Ravenna is a city in
Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of
Akron. It was formed from portions of
Ravenna Township in the
Connecticut Western Reserve
The Connecticut Western Reserve was a portion of land claimed by the Colony of Connecticut and later by the state of Connecticut in what is now mostly the northeastern region of Ohio. The Reserve had been granted to the Colony under the terms ...
. The population was 11,323 in the
2020 Census. It is the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...
of Portage County.
Ravenna was founded in 1799,
plat
In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Surveys to show the distance and bea ...
ted in 1808, and is named for the city of
Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
. The city is part of the
Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area and the larger
Cleveland–Akron–Canton Combined Statistical Area.
History
Ravenna was founded by
Benjamin Tappan, who arrived there on June 11, 1799 to lay claim in his father's name to land purchased in the Connecticut Western Reserve. Tappan did not stay in the area for long, however, but built a settlement of log cabins before returning to Connecticut during the summer of 1800.
Later in 1800, Tappan, newly married, returned to the area where the couple built a log cabin of their own. It was his new wife, Nancy Wright, who suggested that the settlement be named after the city of
Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...
, Italy. Nancy became a driving force for the new town. When plans were announced in 1806 for the formation of Portage County, she lobbied for Ravenna to be made the county seat, and it was selected in 1808. She also convinced other Connecticut families to move to the area.
[ The Tappans, however, left Ravenna in 1809.][
Ravenna was initially included in Franklin Township, which was part of Trumbull County at the time. The first mail route was established in 1802 and the first school opened in 1803. In 1810 the first county courthouse and log jail were built. This was later replaced with the first brick courthouse twenty years later in 1830, expanded with an addition in 1881. The current courthouse was built in 1961. The Congregational Church, established in 1822, was the first church to be founded in Ravenna. In 1824, the Methodist Church held its first meeting, which later formally organized in 1831. The Presbyterian and the Disciple of Christ churches were organized in 1830. In 1842, the Catholic Church in Ravenna was dedicated.]
In 1831, the Clark Carriage Company, founded by W.D. Clark, first began to produce high-end hearses
A hearse is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin at a funeral, wake, or memorial service. They range from deliberately a ...
known for their elaborate workmanship and quality. Thirty years later, the company was purchased by Henry W. Riddle and Charles Merts in 1861, with Riddle being the salesman for the company and Merts running the factory. In 1891, Merts retired and sold his share of the company to Riddle, who, in turn, changed the name of the company to the Riddle Coach and Hearse. After the company began manufacturing motorized hearses, the name changed once again--this time to the Riddle Manufacturing Company. With the highly acclaimed reputation of the Riddle Hearse, two U.S. Presidents from Ohio, William McKinley
William McKinley (January 29, 1843September 14, 1901) was the 25th president of the United States, serving from 1897 until his assassination in 1901. As a politician he led a realignment that made his Republican Party largely dominant in t ...
and Warren G. Harding, would later make them their coach of choice for carrying their remains after their deaths.[
In 1848, a glassworks was established, which is now commonly recognized as the first true industry in Ravenna. Rail service first arrived via the ]Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...
in 1851. In 1877, the Quaker Oats Company
The Quaker Oats Company, known as Quaker, is an American food Conglomerate (company), conglomerate based in Chicago. It has been owned by PepsiCo since 2001.
History Precursor miller companies
In the 1850s, Ferdinand Schumacher and Robert Stuar ...
was established in Ravenna with the familiar Quaker Oats logo patented in Ravenna in 1879.[
On 25 May 1853, the ]Ohio Woman's Rights Association
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The ...
, founded in 1852 in Massillon
Jean-Baptiste Massillon, CO (24 June 1663, Hyères – 28 September 1742, Beauregard-l'Évêque), was a French Catholic prelate and famous preacher who served as Bishop of Clermont from 1717 until his death.
Biography
Early years
Massillon wa ...
, held its first statewide meeting in Ravenna. The attendees helped draft a petition to the Ohio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate. Both houses of the General Assembly meet at the Ohio Statehouse in Columb ...
, requesting legislation that would grant women more rights.
On February 15, 1861, en route to his inauguration in Washington, DC
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, President-elect Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
traveled by train through Ravenna. He didn’t plan on speaking but, due to the enthusiastic supporters of the community and a stunning cannon salute, he stepped out of the train and addressed the crowd. A small plaque was placed at the site in 1985 to commemorate the event.
