Craig Beach 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 northwestern

Mahoning County Mahoning County is located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 228,614. Its county seat and largest city is Youngstown. The county is named after the Mahoning River and was formed on March 1, 1846; the 83rd co ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. Located along the shores of Lake Milton, the population was 1,076 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Youngstown–Warren metropolitan area.

History

In 1910, the city of

Youngstown Youngstown is a city in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Ohio, 11th-most populous city in Ohio with a population of 60,068 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Mahoning ...

acquired 3,416 acres along the

Mahoning River The Mahoning River is a river in northeastern Ohio and a small portion of western Pennsylvania. Flowing primarily through several Ohio counties, it crosses the state line into Pennsylvania before joining with the Shenango River to form the Beav ...

in Milton Township to construct a reservoir to be used as a water supply. The plan was to construct a 2,800-foot dam across the river, impounding 1,640 acres. Entertainer Ward Craig founded Craig’s Landing to initially watch the construction of the dam, which later offered a refreshment stand, swimming area, boat docks, and picnic facilities. In 1922, Craig formed his own amusement company that would create the Craig Beach Amusement Park along the new Lake Milton. Featuring rides, a dance hall, as well as rental cottages, Craig Beach became a popular entertainment hub for the area as

big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

s of the 1930s toured the area. Future

crooner A crooner is a singer who performs with a smooth, intimate style that originated in the 1920s. The crooning style was made possible by better microphones that picked up quieter sounds and a wider range of frequencies, allowing the singer to acce ...

Dean Martin Dean Martin (born Dino Paul Crocetti; June 7, 1917 – December 25, 1995) was an American singer, actor, and comedian. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, King of Cool", he is regarded as one of the most popular entertainers of ...

would get his start at the Craig Beach dance hall performing with these orchestras. Craig Beach was incorporated as a village in 1931. The amusement park would close by 1966, although Craig Beach would rebound as a small

resort town A resort town, resort city or resort destination is an urban area where tourism or vacationing is the primary component of the local culture and economy. A typical resort town has one or more actual resorts in the surrounding area. Sometimes ...

within Lake Milton State Park.

Geography

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 1,180 people, 483 households, and 327 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 597 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.6%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.5% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.8% 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 2.1% of the population. There were 483 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.5% 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, 15.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.3% were non-families. 26.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.92. The median age in the village was 40.4 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.3% were from 25 to 44; 30.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 1,254 people, 489 households, and 333 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 568 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.69%

, 0.24%

, 0.24% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.08%

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 ...

, 0.08% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.72% of the population. There were 489 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were

living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.9% were non-families. 24.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.00. In the village, the population was spread out, with 23.0% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 31.2% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 9.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 94.7 males. For every 100 women age 18 and over, there were 94.2 men. The median income for a household in the village was $38,594, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $35,729 versus $22,500 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 $16,630. About 6.7% 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 18.4% of children under age 18 and 1.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Children in Craig Beach are served by the public Jackson-Milton Local School District, which includes one elementary school, one middle school, and

Jackson-Milton High School Jackson-Milton High School is a public high school in Jackson Township, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Jackson-Milton Local School District. Sports teams are called the Blue Jays, and they compete in the Ohio High School ...

References

{{authority control Villages in Mahoning County, Ohio Villages in Ohio