Joshua Stow was a member of the party led by Moses Cleaveland to survey the lands of the Connecticut Western Reserve around present-day Cleveland in 1796.

He was a native of Middletown, Connecticut, however, and never lived in Stow, though he spent both time and money developing the township and is quoted as saying it was "one of the prettiest and most romantic spots in the Western Reserve.

Munroe Falls was settled in 1809 as "Kelsey Mills" in the southern part of Stow Township and incorporated as a village in 1838.

Cuyahoga Falls was developed on land owned by Wetmore and Joshua Stow beginning in 1825 in the southwestern part of the township and became a town in 1837.

Silver Lake incorporated as a village in 1918 on land that had previously been part of Stow Township.

The remainder of Stow Township incorporated in 1957 as a village and became a city following the 1960 United States Census.

The city is not considered part of the Lake Erie snowbelt, though lake-effect snow does occur at times.

Stow is in the "secondary snowbelt," meaning it will receive heavier snowfalls from lake-effect snow when certain wind directions are more prevalent, but typically sees far less snow than areas to the north closer to Lake Erie.

[18] Stow Parks and Recreation allows children and teenagers to participate in sports such as baseball and basketball.

Stow is also home to the Roses Run Country Club, which overlooks a section of the Cuyahoga River.

In 2009 it was named as one of the top-ten golf courses in Northeast Ohio by the Akron Beacon Journal.

The paved Bike & Hike Trail parallels a scenic section of the Cuyahoga River where great blue herons, Canada geese, ducks, turtles and white-tailed deer can be seen.

All 33.5 miles of the trail are paved and can be used for hiking, biking and rollerblading as well as cross-country skiing.

[23] Stow is served by Holy Family School for those wishing a Grade 1-8 Catholic education.

The station broadcasts live audio from city council meetings, and regular announcements relating to: city and school functions; maintenance work; area businesses; and any upcoming local events.

Both the Akron Metropolitan Regional Transit Authority (METRO RTA) and Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA) have bus lines that stop in Stow,[26] and the city is also home to Kent State University Airport.