Strongsville, Ohio. The self-named “Crossroads of the Nation” is one of the most populous cities in Cuyahoga County. For two hundred years Strongsville has been a cornerstone of northeast Ohio history and development.
Originally a part of what was know as the Western Reserve, the land that would become Strongsville was owned by Oliver Ellsworth of the Connecticut Land Company in the early years of the 1800’s. In 1816, a man by the name of John Stoughton Strong would make his way down from Vermont to Ellsworth’s land and acquired the total of 25 square miles from Ellsworth. He and his family began building log cabins and dividing the land into one hundred separate lots, with his own lot being just north of the center of town. As immigrants from all over the country and abroad began moving westward, the population of Strongsville grew and grew. Strongsville officially became a township in February of 1818.
One year later construction was completed on one of the first common buildings of the community. This cabin on the south side of the center of town would serve as the first schoolhouse, town hall, and church. This was the first of ten single-room schools that would occupy Strongsville until the early 1900’s. Each of these schools were a part of a separate district and thus had different curriculum and requirements for entry. The original town hall would stand until 1952 when a new much larger one was built in tandem with the police station. As time went on the town expanded and grew to eighty-nine homes. Strong’s new brick home was fully constructed in 1833 and he lived there until his death at the age of 92. A fire occurred in 1843 that damage many of the buildings near the center of town, but thankfully Strong’s house and the Pomeroy House owned by one of the first bank owners of the area, Alanson Pomeroy, survived. Before his death, Strong was responsible for bringing in much of what would become the core of the community. Strong was an entrepreneur who sought out new businesses and farmers to move to the township, his son-in-law was one if the first town doctors and was later succeeded with a close friend Dr. Baldwin, and he later built the first sawmill and gristmill (a mill for grinding grain) in the northeast Ohio area. His legacy would live on in the people of his namesake town for years to come.
For most of the nineteenth century the town quietly grew in size both in population and economics. It wasn’t until the early twentieth century that the township began rapidly growing to what it is today. The township of Strongsville officially became a village in 1923. At this point the population was around 1300, mostly comprised of farmers and business owners. The previous schools of Strongsville joined the Cuyahoga school district to untie their curriculum and reduced their numbers to expand single buildings to larger facilities. The first major general store, the Olds General Store, was opened in 1927 and operated until 1964, where it remains to this day as a museum. In 1927 the village also switched to a more structured government system with a single mayor and a board of trustees. Grant Atkinson was the first person to be elected to be mayor of Strongsville and served until 1944. The overall population and growth of Strongsville slowed to a crawl for much of the early twentieth century due to the Great Depression and the first two world wars.
But in the early 1960’s the fortune of Strongsville began to change and big things came to fruition. With the collapse of the Rust Belt area of Ohio, many families were looking for new opportunities away from the city with their young post-war children. From the 50’s to the 60’s the population more than doubled to nearly nine thousand. This officially marked Strongsville becoming a city in 1961. That same year Strongsville created their own school district with 7 elementary, 2 junior, and 1 senior high school. The Interstate Highway 71 completed construction in 1966, only furthering the growth of the city as this made Strongsville a stop on one of the few cross-county routes at the time. In 1979 Walter F. Ehrnfelt, the longest running mayor of Strongsville, was elected at this time and during his tenure he managed to double the population of the city from 22,000 to 44,000, fund a new recreational center, and welcome in new businesses and transportation options to the city.
Now in 2022, the population of Strongsville stands at approximately 44,660 and has welcomed new shopping and industrial opportunities to its community. Plans to revamp the town center are underway and are set to begin in the next year. The crossroads of the nation has found its bustling place in the world, and Strongsville continues to live up to its founding namesake, Strong.
Originally a part of what was know as the Western Reserve, the land that would become Strongsville was owned by Oliver Ellsworth of the Connecticut Land Company in the early years of the 1800’s. In 1816, a man by the name of John Stoughton Strong would make his way down from Vermont to Ellsworth’s land and acquired the total of 25 square miles from Ellsworth. He and his family began building log cabins and dividing the land into one hundred separate lots, with his own lot being just north of the center of town. As immigrants from all over the country and abroad began moving westward, the population of Strongsville grew and grew. Strongsville officially became a township in February of 1818.
One year later construction was completed on one of the first common buildings of the community. This cabin on the south side of the center of town would serve as the first schoolhouse, town hall, and church. This was the first of ten single-room schools that would occupy Strongsville until the early 1900’s. Each of these schools were a part of a separate district and thus had different curriculum and requirements for entry. The original town hall would stand until 1952 when a new much larger one was built in tandem with the police station. As time went on the town expanded and grew to eighty-nine homes. Strong’s new brick home was fully constructed in 1833 and he lived there until his death at the age of 92. A fire occurred in 1843 that damage many of the buildings near the center of town, but thankfully Strong’s house and the Pomeroy House owned by one of the first bank owners of the area, Alanson Pomeroy, survived. Before his death, Strong was responsible for bringing in much of what would become the core of the community. Strong was an entrepreneur who sought out new businesses and farmers to move to the township, his son-in-law was one if the first town doctors and was later succeeded with a close friend Dr. Baldwin, and he later built the first sawmill and gristmill (a mill for grinding grain) in the northeast Ohio area. His legacy would live on in the people of his namesake town for years to come.
For most of the nineteenth century the town quietly grew in size both in population and economics. It wasn’t until the early twentieth century that the township began rapidly growing to what it is today. The township of Strongsville officially became a village in 1923. At this point the population was around 1300, mostly comprised of farmers and business owners. The previous schools of Strongsville joined the Cuyahoga school district to untie their curriculum and reduced their numbers to expand single buildings to larger facilities. The first major general store, the Olds General Store, was opened in 1927 and operated until 1964, where it remains to this day as a museum. In 1927 the village also switched to a more structured government system with a single mayor and a board of trustees. Grant Atkinson was the first person to be elected to be mayor of Strongsville and served until 1944. The overall population and growth of Strongsville slowed to a crawl for much of the early twentieth century due to the Great Depression and the first two world wars.
But in the early 1960’s the fortune of Strongsville began to change and big things came to fruition. With the collapse of the Rust Belt area of Ohio, many families were looking for new opportunities away from the city with their young post-war children. From the 50’s to the 60’s the population more than doubled to nearly nine thousand. This officially marked Strongsville becoming a city in 1961. That same year Strongsville created their own school district with 7 elementary, 2 junior, and 1 senior high school. The Interstate Highway 71 completed construction in 1966, only furthering the growth of the city as this made Strongsville a stop on one of the few cross-county routes at the time. In 1979 Walter F. Ehrnfelt, the longest running mayor of Strongsville, was elected at this time and during his tenure he managed to double the population of the city from 22,000 to 44,000, fund a new recreational center, and welcome in new businesses and transportation options to the city.
Now in 2022, the population of Strongsville stands at approximately 44,660 and has welcomed new shopping and industrial opportunities to its community. Plans to revamp the town center are underway and are set to begin in the next year. The crossroads of the nation has found its bustling place in the world, and Strongsville continues to live up to its founding namesake, Strong.