Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens was once the family home of F.A. Seiberling, co-founder of the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company. With 10 gardens on 70 acres, it’s Akron’s first National Historic Landmark and the nation’s sixth-largest historic home open to the public. We mention this not just because Akron ranks #10 for Green Space in the nation. The estate symbolizes the wealth that persists in Akron today. One of the world’s leading polymer centers, it is headquarters to two Fortune 500 companies—the aforementioned Goodyear and utility provider FirstEnergy Corp. Not surprisingly, Rubber City attracts its share of innovators, and the Greater Akron Polymer Innovation Hub—announced in 2024—should keep that pipeline flowing. Its impressively affordable housing (ranked #23) won’t hurt either. Meanwhile, the city continues to make massive infrastructure investments. The monumental Akron Waterways Renewed! project—which began in 2014—has completed 24 of its 26 milestones. Work on its 25th, the $215-million, 6,660-foot-long Northside Interceptor Tunnel, has just started and will continue through 2026. In other developments, the Bowery Street Bridge Replacement Project began in March, complementing the Bowery District project: a $42-million renovation of six historic buildings that will create 2,000 jobs and generate $245 million in revenue over 20 years.