In addition to the Kent State athletic teams, the city also hosts a number of amateur and local sporting events at various times during the year.

Around 1780, Captain Samuel Brady achieved notoriety for his activities in the area, including his famous leap of 21 feet (6 m) over the Cuyahoga River to avoid capture by an unknown band of American Indians.

[6] Franklin Township was surveyed in 1803 and settled in November 1805 when John Haymaker and his family moved west from Warren to the banks of the Cuyahoga River.

[7] Initial growth in the area was slow, but eventually two small villages would develop due to the potential for power generated by the Cuyahoga River that could be used in gristmills and manufacturing.

[10] In the era leading up to the American Civil War, Franklin Mills was an active stop on the Underground Railroad, giving fugitive slaves shelter on their escape to Canada.

[11] During this period, from 1835 to 1839, noted American abolitionist John Brown moved to the village, partnering with Zenas Kent to build a tannery along the Cuyahoga River.

The geographic location along the railroad and being home to the shops reinvented and revitalized the village as an important stop on the east–west line between St. Louis and New York City.

[22] Also during the late 1960s and into the 1970s, construction of Haymaker Parkway, completed in 1975, brought changes to the city's layout while eliminating ongoing problems with traffic congestion and blocked rail crossings.

The first of these was the Phoenix Project, a development privately financed by Kent resident Ron Burbick that renovated and expanded a section of commercial space along East Main Street.

[31] In addition to parking, the facility functions as PARTA's main bus transfer station and has storefronts on the ground level facing East Erie Street.

[35][36] The developments attracted the attention of The Plain Dealer and The New York Times and earned the city and university the 2013 Larry Abernathy Award from the International Town–Gown Association in recognition of the positive town–gown cooperation and collaboration.

Construction of the University Esplanade extension, designed to link campus with downtown, started in August 2012 after several of the buildings in the area, most of which had been rental homes, were demolished or moved.

[52] The United States Geological Survey lists the city's elevation at 1,056 feet (322 m) above sea level at a point near Kent's geographic center.

[69] After the arrival of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in 1863, growth was steady into the early 20th century with the village battling Ravenna for the position of Portage County's largest city.

[66][77] Kent's location along the Cuyahoga River and later the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal and multiple railroad lines made it attractive initially for the establishment of small gristmills for the production of flour and various factories.

Beginning in the late first decade of the 21st century, the university, along with the city and private investors, began to play a more active role in the redevelopment of downtown Kent and has aided in the development of local high tech companies.

[109] Each year in early May, the university hosts an annual commemoration of the Kent State shootings, which typically features several speakers, forums, artwork, and other related events.

[119][120][121] Other buildings include the 1869 Kent Jail, now used by the Parks and Recreation Department, and the 1837 Franklin Township Hall, the site of eventual U.S. President James A. Garfield's first nomination for public office in 1859.

Gross Company Building, built in 1928 and designed by Kent architect Charles Kistler, was added to the NRHP in 2016 as part of its restoration and renovation.

These were narrowed to three finalists in January 2023, which were displayed at the Kent Free Library from March through June 14 to allow the public to see the designs in person and leave feedback on them.

It was designed by Kent resident Keith Bauer, then a nine year old in fourth grade at Holden Elementary School, as part of a flag contest sponsored by the Jaycee Janes, then the women's auxiliary of the United States Junior Chamber.

[196][197] Kent is part of the Cleveland–Akron (Canton) Television Market Area as defined by the Federal Communications Commission, which includes a 17-county region of Northeast Ohio.

In addition to the Record-Courier, the Kent offices house the various departments of Record Publishing and its other weekly newspapers that serve several Summit and Portage County communities.

[221][222][223] While residents are free to choose their own natural gas and electric suppliers, the city is part of the Northeast Ohio Public Energy Council, or NOPEC, the largest government aggregation in the United States.

An intermodal transit facility, known as the Kent Central Gateway, opened in 2013 in the downtown area to provide better integration of the existing bus system, hike-and-bike trails, and parking.

The building was financed mainly from a $20 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant received in February 2010 and construction began in April 2011.

Other political figures to come from Kent include Wisconsin governor Lucius Fairchild, former U.S. Representative Robert E. Cook, and noted abolitionist John Brown, who lived in what was then Franklin Mills from 1835 to 1839.

[247] Other performing artists to come from Kent include singer Julianne Baird, playwright Vincent J. Cardinal, and voice actor Joshua Seth.

[250][251] Kent State researcher James Fergason invented the Liquid crystal display technology that enabled low-power electronic devices.

[252] Athletes include football players Antonio Gates, James Harrison, Julian Edelman, Joshua Cribbs, and Jack Lambert; Major League Baseball players Thurman Munson, Rich Rollins, and Andy Sonnanstine; college football coaches Nick Saban and Lou Holtz; and golfer Ben Curtis, who resides in Franklin Township just north of the Kent city limits and lists Kent as his residence.