Wooster, Ohio

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City of Wooster
Wooster's skyline. U.S. Route 30 is visible in the foreground.
Wooster's skyline. U.S. Route 30 is visible in the foreground.
thumbLocation of Wooster, Ohio
thumbLocation of Wooster, Ohio
Coordinates: 40°48′33″N 81°56′14″W / 40.80917°N 81.93722°W / 40.80917; -81.93722
Country United States
State Ohio
County Wayne
Founded 1808
Government
 - Mayor Bob Breneman (R)
Area
 - Total 14.4 sq mi (37.3 km2)
 - Land 14.4 sq mi (37.2 km2)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation [1] 997 ft (304 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 24,811
 - Density 1,726.1/sq mi (666.4/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 44691
Area code(s) 330
FIPS code 39-86548[2]
GNIS feature ID 1049345[1]
Website http://www.woosteroh.com/

Wooster (pronounced /ˈwʊstər/, first syllable with the vowel of wood) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Wayne County[3]. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio approximately 50 mi (80 km) SSW of Cleveland and 35 mi (56 km) SW of Akron. Wooster is noted as the location of The College of Wooster. Wooster was established in 1808 by John Bever, William Henry, and Joseph Larwill, and named after David Wooster, a general in the American Revolutionary War[4]. The population was 24,811 at the 2000 census. The city is the largest in Wayne County, and the center of the Wooster Micropolitan Statistical Area (as defined by the United States Census Bureau in 2003). Wooster has the main branch and administrative offices of the Wayne County Public Library.

Wooster is the birthplace of physics Nobel Prize winner and chancellor of Washington University, Arthur Compton and his brother, physicist and president of MIT, Karl Taylor Compton.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Wooster is located at 40°48′33″N 81°56′14″W / 40.80917°N 81.93722°W / 40.80917; -81.93722 (40.809301, -81.937258)[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 14.4 square miles (37.3 km²), of which, 14.4 square miles (37.2 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.14%) is water.

The local bedrock consists of the Cuyahoga Formation (shale) and the overlying Logan Formation (sandstone and conglomerate), both Lower Carboniferous and rich in fossils.[citation needed]

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 24,811 people, 10,040 households, and 6,174 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,726.1 people per square mile (666.6/km²). There were 10,674 housing units at an average density of 742.6/sq mi (286.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.59% White, 3.82% African American, 0.26% Native American, 1.54% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.07% of the population.

There were 10,040 households out of which 28.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.5% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.0% under the age of 18, 14.9% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $37,400, and the median income for a family was $47,118. Males had a median income of $34,021 versus $23,608 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,505. About 7.8% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

Wayne County courthouse in downtown Wooster.

[edit] Mayor and council

The city is governed by an elected mayor. On January 1, 2008 former Councilman Bob Breneman (R) was sworn in as Mayor[1].

There is a seven-member City Council: Ed Schuch (D-1st Ward), Keith Topovski (D-2nd Ward), David Silvestri (R-3rd Ward), Jeff Steiner (R-4th Ward), and at-large members Jon Ulbright (D), Jon Ansel (R) and Mike Buytendyk (R). Meetings are presided over by the City Council president who is elected at-large and only votes to break a tie. Silvestri, the council president pro tempore, is acting president after incumbent Jeff Griffin, a former councilman, took a job as director of the local chamber of commerce.

Municipal elections were held on November 6, 2007. Bob Breneman (R) defeated former city council member Mindy Cavin (D) 56 percent to 43 percent.

[edit] Elected representatives

As of 2009, the city is represented in the Ohio House of Representatives by Ron Amstutz (R); in the Ohio Senate by Bob Gibbs (R); and in the U.S. House of Representatives by John Boccieri (D).

[edit] Newspapers

Wooster Daily Record headquarters in downtown Wooster.

The city has a daily newspaper, The Daily Record, published by Dix Communications/Wooster Republican Printing Co., and a weekly paper, The Wooster Weekly News, published by Graphic Publications Inc. In addition, The Akron Beacon Journal occasionally covers the city and Wayne County.

[edit] Major Industries

Wooster is the home of a number of major industries. For example, Rubbermaid made its corporate headquarters in Wooster until the end of 2003. Wooster Brush and Wooster Motor Ways have corporate headquarters located in Wooster.

For its size, Wooster is also dedicated to the "industry of education." It is common folklore that, with both The College of Wooster, The Agricultural Technical Institute (ATI) a subsidiary of The Ohio State University and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (a teaching and research facility dedicated to agricultural science, subsidiary of The Ohio State University), there were more Ph.D.s per capita in Wooster than anywhere else in Ohio.

In addition to these industries, Wooster remains an agricultural center for Ohio. The OARDC enriches the local farms with knowledge and expertise, which is proudly displayed at the annual Wayne County Fair, held each September (see also Fair). Students in Wooster and surrounding rural communities continue to enroll in youth farming programs such as 4-H and National FFA Organization. Many traditional Amish farmers come to Wooster by horse-and-buggy for commerce as well, including nearby Lehman's Hardware store, which provides electricity-free tools and appliances. Lehman's garnered international attention at the turn of the 21st century, during which there was a prevalent scare of what might happen to the electrical infrastructure of the nation when computers transitioned from 1999 to 2000. (See Y2K for more.)

[edit] Culture/Entertainment

Architectural telamon (or atlas) on the courthouse entrance.

[edit] The Arts

Wooster, and the greater Wayne County community, is served by the Wayne Center for the Arts, which displays artwork by local artists, offers instructional courses, and stages performances [2].

The College of Wooster is home to the Ohio Light Opera a professional opera company that performs the light opera repertory, including Gilbert and Sullivan, and American, British, and continental operettas of the late 19th and early 20th centuries [3].

[edit] Music

The Wooster Symphony Orchestra, in its 92nd season, is a joint venture between the Wooster community and the College of Wooster. The Symphony is the second oldest continually performing in the state [6].

[edit] Professional Sports

The city of Wooster (as well as Wayne County) gained its first professional sports team when the Continental Indoor Football League announced plans to place a 2007 expansion team, the Wayne County Rumble in Wooster. However, team owner Ramone Davenport announced plans to move the team from Wayne to nearby Summit County due to a lack of suitable facilities in the area. [4]

For the 2007-2008 season, Wooster was granted a team in the Mid-Atlantic Hockey League called the Wooster Warriors. The MAHL suspended operations of February 2008,[7] and the Warriors subsequently relocated to Trenton, Michigan. However, due to the presence of the junior hockey Wooster Oilers [5], hockey fans are not left without a team.

[edit] Sister Cities

Wooster has never been actually given sister cities but interested targets are Buckhannon, West Virginia, Purcell, Oklahoma, and Huntington, West Virginia.

[edit] Points of interest

[edit] Notable natives

The following individuals were born in, raised in, lived in, or currently live in Wooster, Ohio.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  2. ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  4. ^ "Wooster." Encyclopaedia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopaedia Britannica Online. 14 Mar 2008 <http://www.brittanica.com/eb/article-9077455>
  5. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
  6. ^ Wood, Thomas. "Wooster Symphony Orchestra." The College of Wooster. 05 Sept. 2003. 26 Feb 2008 <http://www.wooster.edu/music/wso.html>.
  7. ^ Mid-Atlantic Hockey League put on ice." Wooster Daily Record 15 Feb. 2008

[edit] External links

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v • d • e
Municipalities and communities of
Wayne County, Ohio
County seat: Wooster
Cities

Norton‡ | Orrville | Rittman‡ | Wooster
Map of Ohio highlighting Wayne County
Villages
Townships
Unincorporated
communities
Footnotes

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties
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