Editing Cleveland (section)

== History ==
{{main|History of Cleveland}}
{{For timeline}}

=== Establishment ===
[[File:Moses Cleaveland statue in 2021.jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[James G. C. Hamilton]]'s 1888 statue of city founder General [[Moses Cleaveland]]]]
Cleveland was established on July 22, 1796, by surveyors of the [[Connecticut Land Company]] when they laid out [[Connecticut]]'s [[Connecticut Western Reserve|Western Reserve]] into townships and a capital city. They named the settlement "Cleaveland" after their leader, General [[Moses Cleaveland]], a veteran of the [[American Revolutionary War]].<ref name="moses">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Cleaveland, Moses |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleaveland-moses |access-date=August 21, 2019 |date=January 20, 2019 }}</ref> Cleaveland oversaw the [[New England]]–style design of the plan for what would become the modern downtown area, centered on [[Public Square, Cleveland|Public Square]], before returning to Connecticut, never again to visit Ohio.<ref name="moses" /> The town's name was often shortened to "Cleveland", even by Cleaveland's original surveyors. A common myth emerged that the spelling was altered by ''The Cleveland Advertiser'' in order to fit the name on the newspaper's [[Nameplate (publishing)|masthead]].<ref>{{cite magazine |last=Burton |first=Abby |title=CLE Myths: The "A" In Cleaveland |magazine=[[Cleveland Magazine]] |url=https://clevelandmagazine.com/in-the-cle/articles/cle-myths-the-a-in-cleaveland |date=November 25, 2019 |access-date=May 20, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last=Bourne |first=Henry E. |year=1896 |title=The Story of Cleveland |magazine=New England Magazine |volume=14 |issue=6 |page=744 |quote=It was agreeable to the wishes of many of our oldest and most intelligent citizens, who are of the opinion that the 'a' is superfluous. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-Og7AQAAMAAJ&q=%22Cleveland%20Advertiser%22%201831%20spelling&pg=PA744 }}</ref>

The first permanent European settler in Cleveland was [[Lorenzo Carter (settler)|Lorenzo Carter]], who built a cabin on the banks of the Cuyahoga River.{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/14 14]}} The emerging community served as an important supply post for the U.S. during the [[Battle of Lake Erie]] in the [[War of 1812]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=War of 1812 |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |date=January 20, 2019 |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/w/war-1812 |access-date=May 29, 2020 }}</ref> Locals adopted Commodore [[Oliver Hazard Perry]] as a civic hero and erected a [[Perry Monument (Cleveland)|monument in his honor]] decades later.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Perry Monument |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |date=June 18, 2018 |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/p/perry-monument |access-date=May 29, 2020 }}</ref> Largely through the efforts of the settlement's first lawyer [[Alfred Kelley]], the village of Cleveland was incorporated on December 23, 1814.{{sfn|Rose|1990|p=74}}

Despite the nearby swampy lowlands and harsh winters, the town's waterfront location proved advantageous, giving it access to Great Lakes trade. It grew rapidly after the 1832 completion of the [[Ohio and Erie Canal]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Ohio and Erie Canal |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/o/ohio-and-erie-canal |access-date=August 5, 2019 |date=February 7, 2019 }}</ref> This key link between the [[Ohio River]] and the [[Great Lakes]] connected Cleveland to the Atlantic Ocean via the [[Erie Canal]] and Hudson River, and later via the [[Saint Lawrence Seaway]].<ref name="economy" /> The town's growth continued with added [[Rail transportation in the United States|railroad links]].{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/51 51]}} In 1836, Cleveland, then only on the eastern banks of the Cuyahoga, was officially incorporated as a city, and [[John W. Willey]] was elected its first mayor.<ref name="timeline">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Timeline |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=http://ech.case.edu/timeline.html |access-date=August 1, 2022 |date=April 5, 2022 }}</ref> That same year, it nearly erupted into open warfare with neighboring [[Ohio City, Cleveland|Ohio City]] over a bridge connecting the two communities.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Columbus Street Bridge |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/columbus-street-bridge |date=November 18, 2019 |access-date=June 7, 2023 }}</ref> Ohio City remained an independent municipality until its [[Municipal annexation in the United States|annexation]] by Cleveland in 1854.<ref name="timeline" />

