Independence is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 7,584 at the 2020 census. A suburb of Cleveland, it is a part of the Cleveland metropolitan area.
History
Independence was originally called Center and was renamed in 1830.
Geography
Independence is located at .
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Much of the land area in Independence is used by the intersection of I-480 and I-77. The I-77/I-480 interchange is a four-level stack interchange, but locals often refer to as the cloverleaf, as it largely replaced a nearby interchange of that type. The larger interchange opened in 1940, but construction of the Willow Freeway, which became I-77, was stalled by World War II and was not completed until the 1950s. In the late 1970s, I-480 connected into I-77. The original 1939 cloverleaf is still in existence on Granger and Brecksville Roads. It is still in use today, generally for local traffic.
In the 1970s, many Cleveland businesses needed backup and extra office space from their downtown Cleveland offices. In the 1970s, the Rockside corridor was developed into offices and numerous hotels to help downtown Cleveland. In 1991, the Crown Center on Rockside Road was built, making it the tallest building between Downtown Cleveland and Akron. This area is referred as Cleveland's Silicon Valley.
Demographics
Racial and ethnic composition
{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Independence city, Ohio – Racial and ethnic composition<br><small></small>
!Race / Ethnicity <small>(NH = Non-Hispanic)</small>
!Pop 2000
!Pop 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |Pop 2020
!% 2000
!% 2010
!style="background-color: #ffffb3;" |% 2020
|-
|White alone (NH)
|6,898
|6,833
|style='background: #ffffe6; |6,902
|97.03%
|95.79%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |91.01%
|-
|Black or African American alone (NH)
|39
|30
|style='background: #ffffe6; |58
|0.55%
|0.42%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.76%
|-
|Native American or Alaska Native alone (NH)
|0
|3
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7
|0.00%
|0.04%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.09%
|-
|Asian alone (NH)
|92
|135
|style='background: #ffffe6; |217
|1.29%
|1.89%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |2.86%
|-
|Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone (NH)
|0
|0
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0
|0.00%
|0.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.00%
|-
|Other race alone (NH)
|0
|8
|style='background: #ffffe6; |22
|0.00%
|0.11%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |0.29%
|-
|Mixed race or Multiracial (NH)
|22
|47
|style='background: #ffffe6; |228
|0.31%
|0.66%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |3.01%
|-
|Hispanic or Latino (any race)
|58
|77
|style='background: #ffffe6; |150
|0.82%
|1.08%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |1.98%
|-
|Total
|7,109
|7,133
|style='background: #ffffe6; |7,584
|100.00%
|100.00%
|style='background: #ffffe6; |100.00%
|}
2020 census
As of the 2020 census, Independence had a population of 7,584. The median age was 46.4 years. 21.2% of residents were under the age of 18 and 22.0% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 96.7 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 94.1 males age 18 and over.
99.0% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.0% lived in rural areas.
There were 2,914 households in Independence, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 61.2% were married-couple households, 12.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 21.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 22.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
! Race !! Number !! Percent
|-
| White || 6,945 || 91.6%
|-
| Black or African American || 58 || 0.8%
|-
| American Indian and Alaska Native || 11 || 0.1%
|-
| Asian || 223 || 2.9%
|-
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 0 || 0.0%
|-
| Some other race || 39 || 0.5%
|-
| Two or more races || 308 || 4.1%
|-
| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 150 || 2.0%
|}
2010 census
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Largest ancestries (2010) !! Percent
|-
| Polish || 36.6%
|-
| Irish || 19.7%
|-
| German || 18.0%
|-
| Italian || 17.1%
|-
| Czech || 7.3%
|-
| Slovak || 6.0%
|}
As of the census of 2010, there were 7,133 people, 2,770 households, and 2,054 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,868 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.6% White, 0.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.9% Asian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race were 1.1% of the population.
There were 2,770 households, of which 30.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.8% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.57 and the average family size was 3.05.
The median age in the city was 47 years. 22.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 17.9% were from 25 to 44; 33.5% were from 45 to 64; and 19.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
Of the city's population over the age of 25, 36.0% held a bachelor's degree or higher.
2000 census
{| class="wikitable sortable collapsible" style="font-size: 90%;"
|-
! Largest ancestries (2000) !! Percent
|-
| Polish || 32.3%
|-
| German || 20.2%
|-
| Italian || 16.7%
|-
| Irish || 10.7%
|-
| English || 7.3%
|-
| Slovak || 7.0%
|}
As of the census
Notable people
<!-- All persons listed here must meet Wikipedia:Notability requirements; and a supporting citation that documents their connection to Independence must be included. -->
- Kathrine Baumann, former actress and designer
- Tom Boerwinkle, National Basketball Association player
- Jessica Eye, mixed martial arts fighter
- Joe Kovacs, puppeteer
- Stipe Miocic, mixed martial arts fighter
- Louis J. O'Marr, 13th Attorney General of Wyoming
- Nadine Secunde, operatic soprano
- Jim Trakas, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
Surrounding communities
References
External links
- City of Independence, Ohio
- Independence Local School District