Mansfield, Ohio

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Mansfield, Ohio
Seal
Nickname: "The Heart of Ohio"
Location within the state of Ohio
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Richland
Founded	1808
Incorporated	1828 (village)
-	1857 (city)
Government
- Mayor	Lydia J. Reid (D)
Area
- City	29.9 sq mi (77.5 km²)
- Land	29.9 sq mi (77.5 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Population (2005)[1]
- City	50,615
- Density	1,649.8/sq mi (637.0/km²)
- Metro	127,949
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Website: http://www.ci.mansfield.oh.us/

Mansfield is the county seat of Richland County in the U.S. state of Ohio. The city is located in north-central Ohio, approximately 81 miles (130 km) southwest of Cleveland and 67 miles (108 km) northeast of Columbus.

It was founded in 1808 on a fork of the Mohican River in a hilly region surrounded by fertile farmlands, and became a manufacturing center owing to its location with numerous railroad lines. After the decline of heavy manufacturing, the city's industry has since diversified into service economy, including retailing, education, and healthcare sectors.

As of July 2005 the city had an estimated population of 50,615. Mansfield's metropolitan statistical area is approximately 175,818 residents.

Mansfield's sister cities are Mansfield, England; Mansfield, Massachusetts; and Funehiki, Japan. Mansfield's official nickname is "The Heart of Ohio". Mansfield is also known as the "Carousel Capital of Ohio" and "Racing Capital of Ohio".^[2]

Contents 1 History 1.1 Economic history 2 Geography 2.1 Climate 3 People and Culture 3.1 Demographics 3.2 Media 3.3 Colleges and Universities 3.4 Schools 4 Transportation 4.1 Rail 4.2 Highways 4.3 Public Transportation 4.4 Air 5 Main tourist attractions 6 Notable natives 7 Special interest 8 Film Industry 9 The Highway Safety Foundation 10 Food industry 11 References 12 External links

[edit] History

Mansfield was first settled in 1808 by Europeans and was named after Jared Mansfield, the U.S. surveyor-general who directed its planning.^[3] It was incorporated as a village in 1828 and as a city in 1857. The area that is now Richland County, so named for the descriptive of the fertile soil. During the War of 1812, the first courthouse of Richland County was one of two blockhouses erected on the downtown public square.

Mansfield is associated with many famous people such as John Chapman, known as Johnny Appleseed,^[4] prize-winning author, Louis Bromfield^[5] and Dane Van Buren, a world-class Track and Field athlete. Chapman found the fertile soil land of Ohio ideal for his apple orchards and nurseries. Today, many of his apple orchards and nurseries are still found in the Mansfield-area and the surrounding county.

[edit] Economic history

The coming of the railroads in 1846, followed by the first road across America, the Lincoln Highway in 1913, ushered in Mansfield's greatest period of industrial expansion led by the city's nascent farm equipment and stove manufacturing industries, including the Tappan Company.^[6] By the late 1920s, Westinghouse became the city's largest employer, specializing in electric lighting, industrial heating and engineering, and home appliances.^[7]

However, like many cities in the rust belt region of the Midwest, Mansfield saw a large decline in its manufacturing and retail sectors. Beginning with the steel Recession of the 1970s, the loss of jobs to overseas manufacturing, prolonged labor disputes, and deteriorating factory facilities all contributed to heavy industry leaving the area. Westinghouse, Tappan, and many other manufacturing plants were either bough-out, relocated or closed, leaving only the AK Steel Plant in Mansfield and the General Motors Fisher Body Stamping Plant in Ontario as the last two remaining heavy industry employers. The AK Steel Plant, formerly Armco Steel, was the location of a violent 3-year United Steelworkers Union lock-out and strike from 1999 to 2002.^[8]

With the loss of the jobs, locally owned businesses in downtown Mansfield closed, as did much of the retail built in the 1960s along Park Avenue West (formerly known as "The Miracle Mile") and Lexington Avenue. New big-box retail and franchise restaurants have been built in the adjacent suburb of Ontario, which is on track to replace Mansfield as the major economic and retail center for Richland County and north-central Ohio.