A center of [[Abolitionism in the United States|abolitionist]] activity,{{sfn|Keating|2022|pp=13–15}}<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Wyatt-Brown |first=Bertram |title=Abolitionism |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |date=May 31, 2019 |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/a/abolitionism |access-date=June 7, 2020 }}</ref> Cleveland (code-named "Station Hope") was a major stop on the [[Underground Railroad]] for escaped African American [[Slavery in the United States|slaves]] en route to Canada.<ref>{{cite web |title=In Search of the Underground Railroad |website=Cleveland Historical |publisher=Cleveland State University |url=https://clevelandhistorical.org/tours/show/44 |access-date=June 7, 2020 }}</ref> The city also served as an [[Cleveland in the American Civil War|important center]] for the [[Union (American Civil War)|Union]] during the [[American Civil War]].{{sfn|Keating|2022|p=38}}<ref>{{cite web |title=Abraham Lincoln in Cleveland: Remembering a Slain President |website=Cleveland Historical |publisher=Cleveland State University |url=https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/70 |access-date=August 8, 2023 }}</ref> Decades later, in July 1894, the wartime contributions of those serving the Union from Cleveland and Cuyahoga County would be honored with the [[Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument (Cleveland)|Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument]] on Public Square.<ref name="soldiers-sailors">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Soldiers' and Sailors' Monument |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/s/soldiers-and-sailors-monument |access-date=August 3, 2019 |date=May 22, 2018 }}</ref>

=== Growth and expansion ===
The Civil War vaulted Cleveland into the first rank of American manufacturing cities and fueled unprecedented growth.{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/69 69]}} Its prime geographic location as a transportation hub on the Great Lakes played an important role in its development as an industrial and commercial center. In 1870, [[John D. Rockefeller]] founded [[Standard Oil]] in Cleveland,{{sfn|Rose|1990|p=937}} and in 1885, he moved its headquarters to New York City, which had become a center of finance and business.<ref>{{cite web |title=American Experience: Rockefellers Timeline |publisher=PBS |quote=1885: Standard Oil moves into new headquarters at 26 Broadway in New York. |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/rockefellers-timeline/ |access-date=May 19, 2023 }}</ref>

[[File:Cleveland 1877.jpg|thumb|upright=1.2|left|[[Bird's-eye view]] of Cleveland in 1877]]
Cleveland's economic growth and industrial jobs attracted large waves of immigrants from [[Southern Europe|Southern]] and Eastern Europe as well as [[History of Ireland (1801–1923)|Ireland]].<ref name="immigration-migration" /> Urban growth was accompanied by significant strikes and labor unrest, as workers demanded [[Labor rights|better wages and working conditions]].{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|pp=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/87 87–89]}} Between 1881 and 1886, 70 to 80% of strikes were successful in improving labor conditions in Cleveland.<ref name="labor">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Harrison |first=Dennis I. |title=Labor |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/l/labor |access-date=January 29, 2021 |date=January 29, 2021 }}</ref> The [[Streetcar strikes in the United States|Cleveland Streetcar Strike of 1899]] was one of the more violent instances of labor strife in the city during this period.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Streetcar Strike of 1899 |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/s/streetcar-strike-1899 |access-date=July 3, 2021 |date=May 22, 2018 }}</ref>

