Ravenna, Ohio

Ravenna is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It was formed from portions of Ravenna Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 11,771 at the 2000 Census and 11,724 at the 2010 Census. It is the county seat of Portage County. It is named for the city of Ravenna, Italy.

Ravenna is part of the Akron Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.68 sqmi, of which, 5.63 sqmi is land and 0.05 sqmi is water.

The following highways pass through Ravenna:
 * [[Image:OH-59.svg|20px|link=|alt=]] State Route 59
 * [[Image:OH-44.svg|20px|link=|alt=]] State Route 44
 * [[Image:OH-14.svg|20px|link=|alt=]] State Route 14
 * [[Image:OH-88.svg|20px|link=|alt=]] State Route 88

Ravenna is located south of Interstate 80/Ohio Turnpike exit 193, and north of Interstate 76 exit 38.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 11,724 people, 5,055 households, and 2,860 families residing in the city. The population density was 2082.4 PD/sqmi. There were 5,566 housing units at an average density of 988.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 91.1% White, 5.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.4% of the population.

There were 5,055 households of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 36.8% were married couples living together, 14.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.4% were non-families. 35.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 37.9 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.5% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.1% male and 51.9% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 11,771 people, 4,980 households, and 2,997 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,199.2 people per square mile (849.5/km²). There were 5,313 housing units at an average density of 992.6 per square mile (383.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.03% White, 4.42% Black, 0.25% American Indian, 0.39% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 1.67% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.91% of the population.

There were 4,980 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.0% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.5% 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 2.95.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,650, and the median income for a family was $46,090. Males had a median income of $33,574 versus $25,320 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,862. About 6.0% of families and 10.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.9% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education
Elementary and secondary education for students in Ravenna and Ravenna Township is provided by the Ravenna School District, which includes: Ravenna High School, Brown Middle School, Carlin Elementary, Willyard Elementary, Tappan Elementary, West Park Elementary, and West Main Elementary. Ravenna is also home to the Maplewood Career Center, a vocational school which serves high school-aged students from ten high schools in Portage and Summit counties and offers adult education programs.

Higher education
A campus of Fortis College, a small, private for-profit school, is located in northern Ravenna near State Route 14.

Notable people

 * Chris Bangle; automobile designer
 * Dana Beal; Youth International Party (Yippie movement) figure and marijuana activist
 * Wally Bell; MLB umpire
 * Bill Bower, last surviving pilot of the Doolittle Raid
 * David D. Busch; best-selling author
 * William Rufus Day; U.S. Supreme Court justice
 * L. W. de Laurence; pioneering mail order entrepreneur, author and publisher of occult and spiritual topics
 * Calvin Hampton; Classical organist
 * Nate Hartley; actor in films such as Drillbit Taylor, Role Models, and Disney television show Zeke and Luther
 * Robert B. "Yank" Heisler; Key Bank chairman, Dean Kent State University College of Business Administration
 * Al Hodge; actor in films such as Captain Video and The Green Hornet and producer of The Lone Ranger radio program
 * Maynard James Keenan; singer for Tool, A Perfect Circle, and Puscifer
 * Marvin Kent; politician and businessman, namesake for neighboring city of Kent
 * Peggy King; singer and television personality
 * Frederick J. Loudin; Singer and leader of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, inventor and manufacturer
 * Don Nottingham; pro football player
 * Henry Adoniram Swift; third governor of Minnesota
 * Erastus B. Tyler; Union general in the American Civil War
 * Jeff West; pro football kicker
 * Don M. Wilson III; former Chief Risk Officer at JP Morgan Chase Bank
 * David Anderson; First Class Petty Officer, United States Navy

Government
The current mayor of Ravenna (as of January 4, 2010) is Joseph Bica.

Prior to Bica, the mayor of Ravenna was Kevin Poland. Poland replaced long-time mayor Paul Jones who retired and moved to Florida after a scandal investigation regarding his practices as mayor. Ravenna Police Chief Randy McCoy initiated formal investigations by the county prosecutor after learning that the FBI had begun conducting a formal investigation of the former Mayor. The major focus of the city's investigation involved the Mayor's son, Paul Jones Jr., who was paid more than $274,900 over eight years for a questionable mowing contract.

In March, 2007, Jones was sentenced to sixteen months in a federal prison for various fraud charges.