Huron, Ohio

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Huron, Ohio
settlement_type = City
nickname =
motto =

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image_caption = Aerial Photograph of Huron, Ohio, looking due south
imagesize = 250px


image_

mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Huron, Ohio


mapsize1 =
map_caption1 =

subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = United States
subdivision_type1 = State
subdivision_name1 = Ohio
subdivision_type2 = County
subdivision_name2 = Erie

government_footnotes =
government_type = Council-manager
leader_title = City manager
leader_name = Andrew D. White
leader_title1 =
leader_name1 =
established_title =
established_date =

unit_pref = Imperial
area_footnotes =
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 20.0
area_land_km2 = 12.7
area_water_km2 = 7.4
area_total_sq_mi = 7.7
area_land_sq_mi = 4.9
area_water_sq_mi = 2.8

population_as_of = 2000
population_footnotes =
population_total = 7958
population_density_km2 = 628.8
population_density_sq_mi = 1628.6

timezone = Eastern (EST)
utc_offset = -5
timezone_DST = EDT
utc_offset_DST = -4
elevation_footnotes = GR|3
elevation_m = 178
elevation_ft = 584
latd = 41 |latm = 23 |lats = 59 |latNS = N
longd = 82 |longm = 33 |longs = 54 |longEW = W

postal_code_type = ZIP code
postal_code = 44839
area_code = 419 and 567
blank_name = FIPS code
blank_info = 39-37016GR|2
blank1_name = GNIS feature ID
blank1_info = 1056347GR|3
website = http://www.cityofhuron.org/
footnotes =

Huron is a city in Erie County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,958 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sandusky, Ohio metropolitan statistical area.

History and culture

Huron was at the center of the "Firelands" of the Connecticut Western Reserve, lands offered to residents of Connecticut who had lost property to British raiders during the American Revolutionary War. The first settler in the area that became Huron was a Quebec-born trapper, trader and interpreter named John Baptiste Flemmond, who established a trading post along the east bank of the Huron River in 1792.

The village of Huron was incorporated in 1809. Port facilities on the west bank of the Huron River were developed in the 1820s and the town became a major ship building center in the 1830s. The Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway greatly expanded Huron's port on the east bank of the Huron River beginning in 1880. The first cargo of iron ore at the W&LE docks was received May 21,1884. The port is still in use today, accepting cargoes of iron ore and limestone from lake freighters. Huron was also the home port of several commercial fishing fleets before lake pollution decimated the industry on Lake Erie in the early 1970s.

Commercial and industrial development had historically been centered around the port area. By the early 1960s a busy downtown business district had developed, serving local residents and summer tourists. However, with improvements to U.S. Route 6 and Ohio Route 2 bypassing the downtown area and enabling quicker travel to larger neighboring cities, downtown Huron went into decline. Starting in 1967, the City of Huron embarked on a controversial urban renewal program with funding from the U.S. federal government. The city purchased, in some cases by eminent domain, and demolished 38 commercial buildings and private homes. It then built a municipal marina, called the Huron Boat Basin, as the focal point of a new downtown. While the "Boat Basin" has become a popular community park and gathering place; extensive redevelopment of the downtown area did not occur as envisioned. New industry and commercial development has more recently occurred on the southern and western city limits.

BGSU Firelands, a branch campus of Bowling Green State University, is located just west of the city limits. A separate college of the Bowling Green State University system, BGSU Firelands has been a regional campus of BGSU since 1968. Over 2,000 students in 2006 were enrolled for a wide array of associate, bachelors and graduate degree programs.

Huron is the home of the Huron Playhouse, a division of the Bowling Green State University Department of Theatre and Film. The Huron Playhouse, which holds plays in the auditorium of McCormick Middle School, is Ohio's oldest continuing summer theatre.

Huron is also the former home of the "Harbor Bay Golf Dome." This facility housed an advanced indoor driving range and sports field before it was blown down by separate wind storms in 1999 and 2002. For a time, it was called the "Extreme Sports Dome," when it housed an indoor BMX track.

The ConAgra Project

On July 18, 2006, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) announced the purchase of the ConAgra Foods facility in Huron. Concurrently, ConAgra Foods announced the closure of the grain elevator. The convert|19.8|acre|m2|sing=on parcel, containing Huron's largest building, is a key piece of Huron’s waterfront. The City of Huron has assumed title to the former grain silos and flour mill and envisions a future riverfront development to include restaurants, retail stores, condominiums and greenspace. ODNR's Division of Watercraft will develop a public boating and fishing access site with launch ramps, docks and parking facilities.

Geography

Huron is located at coor dms|41|23|59|N|82|33|54|W|city (41.399669, -82.564974)GR|1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.7 square miles (20.0 km²), of which, 4.9 square miles (12.7 km²) of it is land and 2.8 square miles (7.4 km²) of it (36.87%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusGR|2 of 2000, there were 7,958 people, 3,315 households, and 2,260 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,628.6 people per square mile (628.3/km²). There were 3,832 housing units at an average density of 784.2/sq mi (302.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.37% White, 0.70% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.40% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.63% of the population.

There were 3,315 households out of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.6% were married couples living together, 9.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.0% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 25.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 91.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $52,289, and the median income for a family was $68,625. Males had a median income of $50,105 versus $27,637 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,942. About 2.7% of families and 3.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.0% of those under age 18 and 5.6% of those age 65 or over.

ports

Huron City Schools sports teams are known as the Tigers. The Tigers have recorded numerous athletic successes for both boys and girls. The Tigers won the 2004-2005 Boys SBC All Sports Award with conference championships in soccer, football, basketball, and track and field.

The Lady Tigers have recorded success in volleyball under coach Don Wood, with ten consecutive Sandusky Bay Conference championships, including Division III State titles in 1999 and 2002 and State runner-up in 2001.

Huron is also known for their semi-pro dodgeball team, the Seitz's Soldiers. This team, formerly under the name of United Ballers, are a team that pride themselves in the spirit, courage and heart much like that of the Seitz family. The Seitz family is a very courageous family that resides in Huron and consist of Corey, Michael, and Virginia. The Seitz's Soldiers are coached by Mr. Brent Mesenburg and consist of a courageous group of highly skilled players that graduated in 2006. Also helping coach is Special Teams Coordinator Corey Aldridge. They all are currently taking a few years off to pursue college academics, but are expected to make a comeback after that.

Team Roster

Adam Cook #00

Anthony Grad #1

Myles Majoy #3

Charlie Thompson #5

Brian Fox #11

Beau Bergman #15

Nick Hohler #17

Kurt Portocarrero #51

Matt Grieves #57

References

External links

* [http://www.cityofhuron.org/ City of Huron official web site]
* [http://www.huronparks.org/ Huron Parks, Marina and Recreation Department]
* [http://web.ulib.csuohio.edu/SpecColl/glihc/huron/ Port of Huron Images from The Great Lakes Industrial History Center]
* [http://www.huronhs.com/ Huron City Schools website]