For a long time, change was slow to come to Cleveland. The good kind, at least. Then it seemed to come all at once, and before we really even noticed that it wasn't arriving in fits and spurts but in glorious waves. There's still much to do for many in the city, of course, but it's undeniable that the Cleveland of 2017 looks a helluva lot different than the Cleveland of, say, 2000, or even 2010.

Once a year we take stock of the best the city has to offer, from tacos, because we love our damn tacos, to activists, from cocktails to record stores. Riding high off a 2016 that saw at least a couple of Cleveland's most notable and spectacular successes, the city continues to evolve and change in 2017 in ways that are both unimaginable and unstoppable. There's never been a more appropriate time to take a step back and bask in this New Cleveland, to scan that Lake Erie horizon and bestow honor and glory on those people, places, and businesses new and old that have played an integral part in this momentum. And there's no better judge than you, the hardy and humble and wise Clevelander, to decide. So we asked, and you answered. Boy did you answer. After thousands of nominations and votes, what remains are the winners of Best of Cleveland 2017— everything in this wonderful city that's Cleveland Approved. Enjoy, and congratulations to all the winners.