Lake County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 232,603. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Painesville, and its largest city is

Mentor Mentorship is the patronage, influence, guidance, or direction given by a mentor. A mentor is someone who teaches or gives help and advice to a less experienced and often younger person. In an organizational setting, a mentor influences the perso ...

. The county was established on March 6, 1840, from land given by Cuyahoga and Geauga counties. Its

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...

is derived from its location on the southern shore of

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

and the fact that the majority of the county’s land lies beneath Lake Erie. Lake County is part of the Cleveland, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The land that became Lake County was home to the indigenous

Erie people The Erie people were an Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands historically living on the south shore of Lake Erie. An Iroquoian-speaking tribe, they lived in what is now western New York, northwestern Pennsylvania, and northern Ohio b ...

prior to the arrival of the French in the region during the early 1600s and was considered by the French to be part of their Colony of

New France New France (, ) was the territory colonized by Kingdom of France, France in North America, beginning with the exploration of the Gulf of Saint Lawrence by Jacques Cartier in 1534 and ending with the cession of New France to Kingdom of Great Br ...

. After France's defeat in the

Seven Years' War The Seven Years' War, 1756 to 1763, was a Great Power conflict fought primarily in Europe, with significant subsidiary campaigns in North America and South Asia. The protagonists were Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of Prus ...

in 1763, France ceded the area to

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

, and the area became part of the

Province of Quebec Quebec is Canada's largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, New Brunswick to the southeast and a coastal border ...

through the

Quebec Act The Quebec Act 1774 ( 14 Geo. 3. c. 83) () was an act of the Parliament of Great Britain which set procedures of governance in the Province of Quebec. One of the principal components of the act was the expansion of the province's territory t ...

of 1774. Following the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

, it became part of the Connecticut Western Reserve in the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

, then was purchased by the

Connecticut Land Company The Connecticut Company or Connecticut Land Company (est. 1795) was a post-colonial land speculation company formed in the late eighteenth century to survey and encourage settlement in the eastern parts of the newly chartered Connecticut Western ...

in 1795. It was separated out of Geauga County in March 1840. Although today the county is mostly suburban, Lake County was once known as a rural country retreat for wealthy Cleveland residents. During the early 1900s, many wealthy families in Cleveland maintained large estates in the county for use as their summer homes.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (77%) is water. It is Ohio's smallest county by land area but the third-largest by total area, with said area owing to land beneath the lake (which is owned by the county). The county’s coast line along Lake Erie spans 31 miles. Additionally, Lake County has an international border with

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

(across

Adjacent counties

* Ashtabula County (east) * Geauga County (south) * Cuyahoga County (southwest)

Physical geography

Ridges on the Lake Plain physiographic region, and on which some roads are laid, are beaches formed by the various glacial lakes which occurred as the glaciers receded. Lake Maumee was the highest glacial lake at about 760 feet, and left Maumee II beach. Whittlesey beach, formed by Lake Whittlesey at 740 feet, is known as South Ridge. Arkona beach ( Lake Arkona) is Middle Ridge, and occurs at about 690 feet. North Ridge is the remnant of Warren beach ( Lake Warren), at an elevation of 685 feet. Elkton beach is the northernmost ridge, at 625 feet, an occurred at the time of Lake Elkton. Lake Shore Boulevard follows Elkton beach in Mentor Township. Mentor Marsh, an abandoned channel of the Grand River, is an Ohio State Nature Preserve.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Lake County had 232,603 people living in 105,315 households. The racial makeup of the county was 84.7% white (not Hispanic or Latino), 4.7% black or African American, 1.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 2.4% from other races, and 5.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 23.0% were German, 18.0% were Irish, 15.3% were Italian, 9.8% were English, and 6.8% were Polish. 33.0% of the adult population has a Bachelor's Degree or higher, slightly above the 32.0% rate for Ohio as a whole.