[edit] Geography

Mansfield is located at 40°45'17" North, 82°31'22" West (40.754856, -82.522855)^GR1.

Mansfield lies in the western foothills of the Alleghenies, and its elevation is among the highest of Ohio cities. The highest point in the city (1,492.66 feet or 454.96 meters above sea level) is at the Woodland reservoir in southwest Mansfield. The elevation of Central Park in downtown Mansfield is 1,242.66 feet (378.76 meters) above sea level.^{[citation needed]}

Mansfield is bordered by Madison Township to the east, northwest and southwest, Franklin Township to the north, Weller Township to the northeast, Washington Township to the south, Troy Township to the southwest, Springfield Township and the City of Ontario to the west.

According to the United States Census Bureau,^[9] the city has a total area of 77.5 km² (29.9 mi²). All of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.

[edit] Climate

Weather averages for Mansfield, Ohio^[10]

Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Avg high (°F)	33	35	46	58	69	78	82	80	73	62	49	37	59
Avg high (°C)	1	2	7	14	21	25	28	26	22	16	9	3	15
Avg low (°F)	18	20	28	38	48	58	62	60	53	43	33	23	41
Avg low (°C)	-8	-7	-2	3	8	14	16	15	11	6	1	-5	4
Rainfall (in)	2.6	2.1	3.2	3.8	4.0	3.9	4.1	3.9	3.2	2.3	3.5	3.0	39.6
Rainfall (cm)	6.6	5.3	8.1	9.7	10.2	9.9	10.4	9.9	8.1	5.8	8.9	7.6	100.6
Snowfall (in)	11.0	10.1	7.1	1.9	0.1	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.5	2.4	8.6	41.7
Snowfall (cm)	27.9	25.7	18.0	4.8	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.0	0.0	1.3	6.1	21.8	105.9

Mansfield has a continental climate typical of the Midwestern United States. Lake Erie is only 38 miles (61 km) north of Mansfield and has some influence on the climate in winter. Winters are usually cold and dry but with frequent thaws and temperatures rarely drop below 0°F (–17°C). Springs are short with rapid transition from hard winter to pleasant, sometimes humid and muggy summers. Summer temperatures exceed 90°F (32°C) seven times a year on average. Fall usually is the dryest season with many clear warm days and cool nights. The highest recorded temperature was 101°F (38°C) on June 25, 1988, while the lowest recorded temperature was –22°F (–30°C) on January 19, 1994.^[11]

[edit] People and Culture

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there are 49,346 people in the city, organized into 20,182 households, and 12,028 families. The population density is 637.0/km² (1,649.8/mi²). There are 22,267 housing units at an average density of 287.4/km² (744.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city is 76.77% White, 19.65% African American, 0.63% Asian, 0.28% Native American, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.56% from other races, and 2.07% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There are 20,182 households out of which 27.3% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.5% are married couples living together, 15.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 40.4% are non-families. 34.8% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.8% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.28 and the average family size is 2.93.

In the city the population is spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 36 years. For every 100 females there are 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 96.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city is $30,176, and the median income for a family is $37,541. Males have a median income of $30,861 versus $21,951 for females. The per capita income for the city is $17,726. 16.3% of the population and 13.2% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 24.5% of those under the age of 18 and 9.6% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

[edit] Media

• Mansfield's only daily newspaper is the Mansfield News Journal.[1]
• Mansfield's first AM-radio station (1929) was WJW, now in Cleveland. Its studio and transmitter were on the ninth floor of the Richland Trust Building.
• Mansfield's notable radio stations are WYHT (105.3FM) pop/rock (clear channel), WMAN (1400AM) news/talk (clear channel), and WVNO (106.1FM), Mansfield's light-rock station.
• Mansfield's only local television station is WMFD-TV-digital television in Northern Ohio (most Mansfield residents watch Cleveland or Columbus stations for network programming.)

