Brewster is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in southwestern Stark County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,113 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Canton–Massillon metropolitan area.

History

Wheeling and Lake Erie yards Brewster Ohio 1910

A post office called Brewster has been in operation since 1910. Brewster is the location of the corporate headquarters and shops of the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway, both the historic company and the current regional railroad. The WLE began producing locomotives at its Brewster shops in 1910, and boasted one of the finest

steam locomotive A steam locomotive is a locomotive that provides the force to move itself and other vehicles by means of the expansion of steam. It is fuelled by burning combustible material (usually coal, Fuel oil, oil or, rarely, Wood fuel, wood) to heat ...

producing facilities in the country. Over the years, the WLE built and rolled boilers and erected fifty of their own steam engines, a feat never tried by many larger and more famous railroads. The Wheeling and Lake Erie Brewster Shops continue to perform contract repairs, upgrades and fabrication of locomotives and freight cars to this day.

Geography

Brewster is located along Sugar Creek.DeLorme (1991), ''Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer'', Yarmouth, Maine, p. 51, 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 village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,112 people, 816 households, and 581 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 862 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.5%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.1%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.9% of the population. There were 816 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.2% were

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

living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.8% were non-families. 24.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the village was 42.9 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.7% were from 45 to 64; and 20.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.0% male and 51.0% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,324 people, 855 households, and 630 families living in the village. The

was 1,146.5 people per square mile (442.0/km²). There were 904 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.97%

, 0.04%

, 0.17% Native American, 0.17% Asian, 0.09% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.52% of the population. There were 855 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.8% were

living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.3% were non-families. 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.07. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 94.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.6 males. The median income for a household in the village was $37,853, and the median income for a family was $42,200. Males had a median income of $34,798 versus $20,769 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $17,614. About 6.0% of families and 5.9% 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 2.6% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

In addition to the aforementioned railroad industry, Brewster is the headquarters for Shearer's Foods, makers of Shearer's potato chips and snacks, and

Brewster Dairy Brewster Dairy is the largest manufacturer of "All natural" Swiss cheese in the U.S. and it is headquartered in Brewster, Ohio. The company has production facilities in Brewster, Ohio, as well as Stockton, Illinois and Rupert, Idaho. It manu ...

, the largest Swiss cheese plant in the US.

References

{{authority control Villages in Stark County, Ohio 1910 establishments in Ohio Villages in Ohio