over a bridge connecting the two.^[16] Ohio City remained an independent municipality until its annexation by Cleveland in 1854.^[9]

The city's prime geographic location as transportation hub on the Great Lakes has played an important role in its development as a commercial center. Cleveland serves as a destination point for iron ore shipped from Minnesota, as well as coal transported by rail. In 1870, John D. Rockefeller founded Standard Oil in Cleveland, and moved its headquarters to New York City in 1885.^[17] Cleveland emerged in the early 20th Century as an important American manufacturing center, which included automotive companies such as Peerless, People's,^[18] Jordan, and Winton, maker of the first car driven across the U.S.^[19] Other manufacturers located in Cleveland produced steam-powered cars, which included White and Gaeth, as well as the electric car company Baker. By 1920, due in large part to the city's economic prosperity, Cleveland became the nation's fifth largest city.^[9] The city counted Progressive Era politicians such as the populist Mayor Tom L. Johnson among its leaders. Many prominent Clevelanders from this era are buried in the historic Lake View Cemetery, including President James A. Garfield,^[20] and John D. Rockefeller.

The Cuyahoga River winds through the Flats in a December 1937 aerial view of downtown Cleveland.

In commemoration of the centennial of Cleveland's incorporation as a city, the Great Lakes Exposition debuted in June 1936 along the Lake Erie shore north of downtown. Conceived as a way to energize a city after the Great Depression, it drew four million visitors in its first season, and seven million by the end of its second and final season in September 1937.^[21] The exposition was housed on grounds that are now used by the Great Lakes Science Center, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Burke Lakefront Airport, among others.^[22] Following World War II, the city experienced a prosperous economy. In sports, the Indians won the 1948 World Series and the Browns dominated professional football in the 1950s. Businesses proclaimed that Cleveland was the "best location in the nation".^[23][24][25] In 1940, non-Hispanic whites represented 90.2% of Cleveland's population.^[26] The city's population reached its peak of 914,808, and in 1949 Cleveland was named an All-America City for the first time.^[27] By the 1960s, the economy slowed, and residents sought new housing in the suburbs, reflecting the national trends of urban flight and suburban growth.

During the African-American Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, Cleveland witnessed social unrest, culminating in the Hough Riots from July 18, 1966 – July 23, 1966 and the Glenville Shootout from July 23, 1968 – July 25, 1968. In December 1978, Cleveland became the first major American city to enter into a financial default on federal loans since the Great Depression.^[9] Suburbanization changed the city in the late 1960s and 1970s, when financial difficulties and a notorious 1969 fire on the Cuyahoga River challenged the city. This, along with the city's struggling professional sports teams, drew negative national press; as a result, Cleveland was often derided as "The Mistake on the Lake".^[28]

By the beginning of the 1980s, several factors, including changes in international free trade policies, inflation and the Savings and Loans Crisis contributed to the recession that impacted cities like Cleveland.^[29] While unemployment during the period peaked in 1983,^[30] Cleveland's rate of 13.8% was higher than the national average due to the closure of several production centers.^[31][32][33]

Cleveland's current skyline as seen from the Lorain-Carnegie Bridge

The metropolitan area began a gradual economic recovery under Mayors George Voinovich and Michael R. White. Redevelopment within the city limits has been strongest in the downtown area near the Gateway complex—consisting of Progressive Field and Quicken Loans Arena, and near North Coast Harbor—including the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Cleveland Browns Stadium, and the Great Lakes Science Center. Cleveland has been hailed by the media as the "Comeback City,"^[34] while economic development of the inner-city neighborhoods and improvement of the school systems are municipal priorities.^[35] In 1999, Cleveland was identified as an emerging global city.^[36]

In the 21st century, the city has improved infrastructure, a more diversified economy, and has invested in the arts. Cleveland is generally considered an example of revitalization. In studies conducted by The Economist in 2005 Cleveland was ranked as one of the most livable cities in the United States,^[37] and the city was ranked as the best city for business meetings in the continental U.S.^[38] The city's goals include additional neighborhood revitalization and increased funding for public education.^[39]

Geography[link]

Topography[link]