[edit] Colleges and Universities

• Ohio State University [2] has a regional campus at Mansfield, built in the 1960s.
• North Central State College, a community college, shares the Mansfield campus with Ohio State.

[edit] Schools

• Mansfield City Schools
• St. Peter's High School
• Madison Comprehensive High School
• Mansfield Christian School

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Rail

Three railroads eventually served Mansfield, and two serve it today. The Mansfield and Sandusky Railroad opened in 1846, and later became part of a branch line of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad (B&O) from Newark to Sandusky. In 1849 the Pittsburgh and Fort Wayne Railroad (later Pennsylvania Railroad mainline) reached Mansfield, and in 1863 the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad (later Erie Railroad mainline) reached Mansfield. After the B&O branch line was abandoned, the 19-mile section from Butler to North Lake Park in Mansfield was opened in 1995 as the recreational Richland B & O Trail. The former B&O track from Mansfield to Willard combined with a piece of the abandoned Erie Railroad east of Mansfield to West Salem to form the L-shaped 56.5-mile Ashland Railway (1986). A spur of the abandoned Erie Railroad leads west five miles to Ontario to serve the General Motors metal stamping plant there.

[edit] Highways

Mansfield is located on a major east-west highway corridor that was originally known in the early 1900s as "Ohio Market Route 3". This route was chosen in 1913 to become part of the historic Lincoln Highway which was the first road across America, connecting New York City to San Francisco. The arrival of the Lincoln Highway to Mansfield was a major influence on the development of the city. Upon the advent of the federal numbered highway system in 1928, the Lincoln Highway through Mansfield on Park Avenue East and Park Avenue West became U.S. Highway 30.

On September 1, 1928, the Lincoln Highway was marked coast-to-coast with approximately 3000 concrete posts set by the Boy Scouts of America. Each post featured a medallion of Abraham Lincoln's profile. One of these concrete markers was erected at curbside in front of Central Methodist Episcopal Church, 378 Park Avenue West. Today, a replica marker stands in downtown's Central Park, on Park Avenue's center divider.

Today, Mansfield serves as a transportation hub and is connected by eight major highways:

• Interstate 71, which connects Columbus to the southwest with Cleveland to the northeast.
• U.S. Highway 30 (the Lincoln Highway), which connects Wooster to the east with Ontario and Bucyrus to the west.
• U.S. Highway 42, which connects Lexington to the southwest with Ashland to the northeast.
• State Route 13, which connects Bellville to the south with Norwalk to the north.
• State Route 39, which connects Shelby to the northwest with Lucas to the southeast.
• State Route 309, which connects Ontario and Galion to the west.
• State Route 430, which connects Ontario to the west with Mifflin to the east.
• State Route 545, which connects Olivesburg and Savannah to the northeast.

[edit] Public Transportation

Mansfield is served by Richland County Transit (RCT), a bus line that serves downtown and the Mansfield-Ontario area.

[edit] Air

Mansfield is served by Mansfield Lahm Regional Airport, a city-owned and operated, joint usage facility with global ties, located about four miles north of downtown.

[edit] Main tourist attractions

• Kingwood Center, a 47 acre estate and gardens, former home of Ohio Brass industrialist Charles Kelly King
• Malabar Farm State Park, country home and farm of Mansfield native and Pulitzer Prize winning author Louis Bromfield, and location of Humphrey Bogart's wedding to Lauren Bacall
• Renaissance Theatre, a historic 1600-seat theatre in downtown Mansfield, opened in 1929 as the Ohio Theatre
• Mansfield Playhouse, Ohio's second oldest, and one of its most successful community theatres
• The Miss Ohio Pageant (Miss America preliminary), hosted by Mansfield since 1975, and staged annually at the Renaissance Theatre
• Richland Carrousel Park, located in downtown Mansfield's Historic Carrousel District
• Snow Trails Ski Resort, Ohio's oldest ski resort opened in 1961, and highest at 1475 feet, with 16 runs, and is one of the few skiing locations in Ohio.
• Clearfork Ski Resort, south of Mansfield near Butler
• Mohican State Park, south of Mansfield near Loudonville
• Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, south of Mansfield near Lexington
• Living Bible Museum (aka "Bible Walk")
• Mansfield Motorsports Speedway

