Canton, located in northeastern Ohio's Stark County, has an approximate population of 80,806 (2004 U.S. Census). The city was founded in 1805 and officially incorporated in 1822, according to the curator of the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum located in Canton. Canton is also home to the McKinley National Memorial and the First Ladies National Historic Site.
Canton's economy is primarily industrial, with a significant agricultural segment. Industries located n the area are the Timken Company, Hoover vacuums and Floor Cleaners, the Belden Brick Company, Diebold (ATMs, electronic voting devices, and bank vaults), and LTV Steel. Poultry and dairy farming are also important segments of its economy. Employment in the manufacturing sector has fallen drastically with the passing of NAFTA (North American Free Trade Act) and other trade agreements favoring offshore production and profits.
Most of Canton's downtown businesses have also migrated to the suburbs and nearby Jackson Township. Some cafes and restaurants have begun to return to this area as well as small concentrations of retail shops along Cleveland Avenue and Tuscarawas Street. Canton is also home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, where the NFL holds the Pro Football Hall of Fame Festival, which includes a balloon festival, ribs burn-off, fashion show, community parade, Sunday morning race, enshrinenee dinner, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Grande Parade, and culminates in the enshrinement of the new inductees and then the NFL Hall of Fame Game, a pre-season exhibition between teams representing the AFC and the NFC at Fawcett Stadium.
