500 miles=806 km

Hudson is served by diversified transportation facilities, including two State and U.S. highways and interstate highway I-271, which in turn connects to I-71, I-90, I-480, and I-80. I-80 is a major interstate highway that travels east-west through the upper third section of the State. To the west, is I-80, the Ohio Turnpike. State Route 8 on the western border of the City travels north and south through Hudson. To the south it travels through Akron and then joins I-77 as it intersects I-76.

The City is adjacent to areas served by Conrail and Amtrak, and is served by passenger air service at Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and Burke Lake Front Airport located in Cuyahoga County and the Akron-Canton Regional Airport located 30 miles south of the City. All nearby airports are within a 30-minute drive of Hudson. Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a hub for Continental Airlines. Public mass transit for the area is provided by the County Metro Regional Transportation Authority.

Northeast Ohio is one of the country’s leading trucking centers. Over 54 percent of the nation’s business can be conducted within overnight trucking distance from the Hudson area, and railroads provide a network of convenient, low-cost access to markets across the nation. The region is below the national averages for indexed congestion and cost per driver. Three intermodal truck/rail facilities are located in Northeast Ohio for fast, convenient shipment of commodities. In addition, Hudson’s Foreign Trade Zone 181 offers numerous cost-reduction benefits for companies doing business globally.

Banking and financial services are provided to the City area by approximately 11 banking facilities, representing 10 different commercial institutions.

Northeast Ohio is on the cutting edge of technology. From online capabilities, to software research and development, the area offers high-tech resources to help companies succeed. For example, Omeris, formerly the Edison Biotechnology Center, focuses on business formation and growth in the biotech, pharmaceutical, medical device and health care software sectors. The Northeast Ohio Software Association (NEOSA) is a nonprofit trade association of software development organizations and companies working to bring people and information together to enhance the regional climate for growth and quality.

Northeast Ohio has a skilled and educated labor pool consisting of approximately 2 million workers. The region ranks 4th in the nation for the least number of days lost on the job per year. Northeast Ohio is home to several major auto plants and suppliers, thousands of machinery and metal working companies, and more than one thousand polymer production sites. More than a dozen Fortune 500 companies call Northeast Ohio home.

The City is served by the following hospitals located in the County: Akron City Hospital and Saint Thomas Medical Center which comprise the Summa Health System (694 beds); Akron General Medical Center (496 beds); Children’s Hospital Medical center of Akron (253 beds); Cuyahoga Falls General Hospital (148 beds; and the Barberton Citizens’ Hospital (277 beds).
Northeast Ohio is considered one of the leading medical centers in the nation. The Cleveland Clinic Health System is world renowned for its advances in cardiology and other fields of medicine. Other area hospitals are nationally recognized for burn treatment, neonatal intensive care, and cancer research and treatment. The region is rapidly emerging as a center of excellence in biotechnology research.

Thirty two private and public colleges and universities are located within 50 miles of the City with an aggregate enrollment of approximately 150,000 students. The University of Akron, a part of the State university system, provides the county with a major university and houses an internationally recognized College of Polymer Sciences. It is the third largest of the 13 State universities, with an enrollment of approximately 28,000 students attending for credit and 12,000 participating in noncredit programs. Other State universities located within commuting distance of the City are Cleveland State University, Case Western Reserve University, John Carroll University, Notre Dame College, Ursuline College, Youngstown State University and Kent State University, whose Liquid Crystal Institute is a national leader in liquid crystal technology, and the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine (NEOUCOM).

Northeast Ohio’s colleges and universities comprise the second-largest concentration of educational resources in the nation. Many of the universities and technical schools in Northeast Ohio are leading institutions in industrial technology and research, including the areas of polymer science, biomedical engineering and flat panel display technology. With its university resources and vocational training programs, the region provides a steady supply of technical and managerial workers to area employers.

Hudson operates 20 parks on more than 1,000 acres. Park facilities include soccer fields, a 50-acre lake at Hudson Springs Park, play areas, hiking trails, pavilions, picnic tables and grills, and baseball and softball fields. Park operations are funded with voter-approved levies for park purposes. Approximately 350,000 people visit Hudson parks each year.

