Cleveland, Ohio might not be one of the first places you think of for a weekend getaway, but perhaps you should think again. Located on the shores of Lake Erie, Cleveland offers business and leisure travelers a solid array of history, culture, sports and entertainment venues. In 1796, General Moses Cleaveland selected the site of the present day city for a settlement and named it after himself. Between skirmishes with Native American tribes and harsh winters, the early settlement did not thrive. In 1831, the name was changed to Cleveland (believed to be a spelling error on a surveyor’s map, but the new spelling stuck) and the area began to grow. The Civil War brought another boost to Cleveland transitioning the city from a village to a small industrial city. Railroads and tobacco were the leading industries. The Great Depression was a temporary setback, but recovery was steady and Cleveland evolved into a stronghold for the National Republican Party. Today, the city ranks 15th in the consumer market for the U.S. It is an intriguing melting pot of ethnic cultures and a business center for health and medicine, science and engineering, biotechnology, information technology manufacturing and education. Cleveland is headquarters for several Fortune 500 companies and hosts almost 300 international companies. The city also holds some pleasant surprises for visitors.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE) offers service to over 140 destinations, including non-stop flights to London. Amtrak provides daily rail service and the city is centrally located between major Interstate highways. Cleveland transportation (RTA) ranks among the nation’s largest public transportation systems. Getting around Cleveland is easy. The Red Line rail whisks travelers from the airport to downtown in under 22 minutes for about $1.50 one way. A vast system of buses and rapid transit lines offer access throughout Greater Cleveland supplemented by taxis and rental cars.
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