Conneaut ( ) is a city in

Ashtabula County Ashtabula County ( ) is the northeasternmost county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 97,574. The county seat is Jefferson. The county was created in 1808 and later organized in 1811. The name Ashtabula der ...

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

, United States, along

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") 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 therefore also ha ...

at the mouth of

Conneaut Creek Conneaut Creek is a tributary of Lake Erie in northwestern Pennsylvania and northeastern Ohio in the United States. Via Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, it is part of the watershed of the St. Lawrence River, which flows to the Atl ...

northeast of

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the United States, U.S. U.S. state, state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along ...

. The population was 12,841 at the 2010 Census. Conneaut is located at the far northeastern corner of the state.

History

Conneaut is located on an old Native American trail, later used by early westbound pioneers. The word ''conneaut'' comes from the Seneca language, and has a disputed meaning. A

Mississauga Mississauga ( ), historically known as Toronto Township, is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is situated on the shores of Lake Ontario in the Regional Municipality of Peel, adjoining the western border of Toronto. With a popu ...

village was located at or near Conneaut, c. 1747. In 1796, surveyors for the

Connecticut Land Company The Connecticut Company or Connecticut Land Company (e.-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 Re ...

built a log storehouse here, but the permanent settlement dates from 1798. In 1832 Conneaut was incorporated, and was described in 1833 as having a printing office, one meeting house, two taverns, and several stores and shops. It became a city in 1898. Conneaut was originally named Salem, and the parts surrounding it were named "Lakeville" from 1944 to 1964, though these were eventually combined into what is now known as "Conneaut". People still refer to parts of Conneaut as Lakeville or Amboy. On March 27, 1953 a three-train collision near Conneaut resulted in the deaths of 21 persons.

Geography

Conneaut is located at (41.9433, -80.5695). 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 th ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Conneaut is situated along Lake Erie at the mouth of Conneaut Creek. Conneaut is located in the northeasternmost corner of Ohio, bordering the state of

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

to the east and has within its corporate city limits, making it the 15th-largest city in Ohio by total land area. Conneaut is a mixture of urban areas and rural farmland. The city has over seven miles (11 km) of shoreline along Lake Erie, with beaches, boating facilities and a healthy summer tourist trade.

Climate

According to the

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

, Conneaut has a continental

maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(Cfb) with warm to hot summers and cool to mild winters moderated by Lake Erie. Conneaut experiences

seasonal lag Seasonal lag is the phenomenon whereby the date of maximum average air temperature at a geographical location on a planet is delayed until some time after the date of maximum insolation (i.e. the summer solstice). This also applies to the mini ...

due to the proximity of

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 inc ...

of 2010, there were 12,841 people, 4,740 households, and 3,034 families living 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 RosenberPopu ...

was . There were 5,702 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.8%

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 ...

, 7.5%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.4% 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 1.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population. There were 4,740 households, of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between ...

living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.0% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14% 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 2.90. The median age in the city was 39.6 years. 20.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 28.2% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 54.4% male and 45.6% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 12,485 people, 5,038 households, and 3,410 families living in the city. The

was 473.4 people per square mile (182.8/km²). There were 5,710 housing units at an average density of 216.5 per square mile (83.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.33%

, 1.12%

, 0.18% Native American, 0.47% Asian, 0.05%

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 ...

, 0.23% from

, and 1.61% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.06% of the population. 19.7% were of

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 ...

, 16.0%

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 ...

, 13.7%

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 ...

, 12.0%

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 ...

, 6.2%

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 ...

and 6.2%

Finnish Finnish may refer to: * Something or someone from, or related to Finland * Culture of Finland * Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland * Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people * Finnish cuisine See also ...

ancestry according to

Census 2000 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

. There were 5,038 households, out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.3% were

living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.3% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.98. In the city the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,717, and the median income for a family was $37,955. Males had a median income of $31,964 versus $21,198 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 $14,703. About 10.7% of families and 13.0% 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 20.3% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Major industries within the city include CSP of Ohio (formerly Venture Industries), General Aluminum (automotive parts), and CW Ohio (windows and pillars). The city's historic business district and its harbor business district are not as thriving as in the past. A few of the main businesses that anchor the downtown are Gerdes Pharmacy and Orlando Brothers grocery store. From 1944 until 2000, the

Astatic Corporation The Astatic Corporation is a commercial audio products manufacturer founded in Youngstown, Ohio in 1933. Astatic formed CAD Professional Microphones in 1988 as a division of Astatic. The company reorganized as Omnitronics LLC in 2000, and later ...

was a major manufacturer of microphones. Astatic merged CAD (Conneaut Audio Devices) in 2000 which continues to produce microphones. Conneaut is also home to the Lake Erie Correctional Institution, which has a total staff of 295 employees as of February 2020. The port of Conneaut, Ohio is the loading point for train cars bearing iron ore for Pittsburgh area steel mills, including the

Edgar Thomson Works The Edgar Thomson Steel Works is a steel mill in the Pittsburgh area communities of Braddock and North Braddock, Pennsylvania, United States. It has been active since 1875. It is currently owned by U.S. Steel and is known as Mon Valley Works – ...

