Medina

History

Medina was founded on November 30, 1818, as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It was originally named Mecca, but an unincorporated community in Ohio already had that name, so the name was changed. Both Mecca and Medina are Arabian cities particularly significant in Islam. Most early residents were farmers. In the 1830s, the community's growth was aided by the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which helped transport agricultural products to markets. In 1857, many of the canal workers started a strike for higher wages; the striking workers were fired, and the four workers who started it were jailed in Albion, Ohio. In 1835, two enslaved women and two Native Americans arrived in Medina by stagecoach. One of the enslaved women was the child of then-vice presidential candidate Richard Mentor Johnson and Julia Chinn. The women were arrested and charged with stealing. Olcott was originally from Connecticut and had been a student at Yale College when he came up with the early prototypes for his invention. He was later a proponent of building long-distance railroad lines across Ohio. In 1869, Amos Root founded the A.I. Root Company in Medina as a manufacturer of beehives and beekeeping equipment, and the town became a center for beehive manufacturing. The Root Company had 97 workers in 1886, making it the town's largest employer. Even after the second calamitous fire struck, the town still had not organized a fire department beyond a bucket brigade. In 1877, after repeated dire warnings, the Council finally authorized the issuance of $3,000 worth of bonds to purchase a fire engine. After the disastrous fire in 1870, much of the Medina Square, including the Town Hall and Engine House, was rebuilt under the supervision of onetime mayor and banker Harrison Gray…

Geography

Medina includes parts of Lafayette Township, Medina Township, Montville Township and York Township in Medina County. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  14,965
• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  12,155
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  11,288
• Black-capped Chickadee

  Poecile atricapillus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  11,145
• Song Sparrow

  Melospiza melodia (A.Wilson, 1810) · Aves
  10,549
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,504
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  10,080
• Red-winged Blackbird

  Agelaius phoeniceus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  9,774

Most recent

• M 2.9 — 2026-03-05
  3 km SW of Madison, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2025-05-12
  4 km ESE of Madison, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2024-06-01
  1 km E of Madison, Ohio
• M 3 — 2024-03-30
  2 km SSW of Maple Ridge, Ohio
• M 2.6 — 2024-01-05
  3 km SE of Madison, Ohio
• M 3.6 — 2023-08-28
  7 km SE of Madison, Ohio