Akron, Ohio is an award-winning city with a storied past and a promising future. The City of Akron Seal was designed to reflect the strong sense of pride we feel for our community. Our citizens were instrumental in attracting the Inventor's Hall of Fame to Akron, from Washington D.C., by rallying community support as we competed with other cities for this coveted institution. The recognition of this collaborative endeavor, by the National Civic League, was integral toward the designation of Akron as an All-America City.  For more information regarding our fine city, please go the the official City of Akron Page: http://www.ci.akron.oh.us

Downtown Akron is in the midst of a revival spurred by the development of three major projects in the 90s. Inventure Place and the National Inventors Hall of Fame, The John S. Knight Center, and Canal Park stadium have helped bring people back downtown for entertainment, dining, professional baseball, conventions and more. Private investors have taken notice and are generating new business downtown, taking advantage of the new vitality of the central city. Photos beautifully credited to Bruce Ford (with the exception of Bridgestone/Firestone photos)

- - The company's primary R&D facilities are nestled near Firestone Park just south of downtown, together with Bridgestone/Firestone Information Systems and Firestone Polymers Company. Each organization continues to contribute in a special way into the second century of providing products and services to its customers.

Derby Downs, home to the All-American Soap Box Derby. The Gravity Grand Prix, as it is also known, has been run in Akron since 1936, and nationally since 1934. The World Championship finals are held each August at Derby Downs for youngsters from the United States and several foreign countries who build and drive their own racers. The Derby Downs track was a product of the Works Progress Administration (WPA).

On Main Street, in the heart of downtown along the historic Ohio & Erie Canal, Canal Park is home to the AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians. The Akron Aeros threw out the first pitch at the new park on opening day for both team and ball park April 10, 1997. In their first two seasons, the team set league attendance records, drawing more than a million fans to downtown Akron. The state-of-the-art ball park seats 8,500 and is expandable to accommodate a AAA team with seating for 12,500. It includes 25 luxury loges and the largest free-standing scoreboard in minor league baseball.

The Akron Art Museum, established in 1922, is housed in this extraordinary Italian Renaissance Revival structure that was built in 1899 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum has an exhibition program of regional, national and international interest including comprehensive exhibitions as well as smaller, diverse shows organized by the staff. Exhibitions are also obtained from distinguished museum and private collections throughout the nation. The museum has a permanent collection of more than 3,000 paintings, sculptures, photographs and works on paper that are always on view. Group tours are available.

One blimp is an unusual site in most cities. In Akron, some days you'll see three! The Goodyear Airdock has been home to the company's fleet of blimps since 1929 when it was constructed. At 1,175 feet long, 325 feet wide, 197 feet high and with 364,000 square feet of floor area, the hangar was, for many years, the largest building ever constructed without interior supports.

	Inventure Place is the home of the National Inventor's Hall of Fame and an interactive science laboratory. Opened in 1995, Inventure Place hosts the annual induction ceremonies for the world's greatest inventors. It was the third most popular hall of fame in America in 1995 with 290,000 visitors.		The Akron Civic Theater, built in 1929 as a Loew's Theme Theater has the appearance of an outdoor theater surrounding the garden of a Moorish castle. The Civic is one of only five such depression era atmospheric theaters in the country. A special projector produces stars and moving clouds on the ceiling of the theater.
	Lock 2 Park is located in the heart of downtown Akron, just west of Canal Park, the new home of the Akron Aeros. Lock 2 of the Ohio & Erie Canal played an important role in the development of Akron as a city in the 19th century. The federal government has recognized this area as a historic district, part of the National Heritage Corridor.		Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens is a majestic 50,000 square foot, 65-room country estate located on a beautiful 70-acre garden lanscape on Akron's west side. Seiberling built the grand estate between 1912 and 1915 to meet the needs of their active lifestyles and large family. The name Stan Hywet is Old English for "Stone Quarry."
	E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall opened in 1974. Three different seating arrangements are made possible by a movable ceiling that is counter balanced with large silver cylinders hanging in the main lobby. The auditorium seats 3,000 with the ceiling at full height, 2,400 with it at the front edge of the flying balcony, and 800 when the grand tier is entirely closed off by the movable ceiling.		The John S. Knight Center is named in honor of the founder of the Akron Beacon Journal and the Knight Publishing Company. The Knight Center is Akron's multi-use convention center that opened in June of 1994. This 123,000 square foot facility features 43,000 square feet of exhibit space, a 12,000 square foot banquet hall, a conference center and 18 meeting rooms. It is also expandable to accommodate larger conventions.
	Rotaynah, sculpted by Peter Toth in 1985 out of a huge Red Oak, weighs 17 tons and stands 36 feet tall in front of Akron's Fairlawn Elementary School. Rotaynah commemorates Akron's native American heritage.		One of Akron's most recognizable landmarks is on the campus of the University of Akron. The twin-towered Goodyear Polymer Center is the 12-story/9-story home to the renowned College of Polymer Science and Polymer Engineering. It is the only science or engineering program in Ohio to be ranked among the top five in the country.