Kent
—  City  —
City of Kent, Ohio
Downtown Kent, September 2009
Seal
Nickname(s): The Tree City
Location in Portage County, Ohio
Kent Location in the United States
Coordinates: 41°9′2″N 81°21′40″W / 41.15056°N 81.36111°W / 41.15056; -81.36111Coordinates: 41°9′2″N 81°21′40″W / 41.15056°N 81.36111°W / 41.15056; -81.36111
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Portage
Founded	1805
Incorporated	1867
Founder	John Haymaker
Named for	Marvin Kent
Government
• Type	Council-Manager
• City manager	Dave Ruller
• Mayor	Jerry Fiala
Area
• Total	9.3 sq mi (24.0 km2)
• Land	9.2 sq mi (23.8 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation	1,050 ft (320 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	28,904
• Density	3,150/sq mi (1,216.4/km2)
Demonym	Kentite
Time zone	EST (UTC−5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC−4)
ZIP codes	44240, 44242, 44243
Area code(s)	330, 234
Twin cities
• Dudince	Slovakia
FIPS code	39-39872[1]
GNIS feature ID	2395512[1]
Website	http://www.kentohio.org/

Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census. The city is counted as part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area and the larger Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area.

Part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, Kent was originally settled in 1805 and was known as Franklin Mills. Settlers were initially attracted to the area due to its location along the Cuyahoga River as a place for water-powered mills. Later development came in the 1830s and 1840s as a result of the village's position along the route of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal. Leading up to the American Civil War, Franklin Mills was noted for its activity in the Underground Railroad. With the decline of the canal and the emergence of the railroad, the village became the home of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad maintenance shops through the influence of Marvin Kent. In 1864 the village was renamed Kent in honor of and in gratitude for Marvin Kent's efforts. Today Kent is a college town best known as the home of the main campus of Kent State University, founded in 1910, and as the site of the 1970 Kent State shootings.

Historically a manufacturing center, education is the city's largest economic sector with Kent State University the city's, and one of the region's, largest employers. The Kent City School District and the Kent Free Library provide additional education opportunities and resources. Many of Kent's demographic elements are influenced by the presence of the university, particularly the median age, median income, and those living below the poverty level. The city is governed by a council-manager system with a city manager, a nine-member city council, and a mayor. Kent has nearly 20 parks and preserves and hosts a number of annual festivals including ones related to Earth Day, folk music, and the U.S. Independence Day. In addition to the Kent State athletic teams, the city also hosts a number of amateur and local sporting events at various times during the year. Kent is part of the Cleveland-Akron media market and is the city of license for three local radio stations and three television stations and includes the regional affiliates for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Although most residents commute to work in private vehicles, alternate transportation includes a public bus service and hike-and-bike trails. As the home of the Davey Tree Expert Company, Kent is known as "The Tree City" while residents are referred to as "Kentites". The city has produced a number of notable individuals, particularly in politics, athletics, and the entertainment industry.

History[link]

The region was originally inhabited by various tribes of American Indians, including the early Mound Builders. Around 1780, Captain Samuel Brady achieved notoriety for his activities in the area, including his famous leap of 21 feet (6 m) over the Cuyahoga River to avoid capture by an unknown band of American Indians. The site, known as Brady's Leap, is now a city park.^[2] Settlement by Europeans began in the late 1790s and early 19th century. As part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, the area was divided into survey townships in 1798 and almost all of what is now Kent was originally part of Town 3 Range 9, which would eventually be known as Franklin Township.^[3] Aaron Olmsted, a wealthy Connecticut merchant, had purchased the 16,000-acre (6,500 ha) township and named it for his son Aaron Franklin Olmsted.^[4]

Franklin Township was surveyed in 1803 and settled in November 1805 when John Haymaker and his family moved west from Warren to the banks of the Cuyahoga River. They were joined by John's brother George and their father Jacob Haymaker and their families early the next year, and built a gristmill in 1807.^[5] Initial growth in the area was slow, but eventually two small villages would develop due to the potential for power generated by the Cuyahoga River that could be used in gristmills and manufacturing. The first village, known as Franklin Mills, or locally as the "Lower Village", developed mostly around the original Haymaker property. In 1818, Joshua Woodard arrived in the area and began constructing buildings just north of the village forming the "Upper Village" that would come to be known briefly as Carthage.^[6]