[edit] Notable natives

• Lee Adams (b. August 14, 1924) Lyricist: (stage) Bye Bye Birdie, All American, Applause; (film) The Night They Raided Minsky's; (television) All in the Family theme song Those Were the Days
• Louis Bromfield (b. December 27, 1896) Author: The Green Bay Tree, Early Autumn (Pulitzer Prize), The Rains Came, Mrs. Parkington
• Sherrod Brown (b. November 9, 1952), current Democratic U.S. Senator from Ohio.
• Rebecca Gernhardt Cox (b. circa 1955), Assistant Secretary of Transportation, Public Liasion Director for President Reagan, Senior Vice President Continental Airlines. Wife of Christopher Cox (former U.S. Congressman and Chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission).
• Stephanne Dennis (b. May 20, 1974) Author: Raven's Song, Publish America 2005
• Hugh Douglas (b. August 23, 1971) Athlete: Philadelphia Eagles Defensive End
• Amy Douglas (b. December 21, 1902) Actress: (film) The Unsinkable Molly Brown, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Please Don't Eat the Daisies; (television) Marcus Welby MD, Ben Casey, 77 Sunset Strip, Alfred Hitchcock Presents
• Michael L. Gernhardt (b. May 4, 1956) Astronaut & Mission Specialist, four NASA flights: STS-69, STS-83, STS-94, and STS-104 (10th Space Station Assembly Flight 7A) including spacewalk. Assigned to STS-119.
• Paul Gilger (b. October 13, 1954) Playwright: (stage) Showtune; Architect: Industrial Light and Magic Film Studios for George Lucas (Star Wars, Indiana Jones)
• Frank Purdy Lahm (b. November 17, 1877) Military Strategist & Test Pilot. Taught to fly by Wilbur Wright. First American Army officer to fly an airplane, on October 26, 1909. Was the first Chief of Aviation for the United States Army. Received Legion of Merit Award, Distinguished Service Medal and the French Legion of Honor Award. Inducted into the Aviation Hall of Fame in 1963.
• James Lapine (b. January 10, 1949) Director & Playwright: (stage) Sunday in the Park with George, Into the Woods, Passion, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
• Martha Mansfield (b. July 14, 1899) - (birth name Martha Ehrlich) Actress: (stage) Ziegfield Girl in the Ziegfeld Follies of 1918; (film) Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (with John Barrymore).
• Sylvia McNair (b. June 23, 1956) Operatic Soprano: (stage) The Rake's Progress, Idomeneo, Il Viaggio a Reims, A Midsummer Night's Dream; (recording) Grammy Award recipient
• Ricky Minard (b. September 11, 1982) Athlete: Sacramento Kings in the 2nd round of the 2004 NBA Draft
• Christopher Moore (b. 1957) Author: Lamb, The Stupidest Angel, A Dirty Job
• Paul Parmalee (b. 1926, d. 2006) Zooarchaeologist
• Luke Perry (b. October 11, 1966) Actor: (television) Beverly Hills 90210, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
• Robert F. Simon (b. December 2, 1908) Actor: (film) Seven Angry Men, Foxfire, The Benny Goodman Story, Operation Petticoat, The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance
• Phoebe Wise (b. 184?) Relative of Pulitzer-prize winning author Louis Bromfield. Phoebe Wise lived north of the city near the old Ohio State Reformatory. She was stalked by a "mad man" from Fariview (aka Pollocktown) and killed him with a Winchester .32 rifle. She was tortured by bandits seeking a supposed treasure buried within her walls and became a fictionalized character in many Bromfield short stories such as Up Ferguson Way. Book: Bandits, Stalkers & Murder: Life of the Tetched Phoebe Wise.

