Chardon is a city in

Geauga County, Ohio Geauga County ( ) is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat and largest city is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca languag ...

, United States, and 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 ...

. The population was 5,242 at the 2020 census.City of Chardon - History
. Chardon is located about south 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 ...

within the "snow belt" of the

Great Lakes The Great Lakes, also called the Great Lakes of North America, are a series of large interconnected freshwater lakes spanning the Canada–United States border. The five lakes are Lake Superior, Superior, Lake Michigan, Michigan, Lake Huron, H ...

and is part of the

Cleveland metropolitan area The Cleveland metropolitan area, or Greater Cleveland as it is more commonly known, is the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Cleveland in Northeast Ohio, United States. According to the 2020 census results, the six-county Cleveland, OH ...

. It is the only incorporated city in Geauga County and includes land that was once part of Chardon, Hambden and Munson townships. :File:Map of Geauga County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels.PNG.

History

Chardon is named after

Peter Chardon Brooks Peter Chardon Brooks (January 6, 1767 – January 1, 1849) was a wealthy Massachusetts merchant. Early life Brooks born in North Yarmouth, Massachusetts Bay, on January 6, 1767. His parents were the Rev. Edward Brooks and Abigail Brown. In 17 ...

, who donated land to build Chardon Square. Chardon Township celebrates its incorporation in 1812, and thus the City of Chardon does the same.. On July 24–25, 1868, a large fire destroyed the center of uptown, the area now known as Chardon Square. The fire originated in the Parlin Parkin's grocery store, and spread rapidly. By the time the fire was contained, the courthouse, post office, and many stores on the square were destroyed. Damage was estimated at around $120,000. Chardon Square was quickly rebuilt following the fire. A new

county courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

, which still stands today, was completed in 1869. Many other buildings that were constructed after the fire also survive and are used today.

School shooting

On February 27, 2012, a student from Lake Academy in

Willoughby, Ohio Willoughby is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States, along the Chagrin River. The population was 23,959 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Greater Cleveland, Cleveland metropol ...

opened fire at the Chardon High School cafeteria, killing three and injuring two students. Daniel Parmertor, 16 years old, was killed at the time of the shooting. Two other victims, Demetrius Hewlin and Russell King, Jr., were pronounced dead on February 28. The shooter was taken into custody by police and was charged with three counts of aggravated murder. He was sentenced to three consecutive life terms in prison without parole.

Geography

Chardon is located on

U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...

about east of

Cleveland Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...

. 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and or about is water.

Climate

With an average annual snowfall of , Chardon is notable for being the snowiest city in Ohio. This is mainly due to its location on a ridge approximately inland from Lake Erie, creating the perfect conditions for

orographic lift Orographic lift occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. As the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down adiabatically, which can raise the relative humidity to 100% and cr ...

and its associated heavy snowfall when winter winds blow across the lake. In 1996, from November 9 through November 13, a storm dropped over of

lake-effect snow Lake-effect snow is produced during cooler atmospheric conditions when a cold air mass moves across long expanses of warmer lake water. The lower layer of air, heated by the lake water, picks up water vapor from the lake and rises through colde ...

in the city over a period of six days. Governor

George Voinovich George Victor Voinovich (July 15, 1936June 12, 2016) was an American politician who served as a United States senator from Ohio from 1999 to 2011. He previously served as the 65th governor of Ohio from 1991 to 1998 and as the 54th mayor of Clev ...

declared a state of emergency as a result, and the

Ohio National Guard The Ohio National Guard comprises the Ohio Army National Guard and the Ohio Air National Guard. The commander-in-chief of the Ohio Army National Guard is the List of governors of Ohio, governor of the U.S. state of Ohio. If the Ohio Army Nation ...

was brought in to assist with the cleanup. Chardon has a

humid continental climate A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...

( Dfb). Summer days are warm to hot while nights remain cool. Summer is also the rainiest time of the year. Winters are moderately long, cold, and very snowy. Precipitation peaks during the month of August.

Demographics

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 2000, there were 5,156 people, 2,147 households, and 1,344 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 2,271 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.77%

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 ...

, 0.43%

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 ...

, 0.02% Native American, 0.45% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.10% from other races, and 1.22% 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 0.47% of the population. There were 2,147 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% 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, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city the population was spread out, with 24.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 84.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $54,063, and the median income for a family was $57,845. Males had a median income of $44,071 versus $23,750 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 city was $21,845. About 1.3% of families and 3.8% 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 ...

, including 0.6% of those under age 18 and 7.8% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

of 2010, there were 5,148 people, 2,285 households, and 1,331 families residing in the city. 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 2,457 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.9%

, 0.8%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.6% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population. There were 2,285 households, of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.1% were

living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.8% were non-families. 37.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.94. The median age in the city was 41.1 years. 23.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 45.1% male and 54.9% female.

2020 census

As of the

of 2020, there were 5,242 people residing in the city. The

was . The racial makeup of the city was 96.0%

, 1.3%

, 0.0% Native American, 0.0% Asian, 0.0%

, and 2.7% from

two or more races Multiracial Americans, also known as mixed-race Americans, are Americans who have mixed ancestry of two or more races. The term may also include Americans of mixed-race ancestry who self-identify with just one group culturally and socially (cf. t ...

or Latino of any race were 2.0% of the population. There were 2,066 households, with an average household size of 2.47 individuals. The owner-occupied housing unit rate was 65.2%, with a median value of owner-occupied housing units at $274,500. The median age in the city was 37.1 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18, and 19.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 50.9% female. The median household income was $86,618, with a per capita income of $54,895. Approximately 10.02% of the population were below the poverty line.