Former P & O Canal lock and dam downtown

In the 1820s, Franklin Mills was included in the route of the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal (P & O Canal). When construction began on the canal in the mid-1830s, land speculation was rampant in many areas of northeast Ohio along the canal, including Franklin Mills. As a result, an industrial and business region was established along the east side of the river in what is now downtown Kent. Factories and mills were either planned or constructed along the Cuyahoga River, some of which either were never built or ultimately failed, due mostly to effects of the Panic of 1837. A lock and attached arch dam, however, was completed in 1836.^[7] The canal officially opened in 1840, but would only operate into the 1860s. By the 1870s the canal was completely shut down.^[8]

In the era leading up to the American Civil War, Franklin Mills was an active stop on the Underground Railroad, giving fugitive slaves shelter on their escape to Canada. There were three notable stops in Franklin Mills, one of which still stands as of 2010.^[9] During this period, from 1835–1839, noted American abolitionist John Brown moved to the village, operating a tannery along the Cuyahoga River with Zenas Kent.^[7]

In 1863 the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad was constructed through Franklin Mills, due largely to the efforts of local businessman Marvin Kent, son of Zenas Kent. Marvin Kent had started his own railroad company, the Franklin and Warren Railroad, in 1851 after Franklin Mills, already home to several Kent family ventures and properties, was bypassed by the Cleveland and Pittsburgh Railroad that same year. Kent was also successful in getting the village named as the location of the railroad's maintenance yards and shops in 1864. The geographic location along the railroad and being home to the shops reinvented and revitalized the village as an important stop on the east-west line between St. Louis and New York City. The shops would open in 1865 and the railroad would play an important part of Kent's industry and development through the early 20th century before the shops were completely shut down in 1930. To honor Marvin Kent, the village was renamed Kent in 1864, although this change was not official until the village was incorporated on May 6, 1867.^[10]

John Davey came to Kent in 1881 as head grounds keeper at Standing Rock Cemetery, and planted several trees, landscaped the cemetery, and performed experiments on trees. In 1901, he published his theories on tree surgery with his book The Tree Doctor, and later established the Davey Tree Expert Company in 1909. The efforts of Davey and the presence of Davey Tree led to the establishment of "The Tree City" as a nickname for Kent, which is reflected in the city's seal.^[11][12] The company continues to be headquartered in Kent and serves as the city's largest private employer.^[13]

Lowry Hall, one of the original campus buildings of Kent State University

After a fire destroyed the Seneca Chain Company in 1909, one of the city's main industries at the time, city leaders created the Kent Board of Trade in 1910, a forerunner to the Chamber of Commerce. The new Board was successful later that year in having Kent selected out of twenty northeastern Ohio cities as the site of a new teacher training college, which became known as the "Kent State Normal School".^[14] The site for the school was on 53 acres (21 ha) of land donated by William S. Kent, son of Marvin Kent, on what was then the eastern edge of town. By 1929 the school was renamed Kent State College after the establishment of a college of liberal arts and degrees in the arts and sciences and in 1935 was renamed Kent State University after it was given authorization to grant advanced graduate degrees. The bill giving Kent State university status was signed into law by Ohio governor and Kent native Martin L. Davey, son of tree surgeon John Davey.^[15] During the 1950s and 1960s the growth of Kent State University combined with the effects of suburbanization resulted in significant population growth for the city, rising from just over 12,000 residents at the 1950 census to over 28,000 by 1970.^[16] Black squirrels were brought to the campus from Canada in 1961 by Kent State University head groundskeeper Larry Woodell. The squirrels have become an icon for both KSU and the city and are often used as unofficial mascots and symbols.^[17][18]

In early May 1970, protests began on the campus of Kent State University over the United States' invasion of Cambodia in the Vietnam War. These protests and demonstrations, which included rioting in downtown Kent on May 2, culminated in the May 4, 1970 Kent State shootings, where four students were killed and nine were wounded by the Ohio Army National Guard.^[19] Several memorials have been placed at the site over the years and commemorations have been held annually since 1971. In 2010 the entire site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[20] Also during the late 1960s and into the 1970s, construction of Haymaker Parkway, completed in 1975, brought changes to the city's layout while eliminating ongoing problems with traffic congestion and blocked rail crossings.^[21]

