The  Buckeye-Woodhill  neighborhood (sometimes still referred to as "Woodland Hills" or "Lower Buckeye") is one half of the historic cultural epicenter of  Cleveland's Hungarian community . Buckeye-Shaker Square (my next run/post) or "Upper Buckeye" is the other. Together, the area is informally known as Buckeye-Woodland or Greater Buckeye. The area was originally part of the village of Newburgh. By 1880, it was home to one of the largest Hungarian populations in the U.S (10,000). By 1920, that number rose to 43,000 and featured s ix Hungarian-language newspapers, nearly a dozen churches, over 300 businesses, and 81 organizations. Many Hungarians began leaving the neighborhood for the suburbs after WWII with the exception of a wave of immigration in 1956 due to the Hungarian Revolution. The neighborhood began to experience decline in the 1960s as white flight, redlining and other common issues facing urban neighborhoods of that time set in. Today, th...

The Kinsman neighborhood was originally part of Newburgh township (1814) until the City annexed the area in the late 1800s. With many steel mills and oil refineries nearby, the neighborhood became a busy location for train traffic. However, after WWII, the neighborhood began a steep economic decline. Kinsman's demographics shifted from a progressive Jewish population in the early 20th century to largely African-American during the Second Great Migration. Kinsman also has a long history with public housing (Garden Valley was one of the city's first developments and CMHA is headquartered there today). Today, the neighborhood has become a leader in Cleveland's sustainability efforts. More on all of this below.

Originally settled in 1799 as part of Newburgh Township , the Slavic Village neighborhood evolved from a rural settlement into a dense industrial hub during the late 19th century as steel mills and the Ohio and Erie Canal drew thousands of immigrant workers . The area became a famous "ethnic enclave," primarily split between the Polish district of Warszawa (centered around the Shrine Church of St. Stanislaus ) and the Czech district of Karlin . While the neighborhood flourished as a retail and cultural center through the 1920s, it faced significant deindustrialization and suburban flight after World War II, eventually gaining national attention in 2007 as the "epicenter" of the American foreclosure crisis . Today, the community is defined by its r esilience and revitalization efforts , blending its deep Eastern European roots with new green spaces, public art, and a diverse population.

The  Mount Pleasant  neighborhood has been home to numerous ethnic groups, first Manx immigrants beginning in 1826, then Germans, Czechs, Russians, Jews, and Italians. Today, it is a predominantly African American neighborhood. In fact, Mt. Pleasant counts blacks among its earliest citizens. According to the  Encyclopedia of Cleveland History , in 1893 a contractor who employed a large number of Black workers was unable to pay wages in cash, so he gave them title to lots in the section north of Kinsman Rd. between E. 126th and E. 130th Streets (a house still sanding from that era is featured in this post). The title holders soon built homes there and by 1907 Mt. Pleasant had 100 Black families. Unheard in those parts of Cleveland at that time. The neighborhood has been home to numerous notable Clevelander celebrities over the years such as Jim Brown, Don King and Mayor Carl Stokes and was also the temporary home to a then up-and-coming rap and pop mega star Machine G...