Norwalk, Ohio

Norwalk, Ohio
—  City  —
Uptown Norwalk, looking east on West Main Street
Nickname(s): The Maple City[1]
Location of Norwalk, Ohio
Coordinates: 41°14′35″N 82°36′41″W / 41.24306°N 82.61139°W / 41.24306; -82.61139Coordinates: 41°14′35″N 82°36′41″W / 41.24306°N 82.61139°W / 41.24306; -82.61139
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Huron
Founded	1817
Government
– Mayor	Susan Smith Lesch (D)
Area
– Total	8.6 sq mi (22.2 km2)
– Land	8.3 sq mi (21.6 km2)
– Water	0.2 sq mi (0.6 km2)
Elevation[2]	719 ft (219 m)
Population (2010)
– Total	17,012
– Density	1,950.3/sq mi (753.0/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	44857
Area code(s)	419, 567
FIPS code	39-57302[3]
GNIS feature ID	1044003[2]
Website	http://www.norwalkoh.com/

Huron County Courthouse in downtown Norwalk, Ohio

Norwalk Public Library in downtown Norwalk, Ohio.

Norwalk is a city in Huron County, Ohio, United States. The population was 16,238 at the 2000 census, while the 2010 census puts Norwalk at 17,012.^[4] It is the county seat of Huron County^[5]. The city is the center of the Norwalk Micropolitan Statistical Area. Norwalk is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Lake Erie, 51 miles (82 km) west/southwest of Cleveland, 59 miles (95 km) southeast of Toledo, and 87 miles (140 km) north/northeast of Columbus.

Norwalk is at the center of the Firelands, a subregion of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The subregion's name recalls the founding of the area as one for settlers from cities in Connecticut that were burned during the Revolutionary War. Several locations in the Firelands were named in honor of those cities, including Danbury, Greenwich, Groton, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Norwich, and Ridgefield. Other locations were named for the settlers, including Clarksfield, Perkins, and Sherman.^[6]

History

On July 11, 1779, Norwalk, Connecticut was burned by the British Tories under Governor Tryon. A committee of the General Assembly estimated the losses to the inhabitants at $116,238.66. Later, our federal government gave an area in the Western Reserve of Ohio as compensation for those established losses.

On May 30, 1800, the United States ceded the land titles to the "fire sufferers" and the representatives of the Reserve transferred the political jurisdiction to the general government. The Indian title was extinguished by treaty on July 4, 1805, on payment of $18,916.67; and in 1806, 13 men arrived to make the first survey of the Firelands.

On November 9, 1808, a group of prominent citizens from Ridgefield, Norwalk, New Haven, Greenwich, and Fairfield met at the courthouse in New Haven, Connecticut, as the Board of Directors of the Proprietors of the 500,000 acres (2,000 km²) of land lying south of Lake Erie, called the "Sufferers Land." They passed a resolution naming many of the townships in this area known as the "Firelands of Ohio."

Between 1806 and 1810, many families made the trip to look over land they had purchased in the "Firelands." During the War of 1812, because of the fear of British and Indian raids, settlement of the Huron County area came almost to a standstill. However, in 1815, Platt Benedict of Danbury, Connecticut visited and examined the present site of Norwalk. He returned to Danbury and purchased 1,300 acres (5.3 km²) of land with an eye toward establishing a town.

In July 1817, Benedict returned to Norwalk with his family and immediately built a house. This was the first permanent residence established within the limits of Norwalk Village. In May 1818, the county seat was successfully removed from Avery, Ohio to Norwalk, and by 1819 a census showed a population of 109 residents. Platt Benedict, the founder of Norwalk and its first mayor, died in 1866 at the age of 91. He is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery.

Among the earliest settlers of Norwalk were other men of wealth and education. They brought with them not only the customs, but also the architecture of New England. Many of their homes are still standing today.