In addition to the Hudson park system, the City is served by various County recreational and cultural facilities. The Akron Metropolitan Park operates a park system of more than 6,600 acres in the County and in neighboring Medina County. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park, with approximately 33,000 acres, is located primarily in Summit County and begins just outside of Hudson’s western border. The National Park Service has estimated that approximately 7,000,000 people visit the park and the numerous nonfederal facilities within its boundaries each year. The Cuyahoga Valley National Park preserves rural, natural land and open space along 22 miles of the Cuyahoga River. Seventy-five miles of shoreline in the Portage Lakes chain, located in nearby Coventry and Franklin Townships, are available for swimming, fishing and boating. Forty-three private and public golf courses are located in Summit County.

Hudson is home to two private country clubs, offer 18-holes courses, as well as the City-owned Ellsworth Meadows Golf Club, recently refurbished and open year-round for play, weather permitting. The Hudson Community Education & Recreation organization offers recreational classes, day camps, sports instruction, dance classes, and other activities for the whole family. The HCER website offers information on the recreational activities available at www.hcer.net.

Quicken Loans Arena, Jacobs Field and Cleveland Browns Stadium in nearby Cleveland are the home of major sports and entertainment events, primarily the Cleveland Cavaliers, the Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Browns. The City of Akron recently completed Canal Park, a new minor league baseball facility in downtown Akron. The facility is now home to the Akron Aeros, a Class AA affiliate of the Cleveland Indians.

The 3,000 E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Hall is part of the University of Akron and offers performances of ballet, opera, symphony and band concerts, as well as musicals, traveling theater productions and lecture programs. The hall is home to the 90-member Akron Symphony Orchestra. The Ohio Ballet performs in Barlow Farm Park in Hudson once each year. The John S. Knight Convention Center in downtown Akron serves as a venue for trade shows and exhibitions. The Cleveland Convention Center and the IX Center, both located 30 minutes away in Cleveland, host major tradeshows and events throughout the year.

Blossom Music Center, and outdoor pavilion complex in Cuyahoga Falls, is the summer home of the internationally renowned Cleveland Orchestra and hosts musical programs and concerts throughout the summer.

Theaters within the area include Actors’ Summit, Hudson Players, Porthouse Theatre, Weathervane Community Playhouse, Coach House Theatre, Akron Children’s Theatre and Carousel Dinner Theatre. Nearby Cleveland is home of many concert and theatrical venues, including Play House Square; Cleveland Play House; Severance Hall, home to the Cleveland Orchestra; and the House of Blues.

The Akron Art Museum specializes in American art of the 19th and 20th centuries. The museum currently is closed for major renovation and is anticipated to reopen in 2006. The Akron Art Museum presents works by nationally prominent artists, in addition to its permanent collection, and offers concerts and lectures. Within driving distance are The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, the world-renowned Cleveland Museum of Art, the Natural History Museum, Cleveland Botanical Gardens, and the Cleveland Science Center and the Cleveland Children’s Museum.

The NEC International is held at the Firestone Country Club in the County and the Firestone Tournament of Champions, a professional bowling tournament, and the All-American Soap Box Derby are held in nearby Akron.

Hudson also is ideally located near Geauga Lake amusement park, and is only a short drive away from Cedar Point Amusement Park, Brandywine and Boston Mills Ski Resorts, and many other fun places to enjoy one’s time in the area.

Two daily newspapers, The Akron Beacon Journal and The Plain Dealer, and a semi-weekly newspaper (The Hudson Hub Times) serve the City. Hudson is located within the broadcast area of nine television stations and many AM and FM radio stations. Multichannel cable TV service, including educational, governmental and public access channels, is provided by Adelphia Cable.

In 1996, Hudson began operating its own cable television station, Hudson Cable 25. The station broadcasts programs that cover government, school and other activities of interest to the community on two cable TV channels. Operations are primarily funded by non-tax cable franchise fees.