In 1995, Kent received national attention when the city's water was named "Best Tasting Municipality Water" at the Berkeley Springs International Water Tasting. The water and mayor Kathleen Chandler were featured on the March 3 episode of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Since then, Kent has placed in the top five a total of six times with the most recent being a fifth place finish in 2011.^[22] In 2003, the 1836 arch dam was bypassed to meet water quality standards set by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. To preserve the historic dam, a small park was built behind the dam and the river was rerouted through the old canal lock. During warm-weather months, water is pumped over the dam. The park, known as Heritage Park, was formally dedicated in May 2005.^[23]

Geography[link]

Kent is located in west-central Portage County in Northeast Ohio approximately 10 miles (20 km) northeast of Akron and 30 miles (50 km) southeast of Cleveland.^[24] It is bordered by Franklin Township on the north and east, Brimfield Township on the south, and Stow on the west. Other nearby communities include Brady Lake and Ravenna to the east and Sugar Bush Knolls and Streetsboro to the north. It is included in the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area and the larger Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area.

Located on the western end of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, the topography of Kent includes rolling hills and varied terrain. The Cuyahoga River passes through the city, cutting a gorge with a drop of nearly 40 feet (10 m) adjacent to the downtown area.^[25] The United States Geological Survey lists the city's elevation at 1,050 feet (320 m) above sea level at a point near Kent's geographic center.^[1] Elevations vary slightly within the city limits with several buildings on the Kent State University campus at altitudes in excess of 1,160 feet (350 m) and points as high as 1,200 feet (370 m).^[26][27] According to the United States Census Bureau, as of 2010 the city has a total area of 9.3 square miles (24 km²), of which 9.2 square miles (24 km²) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) (1.2%) is water.^[28]

Climate[link]

The four main seasons in Kent: from top left clockwise, winter, spring, summer, and fall

Kent's climate is classified as a humid continental climate in the Dfa Köppen climate classification meaning it typically has very warm, humid summers and cold, snowy winters with moderate and variable spring and autumn seasons. The record high temperature is 103 °F (39 °C), set on July 7, 1988, with the record low of −22 °F (−30 °C) recorded January 17, 1982.^[29][30] During the spring and summer months, thunderstorms are fairly common and the area is susceptible to tornadoes, though the last recorded tornado in Kent occurred in 1973.^[31][32] Effects from tropical systems can also be felt, usually taking the form of increased humidity, rain, and wind, such as with the remnants of Hurricane Ike in September 2008.^[33] During the winter months, snowfall is common and can occur in large quantities with considerable cloud cover. Kent is not considered part of the Lake Erie snowbelt, though lake-effect snow does occur at times. The city is in what is referred to as the "secondary snowbelt", meaning it will receive heavier snowfall totals from lake-effect snow when certain wind directions are more prevalent, but typically sees far less snowfall than areas to the north closer to Lake Erie.^[34] While temperatures below the freezing point are typical in the winter months, thaw periods where temperatures exceed 50 °F (10 °C) and even 60 °F (16 °C) are not uncommon in January and February.^[30]

Demographics[link]

As a college town, Kent's demographic and population statistics are greatly affected by the presence and growth of Kent State University.^[36] As a result, several statistics are noticeably higher or lower than state and national averages including median age and the percentage of residents in the 18–24 age bracket, individuals below the poverty line, and percentage of residents with a college degree.

Initial population growth in Kent was influenced by the location on the Cuyahoga River which led to the development of industrial and manufacturing jobs.^[37] Early settlers mainly came from the northeastern United States and were largely of German descent.^[38] After the arrival of the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad in 1863, growth was steady into the early 20th century with the village battling Ravenna for the position of Portage County's largest city.^[39][40] By the 1930 Census, Kent had passed Ravenna as the county's most populous city with even larger population growth in the 1950s and 1960s rising from 12,148 in 1950 to 28,183 by 1970.^[41] As of 2010, Kent remains the county's largest city.^[42] Most recent population measurements of the city have shown the effect of changes in the city's overall population coinciding with changes in the number of students living on campus as well as a reduction in the number of persons per housing unit.^[43]

As of the 2010 Census, there were 28,904 people residing in the city for a population density of 3,150.5 people per square mile (1,216.4/km²). There were 11,174 housing units at an average density of 1,218.0 per square mile (470.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 83.1% White, 9.6% African American, 3.7% Asian, 0.2% Native American, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.5% from other races, and 2.9% from two or more races. 2.2% of the population is Hispanic or Latino of any race.^[44] Though slightly below the national averages for diversity, Kent is very close to the averages for Ohio and above the averages for the surrounding area.^[36] Between the 2000 and 2010 censuses, the city saw slight increases in the number of minority residents.^[44][45]

