Cleveland, Ohio is the seat of the Cuyahoga County and is also the most populous city in the state. A 2000 census showed the city's population to be at 478,403. It was incorporated as a city in 1836 and started out as a manufacturing hub. It has since then diversified and caters to a wide array of industries including service and financial sectors. Cleveland has been nicknamed 'The Forest City' and has a motto of 'Progress and Prosperity'. In 2005, 'The Economist' listed Cleveland and Pittsburgh as the most livable cities in the United States.

The city has also been the setting of many film and television shows, most notably 'The Drew Carey Show', 'Fortune Cookie', Walter Matthau and Jack Lemon's 'Major League', and 'Welcome to Collinwood'. Several Hollywood movies which were set somewhere else, but were filmed in Cleveland include 'Spider-Man 3' and the 1983 movie 'A Christmas Storey'.

Tourist attractions in Cleveland include the USS Cod, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Great Lakes Science Center, the Cleveland Botanical Garden, Severance Hall, and the Cleveland Museum of Art. The city is also the setting of several festivals that occur annually. These festivals include the Feast of the Assumption and the Hellenic Heritage Festival.