Community
Elyria has an extensive, although financially burdened, community food pantry and "Hot Meals" program administered through the Second Harvest Food Bank and several churches
http://secondharvestfoodbank.org/member-agencies/agency-information/current-agencies/ Elyria is served by Elyria Memorial Hospital.
Recreation and parks
Elyria has a large number of parks and recreational centers that include a variety of activities such as baseball, playground equipment. The four recreational centers are named after their location on the map - North, East, South, and West. They each include one or more
baseball fieldA baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
s and at least two tennis courts. There are two main parks, Cascade and Elywood, which are connected by a drive-on
fordA ford is a shallow place with good footing where a river or stream may be crossed by wading or in a vehicle. A ford is mostly a natural phenomenon, in contrast to a low water crossing, which is an artificial bridge that allows crossing a river or stream when water is low.The names of many towns...
in the center.
Cascade Park
Cascade Park is the largest and most popular park in Elyria. The park is located in a ravine carved by the same
glacierA glacier is a large persistent body of ice that forms where the accumulation of snow exceeds its ablation over many years, often centuries. At least 0.1 km² in area and 50 m thick, but often much larger, a glacier slowly deforms and flows due to stresses induced by its weight...
s that created the
Great LakesThe Great Lakes are a collection of freshwater lakes located in northeastern North America, on the Canada – United States border. Consisting of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie, and Ontario, they form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth by total surface, coming in second by volume...
. Cascade park has a large playground and a large hill used for seating at the 4th of July fireworks show, and is a popular spot for
sleddingSledding , sledging , sleding or tobogganing is a common activity in wintry areas, similar to sliding, but in a prone or seated position requiring a device or vehicle generically known in the US as a sled or in other countries as a sledge or toboggan...
during winter months. The
Black RiverThe Black River is a tributary of Lake Erie, about 12 mi long, in northern Ohio in the United States. Via Lake Erie, the Niagara River and Lake Ontario, it is part of the watershed of the St. Lawrence River, which flows to the Atlantic Ocean...
winds through the center of the park.
The park used to be home to several bear cages in the early 1900's
Business
Elyria is home to many businesses and several worldwide headquarters.
InvacareInvacare Corporation is one of the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of non-acute medical equipments including wheelchairs, mobility scooters, walkers, pressure care and positioning, as well as respiratory products...
,
RIDGIDRidgid is the brandname of the Ridge Tool Company of Elyria, Ohio. Founded in the 1920s as a manufacturer of professional plumbing and HVAC tools, it has branched out into more general-purpose hand tools and power tools. It is now a division of Emerson Electric Company.-External links:*...
Tool, Diamond Products, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, BASF Catalysts LLC, Elyria Manufacturing Corp. are all headquartered in Elyria.
Schools
Elyria has a large number of public and private schools including
Elyria High SchoolElyria High School is a high school in Elyria, Ohio. Founded in 1830, it is notable for being the first chartered high school west of the Allegheny Mountains...
. The Elyria City Schools district consists of one high school, three junior high schools, nine elementary schools, and one kindergarten school. Elyria is home to
Elyria Catholic High SchoolElyria Catholic High School is a private Catholic high school located in Elyria, Ohio, 20 miles west of Cleveland. It is run by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. Elyria Catholic was built in 1949 and since then has graduated more than 7,500 young men and women. A newly added physical...
.
Transportation
Lorain County TransitLorain County Transit is the public transportation provider for Lorain County, Ohio. It is a division of the Lorain County Commissioners, and its offices are in Lorain. The current manager of LCT is Richard Enty...
is based in Elyria. Elyria is served by many highways, including
U.S. Route 20U.S. Route 20 is an east–west United States highway. As the "0" in its route number implies, US 20 is a coast-to-coast route. Spanning , it is the longest road in the United States, and the route sparsely parallels Interstate 90...
, the
Ohio TurnpikeThe Ohio Turnpike, officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike, is a -long, limited-access toll highway in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor to Chicago and Pittsburgh...
, and State Routes 2, 113,
301State Route 301 is a long north–south state highway in the northern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. The western terminus of SR 301 is at SR 302 nearly south of West Salem. Its northern terminus is at U.S...
and
57State Route 57 is a north–south state highway in northeast Ohio. Route 57 runs south from U.S. Route 6 in Lorain to U.S. Route 30 at Riceland, a distance of .- Route description :...
