Geneva is a
city
A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
in northwestern
Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,924 at the
2020 census. It is part of the
Cleveland metropolitan area, northeast 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 ...
. The area which would become Geneva was originally settled in 1805, and was incorporated as a city in 1958. It is named after
Geneva, New York
Geneva is a City (New York), city in Ontario County, New York, Ontario and Seneca County, New York, Seneca counties in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York. It is at the northern end of Seneca Lake (New York), Seneca Lake; all land port ...
.
History
The area which would eventually be Geneva was first settled in 1805 by a handful of settlers from
Charlotte,
New York.
In 1806, settlers from
Harpersfield,
New York arrived and established
Harpersfield Township, which included the present-day townships of
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
,
Trumbull and
Hartsgrove.
However, in 1816, citizens of Harpersfield decided to withdraw from the township and form their own township, which then became Geneva Township, named after
Geneva
Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...
,
New York.
In 1866, the town of Geneva then became 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 ...
, and, nearly one hundred years later, in 1958, Geneva was incorporated as a city.
Declaration of Lunar Ownership
On April 12, 1966, more than 200 people attended ceremonies at
Geneva High School at which it was revealed that the city had claimed
ownership of the moon.
The "Declaration of Lunar Ownership" contained 35 signatures, and was revealed simultaneously with the city's 100th anniversary.
It claimed that the "physical property of the moon shall belong exclusively to the citizens of Geneva, Ohio," and that unfriendly acts upon the city would be responded to with "all human dignity and moral circumspection."
The city claimed the right to rent or lease its moon holdings via a two-thirds vote of the city's entire population, and provided for the sale of 100 deeds for of land, each acre priced at $100.
Geography
Geneva is located 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 ...
and west of
Erie,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
.
The city is bordered to the north, east and west by
Geneva Township and by
Harpersfield Township to the south. The
Grand River flows around Geneva to the south in Harpersfield and to the west in
Lake County. The
Geneva State Park is located to the north of the city (within Geneva Township).
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 , all land.
Demographics
2010 census
At the
2010 census there were 6,215 people in 2,479 households, including 1,527 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 2,769 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 94.3% White, 1.7% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.8% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.5%.
Of the 2,479 households 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.1% were married couples living together, 13.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.4% were non-families. 32.0% of households were one person and 14.1% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.96.
The median age was 40.9 years. 22.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.8% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.8% male and 51.2% female.
2000 census
At the
2000 census there were 6,595 people in 2,515 households, including 1,607 families, in the city. The population density was . There were 2,660 housing units at an average density of . The
racial makeup of the city was 94.84% White, 1.15% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.80% from other races, and 1.77% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.94%.
Of the 2,515 households 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.6% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.0% of households were one person and 13.0% were one person aged 65 or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 3.04.
The age distribution was 23.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.6% 65 or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.6 males and for every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.2 males.
The median household income was $35,048 and the median family income was $41,511. Males had a median income of $31,817 versus $23,927 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,940. About 5.1% of families and 9.4% 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 6.5% of those under age 18 and 10.9% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Geneva is home to HDT Global, an industrial outfit that manufactures air conditioning, heating, and filtration units for heavy industry. In recent years, they have been awarded over $100 million in U.S. Department of Defense contracts.
Arts and culture
Geneva Grape Jamboree
The Grape Jamboree is an annual celebration of the area's grape-growing and wine-producing industries.
The festival occurs during the final full weekend of September, and lasts both days.
Festivities include two parades, one held on each day, as well as various amusement park-type rides and typical festival food kiosks set up on the main streets (
Route 20 and
Route 534) of Geneva.
Other activities include musical performances and an art show.
West Liberty Covered Bridge
An addition to Ashtabula County's
existing covered bridges, the
West Liberty Covered Bridge, purported to be the shortest covered bridge in the United States, opened in 2011.
Infrastructure
Three major routes pass through (or near) Geneva.
Interstate 90, the northernmost east–west and coast-to-coast interstate, passes roughly two miles south of the city. There, a full-access interchange (exit 218) intersects
Route 534, which passes through Geneva and terminates north of the city. Route 534 intersects
Route 20, the longest road in the United States, in downtown Geneva.
Education

The
Geneva Area City School District provides
K–12 education
K-1 is a professional kickboxing promotion established in 1993 by karateka Kazuyoshi Ishii.
Originally under the ownership of the Fighting and Entertainment Group (FEG), K-1 was considered to be the largest Kickboxing organization in the worl ...
to students in Geneva as well as
Geneva Township (including
Geneva-on-the-Lake),
Harpersfield Township,
Trumbull Township and
Austinburg Township (including
Austinburg). The district has three elementary schools (Geneva Platt R. Spencer Elementary, Cork Elementary and Austinburg Elementary), one middle school (Geneva Middle School) and one high school (
Geneva High School). The elementary schools serve students in grades
K–5, while the middle school and high schools serve students in grades
6–8 and
9–12 respectively. The district has an
open enrollment policy, allowing students from the entire county, as well as
Lake
A lake is often a naturally occurring, relatively large and fixed body of water on or near the Earth's surface. It is localized in a basin or interconnected basins surrounded by dry land. Lakes lie completely on land and are separate from ...
and
Geauga Counties to enroll.
Geneva has a public library, a branch of the Ashtabula County District Library.
Notable people
*
Brian Anderson,
Major League Baseball
Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...
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, ...
*
Tammy Cochran, a country music singer, sang "Angels in Waiting"
*
Emy Coligado, actress best known for her role in the sitcom ''
Malcolm in the Middle
''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons consisting of 151 episodes.
The ...
''
*
Edward S. Ellis,
author
In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
best known for writing hundreds of
dime novel
The dime novel is a form of late 19th-century and early 20th-century American popular fiction issued in series of inexpensive paperbound editions. The term ''dime novel'' has been used as a catchall term for several different but related form ...
s
*
Ellen Spencer Mussey, lawyer, educator, and pioneer in the field of women's rights
*
Ransom E. Olds, automotive pioneer,
Oldsmobile
Oldsmobile (formally the Oldsmobile Division of General Motors) was a brand of American automobiles, produced for most of its existence by General Motors. Originally established as "Olds Motor Vehicle Company" by Ransom E. Olds in 1897, it produc ...
and
REO brands
*
Paul Jessup, writer and video game designer.
*
Mickey Sanzotta, an
NFL running back
A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
for the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. The team plays their home game ...
*
Platt Rogers Spencer, a
calligrapher who invented
Spencerian Script
*
Freeman Thorpe, an artist with works listed in the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums, Education center, education and Research institute, research centers, created by the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government "for the increase a ...
's Inventory of American Paintings and Sculptures
*
Marion E. Warner (1839–1918), American poet and short story writer
*
Laura Rosamond White, an author, editor, and poet
References
External links
City website
{{Authority control
Cities in Ashtabula County, Ohio
Populated places established in 1816
1816 establishments in Ohio
Cities in Ohio