Lorain, Ohio

City of Lorain
—  City  —
Seal
Location within the state of Ohio
Coordinates: 41°26′54″N 82°10′8″W
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Lorain
Founded	1807
Government
• Mayor	Chase M. Ritenauer (D)
• President of Council	Joel Arredondo(D)
Area
• Total	24.2 sq mi (62.8 km2)
• Land	24.0 sq mi (62.2 km2)
• Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation	610 ft (186 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	64,097
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	44052-44055-44053-44054
Area code(s)	440
FIPS code	39-44856
GNIS feature ID	1077529
Website	http://www.cityoflorain.org

Lorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland.

As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of 64,097, making it Ohio's 10th largest city. It was first settled in 1807 and was originally named Charleston.

Ford Motor Company had the Lorain Assembly Plant in the city, mostly known for assembling the Ford Econoline (E-series) van, Ford Torino and Mercury Montego, and beginning in 1975 the Ford Thunderbird and Mercury Cougar (through 1997); the plant ceased all production on December 14, 2005. The sprawling United States Steel Mills, portions recently acquired by Republic Steel, stretch for nearly 3 miles on the city's south side. These mills have operated in the city since 1895 and continue to employ thousands of local residents. Though the blast furnaces were idled in late 2008, Republic announced in December 2011 that they would be building electric arc furnaces to once again make steel in Lorain.

Geography

Lorain, part of the Cleveland–Elyria–Mentor metropolitan area, is located at 41°26′54″N 82°10′8″W (41.448241, -82.168862).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 24.2 square miles (63 km²), of which, 24.0 square miles (62 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.52 km²) of it (0.95%) is water.

The Charles Berry Bridge is located in Lorain, which is the 2nd largest bascule bridge in the world.

Politics

Mayors of Lorain

Politics in the City of Lorain have traditionally been closely tied to the local Democratic Party. However, through the years Republicans occasionally have been able to win offices. Since the late 1990s Lorain has elected all Democrats to city council, but in 1999 a Republican - Craig Foltin - was elected mayor. In 2003, the voters re-elected Craig L. Foltin.

Lorain is one of the largest cities in Ohio to not have a charter. The city of Lorain functions under a Statutory government. This provides for a Mayor-Council form with until recently 3 at-large seats and 8 wards.

As of the 2008 General Election, the number of residents registered to a political party were:

• Democrats: 16,168
• Republicans: 2,346

The city is home to the Lorain Municipal Court, which serves the cities of Lorain and Sheffield Lake as well as Sheffield Township.

Demographics

Broadway, Downtown

As of the census of 2000, there were 68,652 people, 26,434 households, and 17,975 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,858.1 people per square mile (1,103.5/km²). There were 28,231 housing units at an average density of 1,175.5 per square mile (453.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 69.70% White, 15.94% African American, 0.44% Native American, 0.33% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 9.56% from other races, and 3.99% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 21.03% of the population.

There were 26,434 households out of which 33.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.6% were married couples living together, 19.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.3% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,917, and the median income for a family was $39,454. Males had a median income of $34,120 versus $23,065 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,340. About 14.2% of families and 17.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.5% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1880	1,595		—
1890	4,863		204.9%
1900	16,028		229.6%
1910	28,883		80.2%
1920	37,205		28.8%
1930	44,512		19.6%
1940	44,125		−0.9%
1950	51,202		16.0%
1960	68,932		34.6%
1970	78,185		13.4%
1980	75,416		−3.5%
1990	71,245		−5.5%
2000	68,652		−3.6%
2010	64,097		−6.6%

Culture

Over 70 different nationalities live in the Lorain area. Many were originally attracted by work in the steel mills and ship yards. Lorain is sometimes referred to as Steel City mainly because of its well-known steel mill. Downtown Lorain was devastated by a tornado in 1924 and as part of an initiative to rebuild the downtown several historic buildings were constructed, including the Lorain Palace Theatre which opened in 1928 and continues to operate today. One of the highlights of the summer season is the Lorain International Festival.

Pictures

• 

  Broadway, looking north, about 1908

• 

  Aerial view, looking north, 1908-1918

• 

  "At the loop", 1913

• 

  Aerial view of the harbor at Lorain, Ohio. View is to the southeast.

Notable natives and residents

• Terry Anderson, journalist and former Lebanese hostage
• Don Barden, Detroit businessman and owner of several large U.S. based casinos, Served 2 terms as Lorain's first black city councilman.
• Charles J. Berry, Corporal, winner of the Medal of Honor during World War II
• Michael Dirda, Pulitzer Prize–winning book critic
• Stevan Dohanos, artist
• Robert Galambos (1914–2010), researcher who discovered how bats use echolocation.
• Quincy Gillmore, General
• William Hanley, author
• Mary Harkacz, Artist/Muralist: Lorain City Hall Mural, War Memorial, Heroes Lorain Ohio USA.
• Raymont Harris - NFL running back
• Lofton Henderson, Major, a hero of the Battle of Midway
• Ernest J. King, Fleet Admiral, Chief of Naval Operations and Fleet Admiral of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet in World War II
• Ray Lawrence, bandleader, record company executive, record producer and personal manager.
• Jason Molina, singer-songwriter
• Toni Morrison, Nobel Prize laureate author
• Chad Muska, professional skateboarder, was born there, currently resides in the Woodland Hills, Los Angeles, California
• Don Novello, aka Father Guido Sarducci
• Ward Van Orman, three time winner of the Gordon Bennett Race
• Robert F. Overmyer, Colonel in the United States Marine Corps, test pilot and astronaut
• Martha Piper, former chancellor and president of the University of British Columbia
• Helen Steiner Rice, author and poet
• Pam Robinson, co-founder of the American Copy Editors Society, a national journalism organization
• Vince Villanucci, NFL player
• Michael Gonzalez, Co-founder of Splashing Colors inc
• General Johnnie Wilson
• Matt Wilhelm, Elyria Catholic graduate, NFL Linebacker, Ohio State National Champion and Super Bowl Champ

External links

• City of Lorain
• Ohio Business College Lorain Campus
• Black River Historical Society - The Museum of the City of Lorain
• Lorain, Ohio Business & Living
• Local Announcements, Business Listings and Events Calendar
• Lorain travel guide from Wikitravel