Norwalk, Ohio

Norwalk, Ohio
City
Norwalk Public Library, Downtown Norwalk, Ohio
Location of Norwalk, Ohio
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Huron
Founded	1817
Government
• Mayor	Sue Lesch
Area
• Total	8.6 sq mi (22.2 km2)
• Land	8.3 sq mi (21.6 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation Template:GR	719 ft (219 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	16,238
• Density	1,950.3/sq mi (753.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	44857
Area code	419
FIPS code	39-57302Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1044003Template:GR
Website	http://www.norwalkoh.com/

Huron County Courthouse, Downtown Norwalk, Ohio

Norwalk is a city in Huron County, Ohio, United States. The population was 16,238 at the 2000 census. The 2006 population estimate puts Norwalk at 16,576. It is the county seat of Huron CountyTemplate:GR.

History

Norwalk is at the center of a subregion in Ohio's Western Reserve commonly known as the Firelands. The sub-region's name recalls the founding of the area as one for settlers from cities in Connecticut that were burned during the Revolutionary War. Several locations in the Firelands area were named in honor of those cities (e.g. Greenwich, Groton, New London, Norwalk, Norwich, Ridgefield, etc.) as well as the names of settlers (e.g. Clarksfield, Perkins, Sherman, etc.).

On July 11, 1779, Norwalk, Connecticut was burned by the British Tories under Governor William Tryon. A committee of the General Assembly estimated the losses to the inhabitants at $116,238.66. The Continental Congress granted an area in the Western Reserve of Ohio as compensation for those established losses.

On May 30, 1800, the United States ceded the land titles to the "fire sufferers" and the representatives of the Western Reserve transferred the political jurisdiction to the general government. The Indian title was extinguished by treaty on July 4, 1805, on payment of $18,916.67; and in 1806, thirteen men arrived to make the first survey of the Firelands.

On November 9, 1808, a group of prominent citizens from Ridgefield, Norwalk, New Haven, Greenwich, and Fairfield met at the courthouse in New Haven, Connecticut, as the Board of Directors of the Proprietors of the half million acres (2,000 km²) of land lying south of Lake Erie, called the "Sufferers Land." They passed a resolution naming many of the townships in this area known as the "Firelands of Ohio."

Between 1806 and 1810, many families made the trip to look over land they had purchased in the "Firelands." During the War of 1812, because of the fear of British and Indian raids, settlement of the Huron County area came almost to a standstill. However, in 1815, Platt Benedict of Danbury, Connecticut visited and examined the present site of Norwalk. He returned to Danbury and purchased 1,300 acres (5.3 km²) of land with an eye toward establishing a town.

In July of 1817, Benedict returned to Norwalk with his family and immediately built a house. This was the first permanent residence established within the limits of Norwalk Village. In May of 1818, the county seat was successfully removed from Avery to Norwalk, and by 1819 a census showed a population of 109 residents. Platt Benedict, the founder of Norwalk and its first mayor, died in 1866 at the age of 91. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Among the earliest settlers of Norwalk were other men of wealth and education. They brought with them not only the customs, but also the architecture of New England. Many of their homes are still standing today.

In 1881, Norwalk's population reached the required minimum entitling her to incorporate as a city and the City of Norwalk dates from April 12, 1881.

Geography

Norwalk is located at 41°14′35″N 82°36′41″W (41.243024, -82.611371)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.2 km²), of which, 8.3 square miles (21.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (2.92%) is water. The city of Norwalk is bound by Norwalk Township in each direction and a small portion of the west side is bound by Ridgefield Township. The city is located approximately 11 miles south of Lake Erie.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 16,238 people, 6,377 households, and 4,234 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,950.3 people per square mile (752.6/km²). There were 6,687 housing units at an average density of 803.1/sq mi (309.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.53% White, 1.95% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 1.86% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.82% of the population.

There were 6,377 households out of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the city the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,778, and the median income for a family was $45,789. Males had a median income of $36,582 versus $22,165 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,519. About 6.8% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

The U.S. interstate highway system is easily accessible from Norwalk. Interstate 80 and Interstate 90 , also known as the Ohio Turnpike is approximately 3.5 miles north of Norwalk's city limits with an interchange on U.S. Route 250. Furthermore, the interstate-standard highway, State Route 2 , is also accessible to Norwalk.

The U.S. federal highways that run through Norwalk include Route 20 (part of the Norwalk bypass on the south side of town), which connects Fremont (via Bellevue) from the west and Elyria from the east; and Route 250 (known locally as Whittlesey Avenue, League Street, and Benedict Avenue), which connects Sandusky from the north (west) and Ashland from the south (east).

The state highways that run through Norwalk include Route 13 (multiplexed with Route 250), which connects Huron from the north and Mansfield from the south; Route 18 (multiplexed with Route 20 on the bypass), which connects Bellevue from the west and Medina from the east; and Route 61 (known locally as Main Street), which connects Shelby from the south and Berlin Heights as well as Lake Erie from the northeast.

Furthermore, State Route 601 is an alternate two-lane highway that bypasses Norwalk and U.S. Route 250 to the east, running from State Route 113 in Milan to State Route 18 a few miles east of Norwalk, next to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park. Rumors exist which have State Route 601 being extended from State Route 18 south to U.S. Route 250 in Olena along Huron County's Greenwich-Milan Townline Road.

Education

Due to city annexations and previously determined school district boundaries, Norwalk is served by four public school districts. The majority of the city is served by the Norwalk City School District. Northern portions of the city, including areas north of Gallup Avenue, are located within the Berlin-Milan Local School District. Western portions of the city, specifically the Sycamore Hills neighborhood, are located within the Monroeville Local School District. Also, extreme eastern portions of the city are within the boundaries of the Western Reserve Local School District. Residents of Norwalk who live in school districts other than the Norwalk City School District have the option to send their children to Norwalk City Schools because of open enrollment. Furthermore, Norwalk Catholic Schools and Saint Paul High School add to the educational options in Norwalk. The elephant is goes to this school

Notable facts

• Norwalk is the birthplace of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown and American League Baseball's first president, Ban Johnson.
• In 1968 an intestinal virus outbreak at a primary school led to the discovery of a new virus type, known as the Norwalk virus.
• The International Hot Rod Association, a drag racing sanctioning body, is headquartered in Norwalk.
• Norwalk is home to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, an NHRA-sanctioned drag racing strip.
• The Norwalk Furniture Company was founded and is headquartered in Norwalk.
• Norwalk is affectionately referred to as the "Maple City." Large historic maples grace many streets and can be found in city parks.
• Norwalk gained international attention when area residents Michael and Sharen Gravelle were charged with child abuse and child endangering when it was discovered that they kept some of their 11 adopted, special needs children in cage like enclosures during the night. On December 22, 2006 the Gravelles were each convicted on four felony counts and seven misdemeanor counts.
• Norwalk is the birthplace of Graham Phillips (actor).

External links

• City website