History and Description of the Metropolitan Cleveland Regional Area

History and Description of the Metropolitan Cleveland Regional Area - Search Home and House MLS Listings

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From classic art to down-on-the-farm fun, Cleveland is stock full of cultural and recreational attractions.

Enjoy the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Cleveland Orchestra, NASA John Glenn Research Center and Playhouse Square Center. For adventure, ride the roller coasters at Cedar Point and Six Flags Worlds of Adventure, or walk on the wild side at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo and Rainforest. Shopping is fantastic at downtown's Avenue at Tower City Center and the Galleria at Erieview. Cleveland is also the domain of professional sports, dominated by Cleveland Browns football, Cleveland Indians baseball and Cleveland Cavaliers basketball.

First explored for France by sieur de la Salle in 1669, the Ohio region became British property after the French and Indian Wars. Ohio was acquired by the U.S. after the Revolutionary War in 1783. In 1788, the first permanent settlement was established at Marietta, capital of the Northwest Territory. The 1790s saw severe fighting with the Indians. Following this period of intense territorial warfare, the city of Cleveland emerged as a tapestry of ethnic diversity; an extraordinarily diverse mix of nationalities, which today includes more than 80 ethnic groups. George Peake, the first African-American settler, arrived in 1809 at a time when the anti-slavery movement was strong and Cleveland was part of the "Underground Railroad." The first permanent African-American newspaper, the Cleveland Gazette, was founded in 1883 and today more than 366,000 African-Americans live in the greater metropolitan area.

Other large, vital ethnic groups include a thriving German population of more than 300,000, as well as Croations, Czechs, Hungarians, Greeks, Italians etc., who started arriving in Cleveland in approximately 1830.

From 1845 to 1965 the Latino population expanded to more than 60,000 strong and a small Asian-American influence is currently becoming a vital part of the city's dynamic. Many of the immigrants accepted work in manufacturing, including the auto assembly and parts, refining and steel industries. The state of Ohio is one of the nation's industrial leaders, ranking third in the value of manufactured products.

The real estate market is affordable. Single-family homes in most areas range from around $45,000 to $300,000 for newer properties. In more well appointed neighborhoods (such as suburban, contemporary Euclid Park and stylish Kamm's Corners) home prices run from the mid-$250,000s to $5 million and more for large estate homes. The diverse neighborhoods of the Greater Cleveland metropolitan area are the heart and soul of the city.