Lorain County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposes Chambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,964. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US ...

is Elyria. The county was physically established in 1822, becoming judicially independent in 1824. Lorain County is part of the Cleveland-Elyria, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is home to

Oberlin College Oberlin College is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Oberlin, Ohio. It is the oldest coeducational liberal arts college in the United States and the second oldest continuously operating coeducational institute of highe ...

History

Lorain County was established in 1822 from portions of several of its adjacent counties. This county became judicially-independent in 1824. The original proposed name for the county was "Colerain". The final name "Lorain" was chosen by Heman Ely, who had previously founded and named the city of Elyria. The county's name was based on the French province of Lorraine.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of th ...

, the county has an area of , of which is land and (47%) is water. It is Ohio's fourth-largest county by area.

Adjacent counties

Cuyahoga County Cuyahoga County ( or ) is a large urban county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S.-Canada maritime border. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1 ...

(east) * Medina County (southeast) * Ashland County (south) * Huron County (southwest) * Erie County (northwest)

Major highways

Interstate 80 Interstate 80 (I-80) is an east–west transcontinental freeway that crosses the United States from downtown San Francisco, California, to Teaneck, New Jersey, in the New York metropolitan area. The highway was designated in 1956 as one ...

(

Ohio Turnpike The Ohio Turnpike, officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike, is a limited-access toll highway in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor between Chicago and Pittsburgh. The road runs east–west in the northern section of ...

) *

Interstate 90 Interstate 90 (I-90) is an east–west transcontinental freeway and the longest Interstate Highway in the United States at . It begins in Seattle, Washington, and travels through the Pacific Northwest, Mountain West, Great Plains, Midwest, and ...

(

) * Interstate 480 * U.S. Route 6 * U.S. Route 20 *

State Route 2 The following highways are numbered 2. For roads numbered A2, see list of A2 roads. For roads numbered B2, see list of B2 roads. For roads numbered M2, see list of M2 roads. For roads numbered N2, see list of N2 roads. International * AH2, As ...

* State Route 10 * State Route 18 * State Route 57 *

State Route 58 The following highways are numbered 58: International * European route E58 Australia * Riverina Highway Canada * Alberta Highway 58 * Highway 58 (Ontario) * Saskatchewan Highway 58 Finland * Finnish national road 58 India * National Highway ...

* Ohio Route 82 * Ohio Route 83 * State Route 113 * Ohio Route 162 * Ohio Route 254 * Ohio Route 301 * Ohio Route 303 * Ohio Route 511 * Ohio Route 611

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, there were 301,356 people, 116,274 households, and 80,077 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 127,036 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 84.8% white, 8.6% black or African American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 2.5% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.5% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 16.7% were Irish, 10.9% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, 8.4% were Polish, 8.2% were Italian, 6.2% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, and 5.2% were Hungarian. Of the 116,274 households, 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.5% were married couples living together, 13.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.1% were non-families, and 26.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 40.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $52,066 and the median income for a family was $62,082. Males had a median income of $49,146 versus $35,334 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,002. About 10.3% of families and 13.1% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 20.5% of those under age 18 and 8.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Lorain County has primarily leaned Democratic in recent presidential elections. It has voted for the Democratic candidate for president in 12 of the last 16 elections, including every one from 1988 to 2016. In 2016, however, the county was almost swept up in the unexpected Republican surge in the Rust Belt;

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of P ...

came within 131 votes of being the first Republican to capture the county since

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

in 1984. Four years later, he flipped the county Republican by a narrow majority.

Education

Higher education

Lorain County Community College Lorain County Community College (LCCC) is a public community college in the city of Elyria in Lorain County, Ohio, with learning centers in Wellington, North Ridgeville, and Lorain. In addition to associate degrees and certificates, students ...

, Elyria *

, Oberlin

Public school districts

There are 20 public school districts in Lorain County. Those primarily in Lorain County are listed in bold. Each district's high school(s) and location is also listed. * Amherst Exempted Village School District ** Amherst Marion L. Steele High School, Amherst * Avon Local School District ** Avon High School, Avon * Avon Lake City School District **

Avon Lake High School Avon Lake High School (ALHS) is a public high school located in Avon Lake, Ohio, west of Cleveland. It serves grades 9–12. It is part of the Avon Lake City School District. Academics ALHS achieved "excellent" ratings on the Ohio State Report ...

, Avon Lake * ''Black River Local School District'' (also in Medina Co and Ashland Co.) ** Black River High School, Sullivan * Clearview Local School District ** Clearview High School, Lorain * Columbia Local School District ** Columbia High School, Columbia Station * Elyria City School District **

Elyria High School Elyria High School is a public high school in Elyria, Ohio. Founded in 1830, it is notable for being the first chartered high school west of the Allegheny Mountains. Elyria High School athletic teams are known as the Pioneers and compete in the ...