By 1910, Cleveland had become known as the "Sixth City" due to its status at the time as the sixth-largest U.S. city.<ref name="nicknames">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Cleveland Nicknames and Slogans |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |date=February 27, 2023 |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-nicknames-and-slogans |access-date=May 19, 2023 }}</ref> Its automotive companies included [[Peerless Motor Company|Peerless]], [[Chandler Motor Car|Chandler]], and [[Winton Motor Carriage Company|Winton]], maker of the first car driven across the U.S. Other manufacturing industries in Cleveland included [[steam car]]s produced by [[White Motor Company|White]] and [[electric car]]s produced by [[Baker Motor Vehicle|Baker]].{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/116 116]}} The city counted major [[Progressive Era]] politicians among its leaders, most prominently the [[Populism|populist]] Mayor [[Tom L. Johnson]], who was responsible for the development of the [[The Mall (Cleveland)|Cleveland Mall Plan]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Johnson, Tom L |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/j/johnson-tom-l |date=September 19, 2021 |access-date=June 7, 2023 }}</ref> The era of the [[City Beautiful movement]] in Cleveland architecture saw wealthy patrons support the establishment of the city's major cultural institutions. The most prominent among them were the [[Cleveland Museum of Art]], which opened in 1916,{{sfn|Turner|1991|p=[https://archive.org/details/object-lessons/page/9 9]}} and the [[Cleveland Orchestra]], established in 1918.{{sfn|Rosenberg|2000|pp=43–44}}

[[File:Inviting Immigrants to Cleveland Poster (6279784636).jpg|thumb|upright|1917 multilingual poster in English, Italian, [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]], [[Slovene language|Slovene]], [[Polish language|Polish]], and [[Yiddish]], advertising English classes for immigrants in Cleveland]]
In addition to the large immigrant population, African American migrants from the rural [[Southern United States|South]] arrived in Cleveland (among other Northeastern and Midwestern cities) as part of the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migration]] for jobs, constitutional rights, and relief from [[Jim Crow laws|racial discrimination]].<ref name="african-americans">{{cite encyclopedia |title=African Americans |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/a/african-americans |access-date=July 15, 2019 |date=July 15, 2019 }}</ref> By 1920, the year in which the [[Cleveland Guardians|Cleveland Indians]] won their [[1920 World Series|first World Series championship]], Cleveland had grown into a densely-populated metropolis of 796,841, making it the fifth-largest city in the nation,<ref name="largest-US-cities" /> with a foreign-born population of 30%.<ref>{{cite report |last1=Salling |first1=Mark |last2=Cyran |first2=Ellen |title=Foreign-Born Population in Selected Ohio Cities, 1870 to 2000: A Brief Descriptive Report |publisher=Cleveland State University |url=https://engagedscholarship.csuohio.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1357&context=urban_facpub |page=9 |date=January 1, 2006 |access-date=July 2, 2019 }}</ref>

At this time, Cleveland saw the rise of radical labor movements, most prominently the [[Industrial Workers of the World]] (IWW), in response to the conditions of the largely immigrant and migrant workers. In 1919, the city attracted national attention amid the [[First Red Scare]] for the [[May Day riots of 1919|Cleveland May Day Riots]], in which local [[socialism|socialist]] and IWW demonstrators clashed with anti-socialists.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=May Day Riots |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/m/may-day-riots |access-date=July 15, 2019 |date=May 19, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=May Day Riot |website=Cleveland Historical |publisher=Cleveland State University |url=https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/28 |access-date=July 22, 2019 }}</ref> The riots occurred during the broader [[US Strike wave of 1919|strike wave]] that swept the U.S. that year.{{sfn|Brecher|2020|p=[https://archive.org/details/strike0000brec_t8h1/page/110 110]}}

