Akron, Ohio, the county seat of Summit County, is the fifth-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 190,469 as of 2020. The Akron metropolitan area, which includes Summit and Portage counties, has a population of 702,219. Situated on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau in Northeast Ohio, Akron is located approximately 40 miles south of downtown Cleveland.
In 1900, Akron experienced a major civil unrest event known as the Riot of 1900.
The Hamilton Building, built in the neo-Gothic style, was completed in 1900.
In 1905, a statue of an Indian named Unk was erected on Portage Path.
During the 1910-1920 decade, Akron became a boomtown.
In 1913, Buchtel College became the University of Akron.
In 1914, Marcus Garvey founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association in Kingston, Jamaica.
Between 1912 and 1915, Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens was built for Frank A. Sieberling.
In 1915, General Tire & Rubber Company was headquartered in Akron.
From 1916 to 1920, 10,000 schoolgirls took part in the successful Akron Experiment, testing iodized salt to prevent goiter in what was known as the "Goiter Belt".
On August 6, 1918, Akron's all-time record high temperature of 104 °F (40 °C) was established.
During the 1910-1920 decade, Akron became a boomtown, being America's fastest growing city.
In 1920, W. E. B. Du Bois gave a racial relations speech in Akron.
The Akron Professionals won the 1920 National Football League championship.
The city adopted a new charter of the commissioner manager type in 1920.
In 1921, the Akron branch of the Universal Negro Improvement Association opened.
The Akron Art Institute opened in 1922 in the basement of the Akron Public Library.
In 1924, Akron's platoon schools garnered attention from visitors across the country. Also, the Ku Klux Klan had a stronghold on the school board and government officials.
In 1924, the city reverted to its old form of city charter.
On November 6, 1928, Kenmore was annexed by Akron after voter approval.
In 1929, Goodyear-Zeppelin Company manufactured the USS Akron (ZRS-4) airship for the United States Navy.
In 1929, the Akron Executive Airport first opened and has operated in several different capacities since then.
The Akron Civic Theatre, originally named Loew's Theater, opened in downtown Akron in 1929.
In March 1930, notorious bank robber Charles Arthur "Pretty Boy" Floyd was arrested in Akron under the name "Frank Mitchell".
In 1931, Akron's tallest building, the Huntington Tower, was completed.
In 1931, Goodyear-Zeppelin Company manufactured the USS Macon (ZRS-5) airship for the United States Navy.
In 1931, there were 36 days with temperatures at or above 90 °F (32 °C).
In 1935, Goodyear became America's top tire manufacturer after merging with the Kelly-Springfield Tire Company.
In 1936, Akron experienced a major civil unrest event known as the Rubber Strike of 1936.
In 1936, the Akron Rubber Strike successfully used the "sit-down" tactic to force recognition of the United Rubber Workers.
The All-American Soap Box Derby has taken place each year at the Derby Downs since 1936.
On January 7, 1938, Akron became the birthplace of women's professional Mud Wrestling.
The Akron Firestone Non-Skids won the National Basketball League title in 1939.
In 1940, Wendell Willkie, who worked in Akron as a lawyer for Firestone, was the Republican nominee for president.
In 1940, the film Dance, Girl, Dance, telling the story of two dancers from Akron, was released and later inducted into the National Film Registry.
The Akron Firestone Non-Skids won the National Basketball League title consecutively in 1940.
On July 7, 1943, the most precipitation to fall on one calendar day was recorded at 5.96 inches.
In 1943, Richard Smalley, who later won a Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering buckminsterfullerene (buckyballs), was born in Akron.
In 1949-50 winter snowfall amounts were 18.2 in (46 cm).
Carol Folt, the future chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, was born in Akron in 1951.
From 1877 to 1952, Akron schools graduated students semi-annually instead of annually.
The Professional Bowlers Association started in the city during 1958.
In September 1960, Akron experienced only 0.20 inches of precipitation.
Between 1960 and 2020, Akron experienced a significant population collapse, losing over one third (34.6%) of its population.
In 1963, Akron experienced 23.79 inches of precipitation.
1964 The Tribute, a Beatles tribute band, was formed in 1964.
In 1967, Kenmore High School introduced the Air Force JROTC program.