Panorama of Public Square in 1912

According to the United States Census Bureau,^[1] the city has a total area of 82.4 square miles (213.4 km²), of which, 77.6 square miles (201.0 km²) is land and 4.8 square miles (12.4 km²) is water. The total area is 5.87% water. The shore of Lake Erie is 569 feet (173 m) above sea level; however, the city lies on a series of irregular bluffs lying roughly parallel to the lake. In Cleveland these bluffs are cut principally by the Cuyahoga River, Big Creek, and Euclid Creek. The land rises quickly from the lakeshore. Public Square, less than a mile (2 km) inland, sits at an elevation of 650 feet (198 m), and Hopkins Airport, only 5 miles (8 km) inland from the lake, is at an elevation of 791 feet (241 m).^[40]

Climate[link]

Cleveland possesses a humid continental climate (Köppen climate classification Dfa), typical of much of the central United States, with very warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters. The Lake Erie shoreline is very close to due east-west from the mouth of the Cuyahoga west to Sandusky, but at the mouth of the Cuyahoga it turns sharply northeast. This feature is the principal contributor to the lake effect snow that is typical in Cleveland (especially on the city's East Side) from mid-November until the surface of Lake Erie freezes, usually in late January or early February. The lake effect also causes a relative differential in geographical snowfall totals across the city: while Hopkins Airport, on the city's far West Side, has only reached 100 inches (254 cm) of snowfall in a season three times since 1968,^[41] seasonal totals approaching or exceeding 100 inches (254 cm) are not uncommon as the city ascends into the Heights on the east, where the region known as the 'Snow Belt' begins. Extending from the city's East Side and its suburbs, the Snow Belt up the Lake Erie shore as far as Buffalo.

The all-time record high in Cleveland of 104 °F (40 °C) was established on June 25, 1988, and the all-time record low of −20 °F (−29 °C) was set on January 19, 1994. On average, July is the warmest month with a mean temperature of 73.5 °F (23.1 °C), and January, with a mean temperature of 28.1 °F (−2.2 °C), is the coldest. Normal yearly precipitation based on the 30-year average from 1981 to 2010 is 39.14 inches (994 mm).^[42] The least precipitation occurs on the western side and directly along the lake, and the most occurs in the eastern suburbs. Parts of Geauga County receive over 44 inches of liquid precipitation annually.^[43]

Occasionally, severe thunderstorms strike Cleveland bringing with them the threat of large hail, damaging winds and tornadoes. The threat is greatest during spring and early summer.

Cityscape[link]

Skyline of Cleveland from Lake Erie, with the Key Tower, the 200 Public Square and the Terminal Tower at the center

Architecture[link]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Cleveland's North Coast Harbor.

Cleveland's downtown architecture is diverse. Many of the city's government and civic buildings, including City Hall, the Cuyahoga County Courthouse, the Cleveland Public Library, and Public Auditorium, are clustered around an open mall and share a common neoclassical architecture. Built in the early 20th century, they are the result of the 1903 Group Plan, and constitute one of the most complete examples of City Beautiful design in the United States.^[47] The Terminal Tower, dedicated in 1930, was the tallest building in North America outside New York City until 1964 and the tallest in the city until 1991.^[48] It is a prototypical Beaux-Arts skyscraper. The two newer skyscrapers on Public Square, Key Tower (currently the tallest building in Ohio) and the 200 Public Square, combine elements of Art Deco architecture with postmodern designs. Another of Cleveland's architectural treasures is The Arcade (sometimes called the Old Arcade), a five-story arcade built in 1890 and renovated in 2001 as a Hyatt Regency Hotel.^[49] Cleveland's landmark ecclesiastical architecture includes the historic Old Stone Church in downtown Cleveland and the onion domed St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral in Tremont.^[50]

The Terminal Tower complex, with the Warehouse District, the Cuyahoga River, and Lake Erie in the background

Running east from Public Square through University Circle is Euclid Avenue, which was known for its prestige and elegance. In the late 1880s, writer Bayard Taylor described it as "the most beautiful street in the world."^[51] Known as "Millionaire's Row", Euclid Avenue was world-renowned as the home of such internationally known names as Rockefeller, Hanna, and Hay.^[52]

Parks and gardens[link]

Cleveland is home to four of the parks in the countywide Cleveland Metroparks system, as well as the: Washington Park, Brookside Park and parts of the Rocky River and Washington Reservations. Known locally as the "Emerald Necklace", the Olmsted-inspired Metroparks encircle Cuyahoga county. Included in the system is the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. Located in Big Creek valley, the zoo contains one of the largest collection of primates in North America.^[53] In addition to the Metroparks system, the Cleveland Lakefront State Park district provides public access to Lake Erie.^[54] This cooperative between the City of Cleveland and the State of Ohio contains six parks: Edgewater Park, located on the city's near west side between the Shoreway and the lake; East 55th Street Marina, Euclid Beach Park and Gordon Park. The Cleveland Public Parks District is the municipal body that oversees the city's neighborhood parks, the largest of which is the historic Rockefeller Park, notable for its late-19th century historical landmark bridges and Cultural Gardens.^[55]

Neighborhoods[link]

St. Theodosius Russian Orthodox Cathedral.