Cleveland's population continued to grow throughout the [[Roaring Twenties]].{{sfn|Condon|1979|p=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandprodigy0000cond/page/99 99]}} The decade saw the establishment of the city's [[Playhouse Square]],<ref name="playhouse">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Playhouse Square |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/p/playhouse-square |access-date=July 15, 2019 |date=May 31, 2019 }}</ref> and the rise of the risqué [[Downtown Cleveland#Short Vincent|Short Vincent]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Short Vincent |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/s/short-vincent |access-date=July 15, 2019 |date=May 22, 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Miller |first=Marilyn |title=Short Vincent: A Walk on Cleveland's Historic Wild Side |website=Cleveland Historical |publisher=Cleveland State University |url=https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/64 |access-date=June 5, 2023 }}</ref> The Bal-Masque balls of the avant-garde [[Kokoon Arts Club]] scandalized the city.{{sfn|Adams|Waldman|2011|pp=85–87}}<ref>{{cite web |title=The Kokoon Arts Klub |website=Cleveland Historical |publisher=Cleveland State University |url=https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/851 |access-date=August 9, 2019 }}</ref> [[Jazz]] came to prominence in Cleveland during this period.<ref>{{cite news |last=Theiss |first=Evelyn |title=In Cleveland's 'second downtown,' jazz once filled the air: Elegant Cleveland |newspaper=[[The Plain Dealer]] |url=https://www.cleveland.com/arts/2012/02/in_clevelands_second_downtown.html |date=February 5, 2012 |access-date=June 19, 2023 }}</ref>{{sfn|Mosbrook|2013|p=10}} [[Prohibition in the United States|Prohibition]] first took effect in Ohio in May 1919 (although it was not well-enforced in Cleveland), became law with the [[Volstead Act]] in 1920, and was eventually [[Twenty-first Amendment to the United States Constitution|repealed]] nationally by [[United States Congress|Congress]] in 1933.<ref name="prohibition">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Prohibition Amendment |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/p/prohibition-amendment |access-date=July 15, 2019 |date=June 18, 2018 }}</ref> The ban on alcohol led to the rise of [[Speakeasy|speakeasies]] throughout the city and organized crime gangs, such as the [[Mayfield Road Mob]], who smuggled bootleg liquor across [[Lake Erie]] from Canada into Cleveland.<ref name="prohibition" /><ref>{{cite news |last=Kelly |first=Ralph |title=Murder in Cleveland: The Prohibition Toll. Chapter 3—Rise of the Rum Kings; the 'Bloody Corner |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |pages=1, 5 |date=December 28, 1933 }}</ref>

[[File:Euclid Avenue 1918 CP06293 - DPLA - c71a7b0702bca63a585bd2365a66f7c6.jpg|thumb|left|[[Euclid Avenue (Cleveland)|Euclid Avenue]] and East 9th Street with the Hickox Building in 1918]]
The era of the [[flapper]] marked the beginning of the golden age in Downtown Cleveland retail, centered on major department stores [[Higbee's]], Bailey's, the [[May Company Ohio|May Company]], [[William Taylor & Son|Taylor's]], [[Halle Brothers Co.|Halle's]], and [[Sterling-Lindner Co.|Sterling Lindner Davis]], which collectively represented one of the largest and most fashionable shopping districts in the country, often compared to New York's [[Fifth Avenue]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Downtown Department Stores: Cleveland's Fifth Avenue |website=Cleveland Historical |publisher=Cleveland State University |url=http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/23#.Vd5BjZed6jg |access-date=June 5, 2023 }}</ref> In 1929, Cleveland hosted the first of many [[National Air Races]], and [[Amelia Earhart]] flew to the city from [[Santa Monica, California]] in the [[Women's Air Derby]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Cleveland National Air Races |website=Cleveland Historical |publisher=Cleveland State University |url=https://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/151 |access-date=July 15, 2019 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Guerrieri |first=Vince |title=The Rise and Fall of the Cleveland Air Races |publisher=Ohio Magazine |url=https://www.ohiomagazine.com/ohio-life/article/the-rise-and-fall-of-the-cleveland-air-races |date=July 2021 |access-date=January 4, 2024 }}</ref> The [[Van Sweringen brothers]] commenced construction of the [[Terminal Tower]] skyscraper in 1926 and oversaw it to completion in 1927.{{sfn|Harwood|2003|pp=134–135}} By the time the building was dedicated as part of [[Cleveland Union Terminal]] in 1930, the city had a population of over 900,000.<ref name="timeline" />

Cleveland was hit hard by the [[Wall Street Crash of 1929]] and the subsequent [[Great Depression]].{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/146 146]|loc="Industrialist [[Cyrus S. Eaton|Cyrus Eaton]] would later say that Cleveland was hurt more by the Depression than any other city in the United States"}} A center of [[Labor unions in the United States|union activity]], the city saw significant [[Labor history of the United States|labor struggles]] in this period, including strikes by workers against [[Fisher Body]] in 1936 and against [[Republic Steel]] in 1937.<ref name="labor" /> The city was also aided by major federal works projects sponsored by President [[Franklin D. Roosevelt]]'s [[New Deal]].{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|pp=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/136 136–139]}} In commemoration of the centennial of Cleveland's incorporation as a city, the [[Great Lakes Exposition]] debuted in June 1936 at the city's [[North Coast Harbor]], along the Lake Erie shore north of downtown.{{sfn|Porter|1976|pp=106–107}} Conceived by Cleveland's business leaders as a way to revitalize the city during the Depression, it drew four million visitors in its first season, and seven million by the end of its second and final season in September 1937.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Great Lakes Exposition |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/g/great-lakes-exposition |access-date=July 15, 2019 |date=March 21, 2019 }}</ref>

[[File:Aeroplane View of Union Terminal Group and Public Square (NBY 1512).jpg|thumb|upright|Postcard of [[Public Square (Cleveland)|Public Square]] and the then-new [[Cleveland Union Terminal]] in 1930]]
On December 7, 1941, Imperial Japan [[Attack on Pearl Harbor|attacked Pearl Harbor]] and [[Japanese declaration of war on the United States and the British Empire|declared war]] on the U.S. Two of the victims of the attack were Cleveland natives – Rear Admiral [[Isaac C. Kidd]] and ensign William Halloran.{{sfn|Albrecht|Banks|2015|p=8}} The attack signaled America's entry into [[World War II]]. A major hub of the "[[Arsenal of Democracy]]", Cleveland under Mayor [[Frank Lausche]] contributed massively to the [[United States home front during World War II|U.S. war effort]] as the fifth largest manufacturing center in the nation.{{sfn|Albrecht|Banks|2015|p=54}} During his tenure, Lausche also oversaw the establishment of the Cleveland Transit System, the predecessor to the [[Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority]].<ref name="RTA-history">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/g/greater-cleveland-regional-transit-authority |access-date=July 22, 2019 |date=May 11, 2018 }}</ref>

=== Late 20th and early 21st centuries ===
After the war, Cleveland initially experienced an [[Business cycle|economic boom]], and businesses declared the city to be the "best location in the nation".<ref name="nicknames" /><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Cleveland Electric Illuminating Co |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/c/cleveland-electric-illuminating-co |access-date=July 22, 2019 |date=April 4, 2019 }}</ref> In 1949, the city was named an [[All-America City Award|All-America City]] for the first time, and in 1950, its population reached 914,808.<ref name="timeline" /> In sports, the Indians won the [[1948 World Series]], the hockey team, the [[Cleveland Barons (1937–1973)|Barons]], became champions of the American Hockey League, and the [[Cleveland Browns|Browns]] dominated professional [[National Football League|football]] in the 1950s. As a result, along with track and boxing champions produced, Cleveland was declared the "City of Champions" in sports at this time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Schneider |first=Russell |title=Those Championship Seasons: Cleveland's Rich Sports History |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |page=206 |quote=Once upon a time, Cleveland was known as the 'City of Champions.' |date=November 3, 1991 }}</ref> Additionally, the 1950s saw the rising popularity of a new music genre that local [[WKNR|WJW (AM)]] disc jockey [[Alan Freed]] dubbed "[[rock and roll]]".<ref name="freed">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Freed, Alan |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |date=May 11, 2018 |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/f/freed-alan |access-date=May 19, 2023 }}</ref>

