DEMOGRAPHICS / ECONOMY

Economic Indicators
Traditionally a region of industry and manufacturing, Northeast Ohio has experienced an influx of high-tech, specialized service and research companies. Entrepreneur Magazine has ranked Canton among the nation’s “25 best cities” for small business, while surrounding Stark County is known for farm production. Formerly famous as the “rubber capital of the world,” Akron is now a “polymer center” that leads the world in research, engineering, technology, and development. More than 1,200 companies are involved in manufacturing coatings, plastics, resins, molds, and extrusions. Cleveland excels as one of the top metropolitan areas in the nation for attracting new and expanding business facilities, praised by World Trade magazine as one of the ten best cities for achieving global business success. The city was also recognized by Inc magazine as one of the best cities for starting a small business.

Transportation & Trade
Claiming an ideal centralized location for distribution and trade, Northeast Ohio is 150 miles from a population that exceeds 10 million. More than 40 major cities are within 500 miles, creating a market of 111 million people. The Great Lakes ensure a generous water supply as well as transportation advantages. Deepwater ports that ship to 140 ports in 70 counties are located in Cleveland, Ashtabula, Conneaut, and Lorain. A surprising fact to some, the Port of Cleveland is actually a full day’s travel time closer to Europe than the well-known ports of Norfolk and Baltimore. While Cleveland’s bustling port keeps Ohio near the top of the nation’s list of export states, Akron is famous as the “trucking capital of the world.” More than half of the retail businesses in the U.S. enjoy overnight trucking deliveries from Akron. Leading railroads combine with more than 250 residential trucking and delivery companies as well as Cleveland Hopkins and Akron-Canton airports to complete this exceptional transportation network.