Wadsworth, Ohio
Encyclopedia
As of the census
of 2000, there were 18,437 people, 7,276 households, and 5,144 families residing in the city. The population density
was 1,940.5 people per square mile (749.3/km²). There were 7,613 housing units at an average density of 801.3/sq mi (309.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.85% White, 0.39% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.
There ware 7,276 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples
living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,605, and the median income for a family was $58,850. Males had a median income of $41,626 versus $25,805 for females. The per capita income
for the city was $22,859. 5.4% of the population and 4.2% of families were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older.
Wadsworth High School and Wadsworth Middle School are members of the Ohio High School Athletic Association
. The high school and middle school mascot
is the Grizzly.
Wadsworth City School district operates eight schools. There are 5 elementary schools (kindergarten through grade 4), 1 intermediate school (grades 5 and 6), 1 middle school (grades 7 and 8), and 1 high school (grades 9 through 12). The total enrollment is approximately 4,849 students.
Wadsworth City Schools continue to excel in a variety of areas including achieving a rating of “Excellent” from the Ohio Department of Education the last five years. This rating is based on the State Report Card, measuring student achievement tests, student attendance rate, and graduation rate.
The district offers a variety of extracurricular activities in which students can participate, including sports, vocal and instrumental music, Drama Club, Academic Challenge, N.F.L., Speech and Debate, Chess Club, and Student Council. The district is referred to as “AAA” because students excel in “academics,” “athletics,” and the “arts.” There is also a before- and after-school child care program called Bear Cub Academy. Bear Cub is an affordable program for students in kindergarten through sixth grade; it includes homework help, enrichment, tutoring, games and activities for kids.
Parents are very active in the district, supporting numerous booster clubs for academics, sports, and band. W.H.Y.S. (Wadsworth Home Youth School) is the Parent-Teacher volunteer organization that supports the Wadsworth City School System by fostering a closer relation between home and school.
performances, paint ball shooting ranges, pony rides, bingo tents, and assorted musical performances. The year 2009 will mark the 37th annual Blue Tip Festival.
The Blue Tip Festival is named after the historic strike-anywhere blue tip matches which were once manufactured in Wadsworth. While match manufacturing left Wadsworth in the 1980s, the Blue Tip Festival uses the name and giant match to affirm the community's past and celebrate the modern American city. Today, the Festival is run by a non-profit organization, staffed entirely by volunteers, referred to as the Blue Tip Festival Committee. Revenues from the festival are donated to Wadsworth area non-profit groups.
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 18,437 people, 7,276 households, and 5,144 families residing in the city. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,940.5 people per square mile (749.3/km²). There were 7,613 housing units at an average density of 801.3/sq mi (309.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.85% White, 0.39% African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 0.71% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.68% of the population.
There ware 7,276 households out of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 8.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.3% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04.
In the city the population was spread out with 26.3% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.3% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $48,605, and the median income for a family was $58,850. Males had a median income of $41,626 versus $25,805 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the city was $22,859. 5.4% of the population and 4.2% of families were below the poverty line, including 5.7% of those under the age of 18 and 5.6% of those 65 and older.
Education
Wadsworth City Schools is the single largest employer in the city. The district has benefited from the support of the community, which passed six of the last seven levies put before the voters. In addition, the district voters supported the recent Medina County Sales Tax (the first in Ohio), at a rate of 74% for the levy. According to school district Treasurer Doug Beeman, revenues for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2007, exceeded expenditures as the school system continues to manage the resources provided by the community.Wadsworth High School and Wadsworth Middle School are members of the Ohio High School Athletic Association
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
. The high school and middle school mascot
Mascot
The term mascot – defined as a term for any person, animal, or object thought to bring luck – colloquially includes anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name...
is the Grizzly.
Wadsworth City School district operates eight schools. There are 5 elementary schools (kindergarten through grade 4), 1 intermediate school (grades 5 and 6), 1 middle school (grades 7 and 8), and 1 high school (grades 9 through 12). The total enrollment is approximately 4,849 students.
