Geneva, Ohio

Infobox Settlement
name = Geneva
settlement_type = City
official_name = City of Geneva
image_



mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Geneva within Ashtabula County, Ohio"
latd = 41
latm = 48
lats = 18
latNS = N
longd = 80
longm = 56
longs = 53
longEW = W
subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Ohio
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Ashtabula
subdivision_type3 = Township(s)
subdivision_name3 = Geneva, Harpersfield
established_title = Area first settled
established_date = 1805
established_title1 = City first settled
established_date1 = 1816
established_title2 = Incorporated
established_date2 = 1866 as village
1958 as city
named_for = Geneva, New York
government_type = Council-manager
leader_title = City manager
leader_name = James Pearson
area_total_sq_mi = 4.0
area_total_km2 = 10.3
area_land_sq_mi = 4.0
area_land_km2 = 10.3
area_water_sq_mi = 4.0
area_water_km2 = 0.0
elevation_ft = 673
elevation_m = 205
population_as_of = 2000
population_total = 6595
population_density_sq_mi = auto
population_density_km2 = auto
timezone = EST
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 44041
area_code = 440
blank_name = Demonym
blank_info = Genevan
blank1_name = FIPS Code
blank1_info = 39-29610GR|2
blank2_name = GNIS Feature ID
blank2_info = 1040812GR|3
website = http://www.genevaohio.com

Geneva is a city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The area which would become Geneva was originally settled in 1805, and was incorporated as a city in 1958. It is named after Geneva, New York. The city's population was 6,595 at the 2000 census.GR|2

History

The area which would eventually be Geneva was first settled in 1805 by a handful of settlers from Charlotte, New York.cite web|title=City of Geneva, Ohio - History|url=http://www.genevaohio.com/city_history.htm|accessdate=2008-01-26] In 1806, settlers from Harpersfield, New York arrived and established Harpersfield Township, which included the present-day townships of Geneva, Trumbull and Hartsgrove. However, in 1816, citizens of Harpersfield decided to withdraw from the township and form their own township, which then became Geneva Township, named after Geneva, New York. In 1866, the town of Geneva then became a village, and, nearly one hundred years later, in 1958, Geneva was incorporated as a city.

Geography

Geneva is located at coor dms|41|48|0|N|80|56|45|W|city (41.800098, -80.945784)GR|1, 45 miles east of Cleveland and 55 miles west of Erie, Pennsylvania.

The city is bordered to the north, east and west by Geneva Township and by Harpersfield Township to the south. The Grand River flows around Geneva to the south in Harpersfield and to the west in Lake County. The Geneva State Park is located to the north of the city (within Geneva Township).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.0 square miles (10.4 km²), all of it land.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 6,595 people, 2,515 households, and 1,607 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,650.4 people per square mile (636.6/km²). There were 2,660 housing units at an average density of 665.7/sq mi (256.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.84% White, 1.15% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.80% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.94% of the population.

There were 2,515 households out of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,048, and the median income for a family was $41,511. Males had a median income of $31,817 versus $23,927 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,940. About 5.1% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Three major routes pass through (or near) Geneva. Interstate 90, the northernmost east-west and coast-to-coast interstate, passes roughly two miles south of the city. There, a full-access interchange (exit 218) intersects Route 534, which passes through Geneva and terminates north of the city. Route 534 intersects Route 20, the longest road in the United States, in downtown Geneva.

Education

The Geneva Area City School District provides K–12 education to students in Geneva as well as Geneva Township (including Geneva-on-the-Lake), Harpersfield Township, Trumbull Township and Austinburg Township (including Austinburg). The district is has four elementary schools (Geneva Elementary, Spencer Elementary, Cork Elementary and Austinburg Elementary), one junior high school (Geneva Junior High) and one high school (Geneva High School). The elementary schools serve students in grades K–6, while the junior high and high schools serve students in grades 7–8 and 9–12 respectively. The district has an open enrollment policy, allowing students from the entire county, as well as Lake and Geauga Counties to enroll.

Culture

Geneva Grape Jamboree

The Grape Jamboree is an annual celebration of the area's grape-growing and wine-producing industries.cite web|title=Geneva Grape Jamboree, About|url=http://www.grapejamboree.com/about.html|accessdate=2008-01-26] The festival occurs during the final full weekend of September, and lasts both days. Festivities include two parades, one held on each day, as well as various amusement park-type rides and typical festival food kiosks set up on the main streets (Route 20 and Route 534) of Geneva.

Declaration of Lunar Ownership

On 1966-04-12, more than 200 people attended announcement ceremonies at Geneva High School at which it was unveiled that the city had claimed ownership of the moon.cite web|author=Press Release|date=2004-04-20|title=Moon Over Ohio: Residents Claimed Lunar Ownership in 1966|url=http://web.archive.org/web/20041222151741/http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2004/4/emw122460.htm|work=eMediaWire|accessdate=2008-01-26] The "Declaration of Lunar Ownership" contained 35 signatures, and was revealed simultaneously with the city's 100th anniversary. It claimed that the "physical property of the moon shall belong exclusively to the citizens of Geneva, Ohio," and that unfriendly acts upon the city would be responded to with "all human dignity and moral circumspection." The city also held the right to rent or lease its moon holdings via a two-thirds vote of the city's entire population, and provided for the sale of 100 deeds for 100 acres of land, each acre priced at US$100.

Notable residents

* Brian Anderson, a Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the California Angels, Cleveland Indians, Arizona Diamondbacks (with whom he won a World Series in 2001) and Kansas City Royals
* Emy Coligado, an actress best-known for her role as Piama on the sitcom "Malcolm in the Middle"
* Edward S. Ellis, an author best known for writing hundreds of dime novels under his own name and various "noms de plume"
* Ransom E. Olds, a pioneer in the automobile industry and namesake of the Oldsmobile and REO brands
* Platt Rogers Spencer, a calligrapher who invented Spencerian Script, a form of cursive handwriting, and namesake of Spencer Elementary School
* Freeman Thorpe, an artist who has 46 works listed in the Smithsonian Institution's Inventory of American Paintings and Sculptures, eight of which (including a painting of Abraham Lincoln) are housed within the United States Capitol

References

External links

* [http://www.genevaohio.com City website]