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Erie County (*pop.
79,551) is situated in Northcentral Ohio, along the shore of Lake Erie. It is 254.5
square miles in area, and is 603 feet above sea level. It is bounded by Lorain County on
the East, Huron County on the South, Sandusky and Ottawa Counties on the West, and Lake
Erie on the North. The county includes Kelleys Island (*pop. 367), which is the largest
U.S. island in Lake Erie. Erie County boasts 35 miles of shoreline along the Lake and
Sandusky Bay.
The mean temperature is 49.0 degrees, and the average
rainfall is 45.03 inches. The average low temperature is 20 degrees (February) and the
average high is 86 degrees (July). The county's location makes it an excellent
agricultural area, especially suited to growing grapes, corn, tomatoes, celery, apples,
peaches, strawberries, melons, lettuce, onions, wheat and soybeans.
The City of Sandusky (*pop.
27,844) is the County Seat. The city was incorporated in 1824, and its name is believed to
come from the Indian phrase "Lac-san-dou-ske", meaning "lake of cold
water". Sandusky is located 55 miles East of Toledo, 60 miles West of Cleveland, and
106 miles North of Columbus. The city is home to Cedar Point amusement park, which offers
the largest number of (and most exciting) rides and roller coasters of any amusement park
in the nation!
Erie County also includes the cities of Huron (*pop.
7,958)
and Vermilion (*pop. 10,927). Huron was once a leading community in the construction of
steamships, while Vermilion once was home to more sea captains than any other Great Lakes
community. Other communities include Bay View, Berlin Heights, Castalia and Milan. The
most heavily populated area, other than the City of Sandusky, is Perkins Township (*pop.
12,578), situated directly South of the city. The township is a regional shopping and
attractions mecca, and is also home to some of the larger industrial concerns in Erie
County.
The economic base of the county is very diversified. In
addition to agriculture, tourism and retailing, the county's economy boasts a variety of
industries; including automotive parts, plastics, paints and colorants, packaging
materials, food processing, mining and metal products. More people are employed in the
industrial sector than in any other segment of the economy.
The county's service sector is also quite diversified and
includes government, medicine, religion and education. Erie County is home to the N.A.S.A.
John H. Glenn Research Center's Plum Brook Station, which houses space test facilities
that are unique in the world. Medicine is centered at Firelands Community and Providence
hospitals. The county's religious community represents all faiths. Education is led by
BGSU Firelands, the only one of the seven colleges of Bowling Green State University
located off the main campus. Seven public school districts, along with their private
counterparts, offer some of the finest educational programs in the state, including adult
and vocational educational programs.
Culture is highly valued by Erie
Countians, with various
offerings made available through the Huron Playhouse, the Harlequins Theatre productions,
and the Sandusky Cultural Center, several unique museums
and various art galleries and shows. The county also offers a number of excellent
libraries.
*Census 2000 |