Downtown Cleveland is centered around Public Square and includes a wide range of diversified districts. Downtown Cleveland is home to the traditional Financial District and Civic Center, as well as the distinct Theater District, which is home to Playhouse Square Center. Mixed-use neighborhoods such as the Flats and the Warehouse District are occupied by industrial and office buildings as well as restaurants and bars. The number of downtown housing units in the form of condominiums, lofts, and apartments has been on the increase since 2000. Recent developments include the revival of the Flats, the Euclid Corridor Project, and the developments along East 4th Street.

The west bank of the Flats and the Cuyahoga River in downtown Cleveland

Cleveland residents geographically define themselves in terms of whether they live on the east or west side of the Cuyahoga River.^[56] The east side includes the neighborhoods of Buckeye-Shaker, Central, Collinwood, Corlett, Euclid-Green, Fairfax, Forest Hills, Glenville, Payne/Goodrich-Kirtland Park, Hough, Kinsman, Lee Harvard/Seville-Miles, Mount Pleasant, Nottingham, St. Clair-Superior, Union-Miles Park, University Circle, Little Italy, and Woodland Hills. The west side includes the neighborhoods of Brooklyn Centre, Clark-Fulton, Detroit-Shoreway, Cudell, Edgewater, Ohio City, Tremont, Old Brooklyn, Stockyards, West Boulevard, and the four neighborhoods colloquially known as West Park: Kamm's Corners, Jefferson, Puritas-Longmead, and Riverside. Three neighborhoods in the Cuyahoga Valley are sometimes referred to as the south side: Industrial Valley/Duck Island, Slavic Village (North and South Broadway), and Tremont.

NASA photograph of Cleveland and its surrounding suburbs

Several inner-city neighborhoods have begun to gentrify in recent years. Areas on both the west side (Ohio City, Tremont, Detroit-Shoreway, and Edgewater) and the east side (Collinwood, Hough, Fairfax, and Little Italy) have been successful in attracting increasing numbers of creative class members, which in turn is spurring new residential development.^[57] Furthermore, a live-work zoning overlay for the city's near east side has facilitated the transformation of old industrial buildings into loft spaces for artists.^[58]

Suburbs[link]

Cleveland's older, inner-ring suburbs include Bedford, Bedford Heights, Brook Park, Brooklyn, Brooklyn Heights, Cleveland Heights, Cuyahoga Heights, East Cleveland, Euclid, Fairview Park, Garfield Heights, Lakewood, Linndale, Maple Heights, Newburgh Heights, Parma, Parma Heights, Shaker Heights, South Euclid, University Heights, and Warrensville Heights. Many are members of the Northeast Ohio First Suburbs Consortium.^[59]

Culture[link]

Performing arts[link]

The Cleveland Museum of Art lies at the edge of Wade Lagoon in University Circle.

Cleveland is home to Playhouse Square Center, the second largest performing arts center in the United States behind New York's Lincoln Center.^[60] Playhouse Square includes the State, Palace, Allen, Hanna, and Ohio theaters within what is known as the Theater District of Downtown Cleveland.^[61] Playhouse Square's resident performing arts companies include Cleveland Play House, Opera Cleveland, Cleveland State University Department of Theatre and Dance, and Great Lakes Theater Festival.^[62] The center hosts various Broadway musicals, special concerts, speaking engagements, and other events throughout the year.

One Playhouse Square, now the headquarters for Cleveland's public broadcasters, was originally used as the broadcast studios of WJW (AM), where disc jockey Alan Freed first popularized the term "rock and roll".^[63] Located between Playhouse Square and University Circle is the and Karamu House, a well-known African American performing and fine arts center, founded in the 1920s.^[64]

Cleveland is home to the Cleveland Orchestra, widely considered one of the finest orchestras in the world, and often referred to as the finest in the United States.^[65] It is one of the "Big Five" major orchestras in the United States. The Orchestra plays at Severance Hall in University Circle during the winter and at Blossom Music Center in Cuyahoga Falls during the summer.^[66] The city is also home to the Cleveland Pops Orchestra.