Culture

Chardon is known for its

maple syrup Maple syrup is a sweet syrup made from the sap of maple trees. In cold climates, these trees store starch in their trunks and roots before winter; the starch is then converted to sugar that rises in the sap in late winter and early spring. Ma ...

industry. Celebration of the syrup season begins at Tapping Sunday in March, when the sap is at prime thawing temperature. The annual Geauga County Maple Festival is a four-day celebration that takes place on the Chardon Square the last weekend in April. The festival has been rescheduled numerous times because of snowstorms in April due to Chardon's location in the “

snow belt The Snowbelt, Snow Belt, Frostbelt, or Frost Belt is the region near the Great Lakes in North America where heavy snowfall in the form of lake-effect snow is particularly common. Snowbelts are typically found downwind of the lakes, principally off ...

” of the

; it receives a large amount of snowfall every year. Chardon has an active performance art community. The Geauga Lyric Theater Guild is housed in the renovated Geauga Theater building, which was constructed in 1939 as an Art Deco movie house. The theater is also being used again to show first-run movies. Greater Chardon features numerous parks and golf courses. Chardon Lakes Golf Course is located in the heart of Chardon, two minutes from the square.

Sand Ridge Golf Club Sand Ridge Golf Club, was designed by Tom Fazio and is located in Munson Township, Geauga County, Ohio, near Chardon, Ohio, Chardon. Construction on the course started in late 1995 and opened for its private members on May 18, 1998. The course wa ...

in nearby Munson Township is also an excellent course. Chardon has an abundance of park space. Due to the area's varying weather conditions, sports activities are available for every season.

Education

Chardon and the area surrounding the city are served by the

Chardon Local School District Chardon Local School District is a school district which serves part of Geauga County, Ohio, Geauga County, Ohio, United States. It is based in Chardon, Ohio. In 2023, Niche ranked the district 84th best school district in Ohio out of 607 dist ...

. The district contains Chardon High School, as well as one middle school, and two elementary schools: Park and Munson. Hambden and Maple were no longer elementary schools starting in the 2018–2019 school year. Hambden and Munson elementary are not within the city limits. As of the 2011–2012 school year, the district had received an "Excellent" rating from the State of Ohio Board of Education for eleven consecutive years. Chardon has a public library, a branch of the Geauga County Public Library.

Notable people

* Andrew Brown, professional baseball

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("Pitch (baseball), pitches") the Baseball (ball), baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of out (baseball), retiring a batter (baseball), batter, ...

* Hector (

Chef Boyardee Chef Boyardee is an American brand of canned pasta products owned by Hometown Food Company. The company was founded by Italian immigrant Ettore Boiardi in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1928. History After leaving his position as head chef at the Plaza ...

) Boioardi, is buried in All Souls Cemetery in Chardon *

Mel Harder Melvin Leroy Harder (October 15, 1909 – October 20, 2002), nicknamed "Chief", was an American right-handed starting pitcher, coach and manager in Major League Baseball, who played his entire career with the Cleveland Indians. He spent 42 sea ...

, professional baseball pitcher for the

Cleveland Indians 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) American League Central, Central Division. Since , the team ...

* Matt Hutter,

NASCAR The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, LLC (NASCAR) is an American auto racing sanctioning and operating company that is best known for stock car racing. It is considered to be one of the top ranked motorsports organizations in ...

driver *

Leroy Kemp Leroy (Lee) P. Kemp, Jr. (born Darnell Freeman; December 24, 1956) is an American former freestyle and folkstyle wrestler. Kemp would achieve success at the high school, collegiate, and international levels. Kemp started wrestling in only the ...

, three-time

World Champion A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...

, three-time NCAA Champion at the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

* Tom Kipp, international professional motorcycle racing champion. * Charles C. Paine, politician * Halbert Eleazer Paine, Union general and U.S. Representative from

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

* Seth Ledyard Phelps, naval officer, politician and diplomat * Christopher Robichaud, philosopher, Harvard University professor * Nick Schuyler, author (''

Not Without Hope ''Not Without Hope'' is a 2010 non-fiction book by Nick Schuyler and Jeré Longman. The book describes a 2009 boating accident that Schuyler survived while his three friends, including NFL players Marquis Cooper and Corey Smith, died. ''Not W ...

'') * JoAnn M. Tenorio, entomologist in Hawaii

Musical artists & groups

Midnight Syndicate Midnight Syndicate is an American musical duo that has been working primarily in the genre of Neoclassicism (music), neoclassical dark ambient music since 1997 in music, 1997 and is based in Chardon, Ohio, Chardon, Ohio, a suburb of Cleveland, Oh ...

, Gothic Symphonic duo *

John Popper John Popper (born March 29, 1967) is an American musician and songwriter, known as the co-founder, lead vocalist, and frontman of the rock band Blues Traveler. Early life Popper was born on March 29, 1967, in Cleveland, Ohio. His father was a ...

, frontman for rock band

Blues Traveler Blues Traveler is an American rock band that formed in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1987. They are known for their extensive use of segues in live performances, and could be considered a key part of the re-emerging jam band scene of the 1990s, sp ...

* The Chardon Polka Band, Cleveland-Style polka band

References

External links

City of Chardon
{{Authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Geauga County, Ohio County seats in Ohio Populated places established in 1812 1812 establishments in Ohio Cleveland metropolitan area