Telephones were first introduced in Ravenna in 1882. In 1898, Ravenna began paving its streets when East and West Main streets received new, paved surfaces. By 1909, nearly 50 passenger trains arrived in the town each day. In 1917, Portage County purchased White Hospital, which eventually became the present day University Hospitals Portage Medical Center
University Hospitals Portage Medical Center is a 117-staffed-bed hospital located in Ravenna, Ohio, United States, that serves the residents of Portage County, Ohio, Portage County and surrounding communities. Affiliated with University Hospitals o ...
.[
In 1905, The A.C. Williams Co. was incorporated in Ravenna. Through the 1920s, the company was recognized as the largest cast-iron toy manufacturer in the world.
Since the 1970s, the city has held the Ravenna Balloon A-Fair. Usually held around mid-September, the event attracts hot air balloonists and enthusiasts to Sunbeau Valley Farm in Ravenna Township, just west of the city limits. Besides the hot air balloons, there are also parades, cruise-ins, and live entertainment.][
In the late 1990s, the downtown area received a $3 million facelift to restore and preserve the city’s architecture, history, and heritage.][
]
Geography
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
An economy is an area of th ...
, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
The following highways pass through Ravenna:
* State Route 59
* State Route 44
* State Route 14
* State Route 88
Ravenna is located south of Interstate 80
Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...
/ Ohio Turnpike exit 193, and north of Interstate 76 exit 38.
Government
Frank Seman was sworn in as mayor on January 1, 2016, succeeding Joseph Bica.
Prior to Bica, the mayor of Ravenna was Kevin Poland. Poland replaced long-time mayor Paul Jones who retired and moved to Florida after a scandal investigation regarding his practices as mayor. Ravenna Police Chief Randy McCoy initiated formal investigations by the county prosecutor after learning that the FBI had begun conducting a formal investigation of the former Mayor. The major focus of the city's investigation involved the Mayor's son, Paul Jones Jr., who was paid more than $274,900 over eight years for a questionable mowing contract.
In March, 2007, Jones was sentenced to sixteen months in a federal prison for various fraud charges.
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 in ...
of 2010, there were 11,724 people, 5,055 households, and 2,860 families living in the city. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was . There were 5,566 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.1% White
White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 5.6% African American
African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...
, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.3% 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 1.4% of the population.
There were 5,055 households, of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% 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 t ...
living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.4% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.96.
The median age in the city was 37.9 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.
2000 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 in ...
of 2000, there were 11,771 people, 4,980 households, and 2,997 families living in the city. The population density
Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...
was 2,199.2 people per square mile (849.5/km). There were 5,313 housing units at an average density of 992.6 per square mile (383.4/km). The racial makeup of the city was 93.03% White
White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...
, 4.42% Black
Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white ha ...
, 0.25% American Indian, 0.39% Asian, 0.02% 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 Ocea ...
, 0.23% from other races, and 1.67% 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 0.91% of the population.
There were 4,980 households, out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% 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 t ...
living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.5% 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 2.31 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $35,650, and the median income for a family was $46,090. Males had a median income of $33,574 versus $25,320 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 $17,862. About 6.0% of families and 10.3% 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 9.9% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Elementary and secondary education for students in Ravenna and Ravenna Township is provided by the Ravenna School District
The Ravenna School District, formally the Ravenna City School District, is a public school district
A school district is a special-purpose district that operates local public primary and secondary schools in various nations.
North America ...
, which includes Ravenna High School for grades 9–12 and Brown Middle School for grades 5–8. The district reorganized its elementary buildings for the 2020–21 school year, closing Carlin Elementary and grouping grade levels together. Previously, the district had operated four neighborhood elementary schools each with grades 1–5. Kindergarten students attend West Park Elementary, Willyard Elementary houses the district's 1st and 2nd graders, and West Main Elementary houses grades 3 and 4. The district's preschool program and child care center are located in the former Carlin Elementary School building.
Ravenna is also home to the Maplewood Career Center, a vocational school which serves high school-aged students from ten high schools in Portage and Summit counties and offers adult education programs. The Bio-Med Science Academy
Bio-Med Science Academy is a public STEM+M (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, plus Medicine) school in Portage County, Ohio
Portage County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 161,791. ...