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 230,041 people, 94,156 households, and 62,384 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 101,202 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.5% white, 3.2% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 1.6% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 3.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.4% were German, 18.9% were Irish, 16.4% were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, 11.5% were English, 7.6% were Polish, 5.4% were Hungarian, and 3.9% were American. Of the 94,156 households, 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.7% were non-families, and 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.41 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 42.3 years. The median income for a household in the county was $54,896 and the median income for a family was $67,206. Males had a median income of $49,240 versus $36,906 for females. The per capita income for the county was $28,221. About 6.0% of families and 8.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 13.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over. In 2010, 92.4% spoke English, 2.7% Spanish, and 1.4% Croatian.

Environment

Scorecard’s 2002 report ranks Lake County among the worst 10% of counties in the U.S. in terms of cancer risk, developmental and reproductive toxicants, and other categories as well. This rating is comparable with most major cities and densely populated areas. In 2004, Scorecard ranked the county among the cleanest or best 10% of all counties in the U.S. in terms of the number of designated Superfund sites. Lake County has a large public park system, including Lake Metroparks Farmpark. Kirtland is home to the Holden Arboretum and Gildersleeve Mountain. Headlands Beach State Park is in

. The Grand River is a state wild and scenic river, and the Chagrin River is a state scenic river.

Transportation

Laketran is the

transit Transit may refer to: Arts and entertainment Film * ''Transit'' (1980 film), a 1980 Israeli film * ''Transit'' (1986 film), a Canadian short film * ''Transit'' (2005 film), a film produced by MTV and Staying-Alive about four people in countrie ...

agency that serves Lake County, providing bus service throughout the county and to downtown Cleveland. It is the third-largest transit system in

Northeast Ohio Northeast Ohio is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that comprises the northeastern counties of the U.S. state of Ohio. Definitions of the region consist of 16 to 23 counties between the southern shore of Lake Erie and the foothills ...

. In , the system had a ridership of , or about per weekday as of . Lake County Executive Airport, formerly known as Lost Nation Airport, is a public use

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

located in Willoughby.

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain states, Mountain West, Great Pla ...

runs northeast–southwest through Lake County, roughly parallel to State Route 2; along with the north–south State Route 44 connects the two together. These freeways make up the major traffic arteries in the county. Lake County does not have passenger rail service, though Amtrak's New York City-Chicago

Lake Shore Limited The ''Lake Shore Limited'' is an Amtrak Long Distance, overnight passenger train operated by Amtrak between Chicago and the Northeastern United States, with sections to New York City and Boston. The central segment of the route runs along the s ...

service schedules an eastbound and westbound train through Lake County nightly with stops at Cleveland and Erie.

CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...

and

Norfolk Southern The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

provide railroad main line through-freight service. The recently formed Grand River Railroad, operating on former Baltimore & Ohio track, serves the Fairport Harbor area linking the

Morton Salt Morton Salt is an American food company producing salt for food, Water purification, water conditioning, industrial, agricultural, and road/highway use. Based in Chicago, the business is North America's leading producer and marketer of salt. It i ...

plant with CSX at Painesville.

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Education

Post-secondary institutions

* Lake Erie College in Painesville * Lakeland Community College in Kirtland * Saint Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology in Wickliffe

Public schools

The following public school districts are located in Lake County: * Fairport Harbor Exempted Village School District (serving Fairport Harbor and Painesville Township (portion)) ** Fairport Harding High School * Kirtland Local School District (serving Kirtland, Kirtland Hills (portion), and Waite Hill (portion)) ** Kirtland High School * Madison Local School District (serving Madison and Madison Township) ** Madison High School * Mentor Public Schools (serving Concord Township (portion), Kirtland Hills (portion), Mentor, and Mentor-on-the-Lake) ** Mentor High School * Painesville City Local School District (serving Painesville) ** Thomas W. Harvey High School * Perry Local School District (serving North Perry, Perry, and Perry Township) ** Perry High School * Riverside Local School District (serving Concord Township (portion), Grand River, Leroy Township, and Painesville Township) ** Riverside High School * Wickliffe City School District (serving Wickliffe) ** Wickliffe High School * Willoughby-Eastlake City School District (serving Eastlake, Lakeline, Timberlake, Waite Hill (portion), Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, and Willowick) ** North High School in Eastlake ** South High School in Willoughby

