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Lorain County, Ohio
Elyria-ohio-old-county-building
Old county building in Elyria
Flag of Lorain County, Ohio
Flag
Seal of Lorain County, Ohio
Seal
Map of Ohio highlighting Lorain County
Location in the state of Ohio
Map of the U.S
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Founded April 1, 1824
Named for Lorraine in France[1]
Seat Elyria
Largest city Lorain
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water

923 sq mi (2,391 km²)
491 sq mi (1,272 km²)
432 sq mi (1,119 km²), 47%
Population
 - (2020)
 - Density

312,964
637.4/sq mi (246/km²)
Congressional districts 4th, 7th, 9th
Website www.loraincounty.us

Lorain County is a county located in the northeastern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,964.[2] Its county seat is Elyria.[3] The county was physically established in 1822, becoming judicially independent in 1824.[4]

Lorain County is part of the Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

The county is also home to Oberlin College.

History[]

Lorain County was established in 1822 from portions of several of its adjacent counties. This county became judicially-independent in 1824. The original proposed name for the county was "Colerain".[5] The final name "Lorain" seems to have no true intended connection to the Alsace-Lorraine area of France, as theorized by later historians.

Geography[]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 923 square miles (2,390 km2), of which 491 square miles (1,270 km2) is land and 432 square miles (1,120 km2) (47%) is water.[6] It is the fourth-largest county in Ohio by total area.

Adjacent counties[]

Major highways[]

  • I-80 Interstate 80 (Ohio Turnpike)
  • I-90 Interstate 90 (Ohio Turnpike)
  • I-480 Interstate 480
  • US 6 U.S. Route 6
  • US 20 U.S. Route 20
  • OH-2 State Route 2
  • OH-10 State Route 10
  • OH-18 State Route 18
  • OH-57 State Route 57
  • OH-58 State Route 58
  • OH-82 Ohio Route 82
  • OH-83 Ohio Route 83
  • OH-113 State Route 113
  • OH-162 Ohio Route 162
  • OH-254 Ohio Route 254
  • OH-301 Ohio Route 301
  • OH-303 Ohio Route 303
  • OH-511 Ohio Route 511
  • OH-611 Ohio Route 611

Demographics[]

Historical populations
Census Pop.
1830 5,696
1840 18,467 224.2%
1850 26,086 41.3%
1860 29,744 14.0%
1870 30,308 1.9%
1880 35,526 17.2%
1890 40,295 13.4%
1900 54,857 36.1%
1910 76,037 38.6%
1920 90,612 19.2%
1930 109,206 20.5%
1940 112,390 2.9%
1950 148,162 31.8%
1960 217,500 46.8%
1970 256,843 18.1%
1980 274,909 7.0%
1990 271,126 −1.4%
2000 284,664 5.0%
2010 301,356 5.9%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2020 [11]

As of the 2010 census, there were 301,356 people, 116,274 households, and 80,077 families residing in the county.[12] The population density was 613.6 inhabitants per square mile (236.9 /km2). There were 127,036 housing units at an average density of 258.7 per square mile (99.9 /km2).[13] The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% white, 8.6% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.5% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.4% of the population.[12] In terms of ancestry, 26.5% were German, 16.7% were Irish, 10.9% were English, 8.4% were Polish, 8.2% were Italian, 6.2% were American, and 5.2% were Hungarian.[14]

Of the 116,274 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.1% were non-families, and 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 40.0 years.[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $52,066 and the median income for a family was $62,082. Males had a median income of $49,146 versus $35,334 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,002. About 10.3% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.[15]

Politics[]

Lorain County leans Democratic in presidential elections. It has voted for the Democratic candidate for president in 12 of the last 16 elections, including every one from 1988 to 2016. In 2016, however, the county was almost swept up in the unexpected Republican surge in the Rust Belt; Donald Trump came within 131 votes of being the first Republican to capture the county since Ronald Reagan in 1984, however in 2020, Donald Trump flipped the county Republican for the first time since 1984.

