Sylvania is a city in Lucas County,

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 ...

, United States. The population was 19,011 at the 2020 census. Sylvania is a

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area, which may include commercial and mixed-use, that is primarily a residential area. A suburb can exist either as part of a larger city/urban area or as a separate ...

of Toledo, and encompassed by Sylvania Township. Its northern border is the southern border of the state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The name "Sylvania" is borrowed from the Latin ''

sylvan Sylvan or Sylvans (from the Latin ''silva'': "forest, woods") may refer to: Places United States * Sylvan, Illinois, a former settlement * Sylvan, Wisconsin, a town ** Sylvan (community), Wisconsin, an unincorporated area in the town * Sylvan ...

'' or '' sylva'', meaning "forest land", owing to the dense forests that once made up the region, part of the

Great Black Swamp The Great Black Swamp (also known simply as the Black Swamp) was a glacially fed wetland in northwest Ohio, sections of lower Michigan, and extreme northeast Indiana, United States, that existed from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation until t ...

History

Sylvania Historical Village - Railroad Depot

General David White is considered the founder of Sylvania as the first pioneer settler and town supervisor, originally from Palmyra, New York. In 1832, White was given the title of General (possibly after services rendered during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

), which allowed him to explore the western Lake Erie region. In realizing the potential of some available land to the north of Maumee, Ohio, a notable port city at the time, he acquired a title to the land and built a log cabin at what would eventually be the corner of Summit and Monroe streets near downtown Sylvania. Prior to White's acquisition, the land was a part of Port Lawrence Township,

Monroe County, Michigan Monroe County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 154,809. The largest city and county seat is Monroe. The county was established as the second county (after Wayne County) in the Michigan Ter ...

. Over the course of several years, White, along with his associate, Judge William Wilson, purchased a total of of Port Lawrence and surrounding land in what would eventually become Sylvania, and of what would become

Whiteford Township, Michigan Whiteford Township is a civil township of Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,602 at the 2010 census. Communities * Gert is a former community within the township. It had its own post office from February 16, 1985 u ...

, where he also served as the first town supervisor. The relationship between White and Wilson did not last, and when the boundary dispute that lead to the largely bloodless

Toledo War The Toledo War (1835–36), also known as the Michigan–Ohio War or the Ohio–Michigan War, was an almost bloodless boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan over what is now known as the Toledo ...

began in 1834, they began splitting the lands they had purchased, platting their own towns. That year, White established the first area school in Whiteford, and

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bear ...

ted the township there one year later in 1835. Wilson presented the original plat for Sylvania in June 1836, with the town of Whiteford directly adjacent. Throughout the 1830s and 1840s, rail transportation saw significant expansion throughout the

Great Lakes region The Great Lakes region of North America is a binational Canadian–American region that includes portions of the eight U.S. states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin along with the Canadian p ...

. In 1833, the Erie and Kalamazoo Railroad was chartered as part of the

Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway The Lake Shore and Michigan Southern Railway, established in 1833 and sometimes referred to as the Lake Shore, was a major part of the New York Central Railroad's Water Level Route from Buffalo, New York, to Chicago, Illinois, primarily along the ...

, running from former Port Lawrence, Michigan (now Toledo, Ohio), to the mouth of the

Kalamazoo River The Kalamazoo River is a river in the U.S. state of Michigan. The river is long from the junction of its North and South branches to its mouth at Lake Michigan, with a total length extending to when one includes the South Branch.U.S. Geologica ...

at Lake Michigan. Trains were at first pulled by horse until the first steam locomotive was installed in 1837. Sylvania built its own railroad depot along the Erie-Kalamazoo Railroad in 1858. While the depot is no longer in operation, the original station building exists as an exhibit in the Sylvania Historical Village, still next to the railroad which remains in use. Sylvania was incorporated in 1867. A post office called Sylvania has been in operation since 1859.

Geography

Sylvania is located at (41.711450, -83.703210), approximately west-northwest of Toledo. 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 city has a total area of , of which are land and are water. The city lies at the junction of two creeks: Ottawa Creek, flowing south from the community of Ottawa Lake, Michigan, about four miles north of the city, and Ten Mile Creek, a tributary of Ottawa Creek running about from the west, which becomes the Ottawa River and empties into the Maumee River. The city is built on large shale deposits, which over hundreds of years have been mined in

quarries A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envir ...

to make concrete, cement and other stone products. Silica shale from the region is renowned among paleontologists for its high-quality fossils from the early

Devonian The Devonian ( ) is a geologic period and system of the Paleozoic era, spanning 60.3 million years from the end of the Silurian, million years ago (Mya), to the beginning of the Carboniferous, Mya. It is named after Devon, England, whe ...

period.

Notable landmarks

* The Lathrop House, built in 1853 by minister Lucian Lathrop and wife Larissa, was used by

abolitionists Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...

as a stop on the

Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...

