Summit County is an urban

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

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 sove ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 540,428, making it the fourth-most populous county in Ohio. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

and largest city is

Akron Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city prop ...

. The county was formed on March 3, 1840, from portions of Medina, Portage and Stark Counties. It was named Summit County because the highest elevation on the

Ohio and Erie Canal The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio River near Portsmouth. It also ...

is located in the county. Summit County is part of the Akron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the

Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area The region Northeast Ohio, in the US state of Ohio, in its most expansive usage contains six metropolitan areas ( Cleveland–Elyria, Akron, Canton–Massillon, Youngstown–Warren, Mansfield, and Weirton–Steubenville) along with eight mi ...

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.7%) is water. The largest portion of

Cuyahoga Valley National Park Cuyahoga Valley National Park is an American national park that preserves and reclaims the rural landscape along the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland in Northeast Ohio. The park is administered by the National Park Service, but within ...

is located in the northern part of the county. The southern border of the former

Connecticut Western Reserve The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms of ...

passes through the southern part of the county, leading to jogs in the east and west borders of the county.

Major highways

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

Adjacent counties

* Cuyahoga County - northwest *

Geauga County Geauga County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language word meaning 'raccoon', originally the name of the ...

- northeast * Portage County - east * Stark County - south * Wayne County - southwest * Medina County - west

National protected area

(also extends north into Cuyahoga County)

Government

Summit County, along with Cuyahoga County, is one of two of Ohio's 88 counties that have a

charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the rec ...

government, as authorized by Article X of the

Ohio Constitution The Constitution of the State of Ohio is the basic governing document of the State of Ohio, which in 1803 became the 17th state to join the United States of America. Ohio has had three constitutions since U.S. state, statehood was granted. Ohio ...

. Under its charter, rather than three elected commissioners, Summit County has an elected County Executive and an eleven-member County Council. Eight members of the council are elected from individual districts; the other three are elected at large. Summit County also has an appointed Medical Examiner rather than an elected Coroner, and an elected Fiscal Officer, who exercises the powers and performs the duties of a county auditor, treasurer and recorder. The remaining officials are similar to the officials in other counties. They include the following: Summit County Ohio Sheriffs Office SWAT vehicle

Summit County Ohio Sheriffs Office SWAT vehicle

* Clerk of Courts - Sandra Kurt (D) (elected) * Prosecuting Attorney - Sherri Bevan Walsh (D) (elected) * Engineer - Alan Brubaker (D) (elected) * Sheriff - Kandy Fatheree (D) (elected) * Fiscal Officer - Kristen Scalise (D) (elected) Summit County currently has 14 Common Pleas judges. They are: * Kelly McLaughlin (D), * Kathryn Michael (D), * Christine Croce (R), * Jennifer Towell (D), * Alison McCarty (R), * Tammy O'Brien (R), * Joy Oldfield (D), * Mary Margaret Rowlands (D), * Alison Breaux (D) * Susan Baker Ross (D) * Linda Tucci Teodosio (D) (Juvenile Court Judge) * Katarina Cook (R) (Domestic Relations Judge) * Susan Steinhauer (R) (Domestic Relations Judge) * Elinore Marsh Stormer (D) (Probate Judge)

Summit County Council

Summit County has an 11-member council. Three members are elected at-large in mid-term cycles, while eight members are elected from districts coinciding with the Presidential election. The current members of Summit County Council are: * Erin Dickinson (D) (at-large) * Elizabeth Walters (D) (at-large) * John Donofrio (D) (at-large) * Rita Darrow (D) (District 1) * John Schmidt (D) (District 2) * Gloria Rodgers (R) (District 3) ** Jeff Wilhite (D) (District 4) * Veronica Sims (D) (District 5) * Christine Higham (D) (District 6) * Beth McKenney (R) (District 7) * Anthony Devitis (R) (District 8) * Indicates Council President

County Executives

* John R. Morgan, 1981–1989 * Tim Davis, 1989–2001 * James B. McCarthy (D), 2001–2007 * Russell M. Pry (D), 2007-2016 * Ilene Shapiro (D), 2016–present

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 Census, there were 541,781 people, 222,781 households, and 141,110 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 245,109 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 80.6% white, 14.4% black or African American, 2.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.9% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 15.3% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, 10.6% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

, 10.1% were

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

, 5.1% were

Polish Polish may refer to: * Anything from or related to Poland, a country in Europe * Polish language * Poles Poles,, ; singular masculine: ''Polak'', singular feminine: ''Polka'' or Polish people, are a West Slavic nation and ethnic group, w ...

, and 4.5% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

. Of the 222,781 households, 29.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were married couples living together, 13.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.7% were non-families, and 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 40.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $47,926 and the median income for a family was $62,271. Males had a median income of $47,892 versus $35,140 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,676. About 10.0% of families and 13.8% 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 t ...

, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Like much of Northeast Ohio, Summit is heavily Democratic. It has only voted Republican three times since 1932, all in national Republican landslides–

Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; ; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was an American military officer and statesman who served as the 34th president of the United States from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, ...

's 1956 victory, and the 49-state sweeps by

Richard Nixon Richard Milhous Nixon (January 9, 1913April 22, 1994) was the 37th president of the United States, serving from 1969 to 1974. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as a representative and senator from California and was ...

and

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

in 1972 and 1984, respectively.

