Elyria

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

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), +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.

By train

• Train operator:

Go Elyria station (ELY)

Includes an enclosed waiting area with restrooms.

📍 410 E River St⚠ Last checked Dec 2018 — confirm before you go

MapsWebsite☆ Want to go

• 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

Go next

• Amherst
• Cleveland