Cuyahoga Falls - 2003 Area Guide

William Wetmore founded Cuyahoga Falls in 1812 to develop land owned by Judge Joshua Stow of Middletown, Conn. The town was originally named Manchester, but that was later changed to the present name at the request of the Ohio Postmaster General. William Wetmore built his home at the corner of Front Street and Portage Trail. A short time later it became a hotel known as the “Perry House” and “Clifford Inn.” Wetmore also organized St. John’s Episcopal Church in 1830. The historic church still stands today at its present site on Portage Trail and Second Street.

The Cuyahoga River runs both north and south through the City. The Cuyahoga “Falls,” which extends for about 2 miles, drops farther than Niagara Falls. Due to the rough water, Native Americans who used the river to travel from the Great Lakes to the Mississippi left the river at the falls and used what is now Portage Trail to continue their journey south. The river was an early source of power for mills and factories. By 1840, Cuyahoga Falls had a greater variety of manufacturing than any other Ohio settlement.

The river is now a source of beauty, recreation and contemplation. The Cuyahoga Falls Sheraton Suites Hotel now stands in the place of the old Vaughn Machinery, with its Riverfront restaurant offering an unparalleled view of the Cuyahoga “Falls.” The Waterworks Family Aquatic Center offers hiking, picnicking and biking along the river, and the 4,807 acres in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park provide year-round outdoor opportunities for the residents of Cuyahoga Falls and Northeast Ohio.

While industry has moved away from the river, it has not moved away from Cuyahoga Falls. In fact, the city has enjoyed a steady economic growth pattern of residential, commercial and industrial uses. The city also enjoys a diversity of manufacturing and industry of all sizes, and has approximately 500 acres of vacant industrial land remaining available. Residential development, while most strongly focused on single-family housing, similarly offers a wide variety of housing options for people of all ages and family sizes.

On January 1, 1986, Cuyahoga Falls and Northampton Township became the first two communities in the history of the State of Ohio to successfully merge by voter approval. The relatively rural character of the former township has added a balance to the more developed core of the old city. Sixteen years after merger, the people of what were once two communities continue to move forward together to forge the brilliant Cuyahoga Falls of the future.