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Solon, Ohio

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Location of Solon, Ohio
Location of Solon, Ohio
The Solon Fine Arts Center
Solon City Hall

Solon is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, and is a suburb of Cleveland in the Northeast Ohio Region, the 14th largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 21,802. In 2003, the estimated population was 22,248. In 2005, the city was listed by Money as 42nd in its list of "Best Places to Live."

History

In 1820, the first settlers arrived from Connecticut to live in part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The township was named after Lorenzo Solon Bull, who was the son of Isaac Bull, one of the first settlers. Purportedly, the selection of young Lorenzo's middle name was due to its derivation from the father of democracy, Solon, the famous Athenian lawmaker of Ancient Greece.

The early settlers faced challenges common to pioneers, but in Solon, drainage and wetlands issues complicated settlement and agriculture. Overcoming these obstacles, Solon Township became an arable farming area, producing corn and wheat crops and supporting dairy farms (including 5 cheese factories). By 1850, the population of Solon Township reached 1,034.

Due to nearby Cleveland's position as a national hub of the railroad industry, rail also contributed greatly to Solon's growth. In 1857, the Cleveland-Youngstown section of the Cleveland and Mahoning Railroad established a line running through Solon.

Laid out in a traditional New England plan, Solon, like many of the neighboring townships, established a public square in its town center. In conjunction with townships to the north, a north-south corridor was established through the town centers of Solon, Orange, and Mayfield townships (from south to north, respectively) and, accordingly, was named SOM Center Road (now Ohio 91). Solon Township included the current municipalities of the City of Solon and the villages of Bentleyville and Glenwillow. In 1917, Solon was incorporated as a village and later became a city in 1961, operated under the mayor-council form of government.

Solon was one of the first cities to utilize a comprehensive zoning plan and has been able to achieve a strong industrial base, while insulating its bedroom communities from industrial activities. Further, the city has primarily concentrated its commercial and retail districts in the town center, making them convenient to all residents. In addition to its planned use for corporate and residential areas, Solon has 687 acres of city parks and recreational area, 360 acres of Cleveland Metroparks (the South Chagrin Reservation) and 3 golf courses within its borders. In 1991, the extension of a divided highway, US 422, was completed as an east-west corridor just north of its town center. US 422 enables easy access to many points throughout Northeast Ohio, providing a corridor extending from Cleveland through Solon and beyond Warren into Pennsylvania.

From 1960 to 1970, the city's population almost doubled from 6,333 to 11,519. Reaching 14,341 in 1980, Solon experienced another significant growth spurt, increasing its population by 50% as of 2000.

Winning elections in 1997, 2001 and most recently 2005, Mayor Kevin Patton is the current Solon mayor. Mayor Patton's brother, Ken, is the mayor of Brooklyn, Ohio, another suburb of Cleveland.

Economy

In 1929, the Bready Cultimotor tractor company became the first industrial company to locate in Solon. Since then, Solon has served as home to many multi-national companies, including several global and North American headquarters. Accordingly, Solon is considered a satellite city, which is defined as a suburban community containing an employment base sufficient to support its residential population (even though the community is integrated through cross-commuting in a much larger metropolitan area).

Today, according to city government authorities, Solon has major clusters of businesses in five manufacturing industries: 1) electronic and electrical equipment, 2) industrial and commercial machinery, 3) measuring and controlling devices and instruments, 4) chemicals and allied products, and 5) fabricated metal products. Over 8,000, or 75%, of Solon’s 10,700 manufacturing jobs are concentrated in these five industry sectors.

Major employers include: Nestlé Prepared Foods (formerly the headquarters of Stouffer Foods), Swagelok, Erico Products, Keithley Instruments, Agilysys, and L'Oréal Products (through acquisition of the headquarters of Matrix Essentials hair products). Other well-known businesses include: the Cleveland Clinic, King Nut Company, Dots Retail Apparel, the Davis Automotive Group (consisting of BMW, Jaguar, and Land Rover franchises), and a branch of Cleveland State University.

Schools

Solon is well known for having an exceptional public school system. As of 2005, the school system had an 11.9 student-teacher ratio. In addition, Solon consistently ranks among the top schools in Ohio and the nation in standardized testing. In 2001, Newsweek named the Solon Schools as one of the top 75 school systems in the nation.

The Solon Science Olympiad Teams of Solon High School and Solon Middle School are also very successful groups. The Middle School placed 5th overall in the National competition in 2004, placed 4th overall in 2005, and 3rd place overall in 2006. The High School won the national tournament in 1998 and placed 2nd overall in 2003.

The United States Department of Education named Arthur Road Elementary School in Solon as a No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School of 2005. Arthur Road is one of only 16 Ohio schools and 295 schools nationwide to receive this national recognition for the high levels of student achievement in the school.

Geography

Solon is located at 41°23′24″N 81°26′32″W / 41.39000°N 81.44222°W / 41.39000; -81.44222Invalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.389871, -81.442330)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 53.3 km² (20.6 mi²). 53.2 km² (20.5 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.19%) is water.

Solon is located 18 miles from Cleveland in the southeast corner of Cuyahoga County, adjacent to three other counties, Geauga, Portage and Summit Counties (clockwise from east to south).

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 21,802 people, 7,554 households, and 6,171 families residing in the city. The population density was 409.6/km² (1,060.8/mi²). There were 7,801 housing units at an average density of 146.6/km² (379.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.79% White, 6.12% African American, 0.04% Native American, 4.91% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.17% from other races, and 0.97% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.70% of the population.

There were 7,554 households out of which 44.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 71.8% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.3% were non-families. 15.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.89 and the average family size was 3.26.

In the city, the population was spread out with 30.5% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 26.0% from 25 to 44, 27.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $78,903, and the median income for a family was $88,990. Males had a median income of $66,484 versus $37,491 for females. The per capita income for the city was $35,394. About 2.0% of families and 2.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

Notable Natives and Residents

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