United States presidential election results for Lorain County, Ohio[16]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 79,520 50.40% 75,667 47.96% 2,581 1.64%
2016 66,818 47.54% 66,949 47.63% 6,795 4.83%
2012 59,405 41.47% 81,464 56.87% 2,384 1.66%
2008 59,068 40.22% 85,276 58.07% 2,515 1.71%
2004 61,203 43.49% 78,970 56.11% 569 0.40%
2000 47,957 42.75% 59,809 53.32% 4,414 3.93%
1996 34,937 32.82% 55,744 52.37% 15,764 14.81%
1992 36,803 31.03% 50,962 42.97% 30,840 26.00%
1988 50,410 47.14% 55,600 52.00% 916 0.86%
1984 57,379 50.77% 52,970 46.87% 2,672 2.36%
1980 51,034 49.51% 40,919 39.69% 11,131 10.80%
1976 39,459 41.66% 52,387 55.31% 2,865 3.02%
1972 51,102 56.15% 36,634 40.25% 3,280 3.60%
1968 34,252 39.95% 42,642 49.74% 8,833 10.30%
1964 26,683 32.37% 55,755 67.63% 0 0.00%
1960 39,361 47.51% 43,487 52.49% 0 0.00%
1956 40,340 60.11% 26,774 39.89% 0 0.00%
1952 33,825 56.36% 26,194 43.64% 0 0.00%
1948 21,616 49.53% 21,397 49.03% 625 1.43%
1944 23,866 48.59% 25,254 51.41% 0 0.00%
1940 23,422 47.55% 25,831 52.45% 0 0.00%
1936 15,906 37.29% 24,393 57.19% 2,357 5.53%
1932 20,897 51.00% 18,753 45.77% 1,321 3.22%
1928 24,386 63.83% 13,607 35.62% 212 0.55%
1924 17,062 61.43% 3,965 14.28% 6,747 24.29%
1920 18,125 65.84% 8,640 31.39% 764 2.78%
1916 6,868 45.66% 7,658 50.91% 516 3.43%
1912 2,226 16.34% 4,591 33.71% 6,804 49.95%
1908 8,699 57.10% 5,460 35.84% 1,076 7.06%
1904 9,001 70.16% 2,700 21.04% 1,129 8.80%
1900 8,497 61.93% 4,989 36.36% 235 1.71%
1896 7,801 63.28% 4,367 35.43% 159 1.29%
1892 5,434 56.60% 3,674 38.27% 492 5.13%
1888 5,235 57.32% 3,311 36.25% 587 6.43%
1884 5,478 60.30% 3,199 35.21% 408 4.49%
1880 5,609 66.25% 2,752 32.51% 105 1.24%
1876 5,187 65.28% 2,720 34.23% 39 0.49%
1872 4,432 67.71% 2,097 32.03% 17 0.26%
1868 4,443 69.72% 1,930 30.28% 0 0.00%
1864 4,600 73.65% 1,646 26.35% 0 0.00%
1860 4,045 66.89% 1,766 29.20% 236 3.90%
1856 3,604 70.97% 1,420 27.96% 54 1.06%



Education[]

Higher education[]

Public school districts[]

There are 20 public school districts in Lorain County. Those primarily in Lorain County are listed in bold. Each district's high school(s) and location is also listed.

