Akron, Ohio

Akron is located in Summit County, Ohio. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 217,074. It is the largest city in Summit County and is the county seat {{GR|6}}.

History

Much of Akron's early growth was because of its location at the "summit" of the Ohio and Erie Canal (thus the name "Summit County") which at one time wended its way between Lake Erie and the Ohio River.

Related Topics:
Ohio and Erie Canal - Lake Erie - Ohio River

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Akron?s history and the history of the rubber industry are mutually bound. The rubber industry transformed Akron from a small canal town into a fledgling city. The birth of the rubber industry started in the eighteen hundreds, long before America fell in love with the automobile. B.F. Goodrich was the first rubber company to settle in Akron. General Tire was founded in 1915, by the O?Neil?s whose department store became an Akron landmark. The Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company became America's top tire manufacturer and Akron was granted the moniker of ?The Rubber Capital of the World?. Goodyear's president, F.A. Seiberling, had been building homes costing around $3,500 for employees in what would become known as Goodyear Heights. Harvey Firestone, likewise, began building employee homes in what would be called Firestone Park. These leaders were responding to the housing crunch caused by the boom in the rubber business.

Related Topics:
Rubber - B.F. Goodrich - General Tire - Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company

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Akron was, indeed, booming. For a time it was the fastest-growing city in the country, its population exploding from 69,000 in 1910 to 208,000 in 1920. People came for the jobs in the rubber factories from many places, including Europe. Of those 208,000, almost one-third were immigrants and their children.

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In the fifties and sixties Akron continued to see a surge in industry as the automobile continued to take off. But while America was still using bias-ply tires, Europe had already seen the wave of the future in radial tires. The radials had almost three times the tread life of bias-ply, and Akron?s rubber mills were not properly equipped to handle the manufacturing requirements. As a result many companies tried to produce ?hybrid? tires, which were troublesome at best. Firestone manufactured the ill fated 500 series, which was recalled in the millions. B.F. Goodrich eventually bit the bullet and transformed all the old equipment with new machinery that would facilitate the manufacturing of the newer radial tires.

Related Topics:
Tires - Firestone

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In the seventies and eighties the rubber industry experienced a major decline as a number of strikes and factory shutdowns delivered the final blows to the industry. In ten years the number of people working within the rubber industry was slashed in half. By the early nineties all but Goodyear moved their headquarters out of Akron. Today, Goodyear continues to manufacture racing and experimental tires, and Firestone?s technical centre remains in Akron. Because the rubber industry is still a major employer in the region, Akron has suffered less than other cities of similar size which have gone through "rust belt" decline, such as neighboring Youngstown.

Related Topics:
Goodyear - Youngstown

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