Private schools

* Andrews Osborne Academy, a private, coeducational boarding and day school for Grades Pre-K through 12 in Willoughby * Cornerstone Christian Academy in Willoughby Hills * Lake Catholic High School in Mentor * Telshe Yeshiva in Wickliffe

Libraries

The following libraries serve Lake County: * Fairport Harbor Public Library in Fairport Harbor * Kirtland Public Library in Kirtland * Madison Public Library in Madison * Mentor Public Library in

* Morley Library in Painesville * Perry Public Library in

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

* Wickliffe Public Library in Wickliffe * Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library, headquartered in Eastlake and with branches in Willoughby, Willoughby Hills, and Willowick. Additionally, as of 2019, all Lake County libraries are all CLEVNET members.

Media

Lake County is part of the Cleveland-area media and television market. '' The News-Herald'', a Lake County newspaper, has been headquartered in Willoughby since its inception.

Government

Lake County leans strongly Republican in local elections. As of 2024, all but one county-wide elected officials are Republicans.

Politics

Lake County has traditionally been known as a "purple" or " swing" county within the state. A 2008 analysis of Ohio presidential election results from 1960 to

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

found no other county more closely followed Ohio's statewide voting pattern. Although it did not always vote with the winner, it had consistently been closer to the winner's Ohio vote percentage than any other Ohio county. More recently, however, the county has trended more strongly Republican than the state as a whole. For example, in

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Republican presidential candidate

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

won the county by nearly a fourteen point margin while winning the state as a whole by only eight points.

Communities

Cities

* Eastlake * Kirtland *

* Mentor-on-the-Lake * Painesville (county seat) * Wickliffe * Willoughby * Willoughby Hills * Willowick

Villages

* Fairport Harbor * Grand River * Kirtland Hills * Lakeline * Madison * North Perry *

* Timberlake * Waite Hill

Townships

* Concord * Leroy * Madison * Painesville *

Census-designated place

* North Madison

Unincorporated communities

* Painesville-on-the-Lake * Unionville

Points of Interest

Holden Arboretum, one of the largest arboreta and botanical gardens in the United States, is located in Kirtland. The James A. Garfield National Historic Site is located in Mentor. The site preserves the Lawnfield estate and surrounding property of James A. Garfield, the 20th

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the Federal government of the United States#Executive branch, executive branch of the Federal government of t ...

, and includes the first presidential library established in the United States. Kirtland Temple, the first

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a place of worship, a building used for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. By convention, the specially built places of worship of some religions are commonly called "temples" in Engli ...

built by adherents of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by ...

, is located in Kirtland. Kirtland, which served as the headquarters for the Latter Day Saint movement during most of the 1830s, also hosts the nearby Historic Kirtland Village, which is owned and operated by the

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a nontrinitarian restorationist Christian denomination and the largest denomination in the Latter Day Saint movement. Founded durin ...

and is made up of historic buildings and sites important to the early Latter Day Saint movement. Several other historic churches are located in the county, including the Methodist Episcopal Church of Painesville, Old South Church in Kirtland, St. James Episcopal Church in Painesville, and the South LeRoy Meetinghouse in Leroy Township. A portion of the Grand River Valley

American Viticultural Area An American Viticultural Area (AVA) is a designated wine grape-growing region in the United States, providing an official appellation for the mutual benefit of winery, wineries and consumers. Winemakers frequently want their consumers to know abo ...

is located in the eastern half of the county. Squire's Castle is located within the North Chagrin Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks in Willoughby Hills. Classic Park, the home field of the Lake County Captains, a Class A

minor league baseball Minor League Baseball (MiLB) is a professional baseball organization below Major League Baseball (MLB), constituted of teams affiliated with MLB clubs. It was founded on September 5, 1901, in response to the growing dominance of the National Le ...

team affiliated with the

Cleveland Guardians The Cleveland Guardians are an American professional baseball team based in Cleveland. The Guardians compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Central Division. Since , the team has played its home gam ...

, is located in Eastlake.

References

External links

*
Willoughby-Eastlake Public Library website
{{authority control 1840 establishments in Ohio Ohio counties in the Western Reserve