Cuyahoga Falls, city (1990 pop. 48,950), Summit co., NE Ohio, on the Cuyahoga River; inc. 1836. On its course through the city the river drops 220 ft (67 m) through a series of falls and rapids. A suburb of Akron, Cuyahoga Falls is both residential and industrial, with factories that manufacture metals, rubber, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, and machinery. The city greatly expanded its area by annexing Northampton township in the 1980s. A state park is to the north, and the nearby Blossom Music Center is the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra.

Cuyahoga, river, c.80 mi (130 km) long, flowing SW through Cuyahoga Falls, then N to Lake Erie, NE Ohio, forming part of Cleveland harbor. By the late 1960s, the Cuyahoga was one of the most polluted rivers in the United States and a major contributor to the deterioration of Lake Erie. Antipollution measures were implemented, and by the late 1970s the status of the Cuyahoga was much improved. Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area was established in 1974 in the river valley between Akron and Cleveland (see National Parks and Monuments, table).