Rocky River, Ohio

Rocky River, Ohio
Harbor and river entrance
Seal
Location in Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio.
Location of Ohio in the United States
Coordinates: 41°28′31″N 081°50′45″W / 41.47528°N 81.84583°W / 41.47528; -81.84583Coordinates: 41°28′31″N 081°50′45″W / 41.47528°N 81.84583°W / 41.47528; -81.84583
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Cuyahoga
Settled	1810 [1]
Village incorporation	1903 [1]
City incorporation	1960 [1]
Government
• Type	Mayor-council[2]
• Mayor	Pamela E. Bobst (R)[3][1]
Area[4]
• Total	5.61 sq mi (14.53 km2)
• Land	4.74 sq mi (12.28 km2)
• Water	0.87 sq mi (2.25 km2)  15.51%
Elevation	689 ft (210 m)
Population (2010)[5]
• Total	20,213
• Estimate (2015[6])	20,376
• Density	4,264.3/sq mi (1,646.5/km2)
	census
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
Zip code	44116
Area code(s)	440
FIPS code	39-68056[7]
GNIS feature ID	1049132
Website	rrcity.com

Rocky River is a city in western Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. A suburb of Cleveland, it is located along the shore of Lake Erie approximately 9 miles (14 km) west of downtown Cleveland. The city is named for the Rocky River that forms its eastern border.^[8] The population was 20,213 at the time of the 2010 census.

Geography

Rocky River is at 41°28′31″N 81°50′45″W / 41.47528°N 81.84583°W / 41.47528; -81.84583 (41.475297, -81.845759).^[9]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.61 square miles (14.53 km²), of which 4.74 square miles (12.28 km²) is land and 0.87 square miles (2.25 km²) is water.^[4]

Most of Rocky River's eastern border follows the river bearing its name, which runs through the Rocky River Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks system, adjacent to the city's eastern neighbor, Lakewood. A small strip of Cleveland itself also borders Rocky River; however, the two cities are not directly connected via road. Lake Erie lines the entire northern border of the city while the city of Fairview Park marks the southern border. On Rocky River's western border are the cities of Bay Village to the northwest and Westlake to the southwest.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census,^[5] there were 20,213 people, 9,283 households, and 5,242 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,264.3 inhabitants per square mile (1,646.5/km²). There were 10,181 housing units at an average density of 2,147.9 per square mile (829.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.5% White, 1.0% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.8% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 9,283 households of which 25.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.9% were married couples living together, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 43.5% were non-families. 39.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.95.

The median age in the city was 45.6 years. 21.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.5% were from 25 to 44; 28.5% were from 45 to 64; and 22.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.1% male and 53.9% female.

Of the city's population over the age of 25, 54.8% hold a bachelor's degree or higher.^[14]

91.8% spoke English, 1.9% Spanish, 1.4% Arabic, 1.2% Hungarian, 1.0% German, and 0.8% Greek.^[15]

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census,^[7] there were 20,735 people, 9,709 households, and 5,437 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,360.8 people per square mile (1,685.4/km²). There were 10,166 housing units at an average density of 2,138.0 per square mile (826.3/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.83% White, 0.41% African American, 0.07% Native American, 1.33% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 1.08% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 9,709 households, out of which 22.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 47.2% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 44.0% were non-families. 40.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.11 and the average family size was 2.90.

In the city the population was spread out with 20.9% under the age of 18, 4.3% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.6% from 45 to 64, and 24.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females there were 82.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 77.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $71,636, and the median income for a family was $94,361. Males had a median income of $62,727 versus $32,145 for females. The per capita income for the city was $34,663. About 1.5% of families and 2.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.3% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Public schools

The Rocky River City School District serves the entire city of Rocky River and a small portion of the city Fairview Park. In the 2012–2013 school year, the Rocky River City Schools served 2,460 students. The district earned the "Excellent with Distinction" rating from the Ohio Department of Education and was ranked 3rd out of 610 school districts in the state.

Private schools

Government

Federally, Rocky River is part of Ohio's 16th congressional district, represented by Republican Representative Jim Renacci.

