Welcome to Cleveland. The Forest City.
As I enter Cleveland just east of the airport, I’m surprised to see the signs still announce Cleveland as The Forest City. Hailing from 1850, the nickname is almost as old as the city itself. Nowadays, I associate the “Forest City” designation with the ample green areas of Cleveland, like the Metroparks that form an “emerald necklace” around the metropolitan area.
But according to the “Encyclopedia of Cleveland” the Forest City was given its name when it wasn’t exactly a forest anymore. In the early 1800s Public Square was just a bunch of tree stumps. The rampant felling of old-growth maples, oaks, beeches, and sycamores cut a great swath across Ohio. The timber industry denuded the landscape for its wood, for shipbuilding, fuel, home-building, exports via the canal systems. They even made a road out of wood, called Plank Road. Apparently, William Case introduced the nickname “The Forest City” as a visionary one — the idea being it was time to replant and attempt to restore the forest canopy.
It’s great to be in Cleveland once more. The old, deciduous trees stand tall, instantly reminding me I’ve come home.