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Sandusky, Ohio
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HistoryFort Sandusky was a British trading and military outpost established around 1794. The Native Americans that inhabited the immediate surrounding area were the Seneca, displaced at the outset of the American Revolution. The generally accepted theory is that the name "Sandusky" is an Anglicization of the phrase "San Too Chee," meaning "cold water." A less accepted theory is that the that the city was named after a Polish fur trader by the name of Antoni Sadowski or Jacob Sodowsky.
The Greater Sandusky area was a safe haven and a new start for refugees of the Firelands refugees of the Revolutionary War in Connecticut. Norwalk, the Huron County seat (just south of Erie County) is named for Norwalk, Connecticut, as is New London, a small town south of Norwalk.
Established as Portland in 1816, the name was changed two years later to Sandusky. Norwalk was also established in 1816; at the time, both were growing towns of a unified Huron County. Not long after, thanks to the growth of both towns, Erie County, Ohio's second smallest (in land area), came into being. The county encompassed newly-rechristened Sandusky's far west side, Vermilion to the east, and Norwalk's northern line to the south.
Prior to the abolition of slavery in the United States, Sandusky was a major stop on the Underground Railroad. As depicted in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, many slaves seeking to reach freedom in Canada made their way to Sandusky, where they boarded boats crossing Lake Erie to the port of Amherstburg in Ontario.
Downtown Sandusky was designed according a modified grid plan known as the Kilbourne Plat after its designer. The original street pattern featured a grid overlaid with streets resembling the symbols of Freemasonry. Hector Kilbourne was a surveyor who laid out this grid in downtown Sandusky. He was the first Worshipful Master of the Sandusky Masonic Lodge.
Sandusky was the site of groundbreaking for the Mad River and Lake Erie Railroad on September 17, 1835. Currently, Battery Park Marina is located on original site of the MR&LE Railroad. The tracks that ran through downtown Sandusky have since been removed due to most of the downtown industrial area being re-used for other purposes including mainly marina dockage. The coal docks located west of downtown still use a portion of the original MR&LE lines.
GeographySandusky is located at (41.446741, -82.709092).
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.0 square miles (57.0 kmē), of which, 10.1 square miles (26.0 kmē) of it is land and 11.9 square miles (30.9 kmē) of it (54.30%) is water.
DemographicsAs of the census of 2000, there were 27,844 people, 11,851 households, and 7,039 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,770.5 people per square mile (1,069.7/kmē). There were 13,323 housing units at an average density of 1,325.7/sq mi (511.8/kmē). The racial makeup of the city was 74.50% White, 21.08% African American, 0.29% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.97% from other races, and 2.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.09% of the population.
There were 11,851 households out of which 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 38.7% were married couples living together, 16.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 40.6% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.8% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 15.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.2 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,133, and the median income for a family was $37,749. Males had a median income of $31,269 versus $21,926 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,111. About 12.2% of families and 15.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.7% of those under age 18 and 10.2% of those age 65 or over.
TransportationAmtrak, the national passenger rail system, provides service to Sandusky.
A Greyhound Lines bus station is located on Route 250 south of Sandusky in Perkins Township.
Auto ferry and passenger/bicycle ferry boats (M/V Jiimaan and M/V Pelee Islander) owned by the Owen Sound Transportation Company run on a regularly-scheduled seasonal basis from Sandusky to Pelee Island to Leamington, Ontario and Kingsville, Ontario.
EducationSandusky Public Schools enroll 3,775 students in public primary and secondary schools. The district administers 10 public schools including six elementary schools, two middle schools, and two high schools. Other then public schools, the city is home to one private catholic school, St. Mary Central Catholic High School. Both Sandusky High School and St. Mary Central Catholic High School participate in varsity and junior varsity sports; their teams are called the Blue Streaks and Panthers respectively. Sandusky High's colors are navy and white; SMCC's are blue and gold.
MediaSandusky is served by a daily newspaper, The Sandusky Register, and several local radio stations. BAS Broadcasting owns and operates WCPZ 102.7 FM, which features a hot adult contemporary format, WMJK 100.9 FM (licensed to Clyde, Ohio), which plays classic rock, and WLEC 1450 AM which plays standards. There are several options for Christian radio in the area, including WVMS 89.5 FM, run by the Moody Bible Institute as a relay of WCRF in Cleveland; WGGN 97.7 FM in Castalia, which plays contemporary Christian music and is co-owned with religious WGGN-TV 52; and a translator for the Bible Broadcasting Network at 88.3 FM. Elyria-Lorain Broadcasting operates several stations serving the Sandusky area, including WKFM 96.1 FM (country music) and WLKR 95.3 FM (modern adult/adult alternative) and 1510 AM (sports talk). Stations from the Toledo, Cleveland, Detroit, Windsor and Fremont areas also reach the Sandusky area.
Perkins TownshipPerkins Township is a township that lies south of Perkins Avenue, which bisects what is informally considered the Sandusky Metropolitan Area. Sandusky Mall and Sandusky Speedway are located south of Perkins Avenue, and therefore lie in Perkins Township. Perkins Township does not have its own main post office and the township uses Sandusky city's ZIP code of 44870.
Notable natives- Brandy Burre, best known for her portrayal of Theresa D'Agostino on the HBO series The Wire, was born in Sandusky.
- Jay Crawford; sports broadcaster, co-host of ESPN First Take on ESPN2
- Jay Cooke (1821-1905), Civil War Financier, Railroad Magnate, and Philanthropist, was born in Sandusky
- Thom Darden, defensive back for the Cleveland Browns, 1972-1981.
- Jon Gruden, head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Scott May, NCAA national champion basketball player and 1976 Olympic gold medalist.
- Jackie Mayer, Miss America 1963 and currently a motivational speaker; the section of Route 2 that runs through Erie County is named "Jackie Mayer Miss America Highway".
- Thomas J. Moyer, chief justice of the Ohio Supreme Court since 1987.
- Orlando Pace, offensive lineman for the St. Louis Rams of the NFL and a seven-time Pro Bowler, played for the Blue Streaks of Sandusky High School, who retired his jersey number in a special half-time ceremony on October 20, 2006.
- Kevin Randleman, 2-time Div I NCAA wrestling champion for The Ohio State University and professional mixed martial arts fighter
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