Medina, Ohio


Medina is a city in Medina County, Ohio approximately 33 mi south of Cleveland and 23 mi west of Akron. The population was 26,678 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Medina County.

History

Medina was founded on November 30, 1818 as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It was originally named Mecca, but an unincorporated community in Ohio already had that name, 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. On January 31, 1835, Medina was incorporated as a village and as the county seat of Medina County, Ohio. By 1855, the town's quarries were producing over $200,000 worth of stone per year. In 1857, many of the canal workers started a strike for higher wages; the striking workers were fired, and the four workers who started it were jailed in Albion, Ohio.
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.
In the mid-1800s, two disastrous fires hit the village. The fire of April 1848 destroyed the entire business district. With no facilities for extinguishing fires, the residents attempted to put out the fire using a bucket brigade, but to no avail, as the fire burned for four hours. None of the town's 1,159 residents perished from the fire, but the townspeople failed to budget for the needed firefighting equipment and in April 1870, another large fire, which started in a wooden building with a barber shop, destroyed 45 buildings, and nearly wiped out the entire town. Despite the second calamitous fire, the town still had not organized a fire department beyond a bucket brigade. In July 1877, after repeated dire warnings, the Council finally authorized the issuance of $3,000 worth of bonds to purchase a fire engine.
Out of the disastrous fire of 1870, the town literally "rose from the ashes" like the mythical Phoenix. Much of the Medina Square, including the Town Hall and Engine House, was rebuilt under the watchful eye of onetime mayor and banker Harrison Gray Blake who owned the Phoenix Building in the same city block. Buildings like the H. G. Blake's Phoenix Block and the Town Hall and Engine House are indicative of the resilient spirit of the community and the people who settled in this area of Ohio.
After the fire of 1870, it took almost ten years to replace the buildings on the Square, thus explaining their common Victorian style. Even today, that architectural unity and historic flavor of the Town Square make Medina an appealing destination for residents, visitors and tourists. This very character is what makes the Square a recognized Historic District and spurs on the efforts of the dedicated members of the Community Design Committee and the Historic Preservation Board to preserve the city's historic look and feel.
Today, the Historic District of Medina is a nine block area that surrounds Uptown Park and hosts Candlelight Walk, the International Festival, Art in the Park and draws visitors for many other public and private events
In 1950, Medina had over 5,000 residents, and on May 6, 1952 it was chartered as a city.

Geography

Medina is located at . and includes parts of Lafayette Township, Medina Township, Montville Township and York Township in Medina County, Ohio.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the recent census of 2010, there were 26,678 people, 10,382 households, and 6,991 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,260.85 people per square mile. There were 11,152 housing units at an average density of. 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 11.7% 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.

2000 census

At the 2000 census, there were 25,139 people, 9,467 households and 6,683 families in the city. The population density was 2,215.7 people per square mile. There were 9,924 housing units at an average density of. 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.

Economy

Due to Medina's location, approximately 33 miles south of Cleveland and 23 miles west of Akron, many residents of Medina work in the Cleveland and Akron areas. The median household income in Medina is $53,586, slightly above the Ohio median income.
RPM International is among the companies based in Medina.

Education

The Medina City School District serves the city of Medina. One high school, two middle schools, one alternative school, one preschool and seven elementary schools make up the district. The newest elementary schools are Eliza Northrop and Ralph E. Waite elementary schools, both opened for the 2009–2010 school year. The schools in the Medina City School District are:
The Medina County Career Center serves most of Medina County to provide career education for 11th and 12th graders. It also offers adult and continuing education for adults. Other schools in the city of Medina include St. Francis Xavier School, a Roman Catholic parochial school serving Pre-K through 8th grade, and , a non-denominational Protestant parochial school serving Pre-K through 12th grade. The Medina County University Center is only a quarter-mile south of the city and offers employers a well-trained workforce with opportunity for on-going career development. Medina also is home to the Walton School of Auctioneering.
Medina is the location of the Medina County District Library Main Library.

Media

Medina is served by a daily newspaper, The Medina County Gazette which is published every day of the week except Sundays and a free weekly newspaper, The Medina Post which is published every Saturday. In addition, the Akron Beacon Journal and the Cleveland Plain Dealer occasionally cover the city and Medina County. Medina is served by numerous television and radio stations from both the Greater Cleveland, Greater Akron and Greater Canton areas.

Transportation

Medina is served by the Medina Municipal Airport, which is located 4.6 miles east of the city. US-42 traverses the city. State routes include OH-3, OH-18 and OH-57. Medina is also served by the Medina Transit Authority, which runs buses to various locations around the city of Medina and Medina County.
Rail service reached Medina in the 1800s, and at one time it was served by three rail lines, the Baltimore & Ohio, the Akron, Canton & Youngstown, and the Cleveland Southwestern interurban. Today the Wheeling & Lake Erie Railroad maintains numerous sidings and spurs serving many industries, mostly on the west side of the city. Many other rights of way have been converted to hiking and biking trails.

Notable people