[[Image:Fountain of Eternal Life (34552871444).jpg|thumb|left|upright|[[Key Tower]] and the ''[[Fountain of Eternal Life]]'' by [[Marshall Fredericks]]]]
However, by the 1960s, Cleveland's economy began to slow down, and residents increasingly sought new housing in the suburbs, reflecting the national trends of suburban growth following federally subsidized highways.<ref name="suburbs">{{cite encyclopedia |title=Suburbs |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |date=June 14, 2018 |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/s/suburbs |access-date=May 19, 2023 }}</ref> [[Deindustrialization|Industrial restructuring]], particularly in the steel and automotive industries, resulted in the loss of numerous jobs in Cleveland and the region, and the city suffered economically.{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/183 183]}} The [[burning of the Cuyahoga River]] in June 1969 brought national attention to the issue of [[Pollution|industrial pollution]] in Cleveland and served as a catalyst for the [[Environmental movement in the United States|American environmental movement]].<ref name="NYT-cuyahoga">{{cite news |last=Maag |first=Christopher |title=From the Ashes of '69, Cleveland's Cuyahoga River Is Reborn |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/21/us/21river.html |date=June 20, 2009 |access-date=July 25, 2019 }}</ref>

[[Housing discrimination in the United States|Housing discrimination]] and [[redlining]] against African Americans led to racial unrest in Cleveland and numerous other Northern U.S. cities.{{sfn|Rothstein|2017|p=14}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Eddings |first=Amy |title=Divided by Design: Tracking Neighborhood Racial Segregation in Cleveland |publisher=[[Ideastream]] |url=https://www.ideastream.org/news/divided-by-design-tracking-neighborhood-racial-segregation-in-cleveland |date=November 14, 2017 |access-date=July 3, 2019 }}</ref> In Cleveland, the [[Hough riots]] erupted from July 18 to 24, 1966,<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Hough Riots |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/h/hough-riots |access-date=January 4, 2024 |date=November 11, 2020 }}</ref> and the [[Glenville Shootout]] took place on July 23, 1968.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Glenville Shootout |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/g/glenville-shootout |access-date=January 4, 2024 |date=July 1, 2020 }}</ref> In November 1967, Cleveland became the first major American city to elect an African American mayor, [[Carl Stokes|Carl B. Stokes]], who served from 1968 to 1971 and played an instrumental role in restoring the Cuyahoga River.{{sfn|Stokes|1973|p=[https://archive.org/details/promisesofpowerp00stok/page/42 42]}}<ref name="stokes-cuyahoga">{{cite web |title=Carl B. Stokes and the 1969 River Fire |publisher=[[National Park Service]] |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/carl-stokes-and-the-river-fire.htm |access-date=May 30, 2020 }}</ref>

During the 1970s, Cleveland became known as "Bomb City U.S.A." due to several bombings that shook the city, mostly due to organized crime rivalries.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Polansky |first1=Rachel |last2=Trexler |first2=Phil |title=Bomb City U.S.A.: The untold story of Cleveland's mobster dynasty |publisher=[[WKYC]] |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/investigations/bomb-city-usa-cleveland-mobster-dynasty/95-ff184a7c-f95e-478b-986b-c4469c69ad9a |date=May 6, 2021 |access-date=May 23, 2024 }}</ref> In December 1978, during the turbulent tenure of [[Dennis Kucinich]] as mayor, Cleveland became the first major American city since the Great Depression to enter into a [[Default (finance)|financial default]] on federal loans.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Mayoral Administration of Dennis J. Kucinich |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/m/mayoral-administration-dennis-j-kucinich |access-date=July 15, 2019 |date=May 12, 2018 }}</ref> The [[Early 1980s recession in the United States|national recession]] of the early 1980s "further eroded the city's traditional economic base."{{sfn|Miller|Wheeler|1997|p=[https://archive.org/details/clevelandconcise0000mill/page/183 183]}} While unemployment during the period peaked in 1983, Cleveland's rate of 13.8% was higher than the national average due to the closure of several steel production centers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fobes |first=Jon |title=Unemployment hits nearly every area in Ohio, analysis of new claims finds |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |url=http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2009/02/unemployment_hits_nearly_every.html |date=February 8, 2009 |access-date=May 19, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Fisher Body Division of General Motors Corp |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |date=February 10, 2020 |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/f/fisher-body-division-general-motors-corp |access-date=May 22, 2023 }}</ref>