Churches

• Buna Vestire Romanian Orthodox Church
• First Church of Christ, Scientist
• Lighthouse Alliance Church
• Illuminati Church of Our Lord and Savior
• Our Savior’s Rocky River Lutheran Church
• Rockport United Methodist Church
• Rocky River Presbyterian Church
• Rocky River United Methodist Church
• St. Christopher Roman Catholic Church
• St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church
• St. Peregrine’s Catholic Chapel of the Traditional Roman Rite
• St. Thomas Lutheran Church
• Westshore Unitarian Universalist Church

Notable people

Carter Camper

Sammy Kaye

(B) denotes that the person was born there.

• Kevin Barnes, front man and songwriter for the indie rock band of Montreal.(B)^[16]
• Nina Blackwood, the first of the original five MTV VJs, graduated from Rocky River High School in 1970.^[17]
• Clint Brown, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians and the Chicago White Sox, was a resident when he died in 1955.
• Carter Camper, ice hockey player who made his NHL debut with the Boston Bruins.^[18]
• Barry Clemens - NBA basketball player. He spent two seasons with the Cavaliers, and also played for several other teams. After basketball, he lived in Rocky River and worked as a stock broker.
• Chris Hovan, professional American football player for the St. Louis Rams(B)^[19]
• Sammy Kaye, Big Band Era bandleader and songwriter, graduated from Rocky River High School.^[20]
• Pat McCormick, comic actor and writer, grew up in Rocky River, and attended Rocky River High School.^[21]
• Martin Savidge, award-winning American television news correspondent for NBC News, was a resident when he graduated from Rocky River High School in 1976.^[22]
• Herb Score, pitcher, and long-time radio broadcaster (1968–97) for the Cleveland Indians, his home and where he died in 2008.
• Michael Stanley - Rock musician, graduated from Rocky River High School.^[23]
• George Steinbrenner, businessman and one-time owner of the New York Yankees.(B)^[24][25]
• Brian K. Vaughan, comics and television writer.^[26]

Library

Rocky River Public Library is home to the Cowan Pottery Museum. It features over 1200 pieces of a distinctive form of American art pottery created by R. Guy Cowan and his associates at the Cowan Pottery Studio from 1913-1931. It was one of the nation's leading potteries during the 1920s, and the Cleveland area's only major pottery.^[27] The library also contains the Schlather antique collection from the estate of Leonard Schlather, a prominent Cleveland brewer who also resided in Rocky River in the early 1900s.

Sports

Rocky River is the home of the Rocky River Steelheads U18 Baseball Team. Competing in the CVBA in 2016, the Steelheads recorded a 16-1 record which propelled them to a top seed in the nationwide tournament. The Steelheads were recently named the "Best U18 Summer Baseball Team in North America" by Max Preps.

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Rocky River, Ohio.

• Official website
• Rocky River Chamber of Commerce

	Bay Village	Lake Erie
	Westlake		Lakewood
		Rocky River
	North Olmsted	Fairview Park	Cleveland

Municipalities and communities of Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States
County seat: Cleveland
Cities	Bay Village Beachwood Bedford Bedford Heights Berea Brecksville Broadview Heights Brook Park Brooklyn Cleveland Cleveland Heights East Cleveland Euclid Fairview Park Garfield Heights Highland Heights Independence Lakewood Lyndhurst Maple Heights Mayfield Heights Middleburg Heights North Olmsted North Royalton Olmsted Falls Parma Parma Heights Pepper Pike Richmond Heights Rocky River Seven Hills Shaker Heights Solon South Euclid Strongsville University Heights Warrensville Heights Westlake
Villages	Bentleyville Bratenahl Brooklyn Heights Chagrin Falls Cuyahoga Heights Gates Mills Glenwillow Highland Hills Hunting Valley‡ Linndale Mayfield Moreland Hills Newburgh Heights North Randall Oakwood Orange Valley View Walton Hills Woodmere
Townships	Chagrin Falls Olmsted Paper townships
Footnotes	‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties