Although it incorporated as a village in 1895, East Cleveland officially became the first suburb in Cuyahoga County in 1911 when it passed its city charter. This charter included provisions for women's suffrage, which at the time was unheard of in all regions east of Chicago. Before the charter had passed, the city of Cleveland unsuccessfully attempted to annex the emerging municipality in 1910 and again in 1916. Within East Cleveland sits Nela Park, the worlds first industrial park. Nela Park continues to operate today as the functional headquarters for GE Lighting. East Cleveland includes a portion of Euclid Avenue, which from the 1860s through the 1920s was known as "Millionaire's Row". The many estates along this stretch of road in East Cleveland included the summer home of the late John D. Rockefeller, Standard Oil founder and "the world’s first billionaire". By the Great Depression a great number of homes along "Millionaire's Row" were demolished or abandoned. Although commercial properties and fast-food chains replaced many Euclid Avenue homes during the second half of the 20th century, East Cleveland is still home to 18 of the original "Millionaire's Row" homes, while only 6 are left in the city of Cleveland. After World War II, development of other suburbs within the region brought a number of changes to East Cleveland. By the 1960s, African Americans constituted an increasingly large portion of the city's population. By 1984, East Cleveland was one of the largest primarily black communities in the country, with a population of 36,957. Since the 1990s, the city has been in a state of steady decline, having remained in a state of fiscal emergency throughout the decade. Speculation of a possible annexation to Cleveland emerged again in 2005 when the city's former Nigerian-born mayor, Emmanuel W. Onunwor, was indicted by a federal grand jury for corruption and bribery. Some observers even suggested that the suburb be split between Cleveland and neighboring Cleveland Heights, OhioCleveland Heights. Current Mayor Eric J. Brewer, who took office on January 1, 2006, rejected the idea of a Cleveland and Cleveland Heights takeover and now presides over a city that was removed from fiscal emergency on February 5, 2006. Mayor Brewer sees a bright future for East Cleveland with its proximity to University Circle. Residents praise him for working tirelessly to restore integrity and competency in local government. To fight crime and instill developer confidence in his city, Mayor Brewer convinced Cuyahoga County Sheriff Gerald T. McFaul to dispatch deputies to help the police department. He asked the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development to free more than $5 million in block grant funds the agency had previously refused to allow the former mayor to spend. Recognizing the city's proximity to University Circle, Mayor Brewer has promoted a relationship with Case Western Reserve University, the Small Business Administration, the Cuyahoga County Department of Development, the Cleveland Foundation and other agencies to secure financial assistance for his city. The SBA and the county's development department, along with CWRU, have agreed to invest a combined $2.1 million to create a small business loan fund. Mayor Brewer has said East Cleveland is now also poised to become the first "wired" city in Ohio due to a new wireless internet agreement reached with Case Western Reserve. Emmanuel W. Onunwor, a Nigerian immigrant who served as mayor of East Cleveland beginning in 1997, is believed to have been the United States' first African-born mayor. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2001/08/19/loc_africa-born_mayor.html However, Onunwor is now in prison for racketeering, tax evasion and other charges. http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2006/January/06_crm_020.html Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Cleveland%2C_Ohio