Cleveland Under the Microscope!

http://clevelandhomeless.blogspot.com/2006/08/poorest-city-in-united-states-again.html

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6080044/

Cleveland Ohio is ranked the #1 poorest big city in the United States. Despite many efforts from the year 2004, it somehow managed to regain its poor city status. Back during the 90’s, Cleveland was known for its vibrancy in the steel industry as well as in other manufacturing companies. Over about a decade, Cleveland’s economic standing started to decline; it seemed to be losing both business and tourism. It had been in economic recession since 2000.

The Ford Motor Company and LTV Steele were both contributing factors to the digression of Cleveland’s economy. Both companies employed a large amount of people. Many of these people completely lost their jobs or were bought out. These actions resulted in families being forced to rely on the government to provide for their entire families. Even then, numerous families struggled with bills because the services rendered by government did not completely satisfy every families needs.

In addition, hundreds of teachers and some city workers were laid off. There were times when parents protested against having teachers laid off. They complained about classes being over-sized and their students not being able to receive adequate attention in the classroom. During this time, fire and police personnel were also being laid off. People feared for their safety. They began to question the accountability of the emergency personnel.

As a Cleveland native, I can say that there have been efforts to improve the economy. Many new construction projects are being made with hopes of hiring those who are currently unemployed. This past summer I saw a program designed that hired people to go around and keep the city clean, picking up debris and to maintain property. I believe this program was created to minimize unemployment. The new installation of Mayor, Frank Jackson has promised many new jobs and opportunities. He plans to bring tourism back to Cleveland.