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

By car

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

By plane

• Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport (CLE ^IATA), ☏ +1 216 265-6000, 5300 Riverside Drive, (take OH-237 N, OH-17 W, I-480 W, OH-10 W, and OH-57 N to get to Elyria).
• Richards Airport (9OH4). Private use. Permission required prior to landing, ☏ +1 216 324-3109, 2301 W River Rd N.
• 1 Elyria Airport (1G1), 10800 Middle Ave, ☏ +1 440 343-4943. Open to the public. No commercial flights. (updated Jan 2019)
• 2 Lorain County Regional Airport (FAA LID: LPR), 44050 Russia Rd, ☏ +1 440 323-4063. General aviation airport open to the public. (updated Dec 2018)

By train

See also: Rail travel in the United States

• 3 Elyria station (ELY), 410 E River St. Includes an enclosed waiting area with restrooms. (updated Dec 2018) Train operator:
  • Amtrak, ☏ +1 215-856-7924, toll-free: +1-800-872-7245. Operates trains throughout the United States of America. (updated Dec 2020) Most Amtrak routes serving Cleveland arrive and depart in the 1AM-5AM time frame. Routes stopping at Elyria:
    • Capitol Limited operates daily between Chicago and Washington, D.C. including stops in South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Alliance, Pittsburgh, Connellsville, Cumberland, Martinsburg, Harpers Ferry, and Rockville.
    • Lake Shore Limited operating daily between Chicago and Boston or New York City. It makes stops at most stations along the route, though it does not stop at some of the smallest stations. Trains consist of train cars from both branches between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer). The trains split into separate branches between Albany (Rensselaer) and both Boston and New York City. Stops between Chicago and Albany (Rensselaer) include South Bend, Elkhart, Waterloo, Bryan, Toledo, Sandusky, Elyria, Cleveland, Erie, Buffalo (Depew), Rochester, Syracuse, Utica, and Schenectady. Stops between Albany (Rensselaer) and Boston include Pittsfield, Springfield, Worcester, Framingham.

Get around

• Lorain County Transit (LCT), ☏ +1 440 329-5525, +1 440 244-6261. An on-demand service called ViaLC.  

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)
• Lorain County Historical Society and Museum, 509 Washington Ave, ☏ +1 440 322-3341. 

Do

• Stocker Arts Center, 1005 North Abbe Rd, ☏ +1 440 366-4040. Lorain County Community College's Stocker Center is one of Ohio's top performance and visual arts venues. The center hosts music, theatre, and dance performances, while also featuring gallery exhibitions from students, community members, and professional artists. The center houses a 994-seat theatre, 219-seat lecture hall, smaller theatre, cinema, dance studio, rehearsal hall, and art gallery. 
• Finwood Estate, 799 North Abbe Rd, ☏ +1 440 365-7101. Christmas light display. 
• North Park Sports Complex, 901 Duffy St, ☏ +1 440 365-4251. 
• Forest Hills Golf Course, 41971 Oberlin-Elyria Rd, ☏ +1 440 323-2632. 

• 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. 

Buy

• Molnar Outdoor, 9191 Leavitt Rd, ☏ +1 440 986-3366. 
• Grobe Fruit Farm, 43875 Telegraph Rd, ☏ +1 440 332-8312. Open July through April, Grobe Fruit Farm offers fresh seasonal fruits, vegetables, and pasteurized cider. 
• Keith's Comics, 394 Broad St, ☏ +1 440 323-2000. Comic book store with a wide selection of comic books and some handmade trinkets. (updated Apr 2024)
• Pearl's Girls Knit & Stitch, 604 Middle Ave Back, ☏ +1 440 309-7304. A small business featuring yarns, needles, and hand stitched goods. There is a class ran there on occasion, and there is a small sitting area. (updated Apr 2024)

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)
• Smitty's Place, 368 E. Bridge St., ☏ +1 440 323-9708. Smitty's features a great lunch and dinner menu along with excellent happy hour and beverage selections. Smitty's provides a family friendly dining room and patio seating in warm weather as well as bar seating where the sports are always on. 
• The Marketplace @Lorain County Community College, 1005 Abbe Rd., North Elyria, ☏ +1 440-366-3526. community college cafe dining. 

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

• Best Western Inn, 636 Griswold Rd, ☏ +1 440 324-5050, fax: +1 440 324-1788. 
• Quality Inn, 739 Leona St, ☏ +1 440 324-7676. 
• Holiday Inn Express & Suites Elyria, 645 Griswold Rd, ☏ +1 440 324-0099. 
• Sycamore Suites, 621 Midway Blvd, ☏ +1 440 324-4444. 
• Sprucewood Inn, 912 Lorain Blvd, ☏ +1 440 323-7488. 

Connect

• 1 Elyria Public Library, 320 Washington Ave, ☏ +1 440 323-5747. Offers public computers to non library card holders for up to 30 minutes a day. (updated Nov 2018)

Go next

• Amherst
• Cleveland

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