North Olmsted, Ohio

Geography North Olmsted is located at 41°24'54" North, 81°54'52" West (41.415097, -81.914366)¹.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 30.1 km² (11.6 mi²). 30.1 km² (11.6 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

Demographics As of the census of 2000, there are 34,113 people, 13,517 households, and 9,367 families residing in the city. The population density is 1,132.5/km² (2,932.9/mi²). There are 14,059 housing units at an average density of 466.7/km² (1,208.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 93.97% White, 1.01% African American, 0.13% Native American, 2.74% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 1.68% from two or more races. 1.69% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 13,517 households out of which 29.6% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% are married couples living together, 8.6% have a female householder with no husband present, and 30.7% are non-families. 26.5% of all households are made up of individuals and 9.9% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.50 and the average family size is 3.07.

In the city the population is spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 40 years. For every 100 females there are 93.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 89.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $52,542, and the median income for a family is $62,422. Males have a median income of $45,908 versus $30,600 for females. The per capita income for the city is $24,329. 4.1% of the population and 2.8% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 4.3% are under the age of 18 and 6.5% are 65 or older.

History

The entire area containing North Olmsted was originally part of Connecticut's Western Reserve[?]

In 1806 the vast tract of land comprising the modern day towns of North Olmsted[?], Olmsted Falls[?] and Olmsted Township[?] was purchased for $30,000 by Aaron Olmsted[?] a wealthy sea captain.

The first permanent settler to this area was David Johnson Stearns[?]. In the summer of 1815 Elijah Stearns (a Revolutionary War veteran) and two of his sons; David Johnson and Alvah Stearns came from Vermont to look over land in the Olmsted area (at the time that area was known as Kingston). The father purchased a 1,000 acre tract of land along the Butternut Ridge Road[?]. This he divided equally among his six sons. In the fall, Elijah and Alvah returned to Vermont, but David Johnson stayed in the cabin they had built. The next spring he married Polly Barnum of nearby Ridgeville. Mr. Stearns was for many years a leader in community affairs.

Prior to 1820, the town grew slowly. David Johnson Steam's brothers; Vespacian, Elliot, Elijah, Alvah and Asaph arrived to clear and settle their farms. Thomas Briggs[?] and his sons, Thomas, Amos and Otis appear in 1816, having come from Guilford, Vermont. Isaac Frost[?] and his sons, Dr. Elias Carrington Frost[?] and Lyman Frost[?], moved in from Brecksville[?].

Isaac, became the town's first Treasurer. The Thompsons, Carpenters, Barnums and Ushers, were also among the earliest pioneers. All these families settled along what was designated "the Ridge" ( now Lorain Road[?]).

In 1823 the people organized into a township called Lenox. Soon after its organization, the town was split, and those settlers living east of the Rocky River[?] joined Middleburgh Township[?]; and those to the west were attached to Ridgeville[?], Lorain County[?]. By 1827 this arrangement was found to be unsatisfactory and the town was reunited under the name Lenox. The population at that time was about 400.

1823 also marks the date of the initial settlement of Coe Ridge[?] in southern Dover Township[?] when Asher Miller Coe[?] arrived with his large family. Judge Coe built himself a handsome residence at what is now Lorain and Columbia Road. The people of Coe Ridge developed a close bond with the families of "the Ridge" because Mr. Coe opened a road from his house to the Universalist Church in Olmsted. It is easy to see why, when the village of North Olmsted was formed, these people voted to join their neighbors, rather then remain an isolated corner of Dover Township.

In 1829 Charles Hyde Olmsted[?] the son of Aaron Olmsted offered the town of Lenox a library of 500 books if they would name of the town after his father. The residents agreed and the name Olmsted was adopted. (See Ox-Cart Library).

Also in 1829 before Mr. Olmsted had offered the library, Elias Frost applied for a postal station in his home near the corner of Columbia and Kennedy Ridge Road[?]. He discovered he could not use the name Lenox, as there was already a post office by that name in Ohio. As a result he called his post office "Frostville[?]". This name remained in use long after the town adopted the Olmsted name.

The town patriotically answered the call to arms for the Civil War, sending over fifty volunteers to the union army.

Although some light industry was developed in form of the Barnum, Peck and Lawrence mills along Rocky River; John Ames' Carpentry shop; the Carpenter's cheese factory, and Rial Rice's steam-mill; agriculture long remained the most important occupation in the area, even up to the time of North Olmsted's astonishing growth between 1960 and 1970.

The village of North Olmsted was created through a vote in the fall of 1908, effective January 1, 1909. Slowly the population grew, as more people sought the refuge of country living just a short distance from Cleveland. The village became a city in 1950 when the population reached 5,000. By 1970 this figure had multiplied many times over.