Located in Ohio’s Cuyahoga County, Solon is a sought-after residential suburb to the far south-east of Cleveland. It is considered a satellite city, with its own schools, community facilities and sustainable employers, although many residents commute to work in Cleveland.
Solon’s main commercial hub centres around Aurora Road, with the post office, banking facilities, retail stores and eateries clustered here, together with the Solon Center for the Arts within its historic Old City Hall. The Solon Mall Shopping Centre lies just to the north, together with the more extensive Uptown Solon mall. The Grantwood Golf Club hugs its eastern edge, while the Hawthorne Valley Country Club lies along a picturesque creek to the west. In addition to being a popular residential area and commuter base for those working in Cleveland, Solon also has a strong manufacturing industry, with Nestle and Swagelok among its major employers.
Public buses are the main means of transport in and around Solon, with frequent services to Cleveland, Aurora and Solon. The main commercial centre is compact enough to cover on foot, although a car is preferable for exploring further afield.
A township named after Lorenzo Solon Bull, the son of a pioneering settler, was established in 1820 in the Connecticut Western Reserve, with dairy, corn and wheat farming among its major industries. His middle name was selected for its reference to the “father of democracy”, Solon, who was a famous Athenian statesman, lawmaker and poet.