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Things To Know - Canton
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Downtown Canton

Downtown Canton

Founded in 1805, Canton was named by Bezaleel Wells (the surveyor who divided the land of the town) for Canton, China, as a memorial to John O'Donnell who was the first person to transport goods from this Chinese city to Baltimore.

Because of its numerous railroad lines, it quickly became a manufacturing center. In 1867, although born in Niles, Ohio, William McKinley made Canton his adopted home as he began to practice law there. He was prosecuting attorney of Stark County from 1869 to 1871, then governor of Ohio, and eventually president of the United States. Canton is now the site of both the William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum and the McKinley National Memorial.

After the eventual decline of heavy manufacturing, the city's industry diversified into the service sectors of retail, education, finance, and healthcare. In recent years, Canton's downtown area has seen some exciting rejuvenation, with many new cafes, restaurants, and art galleries springing up. Downtown Canton's streetscape comes alive from June through December with a flurry of festivals.

Rivaling the arts offerings of much larger communities, Canton's Cultural Center for the Arts complex located at the downtown's northern gateway offers a vibrant spectrum of both classic and contemporary performing and visual arts. There's dining and nightlife to satisfy every taste and mood in downtown Canton, whether it's an eclectic mix of music, atmosphere, and food or the more intimate and upscale.

Downtown Canton's bar scene is also eclectic and diverse. Smooth jazz, hard rock, acoustic, original, alternative, zydeco, reggae, country, big bands, Latin, or romantic piano. Dance the night away or just enjoy the music.

Fun things to do and interesting sites to see don't stop at the city limit either. This is just a sampling of this area's historical, cultural, and artistic heritage. For more information, visit www.visitcantonstark.com.