Chardon, Ohio

Chardon, Ohio
City
Motto: "Home Of The Geauga County Maple Festival"
Location of Chardon, Ohio
Coordinates: 41°34′45″N 81°12′16″W / 41.57917°N 81.20444°W / 41.57917; -81.20444Coordinates: 41°34′45″N 81°12′16″W / 41.57917°N 81.20444°W / 41.57917; -81.20444[1]
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Geauga
Government
• Mayor	Philip King
• Vice Mayor	Leslie Bednar
Area[2]
• Total	4.62 sq mi (11.97 km2)
• Land	4.58 sq mi (11.86 km2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.10 km2)
Elevation[3]	1,299 ft (396 m)
Population (2010)[4]
• Total	5,148
• Estimate (2012[5])	5,166
• Density	1,124.0/sq mi (434.0/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	44024
Area code(s)	440
FIPS code	39-13554[6]
GNIS feature ID	1056789[3]
Website	Chardon.cc

Chardon is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Geauga County, Ohio, United States.^[7] The population was 5,148 at the 2010 census.^[8] It is the only incorporated city in Geauga County, and incorporates land that was once part of Chardon Township, Hambden Township and Munson Township.^[8] It is located about 10 miles south of Lake Erie and within the "snow belt" of the Great Lakes.

History

The Geauga County Courthouse on Chardon Square, as viewed from the Ferris wheel during the Maple Festival

Chardon is named after Peter Chardon Brooks, who donated land to build the historic Chardon Square.^[8] Chardon Township celebrates its incorporation in 1812, and thus the City of Chardon does the same.^[8]

Chardon fire

Main Street after the fire of 1868

On July 24–25, 1868, a massive fire totally destroyed the center of downtown, the area now known as Chardon Square. The fire originated in the Parlin Parkin's grocery store, and spread rapidly. By the time the fire was contained, the courthouse, post office, and many stores on the square were destroyed. Damage was estimated at around $120,000.^[9]

Chardon Square was quickly rebuilt following the fire. A new county courthouse, which still stands today, was completed in 1869. Many other buildings that were constructed after the fire also survive and are used today.^[8]

Chardon High School shooting

On February 27, 2012, T.J. Lane, a student from Lake Academy, opened fire at the Chardon High School cafeteria, killing three, and injuring two students. Daniel Parmertor, 16 years old, was killed at the time of the shooting. Two other victims, Demetrius Hewlin and Russell King, Jr., were pronounced dead on February 28.^[10] The shooter, T.J. Lane, was taken into custody by police and was charged with three counts of aggravated murder.^[11]

Geography and climate

Geography

Chardon is located on U.S. Route 6 about 30 miles (48 km) east of Cleveland. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.62 square miles (11.97 km²), of which 4.58 square miles (11.86 km²) is land and 0.04 square miles (0.10 km²) or about 10 hectares (25 acres) is water.^[2]

Climate

With an average annual snowfall of 107 inches (272 cm),^[12][13] Chardon is notable for being the snowiest city in Ohio.^[14] This is mainly due to its location on a 730-foot (223 m) ridge approximately 10 miles (16 km) inland from Lake Erie, creating the perfect conditions for orographic lift and its associated heavy snowfall when winter winds blow across the lake.^{[citation needed]}

In 1996, from November 9 through November 13, a storm dropped over 70 inches (178 cm) of lake-effect snow in the city over a period of six days.^[15][16] Governor George Voinovich declared a state of emergency as a result, and the Ohio National Guard was brought in to assist with the cleanup.^[17]

Demographics

The median income for a household in the city was $54,063, and the median income for a family was $57,845. Males had a median income of $44,071 versus $23,750 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,845. About 1.3% of families and 3.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census^[4] of 2010, there were 5,148 people, 2,285 households, and 1,331 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,124.0 inhabitants per square mile (434.0 /km²). There were 2,457 housing units at an average density of 536.5 per square mile (207.1 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.9% White, 0.8% Black, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 2,285 households of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.8% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.94.

The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.

