“Cleveland: Confronting Decline in an American City” - Understanding Problems of the Us Cities

“Cleveland: Confronting Decline in an American City”

* Understanding Problems of the US Cities

During the first half of the 20th century, people had poured into big cities like Cleveland to look for unlimited opportunities and prospering future. However, for years now, people have been leaving their cities, as it has happened in Cleveland, for suburbs, mostly for the same reason that they came to cities in the first place: to pursue a better life.

Back in early 20th century, Cleveland was once a thriving industrial Mecca. It was the fifth largest city in the US at the time, a destination for thousands of immigrants from all over the world. It had the biggest port on Lake Erie’s south shore. With easy accesses to raw materials and transportation, it used to be reputed as “the best location in the country.” Cleveland was also the leader in steel making, machinery, aircraft parts, and industries alike. Its factories and mills produced durable goods that were being sold all around the world. There were millionaires funding the construction of Cleveland’s great cultural institutions. And at one time, this city generated more patents per person than any other places in the entire nation, according to the video.

However, behind that great economic boom, something unexpected started to loom in 1920s. People began to leave the City of Cleveland. Families started to get tired of the crowded city life style. Once the households became the middle class, many abandoned the city for homes in the suburbs. This was largely due to the great success of the city driving the land prices to go up and thus forcing owners of properties to relocate. In 1930s, the vast majority of residents lived within the inner city area of Cleveland. Today, the vast majority lives in the suburbs outside Cleveland, and spread across the region of northeast Ohio. At first, people moved to the inner suburbs just outside the city. But as the outward migration intensified, they moved...