[edit] Special interest

• Johnny Appleseed, American pioneer & conservationist^[4]
• The Shawshank Redemption, which was filmed in and around Mansfield
• Elektro, eight robots built by the Westinghouse Corporation in Mansfield.

From the Native American uprising during the war of 1812.

• Copus Massacre and Zimmer Massacre

[edit] Film Industry

The old Ohio State Reformatory, constructed by famous local architect F.F. Schnitzer to resemble a German castle, is located north of downtown Mansfield, and has been the location for many major films, including The Shawshank Redemption, Harry and Walter Go to New York, Air Force One and Tango & Cash. Most of the prison yard has now been demolished to make room for expansion of the adjacent Mansfield Correctional Facility, but the Reformatory's Gothic-style Administration Building remains standing, and due to its prominent use in films, and has become a tourist attraction. The building is used annually as a haunted attraction during the Halloween season, known as the "Haunted Reformatory", and is visited by people from all over Ohio who travel to Mansfield every year to take part in the haunted tour.

[edit] The Highway Safety Foundation

From the 1950s through the 1970s, Mansfield was the home of the infamous Highway Safety Foundation, the organization that created the controversial driver's education scare films that featured gruesome film photography taken at fatal automobile accidents in the Mansfield area. The films include Signal 30, Mechanized Death, Wheels of Tragedy, Highways of Agony among many others. The Highway Safety Foundation also created other controversial education films, including The Child Molestor, and Camera Surveillance (AKA Mansfield, Ohio Tearoom Busts).

[edit] Food industry

Mansfield is the home of three well-known food companies:

• Isaly Dairy Company (AKA Isaly's) chain of restaurants started by William Isaly in the early 1900s, famous for creating the Klondike Bar ice cream treat, popularized by the slogan "What would you do for a Klondike Bar?"
• Stewart's Drive-In chain of root beer stands started by Frank Stewart in 1924, famous for their Stewart's Fountain Classics line of premium beverages now sold world-wide.
• Jones Potato Chip Company, started by Frederick W. Jones in 1945, famous for their Jones Marcelled Potato Chips.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Biographies and more of local events and eccentric figures
• Mansfield's official website
• Mansfield/Richland County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Main Street Mansfield
• Mansfield News Journal - Mansfield's main newspaper that serves northcentral Ohio.
• Mansfield Richland County Public Library
• Find It In Mansfield - Complete Local Online Business Directory and Information Resource
• Mansfield City Schools
• Kingwood Center
• Malabar Farm
• The Miss Ohio Pageant
• Renaissance Theatre
• Mansfield Art Center
• Mansfield Playhouse
• Mansfield Businesses Directory and Community Portal
• Johnny Appleseed Outdoor Drama
• Richland Carrousel Park
• Bible Walk aka Living Bible Museum
• Ohio State Reformatory
• Link to Godsmack video "Awake" (realplayer) shot in the Reformatory
• The Great Fire of 1871
• The St. James Hotel fire in 1890

• Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.754856° -82.522855°
  • Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
  • Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
  • Topographic map from TopoZone
  • Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

	Richland County, Ohio Mansfield, county seat
Municipalities	Bellville | Butler | Crestline | Lexington | Lucas | Mansfield | Ontario | Plymouth | Shelby | Shiloh
Townships	Blooming Grove | Butler | Cass | Franklin | Jackson | Jefferson | Madison | Mifflin | Monroe | Perry | Plymouth | Sandusky | Sharon | Springfield | Troy | Washington | Weller | Worthington
Former towns	Newville | Winchester
Other localities	Olivesburg