Cleveland is a city in eastern Pawnee County, Oklahoma, set on the south side of the Arkansas River at the junction of U.S. Highway 64 and State Highway 99. It is the largest city in Pawnee County, with a population of 3,205 at the 2020 census, and serves as a small commercial and service hub for the surrounding countryside. The county seat of Pawnee lies about 25 miles to the west, while Tulsa, the region's principal city, is roughly 34 miles to the east, making Cleveland a practical base for commuters who want a small-town address near a major metro. The town's origins trace to the Cherokee Outlet land opening of September 16, 1893, when the area was settled by homesteaders. The community that grew on the townsite was first known as Herbert, after early homesteader Willis H. Herbert, before taking the name Cleveland. That frontier heritage still shapes the town's layout and character, with a compact downtown surrounded by established residential streets and open farmland. Cleveland's economy and daily life are tied to the land and water around it. The Arkansas River runs along the north edge of town, and Keystone Lake, a major Corps of Engineers reservoir, lies a short drive away, providing fishing, boating, and camping. Local recreation facilities include Cleveland City Lake, Feyodi Creek Park, and the Keystone Golf Course. Public education is provided by Cleveland Public Schools, whose Tigers teams serve portions of Creek, Osage, and Pawnee counties. For residents, Cleveland combines the affordability and pace of rural Oklahoma with easy highway access to the jobs, airports, and amenities of Tulsa.