. The general airport for Elyria and
LorainLorain is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northeastern Ohio on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River, about 30 miles west of Cleveland....
is the Lorain County Regional Airport (located in New Russia Township), and Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport is the nearest major airport. The
Elyria Amtrak StationThe Elyria Amtrak station is an Amtrak station in Elyria, Ohio. Located at 410 East River Road, the building is two trailers bolted together. This was the original Amtrak Cleveland Lakefront Station, moved to Elyria in 1976 when the present Cleveland Lakefront Amtrak Station was finished.Elyria...
provides train transportation.
Early transportation
In the early 1900s, Elyria had a trolley system that helped bring residents to and from work and shopping centers in downtown. Horse-drawn carriages were a popular form of transportation, since cars were available but scarce. In 1907, the number 123 trolley car collided with the number 129 car killing 6 people. Elyria Memorial Hospital was built in response to the crash.
Elyria in popular culture
In the movie
Blue ThunderBlue Thunder is a 1983 feature film that features a high-tech helicopter of the same name. The movie was directed by John Badham and stars Roy Scheider...
, Roy Schieder's partner's character, Officer Richard Lymangood, played by Daniel Stern, accesses the helicopter computer, searches his name and a birthplace of Elyria, Ohio, briefly shows up on the screen.
In the film
Take ShelterTake Shelter is a 2011 American drama film starring Michael Shannon and Jessica Chastain. The film is written and directed by Jeff Nichols. Plagued by a series of apocalyptic visions, a young husband and father questions whether to shelter his family from a coming storm, or from...
, Michael Shannon's character is seen standing outside the Elyria library.
Notable natives
- D. C. Anderson
David Cameron "D.C." Anderson is a U.S. cabaret and folk singer/songwriter, and an actor who made his Broadway debut in Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera...
, stage actor
- Sherwood Anderson
Sherwood Anderson was an American novelist and short story writer. His most enduring work is the short story sequence Winesburg, Ohio. Writers he has influenced include Ernest Hemingway, William Faulkner, John Steinbeck, J. D. Salinger, and Amos Oz.-Early life:Anderson was born in Clyde, Ohio,...
, writer
- Wayne Barlow
Wayne B. Barlow was an American composer of contemporary classical music...
, composer (1912–1996)
- Keefe Brasselle
Keefe Brasselle was a film actor, television actor/producer and author. He first made a name for himself playing the role of Eddie Cantor in a Hollywood biography. Later, he became known for producing several failed television shows.His friendship with CBS executive James Aubrey led to the...
, actor, title role of the 1953 movie The Eddie Cantor Story
- Thelma Drake
Thelma D. Drake was a Member of Congress of the Republican party from the state of Virginia. She was first elected to the United States House of Representatives in November 2004 to represent . She was defeated by Democrat Glenn Nye in 2008.Thelma Drake grew up in Ohio and attended Elyria High School...
, politician
- Jackson C. Frank
Jackson Carey Frank was an American folk musician.-Early life:When Jackson Frank was 11, a furnace exploded at his school, sending a ball of flames down corridors until it ended up in Frank's music classroom in the Cleveland Hill Elementary School in Cheektowaga, New York...
, folk singer/songwriter
- Arthur Lovett Garford, padded bicycle seat inventor and automobile manufacturer
- Doug Gillard
Doug Gillard is a guitarist and songwriter from Cleveland, Ohio who has performed with bands and artists such as Death Of Samantha, Gem, Cobra Verde, Guided by Voices, Richard Buckner, Children's Crusade, Starvation Army, Yuji Oniki, My Dad is Dead, The Mice, Bill Fox, Fence Lions, Zest Of Yore,...
, musician and songwriter, lead guitarist for Guided by VoicesGuided by Voices is an American indie rock band originating from Dayton, Ohio. Beginning with the band's formation in 1983, it made frequent personnel changes but always maintained the presence of principal songwriter Robert Pollard...
- Vic Janowicz
Victor Felix "Vic" Janowicz was an American football halfback in the National Football League for the Washington Redskins. He played college football at Ohio State University and was drafted in the seventh round of the 1952 NFL Draft...
