West Akron Events

A sprawling residential grid about three miles west of downtown, with tree-lined streets and one of Akron's most deliberate civic histories. West Side Neighbors, Inc. ran one of the city's most successful integration efforts here from 1967 to 1990 — a biracial and interfaith project to demonstrate that an integrated community could thrive with full services and engaged residents. Anchors today include the Maple Valley Branch Library, the John Brown home (preserved by the Summit County Historical Society), and the Dr. Bob house — boyhood home of one of the co-founders of Alcoholics Anonymous. The calendar runs on library programs, school events, community-association gatherings, and faith-community events.