Government

The city has been operated under a council-manager government since 1992.

Transportation

Transportation services Conneaut via

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 West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

, which bisects the city, along with an international shipping port and three railroads. U.S Route 20 also bisects Conneaut.

Ohio State Route 7 State Route 7 (SR 7), formerly known as Inter-county Highway 7 until 1921 and State Highway 7 in 1922, is a north–south state highway in the southern and eastern portions of the U.S. state of Ohio. At about in length, it is the longest s ...

has its northern terminus on Conneaut where it intersects with State Route 531.

Notable people

Laura Boulton Laura Boulton (January 4, 1899 – October 16, 1980) was an American ethnomusicologist. She is known for the many field recordings, films and photographs of traditional music and its performances and practitioners from Egypt, the Sudan, Ugan ...

, eminent ethnologist, anthropologist and film-maker * Mary L. Doe, first president of Michigan State Equal Suffrage Association *

Mildred Gillars Mildred Elizabeth Gillars ( Sisk; November 29, 1900 – June 25, 1988) was an American broadcaster employed by Nazi Germany to disseminate Axis propaganda during World War II. Following her capture in post-war Berlin, she became the first woman ...

, American radio personality (Axis Sally) during World War II, best known for her propaganda broadcasts for Nazi Germany *

Osee M. Hall Osee Matson Hall (September 10, 1847 – November 26, 1914) was a U.S. Representative from Minnesota. Born in Conneaut, Ohio, he attended the local public schools and graduated from Hiram College in Ohio and from Williams College, Williamst ...

, U.S. House Representative from Minnesota *

Joseph Russell Jones Joseph Russell Jones (February 17, 1823 – April 11, 1909) was a successful US merchant and politician, a close friend of Ulysses S. Grant and an acquaintance of Abraham Lincoln. Biography Jones was born in Conneaut, Ohio, and his childhoo ...

, appointed by

Ulysses S. Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union A ...

as Minister Resident to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

Larry Kelley Lawrence Morgan Kelley (May 30, 1915 – June 27, 2000) was an American football player. He played at the end position for the Yale Bulldogs football program from 1934 to 1936. He was the captain of the 1936 Yale Bulldogs football team th ...

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly ...

player for

Yale University Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the w ...

, second winner of

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

in 1936 *

Jean Lovell Jean Lovell ��Grumpy″(November 21, 1926 – January 1, 1992) was a female catcher and pitcher who played for three different teams of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League between the and seasons. Lovell batted and threw right-h ...

, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player * John P. McGoorty, Illinois judge and staterepresentative * Mike Palagyi, MLB pitcher for Washington Senators *

John R. Pillion John Raymond Pillion (August 10, 1904 – December 31, 1978) was an American lawyer and politician from New York. Life He was born on August 10, 1904, in Conneaut, Ohio. He graduated from Cornell Law School in 1927. He practiced law in Erie ...

, Republican member of U.S. House of Representatives from New York *

George Morton Randall George Morton Randall (October 8, 1841 – June 14, 1918) was a major general in the United States Army, noted for his service in the American Civil War and Indian Wars. He was born in Conneaut, Ohio, the son of Brewster Randall (1807–1 ...

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, ...

general * Mason A. Thayer, Republican member of Wisconsin State Assembly *

Doug Tompkins Douglas Rainsford Tompkins (March 20, 1943 – December 8, 2015) was an American businessman, conservationist, outdoorsman, philanthropist, filmmaker, and agriculturalist. He co-founded the North Face Inc, Esprit and various environmental group ...

, co-founder of North Face and Esprit

Gallery

File:conneaut industry.jpg, Industry related to the shipping of ores File:Conneaut light.jpg, Conneaut lighthouse File:Playground - panoramio (24).jpg, A modern-day playground. File:Middle Road Covered Bridge (9062496296).jpg, Middle Road Covered Bridge

References

External links

City of Conneaut
* * {{Authority control Cities in Ashtabula County, Ohio Inland port cities and towns in Ohio Ohio populated places on Lake Erie 1799 establishments in the Northwest Territory Cities in Ohio