Akron was dubbed the Rubber Capital of the World because of its ties to tire production in the early 1900s, but the city looks much different a century later. Though Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company remains one of the top employers in the area, the city is no longer dominated by the rubber industry, and its job market has expanded to include everything from engineering to digital advertising. With Cleveland only 40 miles north, some residents also take advantage of activities and job opportunities across the Cleveland metropolitan area while living in an area with a more relaxed feel. The city’s shape and position within Summit County make it challenging to decipher where Akron ends and its suburbs begin. Although neighboring Chapel Hill is technically the last community within Akron limits, residents in communities like Tallmadge feel equally a part of the city because they are bordered by the city limits on more than one side. Given how tightly suburbs hug the city, most residents can enjoy a commute to downtown that’s less than 10 miles. Regardless of the neighborhood, most of Akron and its suburbs see minimal noise levels, except for properties along interstates and main thoroughfares. Most of Akron’s population growth aligned with its rise as a tire manufacturing hub, so now there are signs of a slight decline as rubber has steadily become less relevant to the city’s culture. To combat this shift, the local government aims to add housing to vacant properties and foster a stronger love for the community among current residents. “Akron has a pretty good blend and is a good cultural pot. It’s got everybody,” says Adam Coleman of RE/MAX Edge Realty, a Realtor and team leader with over two decades of sales experience. “I always got the impression that in Akron, everyone was welcome, and everyone that came here had a fair shot.”Though it began as nothing but the community of Middlebury, the city now consists of over 20 neighborhoods. Each section of Akron offers a different way of life, allowing residents to find the best fit without extending beyond a five-mile drive to downtown. Suburbs like Tallmadge and Cuyahoga Falls wrap around Akron, allowing residents to enjoy a more spacious community a quick drive from downtown. “There are three areas that it seems everyone really wants. There’s Highland Square, which is a lot of old 1900s-style houses; Ellet, where median prices seem to be anywhere from $120,000 to $175,000; and Goodyear Heights, where you can buy something for $80,000 to $130,000,” Coleman explains. “A lot of younger couples that work in Canton or Cleveland love the highway access, especially from Ellet. It’s ten minutes from downtown Akron, 30 minutes from Cleveland and 30 minutes from Canton.” Outside the city limits, communities like Hudson and Fairlawn rank as the top places to live in Summit County, according to Niche. Hudson offers a small-town feel with lots around half an acre, and Fairlawn features more stately homes on a quarter acre to over an acre. On average, homes in Akron City spend 30 days on the market before selling. Average home prices for Summit County fall below the national average by about $250,000, and averages within the limits of Akron are even lower. The median housing price in Akron is $130,000, a contrast from the median for the county, which is closer to $200,000. Home values over the last five years moved at a similar rate to the national average. Located along the Cuyahoga River, the city offers waterside views in many of its parks, including the activity-rich Gorge Metro Park. Away from the river, however, there are thousands of acres of green space, with spots like Lock 3 and Goodyear Metro Park among the most widely used. “A lot of the houses I sell in Goodyear Heights, the buyers want to be right around Goodyear Metro Park because it feels like an extension of the backyard,” Coleman says. The 85-mile Ohio and Erie Canal Towpath Trail also links to many of the city’s parks and beyond the Akron limits, which is especially appealing to the city’s running and cycling community.Minor league baseball plays a role in the local culture, and Coleman says, “Seeing the RubberDucks is the best time you can have on a budget.” Because of the stadium’s size, most attendants get a clear view of the field regardless of where they’re seated. For annual events, Akron is known for its marathons and Derby Downs, an international soapbox derby. Derby Downs draws in crowds from across the globe in July, and the Akron Marathon and Half Marathon fill the city streets in August and September. Lock 3 and other parks in the city also participate in the summer concert series, giving the area a surge of energy for several months. National chains are few and far between within Akron, so local shops and eateries line downtown streets. One of the city’s most well-loved spots since the 1940s for pizza and cheese-covered salads is Luigi’s Restaurant, but the dining scene in the city is