Elyria

History

The village of Elyria was founded in 1817 by Heman Ely, who built a log house, dam, gristmill, and sawmill on the village's site along the Black River. Ely began to build more houses to accommodate European-American settlers migrating to what was, at that time, within Huron County, Ohio. By the turn of the 20th century, Elyria was a town of about 8,000. In 1908, Elyria Memorial Hospital was built. In the first half of the 20th century, the town developed some manufacturing, as well as a range of retail businesses. In August 1967, Midway Mall was opened. It changed the local economy by attracting local businesses from the town center or causing so much competition they went out of business. Industrial restructuring meant that good jobs left the area, and poverty increased. Three major car plant closings in the area led to economic stagnation and joblessness in the 1970s and 1980s that affected numerous communities. The region was nicknamed "the Rustbelt", suggesting the decline of its former industries. In the 1990s, Elyria experienced a minor revival with construction of some new roads and housing. It serves as a residential, suburban "bedroom community" for Cleveland, where new businesses and industries are developing with an increase in new jobs. In the 2000s and 2010s, companies like Bendix and 3M moved their operations elsewhere. To prepare for this, voters passed Issue 6 in March 2016. Issue 6 increased the city's income tax by 0.5%. It was used to pay for police, parks, and fiber-optic Internet in the city. With the reconstruction of State Route 57 on the city's northwest side by Midway Mall, traffic flow was improved.

Geography

Elyria is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The Black River flows through Elyria.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  29,137
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  27,739
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  26,904
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  25,238
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  22,498
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  22,303
• Mallard

  Anas platyrhynchos Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  21,542
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  21,326

Largest nearby schools

• North Ridgeville Academic Center
  Middle · North Ridgeville · 1,878 students · 20.9:1 ratio
• Lorain High School
  High · Lorain · 1,722 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Elyria High School
  High · Elyria · 1,639 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Avon High School
  High · Avon · 1,456 students · 23.9:1 ratio
• North Ridgeville High School
  High · North Ridgeville · 1,268 students · 20.5:1 ratio
• William R Burton
  High · Oberlin · 1,239 students · 8.5:1 ratio
• Powers Elementary School
  Elementary · Amherst · 1,123 students · 21.2:1 ratio
• Avon Middle School
  Middle · Avon · 1,084 students · 21.3:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-03-05
  3 km SW of Madison, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2024-01-05
  3 km SE of Madison, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2022-01-27
  2 km NW of Lakeline, Ohio
• M 2.8 — 2022-01-04
  3 km NW of Timberlake, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2019-12-07
  1 km N of Willowick, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2019-10-15
  4 km S of Madison, Ohio