There are two main art museums in Cleveland. The Cleveland Museum of Art is a major American art museum,^[67] with a collection that includes more than 40,000 works of art ranging over 6,000 years, from ancient masterpieces to contemporary pieces. Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland showcases established and emerging artists, particularly from the Cleveland area, through hosting and producing temporary exhibitions.^[68]

The Gordon Square Arts District on Detroit Road, in the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood, features a movie theater called the Capitol Theatre and an off-off-Broadway playhouse, the Cleveland Public Theatre.

Film and television[link]

Cleveland has served as the setting for several major studio and independent films. Players from the 1948 Cleveland Indians, winners of the World Series, appear in The Kid from Cleveland (1949). Cleveland Municipal Stadium features prominently in both that film and The Fortune Cookie (1966) — written and directed by Billy Wilder, the picture marked Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon's first on-screen collaboration. Director Jules Dassin's first American film in nearly twenty years, Up Tight! (1968) is set in Cleveland of April 1968 immediately following the assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr. Set in 1930s Cleveland, Sylvester Stallone stars as a warehouse worker who leads the local labor union in F.I.S.T. (1978). Paul Simon chose Cleveland as the opening for his first and only venture into filmmaking, One-Trick Pony (1980); Simon spent six weeks filming concert scenes at Cleveland's famed Agora Ballroom. The boxing-match-turned-riot near the start of Raging Bull (1980) takes place at the Cleveland Arena in 1941. Clevelander Jim Jarmusch's critically acclaimed and independently-produced Stranger Than Paradise (1984) — a deadpan comedy about two New Yorkers who travel to Florida by way of Cleveland — was a favorite of the Cannes Film Festival, winning the Caméra d'Or. The cult-classic mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap (1984) includes a memorable scene where the parody band gets lost backstage just before performing at a Cleveland rock concert (origin of the phrase "Hello, Cleveland!"). Howard the Duck (1986), George Lucas' much-criticized adaptation of the Marvel comic of the same name, begins with the title character crashing into Cleveland after drifting in outer space. Michael J. Fox and Joan Jett play the sibling leads of a Cleveland rock group in Light of Day (1987); directed by Paul Schrader, much of the film was shot in the city. Both Major League (1989) and Major League II (1994) reflected the actual perennial struggles of the Cleveland Indians during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. Kevin Bacon stars in Telling Lies in America (1997), the semi-autobiographical tale of Clevelander Joe Eszterhas, a former reporter for The Plain Dealer. Cleveland serves as the setting for fictitious insurance giant Great Benefit in The Rainmaker (1997); in the film, Key Tower doubles as the firm's main headquarters. A group of Cleveland teenagers try to scam their way into a Kiss concert in Detroit Rock City (1999), and several key scenes from director Cameron Crowe's Almost Famous (2000) are set in Cleveland. Antwone Fisher (2002) recounts the real-life story of the Cleveland native. Brothers Joe and Anthony Russo — native Clevelanders and Case Western Reserve University alumni — filmed their comedy Welcome to Collinwood (2002) entirely on location in the city. American Splendor (2003) — the biopic of Harvey Pekar, author of the autobiographical comic of the same name — was also filmed on location throughout Cleveland, as was The Oh in Ohio (2006). Much of The Rocker (2008) is set in the city, and Cleveland native Nathaniel Ayers' life story is told in The Soloist (2009). Kill the Irishman (2011) follows the real-life turf war in 1970s Cleveland between Irish mobster Danny Greene and the Italian mafia.^{[69][70][71][72][73]}

Cleveland has also doubled for other locations in film. The wedding and reception scenes in The Deer Hunter (1978), while set in the small Pittsburgh suburb of Clairton, were actually shot in the Cleveland neighborhood of Tremont; U.S. Steel also permitted the production to film in one of its Cleveland mills. Francis Ford Coppola produced The Escape Artist (1982), much of which was shot in Downtown Cleveland near City Hall and the Cuyahoga County Courthouse, as well as the Flats. A Christmas Story (1983) was set in Indiana, but drew many of its external shots — including the Parker family home — from Cleveland. Double Dragon (1994) filmed in an abandoned warehouse along Cleveland's Lake Erie shoreline, the Flats along the Cuyahoga River and Tower City Center. Much of Happy Gilmore (1996) was also shot in Cleveland, and the opening shots of Air Force One (1997) were filmed in and above Severance Hall. More recently, a complex chase and battle scene in Spider-Man 3 (2007), though set in New York City, was actually filmed along Cleveland's Euclid Avenue. Downtown's East 9th Street also doubled for New York in the climactic end sequence of The Avengers (2012); in addition, the production shot on Cleveland's Public Square as a fill-in for Stuttgart, Germany. The Greater Cleveland Film Commission works to bring future productions to the Cleveland area.^{[69][70][71][74]}

