Akron is located in the state of Ohio and serves as the county seat of Summit County, which is the fourth most populous county in the state. National media began referring to Akron as "The Rubber Capital of the World" in the 1930s, referring to the city's rubber and tire industries. As a result of both, the founding of the American trucking and toy industries also began in the city.

In 2001, Newsweek magazine listed Akron one of nine "High-Tech Havens," a compilation of cities that have been important in the information age. The United States Conference of Mayors awarded Akron with the City Livability Award, for creating the first Joint Economic Development District in 1999.

Several events in the city have become well-known to outsiders. The Derby Downs race track, which is home to the All-American Soap Box Derby, has attracted thousands of children from across the United States and other nations to race since the 1930s.

History

Akron was established in December 1825 by Simon Perkins. It began as a small village on the divide between the St. Lawrence River and the Mississippi River drainage basins. The village was originally built mainly to serve people using the Ohio and Erie Canal as Akron was located in an area with a series of canal locks as the canal ascended from Cleveland to the Portage summit.