Cuyahoga, meaning crooked river in Iroquois language, is a prominent river in North Ohio. Relatively recent in its formation, the Cuyahoga River begins in Burton, which is the confluence of the East Branch Cuyahoga River and the West Branch Cuyahoga River, originally coming from the Cuyahoga watershed in Hambden. The River flowing from Burton follows a southern route across the state right up to Cleveland, where it enters and joins with the Lake Erie.

Renowned for its polluted nature, the Cuyahoga River has been the reason for various environmental control measures to be introduced in the country. However, the water quality today has improved considerably, especially after the river was designated as an American heritage river in 1998.

Over the years, several changes were made to the manner in which the river entered Lake Erie, thus converting the erstwhile shallow marsh area into a manmade mouth, which in turn allowed easy access to ships between the Lake and the river. Constant dredging has also ensured that the region can be easily accessed by ships carrying bulk carriage like asphalt, granite etc to cater to the needs of the industries located in the area, known as the Cleveland Flats district.

The Cuyahoga River belt, also known as the Cleveland Flats district, has always been renowned for its industries and later for its entertainment options. However, there are several developers these days who are looking to develop this zone into a residential as well as a commercial area. Several projects for housing as well as commercial centers are being planned along the banks of the Cuyahoga River. With the population of the city growing at a constant rate and the ever increasing needs of the people, utilizing the open space available in this area for creating residential and commercial centers has been claimed as a good move by many.

Whilst this area is definitely conducive for residential and commercial purposes, it is still a long way from becoming one of the more popular districts in the city. The most important reason for this is the lack of connectivity between this area and other parts of the city. However, most believe that it is a matter of time before this area is well connected with others.