In television, the city is well known as the setting for the popular sitcom The Drew Carey Show starring Cleveland native Drew Carey. Currently host of the long-running game show The Price Is Right, Carey joins three other Cleveland natives who have hosted prominent national television shows — Family Feud host Steve Harvey, former late night host Arsenio Hall, and talk show pioneer Phil Donahue. Harvey also starred in the network sitcom The Steve Harvey Show. Cleveland chef Michael Symon, winner of the premiere season of The Next Iron Chef, regularly appears on the Food Network. Crime 360, a reality show which follows homicide detectives in various cities across the U.S., often films in Cleveland. Hot in Cleveland, a comedy airing on TV Land, premiered on June 16, 2010.^[75][76][77]

Literature[link]

The American modernist poet Hart Crane was born in nearby Garrettsville, Ohio in 1899. His adolescence was divided between Cleveland and Akron before moving to New York City, finally in 1916. Aside from factory work during the first world war, he served as reporter to The Plain Dealer for a short period, before achieving recognition in the Modernist literary scene. A diminutive memorial park is dedicated to Crane along the left bank of the Cuyahoga in Cleveland.

Langston Hughes, preeminent poet of the Harlem Renaissance and child of an itinerant couple, attended high school in Cleveland in the 1910s.

Cleveland was the home of Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel, who created the comic book character Superman in 1932. Both attended Glenville High School, and their early collaborations resulted in the creation of "The Man of Steel".^[78] D. A. Levy wrote : "Cleveland: The Rectal Eye Visions". Mystery author Richard Montanari's first three novels, Deviant Way, The Violet Hour, and Kiss of Evil are set in Cleveland. Mystery writer, Les Roberts's Milan Jacovich series is also set in Cleveland.

Harlan Ellison, noted author of speculative fiction, was born in Cleveland in 1934; his family subsequently moved to the nearby suburb of Painesville, though Ellison moved back to Cleveland in 1949. As a youngster, he published a series of short stories appearing in the Cleveland News; he also performed in a number of productions for the Cleveland Play House.

Cuisine[link]

The historic West Side Market is in Cleveland's Ohio City neighborhood.

Cleveland's melting pot of immigrant groups and their various culinary traditions have long played an important role in defining the local cuisine. Examples of these can particularly be found in neighborhoods such as Little Italy, Slavic Village, and Tremont.

Local mainstays of Cleveland's cuisine include an abundance of Central and Eastern European contributions, such as kielbasa, stuffed cabbage and pierogies.^[79] Cleveland also has plenty of corned beef, with nationally renowned Slyman's, on the near East Side, a perennial winner of various accolades from Esquire Magazine, including being named the best corned beef sandwich in America in 2008.^[80] Other famed sandwiches include the Cleveland original, Polish Boy, a local favorite found at many BBQ and Soul food restaurants.^[81][82] With its blue-collar roots well intact, and plenty of Lake Erie perch available, the tradition of Friday night fish fries remains alive and thriving in Cleveland, particularly in the church-based settings.^[83] The award-winning Great Lakes Brewing Company (located across the street from the historic West Side Market), offers several locally styled beers and ales.^[84]

Cleveland is noted in the world of haute cuisine. Famous local figures include chef Michael Symon and food writer Michael Ruhlman, both of whom achieved local and national attentions for their contributions in the culinary world. On November 11, 2007, Symon helped gain the spotlight when he was named "The Next Iron Chef" on the Food Network. In 2007, Ruhlman collaborated with Anthony Bourdain, to do an entire episode of his Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations focusing on Cleveland's restaurant scene.^[85]

The national food press — including publications Gourmet, Food & Wine, Esquire and Playboy — has heaped praise on several Cleveland spots for awards including 'best new restaurant', 'best steakhouse', 'best farm-to-table programs' and 'great new neighborhood eateries'. In early 2008, the Chicago Tribune ran a feature article in its 'Travel' section proclaiming Cleveland, America's "hot new dining city".^[85]

Tourism[link]

