Akron is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. The city is located in northeastern Ohio along the Cuyahoga River between Cleveland to the north and Canton to the south. It was founded in 1825 at the highest point of the Ohio and Erie Canal, and would become a manufacturing center initially due to its location along both the Ohio and Erie and the western end of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canals. During the late 19th and early 20th century the city grew into a boom town due to the emergence of the rubber industry, earning the nickname "Rubber Capital of the World," and being a pioneer in numerous other industries. After the decline of heavy manufacturing and the loss of many of the rubber companies beginning in the 1960s, the city's industry has since diversified to include research, financial, and high-tech sectors. As of 2000, the city proper had a total population of 217,074, and is the 81st largest city in the United States, and the fifth largest city in Ohio. It is the principal city of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Summit and Portage counties and a population of 698,553. Akron is also part of the larger Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area, which in 2000 had a population of 2,945,831, and ranked as the country's 14th largest. Like many former urban manufacturing centers of the U.S. Rust Belt, Akron's population has declined, falling from a peak of 290,351 in 1960. In 2001, Newsweek named Akron one of nine “High-Tech Havens," a list of cities that had become important in the Information Age, due to the research and development of polymers. In 1999, the United States Conference of Mayors awarded Akron with the City Livability Award, for creating the first Joint Economic Development District, the city also won the award 2008. Akron won the All-American City award three times making it into the National Civic League Hall of Fame. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Akron as a Tree City USA. Akron is home to the All-American Soap Box Derby, which has attracted thousands of children from across the world to race since the 1930s. The Firestone Country Club hosts the WGC-Bridgestone Invitational, an annual professional golf event since 1975. Residents of Akron are referred to as "Akronites". Nicknames used for the city include "Rubber Capital of the World," "Rubber City," "City of Invention," and "Tire City". Historical nicknames for the city include "Summit City" and "The Cross Roads of the Deaf".