The Akron Vulcans, a professional football team, played in the Continental Football League for part of the 1967 season.
In 1968, Akron experienced major civil unrest known as the Wooster Avenue Riots.
The Akron-Summit County Public Library originally opened in 1969.
In 1970, Non-Hispanic Whites were 81.0% of the Akron population.
In 1970, the Erie Lackawanna's Lake Cities passenger train service ended.
In 1971, Alpha Phi Alpha Homes Inc. was founded in Akron by the Eta Tau Lambda chapter.
In 1971, Jennings piloted the middle school model, which moved ninth-graders to the senior high school.
In 1971, the B&O's Shenandoah passenger train service ended.
In 1974, Howard Igel and Aaron Freeman successfully grew human skin in a lab to treat burn victims, making Akron Children's Hospital the first hospital in the world to achieve such a feat.
January 1978 was the snowiest month on record with 37.5 inches (95 cm) of snowfall.
In 1981, the Akron Art Institute moved to its current location at the renovated 1899 post office building.
In 1981, the film ...All the Marbles, which used the Akron Armory as a venue for a female wrestling team, was released.
In 1982, Chrissie Hynde wrote the Pretenders song "My City Was Gone" to reflect Akron's decline during the 1980s.
In 1983, the Supreme Court case City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health took place.
In 1984, all-day kindergarten was piloted at Seiberling, Rankin and Hatton schools, and Ellet, East and Garfield high schools piloted the in-school suspension program.
In 1986, Judith Resnik, the second U.S. female astronaut in space and Akron native, died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
In 1986, Thomas and Beulah, a book of poetry by Rita Dove about her grandparents in Akron, was published.
In 1987, Poet Rita Dove earned the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for her work Thomas and Beulah, many of which are about or take place in Akron.
In 1987, cleanup began at a Superfund site contaminated by PCB-laden fumes and soil pollution from a former electrical transformer deconstruction operation.
In 1987, the Akron City School District received an A+ evaluation from the state.
In 1989, the film My Name is Bill W. was released, telling the story of Bill Wilson, the co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous, which held its first meetings in Akron.
In 1990, Akron experienced 65.70 inches of precipitation.
From 1991 to 2020 normal yearly precipitation was based on the 30-year average.
In 1991, the Pickles family of the Rugrats is from Akron.
On January 19, 1994, Akron's all-time record low temperature of −25 °F (−32 °C) was set.
The John S. Knight Center opened in 1994.
In 1996, Akron lost its only news station when the former WAKC became WVPX.
In 1997, President Bill Clinton gave a racial relations speech in Akron.
In 1999, Akron was ranked as the 94th-most-dangerous city on the Morgan Quitno list.
In 1999, J.Reid of In Too Deep is from Akron.
From 2000 to 2007, the number of rubber workers decreased by roughly half.
In 2000, the cleanup of the Superfund site was concluded, though the area remains restricted.
In 2001, Newsweek listed Akron fifth of ten high-tech havens.
In 2001, over 400 companies manufactured polymer-based materials in the region.
In 2002, Akron was featured as a setting in the video game No One Lives Forever 2: A Spy In H.A.R.M.'s Way.
In 2002, the Akron Digital Academy was founded.
In July 2003, Akron experienced 12.55 inches of precipitation.
In 2004, The Black Keys' album Rubber Factory, named after the former General Tire & Rubber Company factory, was released.
The Akron-Summit County Public Library reopened as a greatly expanded facility in 2004.
In 2005, The Coast of Akron, a novel by Adrienne Miller, was set in Akron.
In 2005, a joint news program provided by WVPX and Cleveland's WKYC was cancelled.
In 2005, passenger rail transportation was eliminated with the end of Amtrak's former Three Rivers service.
In 2005, the TV show Prison Break referenced Alcoholics Anonymous connection to the Saint Thomas Hospital in Akron.
Since its start in 2006, the Biomedical Corridor added headquarters of companies such as Akron Polymer Systems.
From 2000 to 2007, the number of rubber workers decreased by roughly half.
In 2007, the Akron Art Museum commissioned Coop Himmelblau to design an expansion.
In 2007, the Akron Art Museum tripled in size with the addition of the John S. and James L. Knight Building.
In 2007, the Akron Police Department received a grant to combat meth labs.
