Kent, Ohio
Kent | |
|---|---|
 Seal | |
| Nickname: The Tree City | |
 Location within the state of Ohio | |
| County | Portage |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | John Fender |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 27,906 |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (EST) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| Website | http://www.kentohio.org/ |
Kent is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 census. Kent is home to the main campus of Kent State University and is the county's largest city. Nearby metropolitan areas include Akron, Cleveland, and Canton. Kent is included in the Akron metropolitan area for census purposes.
History
Although European settlers had begun settling in the area by the 1700s, Kent was founded in 1805 by John Haymaker, who moved west from Pittsburgh and settled on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. After Haymaker built a gristmill, two villages quickly sprung up. The "upper" village was named Carthage and the "lower" village was named Franklin and later Franklin Mills. The region was formerly inhabited by various tribes of American Indians, and around 1780 the Indian fighter Captain Samuel Brady achieved notoriety for his activities in the area, including his famous leap over the Cuyahoga River to avoid capture.[1]
When construction began on the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal in the 1830s, land speculation was rampant in many areas of Northeast Ohio along the canal, including Franklin Mills and Carthage. As a result of this, an industrial and business region was established along the river in what is now downtown Kent.
The era of the canal would be relatively short-lived. In 1863 a local businessman by the name of Marvin Kent was influential in bringing the Atlantic & Great Western Railroad through the village. The railroad reinvented the village as an important stop on the east-west line, and to honor Marvin Kent the village was renamed Kent in 1864, although this change was not official until 1867.[1] As for the canal, it could not compete with the speed and efficiency of the railroads, and it became virtually unused for shipping by 1870. Kent was officially incorporated as a village on May 6, 1867.
John Davey established the Davey Tree Company in 1880 after planting hundreds of trees around the city. Kent became known as the "Tree City". Another of the city's oldest businesses, the Williams Brothers Mill, was also founded in the late 1800s; now operating under the name Star of the West, it is a flour mill specializing in the preparation of custom-ground wheat flours. In the mid-twentieth century, two factories produced buses, delivery trucks, and other similar vehicles, but these factories went out of business by the late 20th century.
In 1903, the Kent Free Library opened its doors. The library was a gift of Andrew Carnegie. To receive the gift, Kent had to pass a municpal tax for library maintenance. Kent became the first municipality in Ohio to pass such a tax. Although additions have been made throughout the years, the original library building still stands today and currently houses the library's genealogy and local history areas. Most recently, all previous additions were demolished and a new, three-story addition was constructed which tripled the previous amount of available space. This new addition opened on September 26, 2006, exactly 103 years after the original library opened. During construction, the library was housed in temporary quarters at Kent's University Plaza on South Water Street from 2004-2006.
In 1910, the "Kent State Normal School" was established as a college for training public school teachers. The school was later renamed Kent State University after it received authorization to issue Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science degrees.
The 1930s brought the Great Depression and the slowing of the now Erie Railroad through Kent. By this time, however, Kent State University was firmly established and today nearly the entire Kent economy is in some way associated with the university.
On May 4, 1970, four students were killed and nine were wounded by the National Guard at the Kent State shootings.
Today, Kent has a relatively diverse population, due in part to the university, as well as a downtown area which is slowly growing and recovering from a period of relative nondevelopment. Currently, a recently finished renovation of the old dam on the Cuyahoga River, new condominiums, a new library project, and a plan for adding new blocks of businesses to the downtown district are planned in and around the historical city center.
Geography
Kent is located at 41°9′2″N 81°21′40″W / 41.15056°N 81.36111°WInvalid arguments have been passed to the {{#coordinates:}} function (41.150423, -81.361109)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.6 km² (8.7 mi²). 22.5 km² (8.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.23%) is water.
Nearby Communities
Kent lies in west-central Portage County and is bordered by the following townships and municipalities:
- Franklin Township on the north and east.
- Brimfield Township on the south.
- The city of Stow on the west in neighboring Summit County.
- The city of Tallmadge on the southwest (touches, but does not border), also in Summit County.
Nearby (but not bordering Kent itself) townships and municipalities include:
- The village of Brady Lake, Ravenna Township, and the city of Ravenna to the east.
- The village of Sugar Bush Knolls and the city of Streetsboro to the north.
It is worth noting that Brady Lake, Sugar Bush Knolls, and Franklin Township are all considered part of the greater Kent community, due mostly to their association in the Kent City School District.
Transportation
The following highways pass through Kent: Template:OHShield S.R. 59, Template:OHShield S.R. 43, and Template:OHShield S.R. 261.
Kent is located just south of 
I-80/Ohio Turnpike exit 187 and the eastern terminus of 
I-480.
Kent is located just north of 
I-76 exit 33
For public transportation Kent is served by the Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority (PARTA), which includes several local and county-wide routes and includes Kent State University's Campus Bus Service, which has several campus-oriented routes and express routes to Akron and Cleveland. PARTA also has transfer points with Akron and Summit County's METRO Regional Transit Authority, providing access to their routes.
ZIP and Area Codes
All residential areas of the city (along with large portions of Brimfield and Franklin Townships) are served by the Kent, OH 44240 ZIP code. On the campus of Kent State University, the academic buildings use the Kent, OH 44242 ZIP code and the dormitories use the Kent, OH 44243 ZIP code.
