Amherst, Ohio
Amherst, Ohio | |
---|---|
Motto: "Sandstone Center of the World" | |
Country | United States |
State | Ohio |
County | Lorain |
Government | |
• Mayor | David A. Taylor (R) |
Area | |
• Total | 7.2 sq mi (18.6 km2) |
• Land | 7.2 sq mi (18.6 km2) |
Elevation | 689 ft (210 m) |
Population (2000) | |
• Total | 11,797 |
• Density | 1,646.1/sq mi (635.6/km2) |
Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
ZIP code | 44001 |
Area code | 440 |
FIPS code | 39-01798Template:GR |
GNIS feature ID | 1064320Template:GR |
Website | http://www.amherstohio.org/ |
Amherst is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is located in Lorain County. The population was 11,797 at the 2000 census.
History
The town of Amherst was established by German immigrants between 1811 and 1816. Jacob Shupe was the founder of Amherst. He had the first sawmill, distillery, and gristmill in the Amherst area. Mr. Shupe actually started early industry in the Amherst area. He settled on a high hill near the Beaver Creek, close to the intersection of Cooper Foster Park Road and North Main Street. His house still stands today and is a part of the New Indian Ridge Museum.
Soon after being settled, Amherst acquired the title Sandstone Center of the World. Many early buildings are constructed of native sandstone, and the quarries were also an important source of grindstones. There were nine sandstone quarries in the area operating at the peak of production. Cleveland Quarries Company, established in 1868, no longer quarries Birmingham Buff Sandstone and Berea Sandstone in Amherst.
Geography
Amherst, part of the Greater Cleveland area, is located at 41°24′0″N 82°13′34″W / 41.40000°N 82.22611°W (41.399993, -82.226201)Template:GR. The elevation is 689 feet (210 m) above sea level. Amherst is located 2.5 miles (4 km) south of Lake Erie. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²), of which, 7.2 square miles (18.6 km²) of it is land and 0.14% is water.
Politics
Politics in Amherst have traditionally been balanced beteween the local Democratic and the Republican Parties.
The political makeup of the city is -
- Democrat: 56.1%
- Republican: 43.4%[1]
Since becoming a city in 1960, the political power was balanced until the late 1960s and early 1970s when the Republicans led by Mayor Anthony DePaola dominated until 1983 when Democrat John Jaworski was elected mayor.
The city's leadership currently includes:
Office Title | Incumbent | Political Party | Term Expires | 2009 Election Winner |
---|---|---|---|---|
Mayor | David A. Taylor | Republican | 12/31/11 | |
President of Council | John S. Dietrich | Democrat | 12/31/09 | Retains Seat |
Auditor | David Kukucka | Democrat | 12/31/09 | Retains Seat |
Treasurer | Kathleen M. Litkovitz | Democrat | 12/31/09 | Mark S. Hullman (D) |
City Director of Law | Anthony Pecora | Democrat | 12/31/11 | |
Safety/Service Director - Appointed | Dennis Clotz | Republican | 12/31/11 | |
Council at Large | Terrance A. Traster | Democrat | 12/31/09 | Retains Seat |
Council at Large | Dennis Walters | 12/31/09 | Phil Van Treuren (R) | |
Council at Large | P. William Vanderwyden III | Democrat | 12/31/09 | Frank Janik (D) |
1st Ward Council | Jason Sobiski | Independent | 12/31/09 | Steve Bukovac (D) |
2nd Ward Council | Glenn Loughrie | Democrat | 12/31/09 | Retains Seat |
3rd Ward Council | Joseph R. Gambish | Republican | 12/31/09 | Retains Seat |
4th Ward Council | Jennifer Wasilk | Republican | 12/31/09 | Retains Seat |
Climate
Amherst possesses a humid continental climate (Koppen climate classification Dfa), typical of much of the Central United States, with very warm to hot, humid summers and cold, snowy winters.
Amherst is located in Hardiness Zone 6a/6b.[3] A recent trend since the Hardiness rezoning is the discovery that certain tropical plants such as the Japanese Fiber Banana tree and Chinese Windmill Palm can grow in Amherst with little to no protection.
Climate data for Amherst, Ohio | |||||||||||||
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Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Source: [4] |
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 11,797 people, 4,459 households, and 3,388 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,646.1 people per square mile (635.3/km²). There were 4,603 housing units at an average density of 642.3/sq mi (247.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.84% White, 0.53% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.73% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.78% from other races, and 0.98% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.93% of the population.
There were 4,459 households out of which 34.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. Twenty-one.six percent of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61, and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.0% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 92.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $53,516, and the median income for a family was $57,990. Males had a median income of $47,750 versus $27,880 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,565. About 1.2% of families and 2.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 0.3% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
By far the most common mode of transportation to, from or within Amherst, Ohio is by car. However the downtown area is walkable. State Route 2 runs west to east through the northern portion of Amherst providing access to downtown Cleveland (25 minutes), its suburbs and Sandusky, Ohio. There are two exit/entrance ramps in the city (Oak Point Road and State Route 58). The Ohio Turnpike also runs west to east along the City's southern border and there is one (exit/entrance) ramp just south of the city in Amherst Township at State Route 58. Parts of the city are also served by the Lorain County Transit system. Cleveland Hopkins (CLE) is the nearest International airport; it is located approximately 35 minutes east of the city.
Business
Amherst is home to a Nordson factory that manufactures various products, as well as KTM-Sportmotorcycle America's Corporate office.
Growth
Amherst and the surrounding area has been growing steadily since the early 1980s. A recent housing boom has created demand for new retail areas in Amherst. Several new big box stores have opened recently including Target, Lowe's, Kohl's and Home Depot. A Wal*Mart Super Center is under construction and will open in 2010. Downtown Amherst has also undergone quite an exciting transformation of late. Check out their website @ http://mainstreetamherst.org/index.html for updates.
Notable Natives & Residents
- Debbie Alferio, Author of The "Forever Love" Series.
- Mike Finley, Author of over 110 books.
- Jesse Csincsak, Professional Snowboarder and winner of the fourth season of The Bachelorette.
- G-Force, All girl trio band, currently on the Top 40 of America's Got Talent.
- Joel Hills Johnson (1802-1883), Mormon pioneer, published poet and gospel hymn writer, Utah politician, founded the Utah towns of Enoch and Johnson
References
- ^ Amherst Profile
- ^ Amherst, Ohio Government & Elected Officials – LorainCounty.com
- ^ [1]
- ^ "City-Data, Average Climate for Amherst, Ohio".
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