In 2007, the Akron Riverwalk project began, but was later put on hold.
Zippy, one of the eight female NCAA mascots, won the National Mascot of the Year contest in 2007.
Akron was awarded the City Livability Award in 2008 for its efforts to co-purpose new school buildings as community learning centers.
In 2008, 91-year-old Akron native, Addie Polk, became the poster child of the Great Recession after shooting herself.
In 2008, Summa Akron City Hospital and the former St. Thomas Hospital were recognized as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for the 11th consecutive year by U.S. News & World Report.
In 2008, the television show M.Y.O.B. centered on an Akron runaway girl named Riley Veatch, and Henry Spivey of My Own Worst Enemy travels to Akron.
In 2009, Akron General Medical Center was recognized as one of "America's Best Hospitals" by U.S. News & World Report.
In 2009, the National Arbor Day Foundation designated Akron as a Tree City USA for the 14th time.
In 2009, the Robert K. Pfaff Transit Center opened on South Broadway Street, housing the METRO Regional Transit Authority and inter-city bus transportation.
In 2009, the Zips men's soccer team completed the regular-season undefeated.
In 2009, the documentary More than a Game was released, documenting LeBron James and his high school basketball team's journey. Also in 2009, Drake's music video for Forever, used the Goodyear's logo on top of the company's theater.
According to census data from 2010 to 2014, the median income for a household in Akron was $34,139.
In 2010, the National Polymer Innovation Center opened on the University of Akron campus.
In 2010, the television show Criminal Minds featured Akron in the episode "Compromising Positions".
The Zips men's soccer team won the NCAA Men's Division I Soccer Championship in 2010.
The men's basketball team appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2011.
In early 2012, Bridgestone moved its product development operations to a new technical center with research and development labs.
On July 1, 2013, Carol Folt assumed her duties as the 11th chancellor and 29th chief executive of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, becoming the first woman to lead UNC.
In 2013, the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company opened its new global headquarters on Innovation Way.
The men's basketball team appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 2013.
According to census data from 2010 to 2014, the median income for a household in Akron was $34,139.
Akron hosted some of the events of the 2014 Gay Games.
On May 8, 2015, longtime Akron Mayor Don Plusquellic announced he would resign on May 31 after serving as mayor for 28 years and dedicating 41 years to the city.
On May 31, 2015, Garry Moneypenny was sworn in as the new mayor of Akron at East High School.
On June 5, 2015, less than a week after taking office, Mayor Moneypenny announced he would not run for a full term due to inappropriate contact with a city employee.
On June 11, 2015, Council president Jeff Fusco assumed the duties of mayor following Moneypenny's resignation.
As of July 1, 2015, three Democrats and one Republican were running for Mayor of Akron.
On November 3, 2015, Dan Horrigan was elected as the 62nd mayor of the city of Akron.
As of 2015, Akron has two sister cities.
The 2015 film Room is set in Akron.
On January 1, 2016, Dan Horrigan took office as the mayor of Akron.
According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $45,534.
In 2016, Avery Barkley of Nashville is from Akron.
In 2016, Clayton Murphy, a professional middle-distance runner, won a bronze medal at the Olympic Games, competing in cross country and track & field for the Akron Zips.
In 2018, the Akron Digital Academy shut down.
On November 5, 2019, Mayor Dan Horrigan was re-elected to a second term.
According to the U.S. Census American Community Survey, for the period 2016-2020 the estimated median annual income for a household in the city was $45,534.
According to the city's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the principal employers in the city are listed.
From 1991 to 2020 normal yearly precipitation was based on the 30-year average.
In 2020, the population of the Akron metropolitan area was 702,219.
The RubberDucks won the Eastern League Championship in 2021.
In 2022, Akron experienced protests surrounding the killing of Jayland Walker.
In 2022, Akron resident Jayland Walker was killed by police, sparking days of protest.
2023 was the most recent year to not reach 90 °F (32 °C) on 10.7 days on average.
In 2023, $4,200 in 1857 is equivalent to around $108,341, reflecting the historical cost of running the schools for a year during that time.
In 2023, Shammas Malik was elected mayor of Akron, succeeding Dan Horrigan.
In 2023, the city elected its 63rd mayor.