Founded in 1805 alongside the Middle and West Branches of Nimishillen Creek, Canton became a heavy manufacturing center because of its numerous railroad lines.

However, its status in that regard began to decline during the late 20th century, as shifts in the manufacturing industry led to the relocation or downsizing of many factories and workers.

Starting in the mid-2010s, Canton began experiencing an urban renaissance, anchored by a growing arts district centrally located in the downtown area.

[10] Furthering this downtown development, in June 2016, Canton became one of the first cities in Ohio to allow the open consumption of alcoholic beverages in a "designated outdoor refreshment area" pursuant to a state law enacted in 2015.

[14] The plat of Canton was recorded at New Lisbon, Ohio, on November 15, 1805, by Bezaleel Wells, a surveyor and devout Episcopalian from Maryland born January 28, 1763.

Canton was likely named as a memorial to Captain John O'Donnell, an Irish merchant marine with the British East India Company whom Wells admired.

[15] The name selected by Wells may also have been influenced by the Huguenot use of the word "canton," which meant a division of a district containing several communes.

On June 16, 1918, Eugene V. Debs delivered the keynote speech at the annual Ohio Socialist Convention held in Canton's Nimisilla Park.

The year before his speech, and a month following the American entry into the First World War, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Espionage Act of 1917 into law.

This Act made it a federal crime to interfere with, among other things, the Selective Service Act or military draft.On June 30, 1918, Debs was arrested and charged with, among other things, "unlawfully, willfully and feloniously cause and attempt to cause and incite and attempt to incite, insubordination, disloyalty, mutiny and refusal of duty, in the military and naval forces of the United States."

[21] The U.S. Supreme Court's decision affirming Debs' conviction was sharply criticized by legal scholars at the time[22] and is generally regarded as a low point in First Amendment jurisprudence.

Before the sentence was passed on him, Debs said to the Court: 'Your Honor, years ago I recognized my kinship with all living beings, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on earth.

[31] The company designs, engineers, manufactures and sells bearings, transmissions, gearboxes, chain and related products, and offers a spectrum of power system rebuild and repair services around the globe.

The company's massive brick factories, which covered over 20 acres and included an ornate 150-foot clock tower, were demolished to accommodate the construction of Interstate 77.

Due to shifts in the street layout, the E–W divider becomes Cleveland Avenue south of the city, merging onto Ridge Road farther out.

[55] The District features homes designed by several distinguished architects, including Charles Firestone,[56] Herman Albrecht,[57] and Louis Hoicowitz.

The majority of the Canton area's "box store" retail is located in the general vicinity of the Belden Village Mall in Jackson Township.

Connecting Cleveland and Market avenues is a small shopping district on 30th Street NW, and retail lines the Route 62 corridor leading from Canton to Louisville and Alliance.

[74] Private investment has furthered Canton's transformation, which is illustrated by the multimillion-dollar creation of the Gervasi Vineyard, which draws patrons throughout the region.

The museum sponsors annual shows of the work of high school students in Canton and Stark County, and financial scholarships are awarded.

Canton is the home of the annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Festival, which includes a hot air balloon festival, ribs burn-off, fashion show, community parade, Sunday morning race, enshrinee dinner, and the Pro Football Hall of Fame Grand Parade.

[83] All seven of the Ohio High School Athletic Association state final football games are hosted in Canton at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

For the 2023 United States Football League (USFL) season, Canton served as the hub for the New Jersey Generals and Pittsburgh Maulers, with both teams playing their designated home games at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

[84] The first official female bodybuilding competition was held in Canton in November 1977 and was called the Ohio Regional Women's Physique Championship.

[87] The Bluecoats have been a part of the "top five" finalists in the DCI World Championships since 2013, and took home the Founders' Trophy in 2016 and in 2024[88] Canton has a mayor–council government and is the largest city in Ohio to operate without a charter.

Malone University, a private, four-year liberal arts college affiliated with the Evangelical Friends Church - Eastern Region, is located on 25th Street NW.

Four stations are licensed to Canton – full-power WDLI (Grit) and WRLM (TCT), and low-power WOHZ-CD (Telemundo/CBS/CW – WTCL-LD/WOIO/WUAB simulcast) and WIVM-LD (Independent).

Though it's part of the Cleveland TV market, Canton is its own radio market, served by stations such as WKRW 89.3 (NPR – WKSU simulcast), WDJQ 92.5 (Contemporary hits), WHBC-FM 94.1 (Hot AC), WHOF 101.7 (Classic hits), WRQK 106.9 (Rock), WTIG 990 (Sports), WILB 1060 (Catholic), WDPN 1310 (Soft AC), WHBC 1480 (News/Talk), and WINW 1520 (Gospel).

In February 2022, it was reported that SARTA had hired a consultant group to study the feasibility of a light rail line from the Pro Football Hall of Fame to downtown Canton, with possible expansion to other locations around the county in the future.

[124] In June of that same year, the full plan was released, calling for a nine-mile line from Akron-Canton Airport to downtown, where it would run down 3rd street in a separated lane from traffic.