The city began a gradual economic recovery under Mayor [[George Voinovich|George V. Voinovich]] in the 1980s. Downtown saw the construction of the [[Key Tower]] and [[200 Public Square]] skyscrapers, as well as the development of the [[Gateway Sports and Entertainment Complex]] – consisting of [[Progressive Field]] and [[Rocket Arena]] – and North Coast Harbor, including the [[Rock and Roll Hall of Fame]], [[Cleveland Browns Stadium]], and the [[Great Lakes Science Center]].<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |title=Mayoral Administration of George V. Voinovich |encyclopedia=The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History |publisher=Case Western Reserve University |url=https://case.edu/ech/articles/m/mayoral-administration-george-v-voinovich |access-date=August 3, 2019 |date=February 21, 2019 }}</ref> Although the city emerged from default in 1987,<ref name="timeline" /> it later suffered from the impact of the [[subprime mortgage crisis]] and the [[Great Recession in the United States|Great Recession]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Kotlowitz |first=Alex |title=All Boarded Up: How Cleveland is Dealing With Mass Foreclosure |newspaper=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/08/magazine/08Foreclosure-t.html |date=March 4, 2009 |access-date=December 1, 2023 }}</ref>

Nevertheless, by the turn of the 21st century, Cleveland succeeded in developing a more diversified economy and gained a national reputation as a center for healthcare and the arts.<ref name="smithsonian">{{cite magazine |last=Michener |first=Charles |title=Cleveland's Signs of Renewal |magazine=[[Smithsonian (magazine)|Smithsonian]] |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/clevelands-signs-of-renewal-817906/ |date=April 2011 |access-date=May 19, 2023 }}</ref> The city's downtown and several neighborhoods have experienced significant population growth since 2010, while overall population decline has slowed.<ref name="2020census">{{cite web |title=Census 2020 in Cleveland |url=https://planning.clevelandohio.gov/census2020/index.html |publisher=Cleveland City Planning Commission |access-date=July 11, 2022 }}</ref> Challenges remain for the city, with improvement of city schools,<ref>{{cite news |last=Morris |first=Conor |title=Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb announces five picks for CMSD Board of Education |publisher=Ideastream |url=https://www.ideastream.org/education/2023-06-27/cleveland-mayor-justin-bibb-announces-five-picks-for-cmsd-board-of-education |date=June 27, 2023 |access-date=August 8, 2023 }}</ref> economic development of neighborhoods, and continued efforts to tackle poverty, [[Homelessness in Ohio|homelessness]], and urban blight being top municipal priorities.<ref>{{cite news |last=Buckley |first=Bri |title=Cleveland homeless shelters near capacity |publisher=[[WKYC]] |url=https://www.wkyc.com/article/news/local/cleveland/cleveland-shelters-near-capacity-as-homeless-encampments-remain-in-bitter-cold-snow/95-4340bb8a-bf18-49ce-a3ef-94892bbf83ae |date=November 28, 2023 |access-date=December 20, 2023 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Daprile |first=Lucas |title=Cleveland poised to move forward with plans to demolish blighted buildings, but will $15 million be enough? |newspaper=The Plain Dealer |url=https://www.cleveland.com/news/2022/06/cleveland-poised-to-move-forward-with-plans-to-demolish-blighted-buildings-but-will-15-million-be-enough-stimulus-watch.html |date=June 4, 2022 |access-date=August 8, 2023 }}</ref>