, Elyria * Firelands Local School District (also in Erie Co.) ** Firelands High School, Henrietta Twp (Oberlin) * Keystone Local School District ** Keystone High School, LaGrange * Lorain City School District **

Lorain High School Lorain High School is part of Lorain City School District in Lorain, Ohio and was founded in 1876, beginning as a two-year high school course. In 1879, the first graduating class consisted of three members. By 1883, the high school curriculum was ...

, Lorain * ''Mapleton Local School District'' (Primarily in Ashland Co.) ** Mapleton High School, Ashland * Midview Local School District ** Midview High School, Eaton Twp (Grafton) * ''New London Local School District'' (primarily in Huron Co.) ** New London High School, New London * North Ridgeville City School District ** North Ridgeville High School, North Ridgeville * Oberlin City School District ** Oberlin High School, Oberlin * ''Olmsted Falls City Schools'' (primarily in Cuyahoga Co.) ** Olmsted Falls High School, Olmsted Falls * Sheffield-Sheffield Lake City School District ** Brookside High School, Sheffield * ''Strongsville City School District'' (primarily in Cuyahoga Co.) ** Strongsville High School, Strongsville * ''Vermilion Local Schools'' (primarily in Erie Co.) ** Vermilion High School, Vermilion * Wellington Exempted Village School District (also in Huron Co.) ** Wellington High School, Wellington The county also includes the Lorain County Joint Vocational School District, which encompasses the entire county and serves students from the Amherst, Avon, Avon Lake, Clearview, Columbia, Elyria, Firelands, Keystone, Midview, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Sheffield-Sheffield Lake and Wellington school districts from a 10-acre campus on a 100-acre site near the intersection of State Route 58 and U.S. Route 20 in Oberlin.

Private high schools

Elyria Catholic High School Elyria Catholic High School (ECHS) is a private Catholic high school located in Elyria, Ohio, United States. It is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and is the only Catholic high school in Lorain County. Elyria Catholic was bu ...

, Elyria * Lake Ridge Academy, North Ridgeville * Open Door Christian School, Elyria * Christian Community School, North Eaton * First Baptist Christian School, Elyria

Communities

Cities

Amherst Amherst may refer to: People * Amherst (surname), including a list of people with the name * Earl Amherst of Arracan in the East Indies, a title in the British Peerage; formerly ''Baron Amherst'' * Baron Amherst of Hackney of the City of London, ...

* Avon * Avon Lake * Elyria (county seat) * Lorain *

North Ridgeville North Ridgeville is a city located along the eastern border of Lorain County, Ohio. The city's population was 35,552 in 2020. North Ridgeville is the fastest-growing city in northern Ohio. It has been ranked the 13th safest city in the United St ...

* Oberlin * Sheffield Lake *

Vermilion Vermilion (sometimes vermillion) is a color, color family, and pigment most often made, since antiquity until the 19th century, from the powdered mineral cinnabar (a form of mercury sulfide, which is toxic) and its corresponding color. It i ...

Villages

* Grafton * Kipton *

LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaRochester *

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, whose name derives from the River Sheaf which runs through it. The city serves as the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire ...

* South Amherst *

Wellington Wellington ( mi, Te Whanganui-a-Tara or ) is the capital city of New Zealand. It is located at the south-western tip of the North Island, between Cook Strait and the Remutaka Range. Wellington is the second-largest city in New Zealand by ...

Townships

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

* Brownhelm * Camden *

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from xcb, Caer Luel) is a city that lies within the Northern English county of Cumbria, south of the Scottish border at the confluence of the rivers Eden, Caldew and Petteril. It is the administrative centre of the City ...

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

Eaton Eaton may refer to: Buildings Canada * Eaton Centre, the name of various shopping malls in Canada due to having been anchored by an Eaton's store * Eaton's / John Maryon Tower, a cancelled skyscraper in Toronto * Eaton Hall (King City), a conferen ...

* Elyria * Grafton * Henrietta * Huntington *

LaGrange Joseph-Louis Lagrange (born Giuseppe Luigi LagrangiaNew Russia Novorossiya, literally "New Russia", is a historical name, used during the era of the Russian Empire for an administrative area that would later become the southern mainland of Ukraine: the region immediately north of the Black Sea and Crime ...

* Penfield *

Pittsfield Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfield ...

* Rochester *

https://web.archive.org/web/20160715023447/http://www.ohiotownships.org/township-websites