Akron, Ohio

Most people who know Akron know it as a neighbor of Cleveland or as the birthplace of basketball legend LeBron James. The city, though, has a lot to offer relative to its quiet reputation. Despite the perception of it as small, it has a population of ~200,000 and a metro area of nearly 700,000. This size is a sweet spot, particularly in the Midwest, for a combination of low housing prices and interesting city amenities.

Downtown Akron hosts a good mix of concerts, shows, expos, and cultural events throughout the year that are usually reserved for bigger or more prominent cities than Akron. Fortunately for Akron residents, this does not translate to big-city prices. The low cost of living and a median home value of $80K mean residents save on the essentials so they can enjoy everything else Akron has to offer.

Akron is known for high crime rates, and while plenty of neighborhoods have better stats, safety is something to consider when making a move. As with most cities, these safety statistics are not helpful on a city-wide basis but regardless they are trending in the right direction in most major categories. Perhaps more importantly, the Akron City School District consistently places in the bottom 50% in the state of Ohio for most educational categories.

Akron is often lauded by residents as an embodiment of midwestern hospitality and small-city living (even if it’s not as small as that ideal warrants). Lock 3 Park in the city’s downtown is home to outdoor events year-round, including ice skating, bumper cars, and the aforementioned concerts and cultural events. Akron is a diverse city with a great park system, including the F.A. Seiberling Nature Realm, and easy access to Portage Lakes State Park, giving Akron an outdoor edge over most midwestern destinations. Cleveland also isn’t too far away for those looking for a bigger metropolitan.

If you're interested in checking out what locals get up to in Akron here is the downtown calendar of events.

We highly recommend visiting Akron and staying in the community in a VRBO rather than a hotel to get a feel for what it's like to live among the locals. You can receive discounted fares on travel via our partnership with Expedia as well.

Revitalization is a term Akronites throw around a lot and for good reason. In 2018, the city began investing in neighborhood business districts to catalyze small business growth across the city. While Akron was no exception to the struggles that came with COVID, the city has doubled down on its support of small businesses through additional investments and incentives in an attempt to make Akron one of the best places in the country to start a small business. The big name in Akron is Goodyear, one of the largest tire manufacturers on the planet and the owner of an abnormally large fleet of airship blimps. Goodyear started in Akron and still employs thousands of people in the area.