Culture

Chardon is known for its maple syrup industry. Celebration of the syrup season begins at Tapping Sunday in March, when the sap is at prime thawing temperature. The annual Geauga County Maple Festival^[25] is a four-day celebration that takes place on the Chardon Square the last weekend in April. The festival has been rescheduled numerous times because of snowstorms in April due to Chardon’s location in the “snow belt” of the Great Lakes; it receives a large amount of snowfall every year.

Chardon has an active performance art community. The Geauga Lyric Theater Guild is housed in the renovated Geauga Theater building, which was constructed in 1939 as an Art Deco movie house. The theater is also being used again to show first-run movies.^[26][27]

Greater Chardon features numerous parks and golf courses. Chardon Lakes Golf Course is located in the heart of Chardon, two minutes from the square. Sand Ridge Golf Club in nearby Munson Township is also an excellent course. Chardon has an abundance of park space. Due to the area's varying weather conditions, sports activities are available for every season.

Education

Chardon and the area surrounding the city are served by the Chardon Local School District. The district contains one high school, one middle school, and four elementary schools: Maple; Park; Hambden; and Munson. Hambden and Munson elementary are not within the city limits.^[28]

On February 27, 2012, Chardon High School was the site of a school shooting in which three students were fatally shot and two others were injured.^{[citation needed]}

As of the 2011-2012 school year, the district had received an "Excellent" rating from the State of Ohio Board of Education for eleven consecutive years.^[29]

Notable people

• Andrew Brown, professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball
• Mel Harder, professional baseball pitcher for the Cleveland Indians
• Matt Hutter, NASCAR driver
• Lee Kemp, collegiate and Olympian wrestler^[30]
• Midnight Syndicate, gothic music group
• Halbert Eleazer Paine, born in Chandon, Union general and U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
• Seth Ledyard Phelps, naval officer, politician and diplomat
• John Popper, frontman for rock band Blues Traveler^[31]

References

External links

• City of Chardon
• Chardon Local Schools
• Chardon Fire Department

v t e Municipalities and communities of Geauga County, Ohio, United States County seat: Chardon City Chardon Villages Aquilla Burton Hunting Valley‡ Middlefield South Russell Townships Auburn Bainbridge Burton Chardon Chester Claridon Hambden Huntsburg Middlefield Montville Munson Newbury Parkman Russell Thompson Troy CDPs Bainbridge Chesterland Unincorporated communities Claridon East Claridon Montville Parkman Welshfield Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

v t e  State of Ohio Columbus (capital) Topics History Geography People Government Law Elections Delegations Colleges and universities Visitor attractions Portal Society Culture Crime Demographics Economy Education Politics Regions Allegheny Plateau Appalachian Ohio Black Swamp The Bluegrass Extreme Northwest Ohio Glacial till plains Lake Erie Lake Erie Islands Miami Valley Northeast Ohio Northwest Ohio Western Reserve Metro areas Akron Canton Cincinnati Cleveland Columbus Dayton Findlay-Tiffin Ironton Lima Mansfield Steubenville Toledo Youngstown-Warren Largest cities Akron Canton Cincinnati Cleveland Columbus Cuyahoga Falls Dayton Elyria Euclid Hamilton Kettering Lakewood Lorain Mansfield Middletown Newark Parma Springfield Toledo Youngstown Counties Adams Allen Ashland Ashtabula Athens Auglaize Belmont Brown Butler Carroll Champaign Clark Clermont Clinton Columbiana Coshocton Crawford Cuyahoga Darke Defiance Delaware Erie Fairfield Fayette Franklin Fulton Gallia Geauga Greene Guernsey Hamilton Hancock Hardin Harrison Henry Highland Hocking Holmes Huron Jackson Jefferson Knox Lake Lawrence Licking Logan Lorain Lucas Madison Mahoning Marion Medina Meigs Mercer Miami Monroe Montgomery Morgan Morrow Muskingum Noble Ottawa Paulding Perry Pickaway Pike Portage Preble Putnam Richland Ross Sandusky Scioto Seneca Shelby Stark Summit Trumbull Tuscarawas Union Van Wert Vinton Warren Washington Wayne Williams Wood Wyandot