Rockport to Lakewood, Ohio — a Thriving Cleveland suburb
The beautiful little city of Lakewood, Ohio, a western suburb of Cleveland, began life in 1819 as Rockport Township, an unincorporated area of Cuyahoga County, composed of 22 1-square mile sections. One still sees references to “Rockport” in church names, businesses and other local namings.
Despite the short growing season and harsh winters, the fertile soil of Rockport encouraged a wide variety of agriculture, including greenhouse vegetables, flowers, vineyards and fruit orchards.
The high clay content of the Rockport earth made tile-making and brick-making favorable industries as well and the proximity to the Cuyahoga River/Lake Erie water system allowed for easy transport and trade to the little community.
The area of Rockport Township east of the Rocky River gradually developed into the city of Lakewood in 1911. Through real estate development and municipal political activity, Rockport Township gave birth to the city of Fairview Park and suburbs of West Park and Linndale. Thus, the current city of Lakewood would have been considerably larger than it is today and could support a much larger population. However, part of Lakewood’s charm is its urban feel with compactness, so the “loss” of these three areas is not to be regretted. We can celebrate Lakewood’s cozy uniqueness!