Culture of Akron, Ohio

Akron street art, derived from the graffiti subculture

The culture of Akron is shaped by the rubber industry, immigration, factory work, unions, the city's location, history, and notable natives.

As a northern state with abolitionist leanings, Akron became home to freed and emancipated slaves. In the early part of the 20th century many European immigrants traveled westward to Akron, because of the thriving rubber industry. Most of the major U.S. tire brands began in Akron: Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, General Tire, Firestone, and BFGoodrich.

Aside from the North Hill neighborhood of Akron's history in jazz during the early 1900s, for decades Akron has produced musicians in many of genres. Major artists from Akron include Howard Hewett, Chrissie Hynde, Devo, James Ingram, Buckner & Garcia, Rubber City Rebels, and The Black Keys.

The city is home to LeBron James, the Akron Art Museum, the Akron RubberDucks, and the All-American Soap Box Derby.

Major venues for music in Akron include the Akron Civic Theatre, E.J. Thomas Hall, and Blossom Music Center. Residents and fans of alternative music still miss the Lime Spider, but continue to appreciate new bands and live poetry at Annabelle's and Paolo's.

Urban farming and healthy, flavorful cuisine are part of Akron's cultural landscape. The City of Akron has provided many places to grow food, and has also supported many new and praiseworthy restaurants: Bricco, Cilantro, Crave, and Lockview. In Akron, you can find some of the best independent grocery stores in Northeast Ohio: Krieger's, Mustard Seed Market, and Seven Grain Market.

While the city originally had German roots, the influx of immigrants in the late 1800s and early 1900s brought Jewish, Italian, Lithuanian, Polish, Slovenian and Ukrainian food to the table. While pastrami, pierogis, pizza, and sauerkraut balls will always be in the hearts of Akronites, residents are thankful that continued immigration has brought an even greater variety of cuisine to Akron. Nowadays, it is not impossible to find reasonably good African, Asian, Middle-Eastern, and Mexican restaurants in the Akron area.

Literature

The award-winning Knight-Ridder newspaper chain began in Akron Ohio as two separate companies, the Akron Beacon Journal and the New Yorker Staats-Zeitung.

The city is the birthplace of Rita Dove, former Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress.

Sojourner Truth gave her famous Ain't I A Woman speech in Akron at the Ohio Women's Rights Convention in 1851.

The city is and has been home to award-winning writers David Auburn, Terry Pluto, Rachel Sweet, and Robert Pope.

The suburbs of Akron and decades of industrial prosperity spawned former literary editor of Esquire, Adrienne Miller, who wrote the novel, The Coast of Akron.[1]

Comic books

The landmark Akron pizza shop Luigi's is the inspiration for the pizza shop Montoni's in the comic strip Funky Winkerbean, written by native comic strip creator Tom Batiuk.[2]

In the Flaming Carrot Comics, Iron City, where the Carrot lives, was made similar to Akron and another working-stiff town, Pittsburgh.

Writer and illustrator Bill Watterson has also lived in the county.

Akron has also produced a diverse range of popular musical artists, such as:

Indie rock band Trouble Books

References

  1. ↑ "Book Reviews - The Coast of Akron by Adrienne Miller". Reviewsofbooks.com. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  2. ↑ Renner, James. "The Cleveland Free Times :: Cover :: A Funkier Winkerbean". Freetimes.com. Archived from the original on April 22, 2009. Retrieved 2009-04-28.
  3. ↑ "Bio - Ruby & the Romantics - Discover". Wayango. Retrieved 2009-04-30.
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