, former baseball and football player, 1950 Heisman Trophy winner
- Art Plas, NOSCRA race car driver
- Anodea Judith
Anodea Judith is an American author, therapist, public speaker and expert on the Chakra system, bodymind , somatic therapy, and Yoga...
, author, therapist, public speaker and expert on the ChakraChakra is a concept originating in Hindu texts, featured in tantric and yogic traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism. Its name derives from the Sanskrit word for "wheel" or "turning" .Chakra is a concept referring to wheel-like vortices...
system
- Robert Edwin Lee
Robert Edwin Lee was an American playwright and lyricist. With his writing partner, Jerome Lawrence, Lee worked for Armed Forces Radio during World War II; Lawrence and Lee became the most prolific writing partnership in radio, with such long-running series as Favorite Story among others.-Life and...
, playwright and lyricist
- Shawna Leneé
Shawna Leneé is an American pornographic actress and model.She appeared on the cover of the July 2008 issue of Penthouse as well as being featured as the Pet of the Month. In 2009 Lenee was named the Penthouse Pet of the year Runner-Up...
, PenthousePenthouse, a men's magazine founded by Bob Guccione, combines urban lifestyle articles and softcore pornographic pictorials that, in the 1990s, evolved into hardcore. Penthouse is owned by FriendFinder Network. formerly known as General Media, Inc. whose parent company was Penthouse International...
Magazine's Pet of the Year runner-up, 2009
- Brianne McLaughlin
Brianne McLaughlin is an American ice hockey goaltender. She is a member of the United States women's national ice hockey team.-Playing career:...
, Olympic Ice Hockey Goaltender
- Les Miles
Leslie Edwin "Les" Miles, nicknamed "The Mad Hatter", is an American college football coach and the current head coach of the Louisiana State University football team. Prior to holding that position, he was head coach at Oklahoma State...
, LSU TigersThe LSU Tigers are the athletic teams of Louisiana State University. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, in the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 14 varsity sports . Its official team nickname is the Fighting Tigers and the school mascot is Mike the Tiger...
head football coach
- Haruki Nakamura
Haruki Robert Nakamura is an American football safety for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League.-Early life:...
, Professional football player
- Tim Rattay
Timothy F. Rattay [] is a former professional American football quarterback who played in the National Football League and United Football League. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round of the 2000 NFL Draft...
, professional football player
- Clayton Rawson
Clayton Rawson was an American mystery writer, editor, and amateur magician. His four novels frequently invoke his great knowledge of stage magic and feature as their fictional detective The Great Merlini, a professional magician who runs a shop selling magic supplies...
, mystery writer, editor, and amateur magician
- Chad Szeliga
Chad Szeliga is an American professional drummer born in Elyria, Ohio and now from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. He is best known for being the drummer for the bands Breaking Benjamin, OurAfter, and Black Label Society.-Switched:...
, drummer for Breaking BenjaminBreaking Benjamin is an American rock band from Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, currently consisting of Benjamin Burnley and Chad Szeliga. The band has released four studio albums to date and a greatest hits album that was released on August 16, 2011. The group initially went on indefinite hiatus due...
.
- Steve Tovar
Steven Eric Tovar is a former college and professional American football linebacker and a former football coach at the University of Kansas.-College career:...
, professional football player
- Victoria Wells Wulsin
Victoria Elizabeth Wells Wulsin, M.D., D.P.H. is a physician and three-time Democratic congressional candidate in the Second District of Ohio . She is a resident of Indian Hill, an affluent suburb of Cincinnati....
, medical doctor and politician
- Matt Wilhelm
Matthew Wilhelm is an American football linebacker who's currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in the fourth round of the 2003 NFL Draft...
, professional football player
- Norma Jean Wright
Norma Jean Wright was the lead vocalist of the soul, R&B and disco group Chic, from 1977 to 1978. Before joining Chic in 1977, she sang in the female trio, the Topettes, and toured for a short time with The Spinners...
, former lead singer for the band CHICChic was an African American disco and R&B band that was organized during 1976 by guitarist Nile Rodgers and bassist Bernard Edwards. It is known best for its commercially successful disco songs, including "Dance, Dance, Dance " , "Everybody Dance" , "Le Freak" , "I Want Your Love" , "Good Times"...
Government
Education
Community