I.

Introduction

Cleveland (Ohio), the second largest city in Ohio and seat of Cuyahoga County, located where the Cuyahoga River enters Lake Erie. A major manufacturing and commercial center, it ranks as one of the chief ports on the Great Lakes, and the city has long functioned as a collecting point for highway and railroad traffic from the Midwest. In the 1990s Cleveland developed new cultural, sports, and entertainment attractions in the downtown area and increased its vitality.

The eastern part of the Cleveland metropolitan area lies on the Appalachian Plateau at an elevation of about 330 m (about 1,100 ft), while the western part sits upon the Lake Plain and associated terraces at about 180 m (about 600 ft). The eastern area’s higher elevation results in significantly greater snowfalls in winter. Annual precipitation, measured at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport in the west, is 930 mm (36.6 in) and falls evenly throughout the year. Temperatures in the city are moderated by its location on Lake Erie. The average high in January is -0° C (32° F) and the average low is -8° C (18° F); average high in July is 28° C (82° F) and the average low is 16° C (61° F).

Cleveland is named for Moses Cleaveland, who laid out the city as part of a survey in 1796. The spelling of the name was later shortened; one story holds that it was done by a newspaper editor in order to fit the name in the newspaper’s masthead.