. Slaves trying to escape to freedom in the north were given food and shelter, in a secret room behind an oven door. The house is recognized by the National Trust for Historic Preservation as a building of significant historical and cultural importance. The building was originally located on Main St, just south of downtown Sylvania, but after a 2002 land dispute, it was moved to Harroun Park across the street. *The Harroun Family Barn was built by David and Clarissa Harroun in 1858. The Harrouns and their son Edwin aided slaves along the Underground Railroad, transporting them from Maumee, Ohio in David's lumber wagon and hiding them in their basement, before they made their way into Michigan. The Harroun property was connected to the Lathrop house via a ravine that ran between them; much of the ravine still exists and the road that runs along it is named Ravine Road. Sylvania Historical Village - Original Log Cabin

Sylvania Historical Village - Original Log Cabin

* The Sylvania Historical Village is an

open-air museum An open-air museum (or open air museum) is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts out-of-doors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is “the unconfined atmosphere� ...

in downtown Sylvania, that features both original and reproductions of historical buildings in the city, including the original railroad depot that operated in the area for over 100 years, and an original 1800s log home. *Fossil Park is a notable attraction that opened in 2001. Visitors can break apart loose shale from a nearby quarry, which often contain fossil specimens such as

trilobites Trilobites (; meaning "three lobes") are extinct marine arthropods that form the class Trilobita. Trilobites form one of the earliest-known groups of arthropods. The first appearance of trilobites in the fossil record defines the base of the At ...

. It is one of two locations in the world where visitors without any

paleontological Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of foss ...

experience are allowed to search for fossils themselves. *The Burnham Building, originally Burnham High School, built in 1927, served as an area high school until the final class graduated in 1960. It was then used as a multipurpose facility until 2010, when it was demolished to make way for the new Maplewood Elementary School.

Parks and recreation

The city is home to over 250 acres of parkland, which include Olander Park, Harroun Community Park, Pacesetter Park, Veterans Memorial Park, and Burnham Park. The Olander Park System ("TOPS") has a large 28 acre pond as well as other satellite parks (Fossil Park, Sylvan Prairie Park, Whetstone Park and Southview Oak Savanna). Pacesetter Park has

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensiv ...

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

, and

baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding tea ...

fields, and Burnham Park contains Plummer Pool, a public swimming pool. Many of Sylvania's recreational activities are organized by the Sylvania Area Joint Recreation Department (SAJRD). They operate multiple facilities and parks, including Pacesetter, Veterans Memorial and Burnham parks, as well as a recreation center, Tam-O-Shanter, with two ice skating rinks and two indoor soccer fields. The center offers indoor sports such as soccer, baseball, lacrosse, ice hockey, and ice skating. The city has received the "Tree City" designation from the

Tree City USA The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 350 million trees in neighborhoods, communities ...

program for over 30 years, which recognizes communities for urban and community forestry. The nickname of the city is the literal translation of its name, "City of Trees". In 2016, a steel beam from the

World Trade Center World Trade Centers are sites recognized by the World Trade Centers Association. World Trade Center may refer to: Buildings * List of World Trade Centers * World Trade Center (2001–present), a building complex that includes five skyscrapers, a ...

was installed in the " 9/11 First Responders Last Call Memorial" at the Toledo Memorial Park

cemetery A cemetery, burial ground, gravesite or graveyard is a place where the remains of dead people are buried or otherwise interred. The word ''cemetery'' (from Greek , "sleeping place") implies that the land is specifically designated as a buri ...

in Sylvania.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 18,971 people, 7,642 households, and 5,092 families residing in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 8,165 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 92.4%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White o ...

, 2.7%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.1% Native American, 2.3%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.1%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.7% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 1.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 2.9% of the population. There were 7,642 households, of which 31.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.0% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.4% were non-families. 28.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age in the city was 42.7 years. 23.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 29.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.2% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 18,670 people, 7,151 households, and 5,070 families residing in the city. The

was 3,223.2 people per square mile (1,245.0/km²). There were 7,392 housing units at an average density of 1,276.2 per square mile (492.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.20%

, 1.00%

, 0.10% Native American, 2.10%

, 0.01%

, 0.64% from

, and 0.96% from two or more races.

of any race were 1.63% of the population. The city has a significant Jewish community. There were 7,151 households, out of which 37.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.8% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.1% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.16. In the city, the population was spread out, with 28.2% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 25.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $57,358, and the median income for a family was $73,947. Males had a median income of $52,892 versus $34,583 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $28,163. About 3.7% of families and 4.2% 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 4.2% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The City of Sylvania follows a

mayor–council government The mayor–council government system is a system of local government that has a mayor who is directly elected by the voters serve as chief executive, and a separately elected legislative city council. It is one of the two most common forms of ...

. The mayor of Sylvania is Craig Stough. The charter and laws of the City of Sylvania are documented in the Codified Ordinances of the City of Sylvania, Ohio. The judicial branch of the city government is run by the Sylvania Municipal Court, which is presided over by the Honorable Judge Michael A. Bonfiglio.

