Canton is the southernmost city in the industrial corridor stretching south from Cleveland in northeast Ohio. Massillon is almost a twin city just to the west. The area is a center of diverse manufacturing and a gateway to the large Appalachian foothills to the south and east. Manufacturers include Timken (roller bearings) Diebold (ATM’s and banking systems) and the Hoover Company (vacuums).

The downtown area, though mostly unremarkable, has undergone an attractive core renewal which has brought some business back. Newer suburbs contain a good assortment of spacious homes with attractive settings and prices. The Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton is one local attraction, and areas in the foothills yield recreation and some interesting historic industrial and agricultural areas, including the glassblowing and brick-making areas around Dover and New Philadelphia. Residents drive north towards Cleveland for cultural amenities and shopping.

The area has rolling terrain, which becomes hillier moving south from the city. Valleys are open and agricultural, and the hills are mostly deciduous woods. The climate is similar to Akron and other cities that face Lake Erie to the north. The lake has considerable influence on area weather, tempering cold air masses during the late fall and winter and contributing to the formation of brief but heavy snowfalls. Lake-related temperature and moisture contrasts produce cloudy days 1 out of every 2 days. Summers are moderately warm and quite humid, with late springs and pleasant fall periods. Temperature and snowfall vary considerably over the area, with more snow in the north. First freeze is mid-October, last is late April.