Bay Village, Ohio

History

Before the first white men explored the area around 1600, Erie Indians lived in Bay Village and the surrounding areas. The most important Indian trail in Ohio is present-day Lake Road, which is a main road in Bay Village. In that same century, what is now Bay Village, along with Avon Lake, Avon, and Westlake, was part of one territory. This territory was later called by the whites in a native language, "Xeuma", a term roughly meaning "those who came before us".

The area belonged to Connecticut until 1803, the year in which Ohio became a state. Before 1803, the Connecticut Land Company sold and gave away land in the area to Connecticut citizens, who had lost their homes and farms during the Revolutionary War. Because many had lost their homes to fires during the war, this new area was named “the Firelands”. One surveyor with the Connecticut Land Company was Moses Cleaveland. He came with his friends on horseback from Connecticut and stopped at the Cuyahoga River with his Indian guides in July 1796. The land was then divided into five townships. The area between the Cuyahoga River and The Firelands to the west was laid out in 1806.

Joseph Cahoon settled the City of Bay Village in 1810. Bay Village was part of the original Dover Township. Bay Township split from Dover Township in 1901. In 1903, Bay Village was incorporated, and the first mayor and council were elected. In 1917, the last Cahoon descendent died, leaving the family home and 115 acres of land to the city. John Huntington, one of the original partners of Standard Oil Company, donated his summer estate to the Cleveland Metroparks. Bay Village became a city on January 1, 1950, when it had reached a population of 6,917.

Geography

Bay Village is located at 41°29′3″N 81°55′36″W (41.484193, −81.926581).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.06 square miles (18.29 km²), of which, 4.57 square miles (11.84 km²) is land and 2.49 square miles (6.45 km²) is water.

Bay Village is home to the Cleveland Metroparks Huntington Reservation. Lake Erie Nature & Science Center, Huntington Playhouse, and BAYarts are also located within the reservation.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 15,651 people, 6,198 households, and 4,441 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,424.7 inhabitants per square mile (1,322.3/km²). There were 6,436 housing units at an average density of 1,408.3 per square mile (543.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.0% White, 0.5% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 6,198 households of which 33.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.7% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.3% were non-families. 25.0% 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 2.50 and the average family size was 3.02.

The median age in the city was 43.4 years. 25.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 32% were from 45 to 64; and 15.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

Of the city's population over the age of 25, 56.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 16,087 people, 6,239 households, and 4,685 families residing in the city. The population density was 3,473.4 people per square mile (1,341.5/km²). There were 6,401 housing units at an average density of 1,382.1 per square mile (533.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 89.0% White, 9.3% African American, 0.01% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.0% of the population. 21.6% were of German, 20.4% Irish, 10.6% English, 8.6% Italian and 5.1% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 6,239 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 17.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 22.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 25.9% under the age of 18, 4.4% from 18 to 24, 26.4% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 14.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41.1 years. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $70,397, and the median income for a family was $33,686. Males had a median income of $36,061 versus $18,746 for females. The per capita income for the city was $35,318. About 2.0% of families and 3.0% of the population were below the poverty line.

Education

Bay High School was awarded the yellow ribbon award in the school year of 2010-2011.

Newsweek magazine placed Bay High School 793rd in its 2009 ranking of the top 1,500 U.S. high schools.

There are about 2,500 students in the Bay Village City School District, and four school buildings. Normandy Elementary serves grades K-2, Westerly Elementary serves grades 3-4, Bay Middle School serves grades 5-8, and Bay High School serves grades 9-12. Bay High School earned a Silver Medal ranking in 2012 from the U.S. News and World Report’s Best High Schools list. In Ohio, Bay High was ranked 20th, and in the nation, 512th.

Notable people

Recognition

In 2012, Family Circle Magazine ranked Bay Village as one of the 10 Best Towns for Families.