There were 10,288 households out of which 20.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 27.5% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.3% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.2 and the average family size was 2.86.^[45]

In the city the population was spread out with 29.4% ages 19 years and under, 44.1% from 20 to 39, 15.9% from 40 to 59, 8.0% from 60 to 79, and 2.5% who were 80 years of age or older. The median age was 22.7 years, which was well below both the median age for Ohio (38.8) and the United States (35.3).^[44] As of 2000, for every 100 females there were 84.6 males, well below the state average of 96.3 males and the national average of 94.4 males per 100 females. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.0 males, again below both the state (91.1) and national (93.4) averages. This is in marked contrast to neighboring Franklin Township, which had 104.3 males for every 100 females and 101.4 males for every 100 females in 2000.^[46]

As of the 2010 Census, the mean income for a household in the city was $46,848, well below the mean household incomes for Ohio ($61,397) and the United States ($70,116). The median household income in Kent was $28,958, compared to $46,563 for Ohio and $51,222 for the U.S. For families, the mean income in Kent was $71,817 with a median income of $59,936, both of which were closer to the state ($73,084 mean, $58,566 median) and national ($81,568 mean, $62,112 median) averages. Males had a median income of $35,316 versus $35,255 for females. The per capita income for workers in the city was $18,339. 10.4% of families and 29.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 6.6% of those age 65 or over. While the number of individuals below the poverty line is significantly higher than both the state and national averages, with 14.8% of individuals in Ohio and 14.4% in the United States being below the poverty line, the percentage of families below the poverty line is slightly below the state (10.5%) and national (10.8%) averages. Measures of high poverty rates in similar college towns, however, is not uncommon across the U.S.^[47][48]

Educationally, Kent is above the national, state, and local averages for residents who have attained a bachelor's, master's, or above a master's degree. At the 2010 Census, 41.9% of Kent's population above the age of 25 had obtained a college degree compared to 24.9% of the same population in Portage County, 24.1% statewide, and 27.9% nationally.^[49]

Economy[link]

Corporate headquarters of the Davey Tree Expert Company, Kent's largest private employer

Kent's location along the Cuyahoga River and later the Pennsylvania and Ohio Canal and multiple railroad lines made it attractive initially for the establishment of small gristmills for the production of flour and various factories. Progressively larger factories later developed due to increased power available from the river and eventually due to the ease and lower cost of transportation of goods to other markets.^[37] During the latter half of the 19th century and into the early 20th century, the city's largest employers were all industrially based, including the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad and its successors, which operated its main maintenance shops in the village; the Seneca Chain Company; and bus manufacturer Twin Coach among others.^[50] A disastrous fire at the Seneca Chain Company in 1909 led to the creation of the Kent Board of Trade—an early Chamber of Commerce—which was successful in getting Kent selected in 1910 as the site of what would become Kent State University.^[51]

Changes in the structure of the railroad and declines in the manufacturing sector during the mid-20th century combined with the rapid growth of Kent State University following World War II led to the university becoming the city's largest employer and influenced the development of other areas of the city's economy. Beginning in the late first decade of the 21st century, the university, along with the city and private investors, began to play a more active role in the redevelopment of downtown Kent and has aided in the development of local high tech companies.^[13][52] Kent State operates Centennial Research Park, along Ohio State Route 59 in Kent's Joint Economic Development District with Franklin Township, which houses two high tech start-up companies in the liquid crystal industry.^[53][54] Kent has an additional Joint Economic Development District with Brimfield Township south of the city limits.^[55] Through the Kent Regional Business Alliance, the city also supports two business incubators.^[56]

Kent State University, Kent's largest employer

As of 2010, the educational, health, and social services fields were the city's largest sector, and employed over 33.5% of Kent's workforce. This included the city's two largest employers, Kent State University and the Kent City School District, as well as Robinson Memorial Hospital, which operates an outpatient surgery center and general medical facility.^[47][57][58] 16.3% of the workforce is employed in arts, entertainment, and food service, with 12.2% employed in retail. Manufacturing accounts for 7.1% of the workforce with a Land O' Lakes plant being the largest employer in the sector.^[47][57] Kent is also home to the corporate headquarters of the Davey Tree Expert Company, which serves as the city's largest private employer.^[13] In 2010 Davey Tree announced plans to relocate staff from its Davey Resource Group to Kent as part of a planned downtown development and has stated long-term goals include having all corporate offices in Kent.^[59]