Education

Summit County Ohio and Surrounding Areas School DIstrict Map

School districts

School districts in Ohio do not strictly follow city corporation limits or township borders. Many of the school districts in Summit County overlap community borders. Below is a list of all public school districts in the county. * Akron Public School District *

Revere Local School District The Revere Local School District is a school district located in northeastern Ohio, between the cities of Akron and Cleveland, that was formed in the early 1950s after the communities of Bath and Richfield voted to combine their two smaller sch ...

* Copley–Fairlawn City School District * Woodridge Local School District * Hudson City School District * Stow-Munroe Falls City School District *

Cuyahoga Falls City School District The Cuyahoga Falls City School District is a public school district located in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio, United States. History During the COVID-19 pandemic in Ohio the district reduced enforcement of its dress code. Full enforcement returned when ...

* Tallmadge City School District * Mogadore Local School District * Springfield Local School District * Coventry Local School District * Green Local School District * Manchester Local School District * Barberton City School District * Norton City School District * Twinsburg City School District * Nordonia Hills City School District

Colleges and universities

University of Akron The University of Akron is a public research university in Akron, Ohio. It is part of the University System of Ohio. As a STEM-focused institution, it focuses on industries such as polymers, advanced materials, and engineering. It is classifie ...

, Akron * Kent State University Twinsburg Academic Center, Twinsburg
Stark State College Akron

Recreation

* Summit Metro Parks

Communities

Cities

(county seat) * Barberton *

Cuyahoga Falls Cuyahoga Falls ( or ) is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 51,114. The second-largest city in Summit County, it is located directly north of Akron and is a suburb of the Akron metropol ...

* Fairlawn *

Green Green is the color between cyan and yellow on the visible spectrum. It is evoked by light which has a dominant wavelength of roughly 495570 Nanometre, nm. In subtractive color systems, used in painting and color printing, it is created by ...

Hudson Hudson may refer to: People * Hudson (given name) * Hudson (surname) * Henry Hudson, English explorer * Hudson (footballer, born 1986), Hudson Fernando Tobias de Carvalho, Brazilian football right-back * Hudson (footballer, born 1988), Hudso ...

* Macedonia * Munroe Falls * New Franklin *

Norton Norton may refer to: Places Norton, meaning 'north settlement' in Old English, is a common place name. Places named Norton include: Canada * Rural Municipality of Norton No. 69, Saskatchewan *Norton Parish, New Brunswick **Norton, New Brunswick, a ...

(partly in Wayne County) * Reminderville *

Stow Stow may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Stow, Lincolnshire or Stow-in-Lindsey, a village * Stow of Wedale or Stow, Scottish Borders, a village * Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, a small town * Stow, Shropshire or Stowe, a village * Stow ...

* Tallmadge *

Twinsburg Twinsburg is a suburban city in Summit County, Ohio, United States, located about halfway between Akron and Cleveland. The population was 19,248 as of the 2020 census. It is part of the Akron metropolitan area. History In 1817 Ethan Alling, then ...

Villages

* Boston Heights * Clinton * Lakemore *

Mogadore Essaouira ( ; ar, الصويرة, aṣ-Ṣawīra; shi, ⵜⴰⵚⵚⵓⵔⵜ, Taṣṣort, formerly ''Amegdul''), known until the 1960s as Mogador, is a port city in the western Moroccan region of Marakesh-Safi, on the Atlantic coast. It ha ...

Northfield Northfield may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Northfield, Aberdeen, Scotland * Northfield, Edinburgh, Scotland * Northfield, Birmingham, England * Northfield (Kettering BC Ward), Northamptonshire, England United States * Northfield, Connec ...

Peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

* Richfield *

Silver Lake Silver is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Ag (from the Latin ', derived from the Proto-Indo-European wikt:Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂erǵ-, ''h₂erǵ'': "shiny" or "white") and atomic number 47. A soft, whi ...

Townships

* Bath *

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

* Copley *

Coventry Coventry ( or ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. It is on the River Sherbourne. Coventry has been a large settlement for centuries, although it was not founded and given its ...

* Northfield Center * Richfield * Sagamore Hills * Springfield *

Defunct townships

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

Northampton Northampton () is a market town and civil parish in the East Midlands of England, on the River Nene, north-west of London and south-east of Birmingham. The county town of Northamptonshire, Northampton is one of the largest towns in England; ...

Portage Portage or portaging (Canada: ; ) is the practice of carrying water craft or cargo over land, either around an obstacle in a river, or between two bodies of water. A path where items are regularly carried between bodies of water is also called a ...

Census-designated places

* Montrose-Ghent * Pigeon Creek * Portage Lakes * Sawyerwood * Twinsburg Heights

Unincorporated communities

* Bath *

* Botzum *

Brandywine Brandywine may refer to: Food and drink *Brandy, a spirit produced by distilling wine *Brandywine tomato, a variety of heirloom tomato Geographic locations Canada * Brandywine Falls Provincial Park, British Columbia * Brandywine Mountain, British ...

Comet A comet is an icy, small Solar System body that, when passing close to the Sun, warms and begins to release gases, a process that is called outgassing. This produces a visible atmosphere or coma, and sometimes also a tail. These phenomena ar ...

* Copley * Everett *

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...

* Greensburg * Montrose * Myersville * Western Star

References

External links

Official Summit County page

Akron-Summit Convention and Visitors Bureau

Summit Memory
an online scrapbook capturing the history of Summit County, Ohio by the

Akron-Summit County Public Library The Akron-Summit County Public Library was founded in 1874, and operates Main Library on South High Street and South Main Street in downtown Akron, 18 branch libraries throughout the city of Akron and Summit County, the Akron Art Library (located ...

{{Coord, 41.13, -81.53, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-OH_source:UScensus1990 1840 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1840