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Akron is the county seat of Summit County and the fifth-most populous city in Ohio, with 190,469 residents counted in the 2020 census.

Akron was founded in 1825 by Simon Perkins and Paul Williams along the Little Cuyahoga River at the summit of the Ohio and Erie Canal, and its name comes from the Ancient Greek word akron, meaning summit or high point.

Akron was incorporated as a village in 1836 and as a city in 1865, about 40 miles south of Cleveland in Northeast Ohio.

Akron became known as the Rubber Capital of the World as the headquarters of B.F. Goodrich, Firestone, and General Tire, and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company is still based in the city today.

Akron doubled in population during the 1910s, making it the fastest-growing city in the United States in that decade, though it has since lost more than a third of the population it had in 1960.

The Akron metropolitan area, covering Summit and Portage counties, had a population of 702,219 in the 2020 census.

Akron has about 84,700 households, and only about 50.7% of its homes are owner-occupied, with a median home value of around $122,000 according to Census Bureau QuickFacts figures.

Akron is home to the University of Akron, which began as Buchtel College, enrolls approximately 15,000 students, and is known for polymer research at its Goodyear Polymer Center and National Polymer Innovation Center.

Akron is the hometown of NBA star LeBron James, who was born and raised in the city and starred at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School before being drafted first overall in 2003.

LeBron James opened the I Promise School in Akron through his charitable foundation, serving underprivileged children in the city.