  • Amherst Exempted Village School District
    • Amherst Marion L. Steele High School, Amherst
  • Avon Local School District
    • Avon High School, Avon
  • Avon Lake City School District
    • Avon Lake High School, Avon Lake
  • Black River Local School District (also in Medina Co and Ashland Co.)
    • Black River High School, Sullivan
  • Clearview Local School District
    • Clearview High School, Lorain
  • Columbia Local School District
    • Columbia High School, Columbia Station
  • Elyria City School District
    • Elyria High School, Elyria
  • Firelands Local School District (also in Erie Co.)
    • Firelands High School, Henrietta Twp (Oberlin)
  • Keystone Local School District
    • Keystone High School, LaGrange
  • Lorain City School District
    • Lorain High School, Lorain
  • Mapleton Local School District (Primarily in Ashland Co.)
    • Mapleton High School, Ashland
  • Midview Local School District
    • Midview High School, Eaton Twp (Grafton)
  • New London Local School District (primarily in Huron Co.)
    • New London High School, New London
  • North Ridgeville City School District
    • North Ridgeville High School, North Ridgeville
  • Oberlin City School District
    • Oberlin High School, Oberlin
  • Olmsted Falls City Schools (primarily in Cuyahoga Co.)
    • Olmsted Falls High School, Olmsted Falls
  • Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City School District
    • Brookside High School, Sheffield
  • Strongsville City School District (primarily in Cuyahoga Co.)
    • Strongsville High School, Strongsville
  • Vermilion Local Schools (primarily in Erie Co.)
    • Vermilion High School, Vermilion
  • Wellington Exempted Village School District (also in Huron Co.)
    • Wellington High School, Wellington

The county also includes the Lorain County Joint Vocational School District, which encompasses the entire county and serves students from the Amherst, Avon, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Elyria, Firelands, Keystone, Midview, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake and Wellington school districts from a 10-acre campus on a 100-acre site near the intersection of State Route 58 and U.S. Route 20 in Oberlin.[17]

Private high schools[]

  • Elyria Catholic High School, Elyria
  • Lake Ridge Academy, North Ridgeville
  • Open Door Christian School, Elyria
  • Christian Community School, North Eaton
  • First Baptist Christian School, Elyria

Communities[]

Map of Lorain County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

Map of Lorain County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

Cities[]

Villages[]

  • Grafton
  • Kipton
  • LaGrange
  • Rochester
  • Sheffield
  • South Amherst
  • Wellington

Townships[]

  • Amherst
  • Brighton
  • Brownhelm
  • Camden
  • Carlisle
  • Columbia
  • Eaton
  • Elyria
  • Grafton
  • Henrietta
  • Huntington
  • LaGrange
  • New Russia
  • Penfield
  • Pittsfield
  • Rochester
  • Sheffield
  • Wellington

https://web.archive.org/web/20160715023447/http://www.ohiotownships.org/township-websites

Census-designated places[]

  • Eaton Estates
  • Pheasant Run

Other communities[]

  • Belden
  • Brentwood Lake
  • Brighton
  • Brownhelm
  • Brownhelm Station
  • Columbia Hills Corners
  • Columbia Station
  • Henrietta
  • Huntington
  • North Eaton
  • Penfield
  • Pittsfield
  • Whiskyville

See also[]

  • National Register of Historic Places listings in Lorain County, Ohio
  • USS Lorain County (LST-1177)

References[]

  1. ^ Gannett, Henry (1905). The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States. U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 190. https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_9V1IAAAAMAAJ. 
  2. ^ 2020 census
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. 
  4. ^ "Ohio: Individual County Chronologies". Ohio Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. The Newberry Library. 2007. http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp/documents/OH_Individual_County_Chronologies.htm. 
  5. ^ Sandusky Register (newspaper); Sandusky, Ohio, 1822
  6. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. https://www.census.gov/geo/maps-data/data/docs/gazetteer/counties_list_39.txt. 
  7. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html. 
  8. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. http://mapserver.lib.virginia.edu. 
  9. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/population/cencounts/oh190090.txt. 
  10. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. https://www.census.gov/population/www/cen2000/briefs/phc-t4/tables/tab02.pdf. 
  11. ^ 2020 census
  12. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/DPDP1/0500000US39093. 
  13. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/GCTPH1.CY07/0500000US39093. 
  14. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP02/0500000US39093. 
  15. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/ACS/10_5YR/DP03/0500000US39093. 
  16. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". http://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS. 
  17. ^ JVS. "Lorain County JVS - About the Lorain County JVS". http://www.lcjvs.com/jvs/index.shtml. 

External links[]

Coordinates: 41°28′N 82°09′W / 41.47, -82.15

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