City Council

The city council has seven members, comprising eight committees (Building & Grounds, Employee & Community Relations, Finance, Parks & Forestry, Safety, Streets, Utilities & Environment, and Zoning & Annexation): * Mark Frye **Committees: Streets (chairperson), Finance, Safety, Utilities & Environment and Buildings & Grounds *Patrick Richardson **Committees: Employee and Community Relations (chairperson), Buildings & Grounds, Finance, Streets and Utilities & Environment *Katie Cappellini **Committees: Parks and Forestry (chairperson), Zoning & Annexation, Buildings and Grounds, Employee & Community Relations and Utilities & Environment *Douglas Haynam **Committees: Zoning & Annexation (chairperson), Parks & Forestry, Streets, Employee & Community Relations and Finance *Brian McCann **Committees: Utilities & Environment (chairperson); Safety; Parks & Forestry; Employee & Community Relations and its Economic Development Sub-committee *Lyndsey Stough **Committees: Buildings & Grounds (chairperson), Parks & Forestry, Safety, and Zoning & Annexation *Mary Westphal (Council President) **Committees: Finance (chairperson), Safety (chairperson), Zoning and Annexation

Education

Public

Public schools in Sylvania, Ohio are all part of the Sylvania City School District. ;Elementary schools * Highland Elementary School * Hill View Elementary School * Maplewood Elementary School * Stranahan Elementary School * Sylvan Elementary School * Whiteford Elementary School * Central Trail Elementary School ;Junior high schools * Arbor Hills Junior High School * McCord Junior High School * Timberstone Junior High School ;High schools * Sylvania Northview High School * Sylvania Southview High School

Private

Toledo Islamic Academy Toledo Islamic Academy (TIA) is a primary and secondary private Islamic charter school in Toledo, Ohio, enrolling students in grades PK–12. It was established in 1995 by the Masjid Saad Foundation, and is accredited by the Ohio Department o ...

* Little Miracles Montessori School * St. Joseph Elementary & Junior High School

Colleges

Lourdes University Lourdes University is a private Franciscan university in Sylvania, Ohio. Established in 1958, the university is sponsored by the Sisters of St. Francis of Sylvania. History In 1916 Mother Adelaide Sandusky traveled from Minnesota to Northwest ...

Libraries

Sylvania has two public libraries, one near each high school, which are branches of the

Toledo-Lucas County Public Library Toledo Lucas County Public Library is a public library system located in Toledo, Ohio. History Founded in December 1838, it was Ohio's first public library created with tax money. There were sixty-six charter members in the association's su ...

. The Sylvania Branch Library, located near Northview High School, was built in the 1950s, and was expanded and remodeled in 2017. A second library at King Road near Southview High School was built in 2016.

Sister city

Sylvania is the sister city of

Woodstock Woodstock Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock. Billed as "an Aq ...

, Ontario, Canada.

Notable people

Sam Abell Sam Abell (born 1945 in Sylvania, Ohio) is an American photographer known for his frequent publication of photographs in ''National Geographic''. Sam Abell's love of photography began due to the influence of his father who was a geography tea ...

- photographer * Mark Berger - economist * Terry Cook - automobile racing driver *

Alissa Czisny Alissa Czisny (born June 25, 1987) is an American former competitive figure skater. She is the 2010 Grand Prix Final champion, a two-time Skate Canada champion (2005, 2010), the 2011 Skate America champion, and a two-time U.S. national champion ( ...

- two-time U.S. champion figure skater *

Chip Davis Louis F. "Chip" Davis Jr. (born September 5, 1947 in Hamler, Ohio) is the founder and leader of the music group Mannheim Steamroller. Davis composed the music for several C. W. McCall albums, including the hit 1975 song "Convoy". He has also wri ...

- musician *

Jon Diebler Jon Keith Diebler (born June 22, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player who is the director of recruiting for the Butler Bulldogs of the Big East Conference. He played four seasons of college basketball at Ohio State Universi ...

(born 1988) - basketball player in the

Israel Basketball Premier League Ligat HaAl ( he, ליגת העל, lit., ''Supreme League or Premier League''), or the Israeli Basketball Premier League, is the top-tier level league of professional competition in Israeli club basketball, making it Israel's primary basketball c ...

Gordie Howe Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seaso ...

- hockey player *

Eric Kripke Eric Kripke (born 1974) is an American writer and television producer. He came to prominence as the creator of the fantasy drama series ''Supernatural'' (2005–2020) which aired on The CW. He served as the showrunner during the first five seasons ...

- television producer and writer Smith, Ryan E. (August 17, 2008). "Sylvania area native gives city a role in his TV series". The Toledo Blade. Archived from the original on April 25, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019. * Mitchell Miller - hockey player * Luke Fortner - Offensive Lineman for the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...

Notable events

Marathon Classic The Dana Open Presented By Marathon, is a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour. It was founded in 1984 and has been played yearly, except in 1986 and 2011, in Sylvania, Ohio, a suburb northwest of Toledo. The tournament is te ...

, an

LPGA Tour The Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) is an American organization for female golfers. The organization is headquartered at the LPGA International in Daytona Beach, Florida, and is best known for running the LPGA Tour, a series of week ...

event that has been played in Sylvania since 1989.

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

Official website

Sylvania Chamber of Commerce
{{authority control Cities in Lucas County, Ohio Populated places established in 1833 1833 establishments in Ohio Cities in Ohio