Northeast Ohio ('''NEO''') refers to a similar but substantially larger area as described below. This article covers the area generally considered to be Greater Cleveland, but includes information on the entire region of Northeast Ohio which includes the cities of Cleveland , Akron , and Youngstown .
Home to Kent State University and Case Western Reserve University , the region is largest and most populous in the state of Ohio, with over 4 million residents. NEO is the center of the Rust Belt : the most culturally liberal, and politically labor-liberal region of the state. The region also encompases Lorain-Elyria (W. Metro. Cleveland), Canton (S. Metro. Akron), and Warren (N. Metro. Youngstown).
However, the areas commonly understood as ''Greater Cleveland'' or ''Northeast Ohio'' are not precisely defined. Most often, Greater Cleveland is understood as referring to all of Cuyahoga County, and a number of surrounding communities. The Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor MSA covers most of this area and some smaller outlying communities.
Northeast Ohio is commonly understood to be a larger region surrounding Greater Cleveland. Some consider it to include as many as 13 counties and the cities of Akron , Canton , Lorain , Elyria , Ashtabula , Youngstown and Warren . Northeast Ohio is home to approximately 4.5 million people, has a labor force of almost 2 million, and a gross regional product of more than US$ 134 billion.
The areas commonly referred to as ''Greater Cleveland'' or ''Northeast Ohio'' are neither precisely the same as the Cleveland-Elyria-Mentor MSA nor the Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area defined by the U.S. Census Bureau .
The region is considered by some to be a part of a Megalopolis . Some geographers describe the area stretching from Cleveland to Pittsburgh as the "Steel City Corridor", encompassing the cities of Akron, Canton, and Youngstown. Others characterize it as part of a larger megalopolis that connects Chicago to Pittsburgh, " Chicago To Pittsburgh ".
I-271 and I-480 are the only two three-digit interstates in the nation to be multiplexed with each other. They run concurrent near Bedford Heights in Cuyahoga County .
