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Elyria is a city in Northeast Ohio. It is the county seat of Lorain County. Elyria sits at the forks of the Black River 23 mi (37 km) southwest of Cleveland. The city is home to Lorain County Community College.

Understand

The city's name is derived from the surname of its founder, Heman Ely, and Illyria, the historical name used by ancient Greeks and Romans to refer to the western Balkans.

In 2010, the city had a population of 55,000.

History

Former Lorain County Courthouse

The village of Elyria was founded in 1817 by Heman Ely, who built a log house, dam, gristmill and sawmill on the village's site along the Black River. Ely began to build more houses to accommodate European-American settlers migrating there. By the time Ely died in 1852, Elyria had five churches, three grocery stores, three flour mills, a newspaper, and a population of more than 1,500.

In the first half of the 20th century, the town developed some manufacturing, and a range of retail businesses.

In 1967, at the peak of Elyria's population, Midway Mall was opened. It changed the local economy by attracting local businesses from the town center or causing so much competition they went out of business. Industrial restructuring meant that good jobs left the area, and poverty increased. Three major car plant closings in the area lead to economic stagnation and joblessness in the 1970s and 1980s that affected numerous communities. The region was nicknamed "the Rustbelt," suggesting the decline of its former industries.

In the 1990s, Elyria experienced a minor revival with construction of some new roads and housing. It serves as a residential, suburban "bedroom community" for Cleveland, to the east, where new businesses and industries are developing with an increase in new jobs. Hard times and new ideas hit Elyria as the 2000s and 2010s rolled on, as industries such as Bendix, Riddell, and 3M took their business elsewhere, outside the city.

Get in

Map
Map of Elyria (Ohio)

By car

OH-2, OH-57, OH-113, OH-301, US-20, I-80/Ohio Turnpike, and I-90.

By plane

By train

There are two Amtrak routes serving Elyria, firstly the Capitol Limited between Washington, D.C. and Chicago via Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Secondly the Lake Shore Limited between Boston/New York and Chicago, running via Springfield, Buffalo, Cleveland, Toledo and more.

  • 3 Elyria Amtrak Station (ELY), 410 E River St. Includes an enclosed waiting area with restrooms. Elyria station (Q5368509) on Wikidata Elyria station on Wikipedia (updated Dec 2018)

Get around

See

East Falls
  • 1 East Falls, Kerstetter Way (From I-80, I-90, & OH-2: take OH-57 S, OH-57 S becomes Lorain Blvd, Lorain Blvd becomes Gateway Blvd, turn left on Lake Ave, Lake Ave becomes West Ave, & turn left on Kerstetter Way. From OH-57 & OH-113: go south on Lorain Blvd, Lorain Blvd becomes Gateway Blvd, turn left on Lake Ave, Lake Ave becomes West Ave, & turn left on Kerstetter Way. From US-20 & OH-301: go west on E Broad St & turn right on Kerstetter Way). (updated Dec 2018)
  • 2 Hickories Museum, 509 Washington Ave, ☏ +1 440 322-3341. (updated Dec 2018)

Do

  • Elyria Parks & Recreation, 131 Court St, ☏ +1 440 326-1500. 
  • Finwood Estate, 799 North Abbe Rd, ☏ +1 440 365-7101. 
  • North Park Sports Complex, 901 Duffy St, ☏ +1 440 365-4251. 
  • Forest Hills Golf Course, 41971 Oberlin-Elyria Rd, ☏ +1 440 323-2632. 
  • Commemorative Air Force - Cleveland Wing, 44050 Russia Rd, ☏ +1 440 323-8335. 
  • Monteith Hall, 218 East Ave, ☏ +1 440 322-0524. 
  • Holy Love Ministries, 37137 Butternut Ridge Rd, ☏ +1 440 327-8006. 
  • 1 Cascade Park, 120 Floradale Ct (from I-80, I-90, & OH-2: take OH-57 S, turn right on West River Rd N, & turn left on Floradale Ct. From OH-57 & OH-113: go south on West River Rd N & turn left on Floradale Ct. From US-20 & OH-301: take OH-57 N, turn left on West River Rd N, & turn left on Floradale Ct), ☏ +1 440 326-1500. Includes a concession stand, a nature center/meeting facility, some nature/hiking trails, some picnic shelters, some playground equipment, some restrooms, and a sledding hill. 
  • Abbe Road Park, 740 North Abbe Rd (from I-90 & OH-2: take OH-57 N, turn right on OH-254, turn right on Gulf Rd, turn left on Burns Rd, & turn right on OH-301. From I-80: take OH-57 S & turn left on OH-301. From US-20, OH-57, & OH-113: take OH-301 N. From OH-301: On east side of OH-301.), ☏ +1 440 326-1500. Includes some basketball courts, and a small playground area. 
  • Bell Avenue Park, Bell Ave & Furnace St (from I-80, I-90, & OH-2: take OH-57 S & turn left on Bell Ave. From OH-57: go east on Bell Ave. From OH-113 go north on Furnace St. From OH-301 & US-20: take OH-57 N & turn right on Furnace St), ☏ +1 440 326-1500. Includes a small playground area. 

Buy

Eat

  • 1 Rubin's Deli and Restaurant, 616 Leona St (from I-90 and OH-2: take OH-57 S, turn right on Griswold Rd, and turn left on Leona St. From I-80, OH-113, US-20, and OH-301: take OH 57 N, turn right on Midway Mall Blvd, turn left on Tillotson St, and turn left on 49th St), ☏ +1 440 324-3666. (updated Dec 2018)

Drink

  • 1 The Pub, 8741 West Ridge Road, ☏ +1 440 322-5536. Noon-2AM. Great local bar and food all under 10 bucks. Daily food specials, ample parking, music fun and more. under $10. 

Sleep

Connect

Go next

Routes through Elyria
Toledo ← Sandusky ←  W  E  → Cleveland → Pittsburgh
Toledo ← Sandusky ←  W  E  → Cleveland → Buffalo (Depew)
Toledo ← Vermilion ←  W  E  → North Ridgeville → Akron
Toledo/Sandusky ← Amherst ←  W  E  → Avon → Cleveland
Toledo ← Oberlin ←  W  E  → North Ridgeville → Cleveland


This city travel guide to Elyria is a usable article. It has information on how to get there and on restaurants and hotels. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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