Milan, Ohio

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Milan is a village in Erie and Huron counties in Ohio. The population was 1,445 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sandusky, Ohio metropolitan statistical area.

Location of Milan, Ohio

Contents

[edit] History and Culture

Milan (pronounced MÝ-lin) was the birthplace of inventor and businessman Thomas A. Edison, and the small hillside brick home where he was born on February 11, 1847 is open to the public as a museum. He lived in Milan until he was 7 years of age when his family moved to Port Huron, Michigan.

Milan was platted by Ebenezer Merry in 1817 on the site of a previous Moravian Indian mission village [1805-1809]. Merry dammed the Huron River below the village and established a gristmill and sawmill in the river valley.

Prior to the advent of the railroads, area farmers had to bring their harvests to Lake Erie ports by wagon. The sandy and wet prairies above Milan were not easily crossed by a wagon with a heavy harvest load. For that reason, beginning in 1826, local investors proposed a ship canal that would make Milan a lake port. Construction of the Milan Canal began in 1833 and it opened to navigation on July 4, 1839. For 10 years, the village prospered; becoming one of the busiest ports, for its size, in the world. Large numbers of wagons bringing wheat and other crops to Milan at harvest time would often line up for miles to the south.

The inland harbor also served as a ship building center, in part because of extensive local stands of white oak timber used in ship building. Approximately 60 ships were built in Milan between 1840 and 1867.

The rapid development of railroads caused the decline of lake commerce using the Milan Canal. The canal's feeder dam failed due to a flood in 1868, ending Milan's direct lake connection. The original canal route can be observed and followed today along a park district recreational trail.

Melon farming prospers in the area due to sandy, fertile soil, and Milan hosts the "Milan Melon Festival" annually on Labor Day weekend.

Milan shares its school system with nearby Berlin Heights, Ohio; the combined school district is known as the Berlin-Milan Local Schools, and the high school teams are the "Edison Chargers".

Although many residents commute to other cities for employment, the general culture of the area is decidedly rural and agricultural. Because of its limited development after the closure of the canal; Milan retains the appearance of a quaint 19th century town, and surprises many visitors with its charm.

[edit] Geography

Milan is located at 41°17′36″N, 82°36′5″W (41.293278, -82.601323)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.0 km² (1.2 mi²). None of the area is covered with water.

The Huron River (Ohio) flows just north of the village square.

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 1,445 people, 540 households, and 406 families residing in the village. The population density was 476.9/km² (1,229.9/mi²). There were 574 housing units at an average density of 189.4/km² (488.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.13% White, 0.55% African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.28% from other races, and 0.48% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.90% of the population.

There were 540 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.8% were non-families. 22.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 6.4% from 18 to 24, 24.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $51,204, and the median income for a family was $57,986. Males had a median income of $42,426 versus $26,027 for females. The per capita income for the village was $23,143. About 3.20% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.0% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Notable natives and residents

[edit] External links


Erie County, Ohio
Sandusky, county seat
Municipalities

Bay View | Bellevue | Berlin Heights | Castalia | Huron | Kelleys Island | Milan | Sandusky | Vermilion
Townships

Berlin | Florence | Groton | Huron | Margaretta | Milan | Oxford | Perkins | Vermilion
Other localities

Birmingham | Fairview Lanes | Sandusky South
Huron County, Ohio
Norwalk, county seat
Municipalities

Bellevue | Greenwich | Milan | Monroeville | New London | North Fairfield | Norwalk | Plymouth | Wakeman | Willard
Townships

Bronson | Clarksfield | Fairfield | Fitchville | Greenfield | Greenwich | Hartland | Lyme | New Haven | New London | Norwalk | Norwich | Peru | Richmond | Ridgefield | Ripley | Sherman | Townsend | Wakeman
Other localities

Collins | New Haven
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