In 1881, Norwalk's population reached the required minimum entitling her to incorporate as a city and the City of Norwalk dates from April 12, 1881.^[7]

Geography

Norwalk is located at 41°14′35″N 82°36′41″W / 41.24306°N 82.61139°W / 41.24306; -82.61139 (41.243024, -82.611371).^[8]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.6 square miles (22.2 km²), of which, 8.3 square miles (21.6 km²) of it is land and 0.2 square miles (0.6 km²) of it (2.92%) is water. The city of Norwalk is bound by Norwalk Township in each direction and a small portion of the west side is bound by Ridgefield Township. The city is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Lake Erie.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1850	1,437		—
1860	2,839		97.6%
1870	4,498		58.4%
1880	5,704		26.8%
1890	7,195		26.1%
1900	7,074		−1.7%
1910	7,858		11.1%
1920	7,379		−6.1%
1930	7,776		5.4%
1940	8,211		5.6%
1950	9,775		19.0%
1960	12,900		32.0%
1970	13,386		3.8%
1980	14,348		7.2%
1990	14,731		2.7%
2000	16,238		10.2%
2010	17,012		4.8%

At the 2000 census,^[3] there were 16,238 people, 6,377 households and 4,234 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,950.3 per square mile (752.6/km²). There were 6,687 housing units at an average density of 803.1 per square mile (309.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.53% White, 1.95% African American, 0.22% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 1.86% from other races, and 1.13% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.82% of the population.

There were 6,377 households of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.9% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.6% were non-families. 28.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.06.

Age distribution was 27.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 91.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males.

The median household income was $37,778, and the median family income was $45,789. Males had a median income of $36,582 versus $22,165 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,519. About 6.8% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 6.0% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Highways

Interstate 80 and Interstate 90, also known as the Ohio Turnpike, are approximately 3.5 miles (5.6 km) north of Norwalk's city limits with an interchange at U.S. Route 250.

The U.S. highways that run through Norwalk include U.S. Route 20 (part of the Norwalk bypass south of town), which connects Fremont to the west and Elyria to the east; and U.S. Route 250, which connects Sandusky from the northwest and Ashland from the southeast.

State highways that run through Norwalk include SR 13, which connects Mansfield from the south and Huron fromt the north; SR 18, which connects Tiffin from the west and Medina from the east; and SR 61, which connects Shelby from the south and Berlin Heights as well as Lake Erie from the northeast.

Furthermore, State Route 601 is an alternate two-lane highway that acts as a de-facto eastern bypass of Norwalk and US 250, running from SR 113 at Milan to SR 18 southeast of Norwalk.

Railways

One active freight railroad line runs through Norwalk, the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railroad. Passenger rail service to New York City and Chicago is available at the Amtrak station in nearby Sandusky.

Education

Due to city annexations and previously determined school district boundaries, Norwalk is served by four public school districts. The majority of the city is served by the Norwalk City School District. Outlying portions of the city are also served by the Berlin-Milan Local, Monroeville Local and Western Reserve Local School Districts. Residents of Norwalk who live in school districts have the option to send their children to Norwalk City Schools through open enrollment.^{[citation needed]}

Norwalk is also home to multiple options for religious education including Norwalk Catholic Schools / Saint Paul High School (Roman Catholic), and Trinity Christian Academy (Protestant, non-denominational).

In Popular Culture

• Norwalk is the birthplace of Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Paul Brown and American League Baseball's first president, Ban Johnson.
• In 1968 an intestinal virus outbreak at a primary school led to the discovery of a new virus type, known as the Norovirus, originally called the "Norwalk virus".
• The International Hot Rod Association, a drag racing sanctioning body, is headquartered in Norwalk.
• Norwalk is home to Summit Racing Equipment Motorsports Park, an NHRA-sanctioned drag racing strip.
• The Norwalk Furniture Company was founded and is headquartered in Norwalk.
• Fisher Body, now part of General Motors, had its origin here in the late 19th century.
• Norwalk Truck Lines was founded in Norwalk and at one time was one of the largest freight companies in America. The Norwalk High School football team is still called "The Truckers". The company was sold to Buckingham Transportation in the mid 1960's, which then became part of Yellow Freight. The remnants of the Norwalk Truck Lines terminal can still be seen on Woodlawn Avenue between East Water Street and East Summit Street. The buildings are now used by the city of Norwalk.

References

1. ^ City of Norwalk
2. ^ ^{a b} "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ U.S. Census Bureau. "Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Ohio, Listed Alphabetically: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2009". http://www.census.gov/popest/cities/tables/SUB-EST2009-04-39.csv. Retrieved 2010-10-13. 
5. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
6. ^ Firelands Historical Society
7. ^ History of Norwalk
8. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2010, 2000, and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2011-02-12. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2011-04-23. 

External links

• City website