Cuyahoga Falls ( or ) is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 51,114 at the 2020 census. The second-largest city in Summit County, it is located directly north of Akron and is a suburb in the Akron metropolitan area. The city was founded in 1812 by William Wetmore and was originally named Manchester, but renamed for the Cuyahoga River and the series of waterfalls that run along the southern boundary of the city.

History

Cuyahoga Falls was formed in 1812 near the junction of what was then Northampton, Stow, Tallmadge, and Portage townships. The focus was the series of Cuyahoga River waterfalls that provided power for manufacturing.

In 1812, Kelsey and Wilcox built a dam on the Cuyahoga River at a place where a railroad bridge crossed it in 1876. They then built a flour mill, an oil mill, and a saw mill. This led to the construction of a number of houses. This area was known as the old village. Development moved downstream, though, when the power was discovered to be better there. The old village was eventually destroyed in 1826, when a dam built by William Wetmore flooded the dam at the old village and its mills were torn down.

The earliest settlers of Cuyahoga Falls included Joshua Stow and William Wetmore. In 1815, a saw mill was operating near Gaylord's Grove, using power generated by a dam on the Cuyahoga River there.

The town was initially called Manchester, but was renamed Cuyahoga Falls at the request of the Post Office since several other Manchesters were already in Ohio.

The village proper was first laid out in 1826 by Judge Richardson.

On July 31, 1940, the Doodlebug Disaster train wreck killed 43 people, the worst disaster in the history of the city.

In 1985, a referendum of merger between the city and neighboring Northampton Township was approved by local voters. In 1986, Cuyahoga Falls merged with Northampton Township, the first merger of a city and township in Ohio.

Cuyahoga Falls had been founded as an industrial city, taking advantage of the river power. By the middle of the twentieth century, it had become largely residential. Don Robart, mayor from 1986 to 2013, promoted the merger with Northampton Township because of the additional land that could be used for development. Parts of that area have since been used for industrial development. Commercial development has also picked up, especially in the Howe Avenue area at the southern border of the city.

The city had one professional sports team, the Cuyahoga Falls Cougars, of the International Basketball League. They moved to Akron in 2006 and became the Akron Cougars.

The Cathedral of Tomorrow, founded by televangelist Rex Humbard in 1958, was in Cuyahoga Falls. It is now the church of pastor/evangelist Ernest Angley and was renamed Grace Cathedral.

Blossom Music Center, an outdoor concert venue and the summer home of the Cleveland Orchestra since 1968, is situated on 800 acres of the Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Cuyahoga Falls.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.

Cuyahoga Falls is bordered by Akron to the south and the Cuyahoga Valley National Park to the northwest.

Demographics

thumb|right|[[Akron, Bedford and Cleveland Railroad shops at Cuyahoga Falls, 1899]]

Cuyahoga Falls is part of the Akron, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area and of the Cleveland-Akron-Canton Combined Statistical Area.

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Cuyahoga Falls had a population of 51,114. The median age was 40.1 years. 18.8% of residents were under the age of 18 and 18.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 92.3 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.3 males age 18 and over.

There were 23,406 households in Cuyahoga Falls, of which 22.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 39.2% were married-couple households, 21.2% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.3% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 42,872 || 83.9%

|-

| Black or African American || 2,423 || 4.7%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 121 || 0.2%

|-

| Asian || 2,565 || 5.0%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 11 || 0.0%

|-

| Some other race || 429 || 0.8%

|-

| Two or more races || 2,693 || 5.3%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 1,113 || 2.2%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 49,652 people, 22,250 households, and 12,693 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 23,859 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.4% White, 3.3% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 22,250 households, of which 26.1% had children under age 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.0% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.90.

The median age in the city was 39.4 years. 20.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.9% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the census

  • Jane Jacobs – professional baseball player in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
  • John Jacobs — evangelist and founder of The Power Team
  • Jim Jarmusch — film director
  • Bob Lewis — musician and founder of Devo
  • Michael Morell — deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
  • Elisha Noyes Sill — banker and politician
  • Frank Stams — professional football player in the National Football League (NFL)
  • Jack Thompson — activist, attorney
  • Mike Vrabel — professional football player and coach in the NFL

References

  • City website