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History of Cleveland

July 22, 1796: General Moses Cleaveland and his surveyors land at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River.


December 23, 1814: The Village of Cleaveland is incorporated and is home to its first citizen, Lorenzo Carter.

 

 


1831: The spelling of Cleaveland is changed to Cleveland by The Cleveland Advertiser in order for the name to fit on the newspaper masthead.

 

 


1834: The Ohio and Erie canal is completed, turning Cleveland into a key link between the Ohio River and Great Lakes.

 

 


1836: Cleveland’s first mayor, John W. Willey, is elected for 2 terms.

 

 


1861-1865: The American Civil War brings an economic boom to Cleveland, as well as making it one of the top 5 oil refining centers in the U.S.

 

 


1862: Cleveland opens its first tobacco factory, T. Maxfield & Co.

 

 


1863-1865: 22 percent of all U.S. Naval crafts for use on the Great Lakes are built in Cleveland. That number will rise to 44 percent by 1865.

 

 


1870: Cleveland’s population has more than doubled to 92,829 versus its population of 43,417 in 1860

 

 


1895: Robert E. McKisson becomes mayor, launching the construction of a new city water and sewer system

 

 


1897: Eliza Bryant founds the Cleveland Home of Aged Colored People. The organization will later be called Eliza Bryant Village and is the oldest non-religious black institution in Ohio.

 

 


1911: Newton D. Baker is elected mayor and by 1912 helps write the Ohio constitutional amendment giving municipalities the right to govern themselves.

 

 


1920: Cleveland becomes the fifth largest city in the United States.

 

 


1924: Development of Cleveland Municipal Airport begins.

 

 


1927: Construction of the great Terminal Tower begins. The Terminal Tower will be known as the tallest building in the world outside of New York City until 1967.

 

 


1932: Cleveland becomes the national headquarters for the anti-gang, anti-Prohibition group called the “Crusaders”.

 


1950: Cleveland’s population hits an all-time high of 914,808.

 

 


1954: Anthony J. Celebrezze is elected mayor and becomes the longest tenured mayor, serving 5 consecutive terms.

 

 


1967: Carl B. Stokes becomes the first African American mayor of a major U.S. city.

 

 


1977: Denis J. Kusinich is elected mayor at the age of 31, the youngest of any major city in the U.S.

 

 


1994: Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex is completed, giving new homes to both the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland Cavaliers.

 

 


December 17, 1995: The Cleveland Browns play their final game at Cleveland Municipal Stadium after owner Art Modell announces the team will be moved to Baltimore.

 

 


November 4, 1996: The 65 year old Cleveland Municipal Stadium is demolished to make way for the new Cleveland Browns Stadium.

 

 


September 12, 1999: The new Cleveland Browns play their first game at the brand new Cleveland Browns Stadium.

 

 


2002: Jane L. Campell is elected as the city’s first female mayor.

 

 


January 1, 2006: Frank G. Jackson, sitting city council member, becomes Cleveland’s 57th and current mayor.

 

 


January 1, 2008: Smartland® was Born.

 

 

 

 


July 8, 2010: The face of Cleveland and the Cleveland Cavalier franchise, Lebron James, announces on national television he will not resign with the team that drafted him.

 

 


January 2011: Construction begins on the Cleveland Medical Mart and Convention Center, Slated to open in 2013.

 

 


May 2012: The Horseshoe Casino Cleveland opens in the historic Higbee building.

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