INSIDE AKRON: Akron Documenters are fanning out across the city’s 24 neighborhoods to elevate places, faces, voices and vibes — as shared by the people who live there. Expect a new profile every day through October.
North Hill has long been a hub for immigrants. Once known as Akron’s Little Italy, it also attracted Polish and Irish immigrants.
Now, it’s far more likely to find Asian immigrants in the neighborhood. The International Institute of Akron has helped resettle families in the area, including Bhutanese residents who came from refugee camps in Nepal. Akron Documenter Ken Evans talked to two such residents who opened Royal Palace in the old Italian Center on East Tallmadge Avenue.
North Hill’s population was shrinking more than 20 years ago when Akron was deciding where to build its community learning centers, and no new school was slated for the area. Now, North High School is going to be replaced — not closed — as a result of the growing population.
Akron Documenter Ken Evans is the primary contributor for this story. He is a Cuyahoga Falls resident and has been a Documenter since June 2024. Learn more about Documenters including how to join.
1922 viaduct opens North Hill up to more residents
It wasn’t always clear that North Hill would have many residents at all. For more than 80 years, the hill’s plateau remained undeveloped because of how difficult it was for a horse and buggy to climb to the top — a journey that took more than half an hour, according to “Akron and Summit County,” a book by Karl H. Grismer.
But in 1891, Akron Traction Co. President John F. Seiberling extended the Howard Street trolley line up the hill. North Hill began to thrive after the 1922 opening of the North Hill Viaduct, which helped people traverse the divide.
The opening was marked by a 3-mile parade attended by 150,000 people.
More than a century later, North Hill has about 17,500 residents. The neighborhood is 38% white, 28% Asian, 21% Black, 6% mixed race and nearly 5% other races. Additionally, about 8% of residents are Hispanic.
Evans talked with residents and business owners about what they see as the strengths and the challenges of their neighborhood.
Voice of the People: Katie Beck
Katie has lived in the neighborhood since 2014 and is the co-artistic director for Gum-Dip Theatre.
What is the most interesting thing about North Hill?
“What I’ve heard from people who have visited North Hill is that it feels more like other cities in America, right? The diversity, the wildness, the mix of people,” Katie said, adding that it feels like a microcosm of how larger cities are.
What is missing from your neighborhood?
“A coffee shop, which I tried to do, but people didn’t patronize it enough. But that is such a basic answer.”
“Ethical landlords,” she added. “I think about the people getting taken advantage of, and then are discouraged from continuing to live here,” Katie said.
How has North Hill changed over the time you’ve lived here?
Katie said that she didn’t have a sense of this neighborhood while growing up in Firestone Park. When she moved back to Akron and into North Hill in 2014, she was surprised by the diversity and “everything happening in the neighborhood.”
“You know, there were empty storefronts and buildings that were, you know, decrepit and all that,” she said. “But then Better Block happened. And it was like this beautiful activation that I feel like just really helped spark the momentum of development in that [Temple Square] area.”
Katie said that when she moved in there were four grocery stores and now there are a couple of dozen.
She said the identity is changing again. “A lot of immigrants have been here a while, and are buying houses outside of Akron, so it is not necessarily the same influx.”
Where is the North Hill neighborhood in Akron?
North Hill is located just north of downtown and is the city’s most racially and ethnically diverse neighborhood, with more than two dozen languages spoken by its residents. The area is often referred to as Akron’s “International District,” but its history is rooted in the Italian immigrant and Black communities.
What’s the biggest challenge facing your neighborhood and how do you think it can be solved?
“The cross-cultural stuff is always going to be the biggest challenge, because of obviously different cultural contexts,“ she said. “It’s not just about communication; it’s also about people getting the services they need and being connected with the right people. It’s hard to have a cohesive way of everyone meeting each other where they’re at.”
What else do you want people to know about North Hill?
“The amphitheater here at Waters Park. The city invested a lot, Akron200 invested a lot, and when we did the play (Blimpulse), it was so cool,” Katie said. “It felt so good because a lot of people came, having it full, and using it for the first time. I think they said it was the first performance in 80 years.”
How does it feel to be a resident of this neighborhood?
“I just like, of course, there’s a little pride, because I feel like you have to love the neighborhood you live in, right?” she said. “I’ve invested so much time and energy into this place now … I guess it’s just like, it’s messy and loud and dramatic, but I just love that.”
Small Business Perspective
Royal Palace 134 E. Tallmadge Ave.
Co-owners Janga Gajmer and Som Baraily
Tell me about the purpose of your business or nonprofit?
“We have the event venue and the bar and lounge, and we have a pool table,” Som said. “We do the event every weekend, and most of the time, we do the Mexican night every Saturday, and we serve Mexican food, tacos, chicken wings and we have a bar.”
Janga said the ballroom is for weddings, birthdays, parties or international concerts. “We bring a Nepali band, or some Mexican band and any other bands,” he said, adding they often work with the community.
How does your organization fit into or support the neighborhood?
“I think we feel a really good opportunity doing this business. And I know, like, the good part is we connect with the people in a community and connect with a lot of people,” Janga said.
Som said North Hill is full of people from different countries and he and his partner enjoy helping people with the venue. Sometimes they provide community members a 50% discount and also at times help out nonprofit groups. “So that’s the good thing. We are serving the community.”
What’s the most important or interesting thing about your neighborhood?
“We are glad to see different cultures and different people,” Janga said. He likes the diversity of North Hill, especially people he never saw in his country. He and Som are Bhutanese and grew up in Nepal before coming to Akron.
For Som, he likes the idea of sharing his own culture and language with others.
What’s missing from the neighborhood or what’s the biggest need in the neighborhood?
Janga would like to see more focus on public safety and making the neighborhood more peaceful. “Things (are) not really bad, still good, but I want to feel more secure,” Janga said.
Som agreed, and said people need to feel safe in the neighborhood and at his business. He said that some people think the crime rate in North Hill is high, but he thinks it’s coming down.
What else do you want to say about your organization or the neighborhood?
Janga said he is happy to work with anybody who wants to host an event. He said Royal Palace is willing to work with people and their budgets, as they don’t have a fixed price.
Public Space Shoutout: Akron Cooperative Farms
The term “hidden gem” is used a lot around Akron, but as a public space, Akron Cooperative Farms may live up to the moniker.
Barely visible when driving down state Route 8, the large community garden hosts 140 personal plots across four acres, where city-owned baseball fields near Patterson Park were once located.
Founded in 2019 by Doug Wurtz, the space has evolved into the most extensive community garden in the city. The gardeners, who primarily come from North Hill’s refugee and immigrant community, use techniques and structures uncommon in the United States.
The result is a beautiful maze of hanging gourds, giant corn stalks, and blooming chrysanthemums. While the dull rumble of the highway is ever-present, the garden is nevertheless a soothing and unique corner of the city.
The farm hosts Asian Service in Action’s (ASIA) weekly HAPI Fresh Farmer’s Market through early fall, but the space can be visited anytime during daylight hours. Visitors are encouraged to explore, but shouldn’t pick anything.
