FAQ’s - frequently asked questions
We’ve seen some repeated questions out there about Cleveland, so we’re adding this page to provide a quick reference for the public.
LOCATION
1. What country is Cleveland in? Cleveland is a major city in the United States and is one the country’s primary cities. Of note, it is a major center for medicine (people travel from over 100 countries per year to Cleveland for innovative and experienced medical treatment), as well as home to higher education, manufacturing, and the arts. The Cleveland Orchestra and the Cleveland Museum of Art are both within the top five in the world for orchestras and art museums. The city sits between New York and Chicago—an approximately one hour flight from either city, or a seven-hour drive from NYC or a six-hour drive from Chicago. Cleveland is located on the south shore of Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes, making Cleveland a coastal city, and the Port of Cleveland is the only port on the Great Lakes with regular, scheduled container and bulk service to Europe.
2. What state is Cleveland in? Cleveland is the state of Ohio. Metropolitan Cleveland is the largest metropolitan city in the state in terms of population and economy and is comprised of two US-designated metropolitan statistical areas—Cleveland MSA and Akron MSA—with a population of 2.9 million. The city sits along the shores of Lake Erie, making Cleveland a coastal city with beaches and a port with direct shipping to Europe.
3. What county is Cleveland in? Cleveland is the county seat and primary city in Cuyahoga County.
4. Where is Cleveland in terms of longitude and latitude (long lat)? Public Square, in Downtown Cleveland is located at 41.4993° N, 81.6944° W.
5. What time zone is Cleveland in? Cleveland is in the Eastern Time Zone; it is the same time zone as New York City.
6. What is the Area Code for Cleveland? The core city of Cleveland area code is 216. However, the full Cleveland region has five local area codes: 216 is in the city’s core and certain close-in suburbs, 440 and 436 in the Eastern and Western suburbs, and 330 and 234 in the Southern region of Cleveland. Being in the US, the country code is +1.
TRANSPORTATION
1. Which is the best Cleveland airport to fly into? Cleveland has three airports that serve the city:
1.) Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE/KCLE), which is the region’s primary commercial airport, is the preferred airport if flying commercially, given the number of cities served directly, frequency of service, number of airlines, ground connectivity options, and location within the region. Approximately ten airlines, including all major US airlines, serve Cleveland Hopkins, and the airport has direct rail service from the main terminal to Downtown Cleveland and other points in the city.
2.) Cleveland Burke Lakefront Airport (BKL/KBKL), which is very conveniently located in Downtown Cleveland, but currently serves only charter and corporate flights as the city is denying commercial operators from serving other passengers.
3) Akron-Canton Airport (CAK/KCAK), which is a smaller airport in the southern part of the Cleveland region—located between Akron and Canton—with a limited number of flights. No rail service connects CAK with Downtown Cleveland and travel by car is approximately one hour.
2. Does Cleveland have trains in the city? Yes, Cleveland has both heavy rail and light rail. Both systems are operated by the Regional Transit Authority, the city’s public transit operator, which also operates bus, bus rapid transit (BRT), and paratransit. In fact, Cleveland’s heavy rail line, the “Red Line”, operated the first airport-to-downtown rail transit line in the United States.
ECONOMY & POPULATION
1. How big is Cleveland’s economy? Cleveland is a major US city. Its 2023 GDP was $220.4 Billion, making Cleveland the 25th largest economy in the United States.
2. Is Cleveland the biggest economy in Ohio? Yes. Cleveland’s economy was $220.4B in 2023, making it the 25th largest in the US. Metropolitan Cleveland’s economy is the combination of the Cleveland MSA and Akron MSA given that it is one trading area and that some Cleveland suburbs fall within the Akron MSA vs the Cleveland MSA, given that MSA boundaries use county lines versus urban area boundaries. The second largest urban economy in Ohio is Cincinnati, at $198.9B (30th in the US), followed by Columbus, Dayton, and Toledo.
3. How big is the Cleveland Air Market or Cleveland Catchment Area? : The population of the area for which Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is the closest major airport serving the area is 4,878,056. A map showing this area relative to the other airports can be seen here - scroll down to geographic definition #8.
4. How big is the Cleveland media market? Cleveland’s Designated Market Area (DMA), as established by Nielsen Media Research is 3.9 million people, or 1.6 million households. It is the 19th largest media market in the US.
GOVERNMENT
1. What is the governmental structure of Cleveland? Cleveland has a mayor-council form of government. The mayor and council members are elected to four-year terms and each councilperson represents a distinct ward. There are fifteen council districts, named Ward 1 through Ward 15; there are no “at-large” council seats. Council is headed by the City Council President.
2. Who is the current mayor of Cleveland? The current mayor of Cleveland is Justin Bibb, elected in 2025 to his current term. However, a movement is currently underway to recall Mayor Bibb from office citing transparency and accountability issues and inappropriate financial dealings. He is also trying to close a major economic asset in the city, an airport, despite failing to perform or disclosing (if performed) credible financial estimates of what environmental remediation of the airport would cost, estimated at $500M, before any re-use of the land is possible, issuing misleading studies about why airport closure is warranted, and suppressing airline traffic at the airport to support his claim while hurting US air passengers.
3. Who is the City Council President and who are the other members of Council? Council President is Blain Griffin, who represents Ward 6 (D-6). The Majority Leader is Jasmin Santana (D-14) and the Majority Whip is Charles Slife (D-15). The full Council can be seen here.
EDUCATION
1. I want to move to Cleveland to attend school. Which universities are in Cleveland? There are numerous universities in Greater Cleveland (defined as the Cleveland and Cuyahoga County and the six outer counties). These include nationally or internationally famous schools like Oberlin, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Institute of Art, and Cleveland Institute of Music, amongst other private and public universities. All of the schools below offer a Bachelors and/or higher degrees (with the exception of Cleveland Clinic’s Lerner College of Medicine, where the MD degree is conferred by Case Western Reserve University). There are many community colleges (two-year) and technical schools as well, that are not listed below:
Oberlin College - first college in the United States to admit women - in 1833.
2. Where can I receive a JD / Law Degree in Cleveland? In the City itself, there are two schools: Case Western Reserve University (CWRU) School of Law and Cleveland State University College of Law (formerly known as Cleveland Marshall College of Law). In the surrounding area, about 45 minutes from Downtown Cleveland in Akron is the University of Akron School of Law.
3. Are there any public international baccalaureate (IB) schools in the city of Cleveland? Yes, there are various IB schools in Greater Cleveland. In the city itself, right downtown is Campus International School, part of the Cleveland Metropolitan School District, a recognized IB school and it is free to attend.