Rooted in Cleveland. Focused on downtown.

Our purpose

We foster the civic, social, commercial, cultural, and economic well-being of downtown Cleveland. That work includes supporting local businesses, encouraging thoughtful investment, promoting community events, and caring for the distinctive character that makes downtown Cleveland feel like home.

A community shaped by energy and enterprise

Cleveland is located in eastern Pawnee County on the south side of the Arkansas River. The community was renamed Cleveland in 1894 in honor of President Grover Cleveland and entered a period of dramatic growth in the early twentieth century.

The arrival of the Katy Railway and the development of the Cleveland Field after the Uncle Bill Number One discovery in 1904 brought new people, investment, equipment, construction, and business activity. Oil became a defining part of Cleveland's identity, and energy remains important to the community and region today.

Downtown as a place of memory and possibility

Downtown has long served as a place for business, services, gatherings, celebrations, and everyday connection. Stories such as the Arlington Hotel, the Katy Railway, the Mullendore Mansion, Pioneer Day, and Cleveland's oil heritage give the community a distinct identity worth sharing.

Our goal is not to freeze downtown in the past. It is to understand what shaped Cleveland, support the people doing business here now, and build a downtown that remains useful, welcoming, and active in the future.

The Main Street approach

Our work follows the Main Street framework of Economic Vitality, Design, Promotion, and Organization. These priorities help us balance business growth, a welcoming public environment, community storytelling, and the partnerships needed for long-term progress.