diverse. Most of the city’s restaurants are located along Main Street, a few blocks east of Cleveland Clinic—Akron’s top hospital. Although home to less than 190,000 residents, Akron mirrors some of the entertainment hubs of Cleveland on a smaller scale. Once the site of Goodyear's headquarters, Goodyear Theater has become a community staple and a symbol of revitalization efforts in the east. The venue has welcomed acts like the Indigo Girls, 38 Special and Kansas since its opening in 2016. Akron Civic Theatre also hosts musical performances, as well as comedy acts from well-known figures like John Oliver. For exhibitions, the Akron Art Museum acts as a center of activity throughout the year; however, many residents travel 40 miles north to Cleveland to visit the Cleveland Museum of Art and Playhouse Square on the weekend. Both Interstates 77 and 76 run through the city’s center, linking the city to Cleveland and Columbus. For airport access, the Akron-Canton Airport is about 15 miles south of downtown and offers limited flights to 19 cities throughout the United States. Still, many locals head 40 miles north to the Cleveland Hopkins International Airport for direct service to 40 domestic and international cities, from Atlanta to Dublin. Though public transit is not widely used, METRO buses serve the area, as does DASH, a limited weekday service. As for train service, the only option in the area that connects to Cleveland is the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway, but the service is a tourist attraction rather than a commuter train. Instead, commuters looking to keep their car parked at home must opt for the Northcoast Express bus, also known as the NCX. Overall, the Akron City School District earns a district-wide grade of C-plus from Niche, while the surrounding Tallmadge School District earns an A-minus grade. Within Akron City is the I Promise School, a public elementary and middle school opened by the LeBron James Family Foundation to help students who need intervention to pave a path to graduation. The top district within Summit County is Hudson City, with Copley-Fairlawn as a close second. Private options like Archbishop Hoban High School and Our Lady of the Elms School are also located within the city limits and rank among the top three private schools in Summit County. The city is also home to The University of Akron and is only 15 miles from Kent State University, both of which rank among U.S. News & World Report’s top 200 public schools nationwide. Fans of the Akron Symphony Orchestra also frequent The University of Akron, as its campus is home to E.J. Thomas Hall, the orchestra’s main venue.According to the Akron Police Department, 56% of violent crimes took place at a personal residence. The total number of reported crimes has decreased over the last few years after a marked increase in crime from 2016 to 2019. Niche reports that most of the city’s violent crime stems from assault and rape, both of which trend higher than the national average. Reports of crime are often centered around east and south Akron, with Middlebury—the city’s oldest neighborhood—among the most notable for violent crime. Neighborhoods bordering suburban communities tend to see the lowest violent crime rates in the city. The rubber industry’s presence in Akron caused concerns for the health of residents, particularly those working directly around asbestos and benzene within the manufacturing plants. Despite that, Akron’s presence on the Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America’s list of Asthma Capitals dropped from 14 to 39 in four years. The University of Massachusetts Amherst now also ranks Goodyear No. 54 among the Toxic 100 Air Polluters Index—a significant improvement from its rank of No. 19 in the 2008 report. Goodyear continues to adapt its practices to align with recommendations and guidelines set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency, and new businesses heading into Akron are reshaping the city’s environmental future. GOJO and Summa Health are among the area’s top employers, a significant shift from Akron’s roots as the nucleus of the tire industry. Just as Akron has taken steps to improve its residents’ quality of life in the air, the city strives to make changes on the ground. Downtown revitalization has been underway since 2018, with its core focus on improving walkability, scenic views and opportunities for development. “We have a new mayor, and I think he may help give some of these neighborhoods energy and get things turned around—and possibly bring in more owners, rather than landlords,” Coleman states. The Planning to Grow Akron 2.0 initiative seeks to “make Akron a more equitable, pedestrian-oriented city of beautiful neighborhoods, parks and business areas,” according to the city’s Office of Integrated Development. The city’s ten-year redevelopment plans target Southside, Main and Exchange, Route 59, Bowery District and Northside. Learn more on the Akron city guide.