It was during this era that Cleveland became a major lake port. handling the Great Lakes greatest amount of commerce. The emergence of Akron as a grain milling center was also a direct result of the canal. Economic prosperity expanded beyond the larger cities and encompassed all the smaller communities of the region as well. With expanded commerce canal increased population: Many newcomers to the region were immigrants from around the world. This created the religious and ethnic diversity for which northern Ohio remains famous to this day. During the Civil War. the canal became a route to freedom for slaves fleeing the South.
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immigrants