For telephone use, Kent is part of the 330 and 234 area codes, which includes the Akron-Canton and Youngstown areas of Northeast Ohio.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 27,906 people, 9,772 households, and 4,798 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,239.9/km² (3,212.3/mi²). There were 10,435 housing units at an average density of 463.6/km² (1,201.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 86.07% White, 9.11% African American, 2.15% Asian, 0.19% Native American, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.44% from other races, and 2.01% from two or more races. 1.28% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 9,772 households out of which 25.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 32.8% were married couples living together, 13.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.9% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.89.
In the city the population was spread out with 16.4% under the age of 18, 40.0% from 18 to 24, 23.0% from 25 to 44, 13.1% from 45 to 64, and 7.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 23 years. For every 100 females there were 84.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $29,582, and the median income for a family was $44,440. Males had a median income of $32,063 versus $25,344 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,015. About 15.4% of families and 25.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.2% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.
Geographical features
The Tom S. Cooperrider-Kent Bog State Nature Preserve, located on the southern edge of Kent, is one of the most intact bogs in Ohio, with the largest stand of tamarack trees. As of 2005, it is threatened by development of the forest just to its north.
Interesting facts
- Kent was the first Tree City and is referred to as "The Tree City" on some signs seen upon entering the city. There are tree logos on Kent's street signs. It was officially proclaimed "The Tree City" of Ohio by a resolution on February 15, 1949.[2]
- Kent is noted for its unusual local population of black squirrels, brought to the area in 1961 by Larry Woodell from Canada while superintendent of grounds at Kent State.[3] Since this time, the black squirrels have multiplied rapidly and spread in and around Kent.
- In 1995, the city of Kent's municipal (tap) water won first place at the fifth annual Toast to the Tap International Water Tasting and Competition held in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia. The city and its award-winning water were featured on a segment of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno shortly thereafter.
- Originally, before naming the city after Marvin Kent, city leaders were considering the name Rockton (hence the name of the Masonic lodge as Rockton Lodge).
Education
Elementary and secondary schooling is provided by the Kent City School District (website), with five elementary schools: Holden, Longcoy, Franklin, Davey, and Walls; the recently completed Stanton Middle School, and Theodore Roosevelt High School. Theodore Roosevelt High School has been given the United States Department of Education Excellence in Education award. St. Patrick School is a parochial institution for grades K-8. Kent State University is the major institution of post-secondary education in the area and is the city and county's largest employer.
Famous residents
- Anti-slavery crusader John Brown lived in Kent (then called Franklin Mills) c. 1835-37.
- John Davey, founder of Davey Tree Expert Company and local philanthropist
- Martin L. Davey, U.S. Representative and Governor of Ohio for two terms
- Playwright and director Vincent J. Cardinal was raised in Kent and graduated from Kent State University.
- The Egyptian-born composer Halim El-Dabh has made Kent his home since 1969.
- The Six Parts Seven (indie rock band)
- Many now-famous or successful people have attended or graduated from Kent State University, among them Drew Carey, Arsenio Hall, Michael Keaton, Joe Walsh and members of Devo. (See Kent State University Famous Alumni for a longer list).
Sister Cities
Kent has one sister city, as designated by Sister Cities International, Inc. (SCI):
Sports
- As the home of Kent State University, Kent is also the home of the University's athletic teams, the Golden Flashes, who compete in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) at the NCAA Division I level (I-A for football). Several Kent State athletic teams have enjoyed success over the years in the MAC and in the NCAA tournament including: Women's Field Hockey, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball, Baseball, Softball, Women's Golf, Men's Golf, Women's Soccer, and Women's Gymnastics. 2005-2006 has seen appearances by Men's Basketball, Softball, & Women's Golf in the NCAA tournament (following MAC tournament titles) with MAC East Division or overall championships for Women's Field Hockey (overall), Men's Basketball (overall), Women's Basketball (East division), Men's Golf (overall), Women's Golf (eighth straight overall), Softball (East Division), & Baseball (overall).
- Kent is home to the Kent Twisters, a member of the Pennsylvania-Ohio Women's Hockey Association (POWHA), an adult amateur women's ice hockey travel league. Kent has been consistent throughout their membership in the POWHA, but strong goaltending led them to finish second in the league in 2004 losing to the Cleveland Bluesin the Championship game. Kent is also a member of the Northeast Ohio Women's Hockey Organization(NOWHO), a regional ice hockey league for women.
External links
- City of Kent, Ohio
- Kent Historical Society
- Photos of Kent by Kent luthier Roger Thurman
- The Kent Free Library
- KentOhio.net
- Kent City Manager Blog
- Kent City Schools
- KentPlanet.com :Non-Profit Kent Community Website and Event Listing
- ^ http://http://www.geocities.com/heartland/park/9580/kent.html. Retrieved 2006-09-18.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ Files/Kent Bicentennial Historical Fun Facts.pdf http://www.kentbiz.com/PDF Files/Kent Bicentennial Historical Fun Facts.pdf. Retrieved 2006-03-14.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ^ source http://www.registrars.kent.edu/home/SITE_NAVS/history.htm source. Retrieved 2006-02-11.
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