-- Cyrus Sethna --
Cleveland was once one of the greatest American cities. Cleveland began to grow significantly during the mid-nineteenth century. The city was ideally located to receive iron ore mined from Minnesota and shipped across the Great Lakes. Coal was brought to the city by rail from the southern United States. As a result Cleveland became a major American center for manufacturing and was home to numerous producers of steel who were able to utilize the raw materials brought to the city. By 1920, John D. Rockefeller had build his fortune and his legacy on Standard Oil, turning Cleveland into the fifth-largest American city.
In the late 1970's, there were numerous economic factors that led to the decline of the steel industry in Cleveland. The oil embargo and the economic recession contributed significantly to the decline of Cleveland's and other cities' manufacturing industries. As costs rose and demand dwindled, many steel companies, Cleveland's major economic assets, began the exodus from what is now termed the “rust belt” to the south, where workers were not yet unionized.
However, several other cities were effected by this great economic setback, namely Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The City of Pittsburgh had similar industries to that of Cleveland and was effected just as severely as Cleveland by the negative economic factors of the time. When the steel and heavy manufacturing withdrew from the city, Pittsburgh lost 200,000 jobs in three years. Pittsburgh was once the poster-city for rust belt atrophy, but in recent years, has made a significant recovery.
The next question that must be asked is “why has Pittsburgh, Cleveland's sister city, been able to make such a substantial comeback?” Some analysts claim that this is because “Pittsburgh already had its bust”. Well, the same is also true of Cleveland. In fact, both the health and education fields emerged in both Cleveland and Pittsburgh as the promising new industries. The kicker is economic diversity. Pittsburgh for example has been able to attract a motley assortment of industries, laying a strong and diverse economic foundation. Pittsburgh hasn't put all of its proverbial eggs into one proverbial basket. The City of Cleveland has been unable to fill the void left in its demographics, caused by the departure of jobs from the city. A host of baby boomers left the city, devoid of jobs when the heavy manufacturing dried up. Other rust belt cities have been able to fill this gap with younger people who are more likely to develop ties to their respective areas. While Cleveland is making an attempt to diversify itself economically, it certainly has a lot of distance to cover to catch up with some of its rust belt companions.
On the tour of Cleveland, I was encouraged by the fact that Cleveland does appear to be attempting to foster economic diversity. However, in recent years, the City of Cleveland has lost almost twelve corporate headquarters, TRW, OfficeMax, BP, Oglebay, and Norton to name a few.
In future years, I would like to see Cleveland using the Cuyahoga River to promote its own revitalization. The river holds the most promise as a natural feature that adds ambiance to potential real estate. The river is no longer needed to move materials or foster trade, so it should be used and maintained as a pristine natural feature that contributes significantly to property values.
This “thriving metropolitan corridor” is silly. Akron and Cleveland are two discreet cities, with two separate economies and two sets of problems. City government and residents must do their part to make their respective city as excellent as possible. After all, this is the twenty-first century and we no longer use the Ohio and Erie Canal for anything but recreation.
