ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the seven central cities of the major metropolitan areas in Ohio: Akron, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown. Akron's economic claim to fame was rubber. The economy has broadened its linkages to Cleveland and northeast Ohio and is developing specializations in health services and medical products. By 1862, Cincinnati was connected to Dayton, Toledo, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Wheeling, Lexington, St. Louis, and Chicago. Commerce remained the leading sector of Cincinnati's economy during the mid-1800s. Government, commerce, transportation, and education were predominant until the end of the nineteenth century, when Columbus started diversifying its economic base. The economic progress was accompanied by an intensified urbanization. The Civil War had a positive impact on Dayton's economy. The industrial profile of Dayton was approximately the same after the war. World War II brought a temporary recovery in the area's economy, but in the postwar period, Youngstown's fate was tied to the ups and downs of the steel industry.