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on the shores of Lake Erie

Five miles (8 km) east of downtown Cleveland is University Circle, a 550-acre (2.2 km²) concentration of cultural, educational, and medical institutions, including the Cleveland Botanical Garden, Case Western Reserve University, University Hospitals, Severance Hall, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Museum of Natural History, and the Western Reserve Historical Society. A 2011 study by Walk Score ranked Cleveland 17th most walkable of fifty largest U.S. cities.^[86] Cleveland is home to the I. M. Pei-designed Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, located on the Lake Erie waterfront at North Coast Harbor downtown. Neighboring attractions include Cleveland Browns Stadium, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Steamship Mather Museum, and the USS Cod, a World War II submarine.^[87] Cleveland has an attraction for visitors and fans of A Christmas Story, A Christmas Story House and Museum to see props, costumes, rooms, photos and everything referenced to a yuletide film classic from the mind of Jean Shepherd. Cleveland is home to many festivals throughout the year. Cultural festivals such as the annual Feast of the Assumption in the Little Italy neighborhood, the Harvest Festival in the Slavic Village neighborhood, and the more recent Cleveland Asian Festival in the Asia Town neighborhood are popular events. Vendors at the West Side Market in Ohio City offer many different ethnic foods for sale. Cleveland hosts an annual parade on Saint Patrick's Day that brings hundreds of thousands to the streets of downtown.^[88]

The glass house at the Cleveland Botanical Garden recreates a Costa Rican rain forest.

Fashion Week Cleveland, the city's annual fashion event, is one of the few internationally recognized fashion industry happenings in North America.^[89] The show is considered by many to be the best in the Midwest—perhaps second only to New York for fashion weeks in the US. In addition to the cultural festivals, Cleveland hosted the CMJ Rock Hall Music Fest, which featured national and local acts, including both established artists and up-and-coming acts, but the festival was discontinued in 2007 due to financial and manpower costs to the Rock Hall.^[90] The annual Ingenuity Fest, Notacon and TEDxCLE conference focus on the combination of art and technology.^[91][92] The Cleveland International Film Festival has been held annually since 1977, and it drew a record 66,476 people in March 2009.^[93] Cleveland also hosts an annual holiday display lighting and celebration, dubbed Winterfest, which is held downtown at the city's historic hub, Public Square.^[94]

Cleveland also has the Horseshoe Casino Cleveland. Phase I opened on May 14, 2012 on Public Square, in the historic former Higbee's Building at Tower City Center. Phase II will open along the bend of the Cuyahoga River behind Tower City Center.

The new Greater Cleveland Aquarium is located on the west bank of the Cuyahoga River near Downtown.^[95]

Sports[link]

Cleveland Cavaliers pregame festivities at Quicken Loans Arena

Cleveland's professional sports teams include the Cleveland Indians (Major League Baseball), Cleveland Browns (National Football League), Cleveland Cavaliers (National Basketball Association), Lake Erie Monsters (American Hockey League), the Cleveland Gladiators (Arena Football League), and the Cleveland Crush (Lingerie Football League). Local sporting facilities include Progressive Field, Cleveland Browns Stadium, Quicken Loans Arena and the Wolstein Center.

The Indians last reached the World Series in 1997, losing to the Florida Marlins, and have not won the series since 1948. Between 1995 and 2001, Progressive Field (then known as Jacobs Field) sold out 455 consecutive games, a Major League Baseball record until it was broken in 2008.^[96] The Cavs won the Eastern Conference in 2007, but were defeated in the NBA Finals by the San Antonio Spurs. Although the Browns are historically among the winningest franchises in the NFL, the team has not won a championship since 1964.

Cleveland Browns games attract large crowds to Cleveland Browns Stadium.

The city's failure to win a trophy in any major professional sport since 1964 has earned it a reputation of being a cursed sports city, which ESPN validated by proclaiming Cleveland as its "most tortured sports city" in 2004.^[97] In addition, changes in the Cleveland sports landscape have led to further heartbreak and resentment among local fans, the most notable instances being Art Modell's relocation of the Browns to Baltimore after the 1995 season (that franchise became the Ravens, with the current Browns team starting play in 1999), and Akron native LeBron James' decision to leave the Cavaliers in 2010 for the Miami Heat.^[98]

A notable Cleveland athlete is Jesse Owens, who grew up in the city after moving from Alabama when he was nine. He participated in the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, where he achieved international fame by winning four gold medals: one each in the 100 meters, the 200 meters, the long jump, and as part of the 4 x 100 meter relay team.

Dragon boat racing on the Cuyahoga River