Summit County, Ohio

Summit County Education, Geography, and History

Summit County is an urban county in the state of Ohio. Based on the 2010 census, the population was 541,781 making it the fourth-most populous county in Ohio. Its county seat is Akron. The county was formed on March 3, 1840, from portions of Medina, Portage and Stark Counties. It was named "Summit County" because the highest elevation on the Ohio and Erie Canal is located in the county.

Summit County is part of the Akron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology - Origin of Summit County Name

The county was named for the Portage Summit, the highest point along the Ohio and Erie Canal.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: CensusBureau Quick Facts

Summit County History

On March 3, 1840, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Summit County. It originally was a portion of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The county was named for the Portage Summit, the highest point along the Ohio and Erie Canal. The county grew very quickly, especially following the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal. Due to its proximity to transportation systems and an abundant supply of coal, iron ore, and steel, the county seat of Akron became a major site for the production of cereal, rubber, and numerous other products during the latter portion of the nineteenth century. Because B.F. Goodrich Company, Firestone Tire and Rubber Company, and the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company were all located in Akron, the city became known as the "Rubber Capital of the World."

Summit County is located in northeastern Ohio and covers 413 square miles. The county has grown in recent years. Between 1990 and 2000, Summit County's population increased by 5.4 percent to a total of 542,899 residents in 2000. Akron is the largest community in the county, with 217,074 residents in 2000. The county averages 1,315 residents per square mile.

Summit County is overwhelmingly rural, with only fourteen percent of the county deemed to be urban. Still, only just over three hundred farms exist in the county. Most of the county is now covered with subdivisions. These areas are not populated enough to qualify as urban areas, but they are definitely not devoted to agriculture. Most residents earn their livings by working in service, sales, or manufacturing positions. The county's average income was just over twenty-nine thousand dollars per person in 1999, with 10.9 percent of the population living in poverty.

Most voters in Summit County claim to be independents, yet in recent years, they have overwhelmingly supported Democratic Party candidates at the national level.

Industrialists Benjamin Franklin Goodrich, Ohio Columbus Barber, Ferdinand Schumacher, Frank Seiberling, and Harvey Samuel Firestone, as well as abolitionist John Brown, were all residents of the county.

Sources
Summit County, Ohio History Central, July 24, 2008,
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2016&nm=Summit-County

Geography: Land and Water

As reported by the Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 419.38 square miles (1,086 km²), of which 412.08 square miles (1,067 km²) is land and 7.3 square miles (19 km²) (1.7%) is water.

The largest portion of Cuyahoga Valley National Park is located in the northern part of the county. The southern border of the former Connecticut Western Reserve passes through the southern part of the county, leading to jogs in the east and west borders of the county.

Neighboring Counties

Bordering counties are as follows:

• Cuyahoga County, Ohio - north
• Geauga County, Ohio - northeast corner
• Portage County, Ohio - east
• Stark County, Ohio - south
• Wayne County, Ohio - southwest
• Medina County, Ohio - west
  

Education

School districts

School Districts in Summit County do not strictly follow City and Township Corporation limits or township borders. Many School Districts in Summit County overlap community borders.

Akron Public School District
Revere Local School District
Copley–Fairlawn City School District
Woodridge Local School District
Hudson City School District
Stow-Munroe Falls City School District
Cuyahoga Falls City School District
Tallmadge City School District
Mogadore Local School District
Springfield Local School District
Coventry Local School District
Green Local School District
Manchester Local School District
Barberton City School District
Norton City School District
Twinsburg City School District
Nordonia Hills City School District

Colleges and universities

University of Akron

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