Wadsworth City Schools continue to excel in a variety of areas including achieving a rating of “Excellent” from the Ohio Department of Education the last five years. This rating is based on the State Report Card, measuring student achievement tests, student attendance rate, and graduation rate.
The district offers a variety of extracurricular activities in which students can participate, including sports, vocal and instrumental music, Drama Club, Academic Challenge, N.F.L., Speech and Debate, Chess Club, and Student Council. The district is referred to as “AAA” because students excel in “academics,” “athletics,” and the “arts.” There is also a before- and after-school child care program called Bear Cub Academy. Bear Cub is an affordable program for students in kindergarten through sixth grade; it includes homework help, enrichment, tutoring, games and activities for kids.
Parents are very active in the district, supporting numerous booster clubs for academics, sports, and band. W.H.Y.S. (Wadsworth Home Youth School) is the Parent-Teacher volunteer organization that supports the Wadsworth City School System by fostering a closer relation between home and school.
Blue Tip Festival
The Blue Tip Festival is a five-day celebration of the Wadsworth community. It starts with a parade and the lighting of a 20-foot-high, blue-tip match, which lights downtown Wadsworth during the festival's duration. The festival offers amusement rides, festival foods, midway games, contests, a local merchant's tent, and other entertainment. Additional events, such as the Wadsworth Running Club's "Matchstick 4 Mile" foot race and the "Blue Tip Idol" singing contest challenge area athletes and performers. Special events have included passenger train rides on the Blue Tip Express, Community Challenges between local organizations, big top circusCircus
A circus is commonly a travelling company of performers that may include clowns, acrobats, trained animals, trapeze acts, musicians, hoopers, tightrope walkers, jugglers, unicyclists and other stunt-oriented artists...
performances, paint ball shooting ranges, pony rides, bingo tents, and assorted musical performances. The year 2009 will mark the 37th annual Blue Tip Festival.
The Blue Tip Festival is named after the historic strike-anywhere blue tip matches which were once manufactured in Wadsworth. While match manufacturing left Wadsworth in the 1980s, the Blue Tip Festival uses the name and giant match to affirm the community's past and celebrate the modern American city. Today, the Festival is run by a non-profit organization, staffed entirely by volunteers, referred to as the Blue Tip Festival Committee. Revenues from the festival are donated to Wadsworth area non-profit groups.
Notable natives and residents
- Steven SweetSteven SweetSteven Sweet is a Los Angeles-based drummer who is most famous for being a member of Warrant.-Personal information:...
, drummer of band Warrant (American band)Warrant (American band)Warrant is an American heavy metal band from Hollywood, California, that experienced success from 1989-1996 with five albums reaching international sales of over 10 million. The band first came into the national spotlight with their debut album Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich, and one of its... - Andy SonnanstineAndy SonnanstineAndrew Michael Sonnanstine is a relief pitcher for the Tampa Bay Rays. Sonnanstine is a graduate of Wadsworth High School in Wadsworth, Ohio, and attended Kent State University...
, Tampa Bay RaysTampa Bay RaysThe Tampa Bay Rays are a Major League Baseball team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The Rays are a member of the Eastern Division of MLB's American League. Since their inception in , the club has played at Tropicana Field...
Major League pitcher - Michael ForemanMichael ForemanMichael James Foreman is an American astronaut.-Personal:Foreman was born in Columbus, Ohio, and grew up in Wadsworth, Ohio. He is married to Lorrie Dancer of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma...
, American astronautAstronautAn astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft.... - Scott Fletcher, Texas RangersTexas Rangers (baseball)The Texas Rangers are a professional baseball team in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex, based in Arlington, Texas. The Rangers are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League, and are the reigning A.L. Western Division and A.L. Champions. Since , the Rangers have...
Major League second baseman - Bob Jones, New York GiantsNew York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
National Football League longsnapper - Laura Spelman RockefellerLaura Spelman RockefellerLaura Celestia Spelman Rockefeller, , , was a philanthropist, the namesake of Spelman College, founded to educate black women in the South, and the Laura Spelman Rockefeller Memorial, and the wife of John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil...
, John D.Rockefeller's wife