Rambler Reserve is built on uncovering the stories and vintage aesthetics that give this city its character. When you look at Cleveland today—with its industrial flats, towering brick architecture, and steel bridges—it’s easy to focus on the grit. But long before the foundries fired up, this town earned a moniker that painted a very different picture: The Forest City.
It’s one of the oldest nicknames we have, and it’s a story of how a city carved out of the wilderness decided to intentionally honor its roots.
A Town Carved from the Timber
The origins of the Forest City name go all the way back to the 1830s. When French philosopher Alexis de Tocqueville visited the area in 1831, Cleveland was a rugged frontier settlement of just about 1,500 people. He described a society emerging amid a heavily forested environment, noting the "primeval forest" whose massive trees reflected in the waters of Lake Erie. We were a modern town setting up shop right in the thick of the woods.
While de Tocqueville set the scene, the nickname really took hold a couple of decades later thanks to William Case. Case was the secretary of the Cleveland Horticultural Society and served as mayor in the early 1850s. Instead of just clearing the land for progress, he launched a massive, city-wide campaign to plant shade and fruit trees. He wanted to make sure that as the city grew with iron and industry, it never lost its natural canopy.
The Name Becomes a Brand
By the 1850s, the "Forest City" title had caught on like wildfire. It became the go-to branding for local businesses looking to stamp their Cleveland pride on their storefronts. You had the Forest City Race Track in 1850, followed quickly by the Forest City Agricultural Warehouse, the Forest City Bank, and even a volunteer hook and ladder firefighting company.
The name also holds a massive, often-forgotten piece of sports history. In the late 1860s, the city's premier baseball club adopted the name. In 1871, the Forest City club of Cleveland hit the diamond for the very first major league game of the newly formed National Association. Long before the current franchises, the Forest Citys were putting Cleveland sports on the map.
The Canopy Today
A lot has changed since the 1800s, and "The Land" or "The CLE" might dominate the modern headlines. But if you look closely, the Forest City legacy is still alive and well.
You can feel it in the incredible Cleveland Metroparks system—the "Emerald Necklace" that fiercely protects thousands of acres of nature right in our backyard. And you can still see it painted on the brick and mortar of the city's modern establishments. Places like Forest City Brewery, pouring pints in Ohio City, or Forest City Shuffleboard in hinge town, are keeping the vintage name alive. They serve as a constant nod to the era when our industrial grit and natural landscape grew side by side.
For a brand inspired by local history, the Forest City era is an absolute goldmine of vintage typography, old-school advertising, and authentic civic pride. It’s a reminder that beneath the concrete and steel, this city has always had deep roots.
To honor that legacy, we’ve put together a collection of gear designed to celebrate our hometown's original nickname. Whether you're hitting the Metroparks or grabbing a pint in Ohio City, you can carry that history with you in our Cleveland The Forest City Heavyweight T-Shirt or the Heavyweight Long Sleeve T-Shirt, both built tough with a lived-in, garment-dyed feel. If you’re looking to top it off, check out the vintage-inspired Cleveland The Forest City Cap and the The Heart of Forest City Washed Cap.
