The city of Akron is the county seat of Summit County in the U.S. State of Ohio. The city is located between Cleveland to the north and Canton to the south. It is located below the Western Reserve in northeastern Ohio on the Cuyahoga River, approximately 60 miles (100 km) west of the Pennsylvania border.

It was founded in 1825 near the Ohio & Erie Canal, and became a manufacturing center owing to its location at a staircase of locks. After the decline of heavy manufacturing, the city's industry has since diversified into research, financial, and high tech sectors.

In 1870, 10,000 people lived in Akron, Ohio; in 1890, 27,601; in 1900, 42,728; in 1910, 69,067; in 1920 (following the increase in the size of the city and making it the 32nd largest city in the United States), 208,435; and in 1940, 244,791. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 217,074. Akron is the 82nd largest city in the United States and is the 5th largest city in Ohio (U.S. Census Bureau, 2001). Akron has a metropolitan population of 694,960 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2000). Akron is also part of the larger Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area, which was the 14th largest in the country with a population of over 2.9 million according to the 2000 Census.

The Akron-Canton Regional Airport is one of many places near the city that is named for both towns. While the U.S. Census Bureau still counts the two metropolitan areas as separate metro areas, if combined, the total population of the Akron-Canton area equals 1,101,894 people.

Alcoholics Anonymous was founded in Akron in 1935. The city is home to The University of Akron, the Akron Aeros Double A affiliate of the Cleveland Indians, and the Firestone Country Club, at which the PGA TOUR's Bridgestone Invitational is annually played. The Akron Quakers, of the ibl(2005-) will begin play in the 2007 season.