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Record Courier
Census:
Brimfield tops for growth: Township population
jumps 30.3 percent, the highest increase in
Portage County
March 11,
2011
By Thomas Gallick, Diane Smith and Holly
Schoenstein | Staff writers
An analysis of the 2010 census numbers shows
that Brimfield’s growth exceeds any other
community in Portage County. Brimfield had the
largest percentage jump in population, with a
30.3 percent increase from the 2000 census.
That growth rate was slightly higher than
Streetsboro, which had a rate of 30.2 percent.
Brimfield’s population is higher than any
other village or township in Portage County.
“That’s what we’ve been telling everybody for
years,” said Trustee Mike Kostensky.
“Brimfield is just a great place to live.
We’ve got all the retail and modern housing
development. We’ve got a great fire
department, police department, great board of
trustees and a great hometown newspaper. What
else do you need?”
Kostensky said the township suspected its
population had exceeded 10,000 in recent
years, but didn’t have confirmation of that
until the census numbers came out.
Streetsboro Mayor Art Scott said he was not
surprised by the city’s 30.2 percent growth to
16,028 residents because earlier assessments
by the city showed similar results.
“It’s now getting out there that this is a
place people want to live,” he said. “From the
amount of young people I’ve talked to
throughout the year, they’ve moved here from
other areas, and they think it’s great here.”
Aurora grew 14.7 percent to a population
15,548, a number Mayor Lynn McGill expected to
be slightly higher. McGill said a number of
factors, including “excellent, well managed
local government,” led to the growth.
Also seeing consistent growth, Rootstown’s
population expanded by 14 percent to 8,225.
Kent reversed its 3.2 percent decline in
population from the last census, gaining 3.6
percent to 28,904. City officials could not be
reached for comment.
In Ravenna, the city and township both lost
population, but the losses amounted to less
than 1 percent in both communities. The city
lost 0.4 percent of its population, at 11,724
residents, and the township lost 0.7 percent
of its population at 9,209.
The city’s population has remained virtually
unchanged over 50 years. In 1960, Ravenna had
10,918 residents, and the township had 6,307.
Robert Finney, Ravenna’s city engineer and
chief building official, said he’s not
surprised at the slight population dip.
He said the city is in the process of updating
its rental property list, and is discovering
that some properties are vacant, and there
also have been many foreclosures.
“That would explain why the numbers are down,”
he said. “There’s a lot of empty structures in
the city right now.”
Ravenna Township Trustee Hank Gibson said the
numbers don’t surprise him, noting that it’s
not uncommon to lose population given
foreclosures in recent years.
“People look to move to bigger cities and
warmer climates,” he said. “I was hoping with
the beautiful new high school that people
would migrate to Ravenna, but it’s not the
right time. It’s all about timing.”
In neighboring Deerfield and Edinburg
Townships, the numbers were a study in
contrast. Edinburg gained by 10.3 percent with
a population of 2,586 but Deerfield lost 12.1
percent of its population, with 2,822.
Edinburg Trustee Diane Hargett Austin
questioned the numbers.
“I’m wondering since we’re in such close
proximity, if they got our numbers mixed up,”
she said. “I would have to question the
numbers, especially with Deerfield going
down.”
Austin, who once served as the township’s
zoning inspector, said at one point it wasn’t
uncommon to see 18 to 20 homes built in a
year, but that number has dwindled to the
single digits in recent years.
She also said many homes are vacant because of
foreclosure.
Nancy Cowan, fiscal officer for Deerfield,
said she was surprised by the report of a
steep decline. The 2000 census showed 16.2
percent growth in the township’s population.
“A lot of people moved down from Cleveland and
the other cities to new homes in Deerfield
when they retired,” she said. “We’ve had a lot
of homes foreclosed on (since then). The 12
percent number is surprising, though.”
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Be
Informed, Be prepared!
- Get the latest information you might need and
answer to your questions by visiting
www.pandemicflu.gov. A safe community is a
prepared community.
For More Information
Portage County Health Department 330-296-9919
www.co.portage.oh.us/healthdepartment.htm
In the right text box under "Announcements" are
2 PowerPoint Presentations and news release.
www.co.portage.oh.us/healthdept_pages/nursing.htm
The Nursing Division has a Pandemic FAQ.
Additional sources of information are listed
below
www.cdc.gov Centers for Disease Control
www.who.int/en World Health Organization
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HOUSE NUMBERS NEEDED FOR SAFETY FORCES!
At the April 12, 2006 Township Trustee meeting
residents asked about the importance of
displaying house numbers. Both our Fire and
Police Chiefs stated that when responding to an
emergency situation, large visible house numbers
reduce confusion and the amount of time needed
for our safety forces to respond.
"Finding the right home quickly after dark can
sometimes be difficult" Fire Chief Robert Keller
said.
During an emergency, seconds can seem like hours
while waiting for safety forces to arrive. You
need to do your part to help them arrive
quickly. "The best types of numbers to display
are those that reflect light" said Police Chief
David Blough. Please take the time this spring
to ensure that your house number is clearly
visible from the street.
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ATTENTION ALL BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP RESIDENTS!!!
LICENSE PLATES PURCHASED FOR YOUR VEHICLES
CONTRIBUTE ROAD AND BRIDGE MONIES TO BRIMFIELD
TOWNSHIP! IF YOU DO NOT STATE THAT YOU LIVE IN
BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP WHEN YOU PURCHASE LICENSE
PLATES OR RENEW THEM YOUR TOWNSHIP WILL NOT GET
THE BENEFIT OF THE TAX DOLLARS. THEY WILL GO TO
THE CITY OF KENT, MOGADORE OR RAVENNA YOUR
MAILING ADDRESS OF RECORD. HELP US KEEP OUR
ROADS AND BRIDGES IN GOOD REPAIR. MAKE SURE YOU
INFORM THE LICENSE BUREAU THAT YOU LIVE IN
BRIMFIELD TOWNSHIP.
THANK YOU!!!
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Brimfield Twp is creating a wall of History, and
is seeking early Brimfield township photos for
donation, or to let us copy and display. Any
interested residents please contact Carol Nelson
at 330-678-0739 , or Mike Kostensky - yikesplace@aol.com
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