Medina, Ohio

Not to be confused with Medina, Saudi Arabia. For other uses, see Medina (disambiguation)

Medina, Ohio
City
Motto: "Preserving the Past. Forging the Future."
Location of Medina, Ohio
Coordinates: 41°8′9″N 81°51′51″W / 41.13583°N 81.86417°W / 41.13583; -81.86417Coordinates: 41°8′9″N 81°51′51″W / 41.13583°N 81.86417°W / 41.13583; -81.86417
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Medina
Area[1]
• Total	11.78 sq mi (30.51 km2)
• Land	11.57 sq mi (29.97 km2)
• Water	0.21 sq mi (0.54 km2)
Elevation[2]	1,089 ft (332 m)
Population (2010)[3]
• Total	26,678
• Estimate (2012[4])	26,533
• Density	2,305.8/sq mi (890.3/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	44256, 44258
Area code(s)	234, 330
FIPS code	39-48790[5]
GNIS feature ID	1061504[2]
Website	http://www.medinaoh.org

Medina /mɨˈdaɪnə/ is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States. In 2009, CNNMoney named Medina the 40th most desirable American city to live in.^[6] The population was 26,678 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Medina County.^[7].

Geography

Medina is located at 41°8′9″N 81°51′51″W / 41.13583°N 81.86417°W / 41.13583; -81.86417 (41.135899, -81.864069).^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.78 square miles (30.51 km²), of which, 11.57 square miles (29.97 km²) is land and 0.21 square miles (0.54 km²) is water.^[1]

Demographics

2010 census

As of the census^[3] of 2010, there were 26,678 people, 10,382 households, and 6,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,305.8 inhabitants per square mile (890.3 /km²). There were 11,152 housing units at an average density of 963.9 per square mile (372.2 /km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.3% White, 3.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 10,382 households of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.7% were married couples living together, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.13.

The median age in the city was 36.4 years. 28.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.4% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 11.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

Of the city's population over the age of 25, 34.4% held a bachelor's degree or higher.^[16]

2000 census

At the 2000 census^[5], there were 25,139 people, 9,467 households and 6,683 families in the city. The population density was 2,305.4 per square mile (872.9/km²). There were 9,924 housing units at an average density of 891.9 per square mile (344.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.60% White, 2.77% African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.74% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.26% from other races, and 1.41% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.00% of the population.

There were 9,467 households of which 40.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 35.5% were married couples living together, 57.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.60 and the average family size was 3.15.

29.9% of the population were under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 33.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.

The median household income was $50,226 and the median family income was $57,435. Males had a median income of $42,437 compared with $26,893 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,709. About 5.1% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.1% of those under age 18 and 6.2% of those age 65 or over.

History

The historic courthouse in downtown Medina

Medina was founded in 1818 as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It was originally named Mecca, but another Ohio town had that name,^[17] so the name was changed. Both Mecca and Medina are cities in Saudi Arabia and particularly significant to Islam.

Most early residents were farmers. In the 1830s growth of the community was aided by the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which helped transport agricultural products to markets.^[18] In 1835, Medina was incorporated as a village and as the county seat of Medina County, Ohio.^[18] In 1869 Amos Root founded the A.I. Root Company in Medina as a manufacturer of beehives and beekeeping equipment, and the town became a center for beehive manufacturing. The Root company had 97 workers in 1886, making it the town’s largest employer.^[18] In 1952, Medina had over 5,000 residents, and on May 6, 1952 it was chartered as a city.^[19]

In the mid-1800s, two disastrous fires hit the village. The fire of 1848 destroyed the entire business district. In 1870, another large fire broke out that destroyed 45 Medina buildings, and nearly wiped out the entire city. It took almost ten years to rebuild this area which would became known as the Town Square. It is now considered a Historic District that holds nine blocks of stores and draws many visitors for its various festivals and private and public events.^[20]

Economy

Due to Medina's location, approximately 30 miles south of Cleveland and 20 miles west of Akron,^[21] many residents of Medina work in the Cleveland and Akron areas and the city has acquired a somewhat suburban status.^[18] Medina was home to the first Super Kmart in 1991, though it closed in early 2012.^[22]

Schools

The Medina City School District serves the Medina area. One high school, two middle schools and seven elementary schools make up the district. The newest are Eliza Northrop and Ralph E. Waite elementary schools, both opened for the 2009-2010 school year. The Medina County Career Center serves all of Medina County to provide career choices for juniors and seniors.

• Medina High School
• A.I. Root Middle School
• Claggett Middle School
• Eliza Northrop Elementary School
• Ella Canavan Elementary School
• Garfield Elementary School
• H.G. Blake Elementary School
• Heritage Elementary School
• Ralph E. Waite Elementary School
• Sidney Fenn Elementary School

Notable people

• William G. Batchelder (born 1942), former judge and current Speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives.^[23]
• William J. Campbell (1926–2010), mica-based insulation pioneer.^[24]
• Ryan Dunn (1977–2011), actor, stuntman (Jackass).^[25]
• Scott Fahlman (born 1948), computer scientist and credited creator of the emoticon
• Greg Paulus (born 1986), college basketball player for Duke University, college football quarterback for Syracuse University.
• Bobby Rahal (born 1953), auto racing team owner and former driver.^[26]
• Amos Root (1839–1923), noted for innovations in beekeeping.^[27]
• Donna VanLiere, author of the Christmas Shoes series of books and other publications.^[28]

References

External links

• City of Medina official website

v t e Municipalities and communities of Medina County, Ohio, United States County seat: Medina Cities Brunswick Medina Rittman‡ Wadsworth Villages Chippewa Lake Creston‡ Gloria Glens Park Lodi Seville Spencer Westfield Center Townships Brunswick Hills Chatham Granger Guilford Harrisville Hinckley Homer Lafayette Litchfield Liverpool Medina Montville Sharon Spencer Wadsworth Westfield York Unincorporated communities Beebetown Homerville Litchfield Mallet Creek River Styx Sharon Center Valley City Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties