Medina ( ) is a city in Medina County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 26,094 at the 2020 census. It lies about south of Cleveland and west of Akron within the Cleveland metropolitan area.
History
thumb|left|Medina town square, 1887
Medina was founded on November 30, 1818, as part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It was originally named Mecca, but an unincorporated community in Ohio already had that name, so the name was changed. Both Mecca and Medina are Arabian cities particularly significant in Islam.
Most early residents were farmers. In the 1830s, the community's growth was aided by the completion of the Ohio and Erie Canal, which helped transport agricultural products to markets. In 1857, many of the canal workers started a strike for higher wages; the striking workers were fired, and the four workers who started it were jailed in Albion, Ohio.
In 1835, two enslaved women and two Native Americans arrived in Medina by stagecoach. One of the enslaved women was the child of then-vice presidential candidate Richard Mentor Johnson and Julia Chinn. The women were arrested and charged with stealing. Olcott was originally from Connecticut and had been a student at Yale College when he came up with the early prototypes for his invention. He was later a proponent of building long-distance railroad lines across Ohio.
In 1869, Amos Root founded the A.I. Root Company in Medina as a manufacturer of beehives and beekeeping equipment, and the town became a center for beehive manufacturing. The Root Company had 97 workers in 1886, making it the town's largest employer. Even after the second calamitous fire struck, the town still had not organized a fire department beyond a bucket brigade. In 1877, after repeated dire warnings, the Council finally authorized the issuance of $3,000 worth of bonds to purchase a fire engine.
After the disastrous fire in 1870, much of the Medina Square, including the Town Hall and Engine House, was rebuilt under the supervision of onetime mayor and banker Harrison Gray Blake, who owned the Phoenix Building in the same city block. It took almost ten years to replace the buildings on Medina Square, hence their common Victorian style. Medina Square is now a recognized historic district, covering a nine-block area surrounding Uptown Park. The Community Design Committee and the Historic Preservation Board preserve the city's historic look and feel.
In 1950, Medina had over 5,000 residents, and on May 6, 1952, it was chartered as a city.
thumb|Uptown Park, 2024
Geography
Medina includes parts of Lafayette Township, Medina Township, Montville Township and York Township in Medina County.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of , of which is land and is water.