page_title: Cleveland
section_title: Parks and nature
hierarchical_section_title: Cleveland / Geography / Parks and nature
caption_attribution_description: English: Cleveland's West Side Market at night
context_page_description: Cleveland, officially the City of Cleveland, is a major city in the U.S. state of Ohio, and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. It is located on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. maritime border with Canada and approximately 60 miles west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania state border.
  Cleveland is the largest city on the shores of Lake Erie, the second-largest city in Ohio, and the 53rd-largest city in the United States. The city proper has an estimated 2019 population of 381,009. Greater Cleveland is ranked as the 33rd-largest metropolitan area in the U.S., with 2,057,009 people in 2018. A Gamma + city, Cleveland anchors the Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area, the most populous combined statistical area in Ohio and the 15th largest in the U.S., with a population of 3,515,646 in 2010.
  Cleveland was founded in 1796 near the mouth of the Cuyahoga River by General Moses Cleaveland, after whom the city was named. A port city, it grew into a major manufacturing center due to its location on both the river and the lake shore, as well as numerous canals and railroad lines.
context_section_description: Known locally as the "Emerald Necklace", the Olmsted-inspired Cleveland Metroparks encircle Cleveland and Cuyahoga County. The city proper is home to the Metroparks' Brookside and Lakefront Reservations, as well as significant parts of the Rocky River, Washington, and Euclid Creek Reservations. The Lakefront Reservation, which provides public access to Lake Erie, consists of four parks: Edgewater Park, Whiskey Island–Wendy Park, East 55th Street Marina, and Gordon Park. Three more parks fall under the jurisdiction of the Euclid Creek Reservation: Euclid Beach, Villa Angela, and Wildwood Marina. Bike and hiking trails in the Brecksville and Bedford Reservations, along with Garfield Park further north, provide access to trails in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The extensive system of trails within Cuyahoga Valley National Park extends south into Summit County, offering access to Summit Metro Parks as well. Also included in the system is the renowned Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, established in 1882. Located in Big Creek valley, the zoo has one of the largest collection of primates in North America.
  The Cleveland Metroparks provides ample opportunity for outdoor recreational activities. Hiking and biking trails, including single track mountain bike trails, wind extensively throughout the parks. Rock climbing is available at Whipp's Ledges at the Hinckley Reservation. During the summer months, kayakers, paddle boarders, and rowing and sailing crews can be seen on the Cuyahoga River and Lake Erie. In the winter months, downhill skiing, snowboarding, and tubing are available not far from downtown at the Boston Mills/Brandywine and Alpine Valley ski resorts.
  In addition to the Metroparks, Cleveland Public Parks District oversees the city's neighborhood parks, the largest of which is the historic Rockefeller Park, notable for its late 19th century landmark bridges, Rockefeller Park Greenhouse, and Cleveland Cultural Gardens, which celebrate the city's ethnic diversity. Just outside of Rockefeller Park, the Cleveland Botanical Garden in University Circle, established in 1930, is the oldest civic garden center in the nation. Located in the historic FirstEnergy Powerhouse in the Flats, the Greater Cleveland Aquarium is the only independent, free-standing aquarium in the state of Ohio.
caption: Cleveland's historic Ohio City neighborhood at night.
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