As the transition point between the Allegheny Plateau and the Great Plains, the Cuyahoga Valley was the western frontier for the emerging American nation. The combination of a wide valley, steep slopes that sheltered the lowlands, and a narrow river contributed to the development of an industrial powerhouse. In the Cuyahoga Valley, as is the case throughout the world, topography is destiny.

Lake Erie is the 12^th largest body of fresh water on our planet. The Cuyahoga River provides a direct link between Greater Cleveland and the rest of the world. The Ohio & Erie Canal was a prime contributor to Northeast Ohio's preeminence as an economic leader and is now an integral part of the region's greenspace system.

While the images most associated with the Cuyahoga Valley are of gigantic lake carriers and steel mills, it also is a center for finance, new economy services, entertainment, and environmental renewal. With these assets and more, we possess the potential for making the Valley the center for an economy based on regeneration.

The Cuyahoga Valley may be characterized as eight different valleys, each with unique personalities based on physiography and land use. Shaping our Valley are cultural assets such as historic neighborhoods and amazing industrial landscape in combination with infrastructure assets that include four interstate highways, a major crossroads in the national rail network, trails, and varied bridges that link our communities and great expanses of greenspace.

Most importantly, the Valley has been the center of our Greater Cleveland community. Its inhabitants throughout the lowland and upland neighborhoods provide a wealth of human potential, and the many thousands of people who come into the valley every day for employment represent one of the most skilled workforces in the nation. Our diversity is inherent in the architecture of our public buildings, the institutions that have formed to support our many ethnic communities, and the festivals and gathering places that bring us together.

Tap into the Valley's potential and recognize the opportunity which we have to make the Cuyahoga Valley a vital community, economic force, environmental treasure, and the unifying element for the region. The Valley has been a special place in the past and its greatest days could be ahead if our aspirations are animated by Core Principles.