Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio

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Cuyahoga Falls
Official seal of Cuyahoga Falls
Seal
Nickname: "The Falls, C-Town, C-Falls, Caucasian Falls, CFO"
Location within the state of Ohio
Location within the state of Ohio
County Summit
Mayor Don L. Robart
Area  
 - City 66.4 km²
 - Land 66.1 km²
 - Water 0.20 km²
Population  
 - City (2003) 50,375
 - Density 746.4/km²
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
Website: http://www.ci.cuyahoga-falls.oh.us/
"Welcome to Cuyahoga Falls"
Enlarge
"Welcome to Cuyahoga Falls"
Location within Summit County, Ohio
Enlarge
Location within Summit County, Ohio

Cuyahoga Falls is a city in Summit County, Ohio, in the United States. As of the 2003 census, the city population was 50,375. It is currently the second largest city in Summit County, Ohio. It is considered a suburb of Akron, but is actually older than Akron. Founded in 1812 by William Wetmore, the city was originally named Manchester. Cuyahoga Falls is named after the Cuyahoga River (which flows into Lake Erie) and the series of falls that run through the middle of the city.

Cuyahoga Falls borders Akron to the south and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the northwest.

Contents

[edit] History

Cuyahoga Falls was formed in 1812[1] near the junction of what was then Northampton, Stow, Tallmadge, and Portage townships. The focus was the series of Cuyahoga River waterfalls that provided power for manufacturing.

In 1812 Kelsey and Wilcox built a dam on the Cuyahoga River at a place where a railroad bridge crossed it in 1876. They then built a flour mill, an oil mill, and a saw mill. This led to the construction of a number of houses. This area was known as the old village. Development moved downstream, though, when it was discovered that the power was better there. The old village was eventually destroyed in 1826 when a dam built by William Wetmore flooded the dam at the old village and its mills were torn down [2].

The earliest settler of Cuyahoga Falls included Joshua Stow and William Wetmore. In 1815 a saw-mill was operating near Gaylord's Grove, using power generated by a dam on the Cuyahoga River there[3].

The town was initially called Manchester but was renamed Cuyahoga Falls at the request of the Post Office since there were already several other Manchesters in Ohio[4].

The village proper was first laid out in 1826 by Judge Richardson[4].

The town was incorporated in 1836, occupying 240 rods out of Stow and Tallmadge townships. In 1853, seeing that the village and township of Cuyahoga Falls occupied the same territory, the village council disbanded and the community was only a township until 1868[4].

In 1841 the Summit County Board of Commissioners named Cuyahoga Falls county seat. The state legislature then intervened and put the location of the county seat up to a popular vote. Akron won and has been the county seat ever since. In spite of being named the county seat Cuyahoga Falls never really functioned as such[3].

In March of 1851 the township of Cuyahoga Falls was created out of the village limits. They covered the same territory so the village council voted to adjourn sine die, letting the village be run under township jusidiction until June 3, 1868 when the municipal government returned[4].

In 1985 Cuyahoga Falls merged with Northampton Township, the first merger of a city and township in Ohio.

Cuyahoga Falls had been founded as an industrial city, taking advantage of the river power. By the 1970s, though, it had become a residential community. This changed, though, when Don Robart became mayor. He had been in favor of the merger with Northampton Township because of the additional land that could be used for development. Parts of that area have since been used for industrial development. Commercial development has also picked up, especially on the Howe Avenue area at the southern border of the city.

The city had one professional sports team, the Cuyahoga Falls Cougars, of the International Basketball League (2005-). They moved to Akron in 2006.

[edit] Popular culture

Cuyahoga Falls is mentioned in a popular song, "My City Was Gone", by the rock band The Pretenders (lead singer and songwriter Chrissie Hynde is an Akron, Ohio native). The verse's lyrics are:

I went back to Ohio
But my pretty countryside
Had been paved down the middle
By a government that had no pride
The farms of Ohio
Had been replaced by shopping malls
And muzak filled the air
From Seneca to Cuyahoga Falls
Said, a, o, oh way to go, Ohio

In the movie Tommy Boy, starring Chris Farley, a plane ticket is bought by Farley's love interest in the film from Sandusky, Ohio, to Cuyahoga Falls. There are presently no commercial airports in Cuyahoga Falls or Sandusky.

In the movie My Fellow Americans, we learn that Jack Lemmon's character, a former U.S. President, had his presidential library built not in his hometown of Cleveland, Ohio, but in Cuyahoga Falls, because the latter city gave him a tax break.

[edit] Geography

Cuyahoga Falls is located at 41°8′44″N, 81°29′48″W (41.145556, -81.496685)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 66.4 km² (25.6 mi²). 66.1 km² (25.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.35%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 49,374 people, 21,655 households, and 13,317 families residing in the city. The population density was 746.4/km² (1,932.9/mi²). There were 22,727 housing units at an average density of 343.6/km² (889.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.80% White, 1.87% African American, 0.20% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.91% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.63% of the population. Many locals jokingly call the city "Caucasian Falls" due to its mass population of caucasians.

There were 21,655 households out of which 27.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.5% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 32.0% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $42,263, and the median income for a family was $52,372. Males had a median income of $40,301 versus $28,459 for females. The per capita income for the city was $22,550. About 4.5% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.0% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

The July 1, 2003 Census Bureau estimate for Cuyahoga Falls puts the population at 50,375.

[edit] Sites of interest

The Cuyahoga River descending behind the Sheraton Suites on Front Street.
Enlarge
The Cuyahoga River descending behind the Sheraton Suites on Front Street.

[edit] City Mayors

[edit] During Incorporation

[edit] Municipal Government resumed (Village of Cuyahoga Falls)

[edit] City of Cuyahoga Falls

[edit] Famous natives

[edit] References

  1. ^ Information Services Department, City of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio (2005). History. Retrieved May 7, 2005.
  2. ^ Fairchild, Rev. T.B. (1876). A History of the Town of Cuyahoga Falls. Akron: The Old Book Store. ISBN.
  3. ^ a b Doyle, William B, LL.B. (1908). Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative Citizens. Chicago: Biographical Publishing Company. ISBN.
  4. ^ a b c d Akron Map and Atlas Co. Illustrated Summit County, Ohio. Akron: Akron Map and Atlas Co. 1891

[edit] See also

[edit] External links


Municipalities and Communities of Summit County, Ohio
(County Seat: Akron)
Cities Akron | Barberton | Cuyahoga Falls | Fairlawn | Green | Hudson | Macedonia | Munroe Falls | New Franklin | Northfield | Norton | Stow | Tallmadge | Twinsburg
Villages Boston Heights | Clinton | Lakemore | Mogadore | Peninsula | Reminderville | Richfield | Silver Lake
Townships Bath | Boston | Copley | Coventry | Northfield Center | Richfield | Sagamore Hills | Springfield | Twinsburg
Communities and CDPs Montrose-Ghent | Pigeon Creek | Portage Lakes
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