, a public STEM school for grades 2–12, has a campus in Ravenna at the former Fortis College location that houses the program's 5th and 6th graders. Grades 2–4 are housed at Bio-Med's Shalersville campus and grades 7–12 are located at the Rootstown campus.
Higher education
A campus of Fortis College, a small, private for-profit school, was located in northern Ravenna near State Route 14. It closed at the end of 2018 due to declining enrollment.
Notable people
* Chris Bangle; automobile designer
* Dana Beal; Youth International Party (Yippie movement) figure and marijuana activist
* Wally Bell; MLB umpire
* Bill Bower, last surviving pilot of the Doolittle Raid
* David D. Busch
David D. Busch is a photographer and well-known award-winning author and publisher of more than 300 books with a total of more than three million copies in print, and thousands of photography- and technology-related articles for ''Popular Photogra ...
; best-selling author
* Curt Cacioppo
Curtis Cacioppo (born 1951 in Ravenna, Ohio) is an American composer of contemporary classical music and pianist. He is of Sicilian ancestry on his father's side, and Anglo-Saxon ancestry on his mother's side. He is distantly related to the av ...
, classical pianist born in Ravenna
* Gerald Casale; founding member of the band Devo, was born in Ravenna
* William Rufus Day
William Rufus Day (April 17, 1849 – July 9, 1923) was an American diplomat and jurist who served as an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1903 to 1922. Prior to his service on the Supreme Court, Day served as Unit ...
; U.S. Supreme Court justice
* L. W. de Laurence ; pioneering mail order entrepreneur, author and publisher of occult and spiritual topics
* Calvin Hampton; classical organist, raised in Ravenna
* Robert B. "Yank" Heisler; Key Bank chairman, Dean Kent State University
Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in A ...
College of Business Administration
* Al Hodge; actor in films such as Captain Video and The Green Hornet and producer of The Lone Ranger radio program
* Arthur E. Juve Arthur Edgar Juve (1901–1965) was a B. F. Goodrich Director of Technology who developed oil-resistant rubber compositions, lab tests for tire treads, and improvements in manufacture of rubber products and the processing of synthetic rubber.
Educ ...
; B. F. Goodrich inventor known for applying elastomer technology in printing
* Maynard James Keenan
Maynard James Keenan (born James Herbert Keenan; April 17, 1964) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, actor, and winemaker. He is best known as the singer and primary lyricist of the rock bands Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Pus ...
; singer for Tool
A tool is an object that can extend an individual's ability to modify features of the surrounding environment or help them accomplish a particular task. Although many animals use simple tools, only human beings, whose use of stone tools dates ba ...
, A Perfect Circle
A Perfect Circle is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1999 by guitarist Billy Howerdel and Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan. A Perfect Circle has released four studio albums, the first three during the early 20 ...
, and Puscifer
* Marvin Kent
Marvin Kent (September 21, 1816 – December 10, 1908) was a railroad president, politician, and businessman from Portage County, Ohio, United States, best known as the namesake of the city of Kent, Ohio, which was previously known as Franklin ...
; politician and businessman, namesake for neighboring city of Kent
Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
* Peggy King; singer and television personality
* Frederick J. Loudin
Frederick Jeremiah Loudin (c.1836 – November 3, 1904) was the leader of the Loudin Jubilee Singers.
His commanding presence and ambitious personality caused him to emerge as an unofficial spokesperson during the four years he toured with th ...
; Singer and leader of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, inventor and manufacturer
* Don Nottingham
Don Nottingham (born June 26, 1949) is a former American football running back who played for the Baltimore Colts and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was affectionately referred to as 'The Human Bowling Ball' because of his ...
; pro football player
* Fela Sowande; Nigerian-born musician and composer who lived in Ravenna while on faculty at Kent State University
* Henry Adoniram Swift; third governor of Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
* Jack Trice; college football player at Iowa State and namesake of the school's football stadium; lived in Ravenna during summer of 1923
* Erastus B. Tyler; Union general in the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...
* Jeff West; pro football kicker
* Don M. Wilson III Don M. Wilson III (born 1948) is an American banker with expertise in corporate banking, global capital markets, and risk management. He was appointed as the first chief risk officer at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in 2003
and retired in
2006. He bega ...
; former Chief Risk Officer at JP Morgan Chase Bank
References
External links
*
*
{{authority control
Cities in Portage County, Ohio
County seats in Ohio
Populated places established in 1799
Cities in Ohio