Coordinates: 41°14′23″N 81°26′27″W / 41.2398397°N 81.4407840°W / 41.2398397; -81.4407840
Hudson is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 22,439 at the 2000 census, making it the 389th largest city in the Midwest. This number rose to 23,037 at the 2008 census estimates.[4] It is an affluent exurban community and is part of the Akron, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area according to the U.S. Census Bureau, but is also commonly considered a Cleveland suburb.[citation needed] It is also part of the larger Cleveland-Akron-Elyria Combined Statistical Area.
In June 2009, Hudson was rated as one of MSN's most expensive suburbs to live in.[5]
Geography
North Main Street, with the landmark clock tower visible to the right
Hudson is located at 41°14′36″N 81°26′20″W / 41.24333°N 81.43889°W / 41.24333; -81.43889 [6]. According to the Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 25.9 square miles (67.0 km²), of which, 25.6 square miles (66.3 km²) of it is land and 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²) of it (1.04%) is water.
Neighbors
Hudson's neighbors are, starting at the northern corporate boundary and proceeding clockwise:
Watersheds
Hudson's surface water flows into five major watersheds. The three most prominent are Brandywine Creek, Mud Brook, and Tinkers Creek. A small part of the western edge of town drains into the Cuyahoga River, and the southeastern corner of the city drains into Fish Creek.[7]
ZIP codes
Hudson is covered by United States Postal Service ZIP code 44236. According to the Postal Service, 44237 is allocated to the Allstate Insurance Company as a unique ZIP Code.[8] While not listed in the USPS's online ZIP Code search, 44238 is also a unique ZIP code given to the Mid-Continent Telephone Co. (now known as Windstream Communications).[9]
Communication
Hudson lies within the 330/234 area code overlay. Until 1996, Area Code 216 also included Hudson. The following telephone exchanges are used within the 44236 ZIP code: 650, 653, 655, 656, 342, 528, and 463.[10] Hudson falls within both the Cleveland and Akron LATAs (Local Calling Areas), and therefore has local calling privileges to both areas.
Cable television in Hudson is provided by Time Warner Cable. Hudson was formerly part of the Adelphia Western Reserve system.
Transportation
Ohio's State Route 303, State Route 91, and State Route 8 pass through Hudson. Interstate 480 cuts through the extreme northeast corner of the city, and Interstate 80, the Ohio Turnpike, bisects the city from west to east.
Hudson, unlike many surrounding communities, has retained two-lane roadways in much of its downtown. This has helped preserve the open spaces, historical buildings, and trees that the city values. However, the traffic congestion is considered a problem by many. Recent and future connector streets aim to reduce these problems. Another inconvenience to Hudsonites is the busy Norfolk Southern Railway passing through town. Two at-grade crossings, one on Hines Hill Road and the other on Stow Road, can lead to backups. The presence of the railroad, as well as the Turnpike, have limited new road construction due to the expense of crossing them. Amtrak's Capitol Limited train uses these tracks but does not stop in Hudson.
There is very little public transportation. There are some services from Metro RTA. However, much of Hudson is accessible by foot or bike.
History
The city is named after its founder, David Hudson. Hudson moved here from Goshen, Connecticut in 1799.
The Underground Railroad passed through Hudson, and Hudson was the childhood home of John Brown after his family moved there in 1805.
James Ellsworth and his wealth helped modernize Hudson in the early twentieth century. His son, Lincoln Ellsworth, was a polar explorer, and also the only Hudsonite ever featured on a U.S. postage stamp.
Dante Lavelli, a Pro Football Hall of Fame member, played for Hudson High School's football team.
On November 28, 1973, a large area of the village, "roughly bounded by College, Streetsboro, S. Main, and Baldwin" streets, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Hudson Historic District. The historic district was expanded on October 10, 1989 to also include the area "roughly bounded by Hudson St., Old Orchard Dr., Aurora St., Oviatt St., Streetsboro St., and College St. to Aurora (street)". In addition to the Hudson Historic District, there are several additional properties in Hudson listed on the Register.[11]
In November 2002, Hudson was the first community in the U.S. to launch a citywide electronic gift card. The card was introduced by the Hudson Chamber of Commerce to help stimulate and keep shopping dollars with the independent merchants in town.
In July 2003, heavy, constant rains led to minor to severe floods in Hudson. Two Hudsonites died in this 300-year flood event.
Education
The chapel of Western Reserve Academy
Public education is provided by the Hudson City School District. The largest school in the district is Hudson High School. Other schools include the Hudson Montessori School and Seton Catholic School.
There are also many private schools in the area. Hudson was the original home of what would become Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland and remains home to the Western Reserve Academy, a co-ed prep school housed on the original campus of Western Reserve College. Western Reserve Academy is also home to Encore School for Strings, the summer session of the Cleveland Institute of Music.
Government
From 1837 to 1994, the area that is now the City of Hudson was in two parts, the Village of Hudson and Hudson Township. In 1994, voters approved a merger uniting the city.
Council, Mayor, and City Manager
Today, the city is governed by a seven-member city council. There are four council representatives representing the four wards in Hudson, and three representatives at-large.[12] Hudson has a council-manager government. At present, the Council President is David Basil.[1]. The current City Manager is Anthony J. Bales. The current Mayor is the honorable William A. Currin.
Hudson Cable Television
In 1996, Hudson Cable Television, a Public-access television cable network, debuted. Station facilities are located in Hudson High School. The network serves Hudson residents by providing equipment, facilities, and technical support for public access programming. Hudson Cable TV, or HCTV, also produces original programming of its own. Government meetings, such as those of the Council of the City of Hudson and the Hudson Board of Education, are recorded and broadcast to cable TV subscribers within the Hudson area. Hudson High School sport events, community music performances, and lectures are often recorded by Hudson Cable Television or public-access users.
Business
The Hudson Acme, after hours.
Commercial and industrial
Hudson was once home to General Motors Euclid Division, Terex. Today, the headquarters of Jo-Ann Stores, Inc. are located in the former Terex plant.
Other notable businesses located in Hudson:
Retail
The "First and Main" shopping district.
Most of Hudson's retail outlets are located in concentrated areas. Most notable are the two downtown blocks of historic buildings located on North Main Street. The original center of business in Hudson, the stores and offices located "downtown" still stand today in continued commercial use.
In 1962, the first part of the Hudson Plaza shopping center opened on West Streetsboro Street. It has always been anchored by the Acme grocery store, which moved there from its former location on North Main Street. Expansions of the plaza continued through the 1990s. A unique McDonald's restaurant, resembling a house, opened in 1985. The original building, housing Acme, was extensively renovated in 2000.
Most of the remaining retail is located along Darrow Road, about one mile (1.6 km) south of the center of town. These are additional small retail plazas and freestanding buildings.
2004 marked the opening of First & Main, a mixed-use development just west of North Main Street. The Hudson Library & Historical Society relocated here in 2005.
Dining
Much of Hudson's dining is centralized downtown. Hudson contains dozens of restaurants that encompass many different styles of food.
Culture and religion
Christ Church Episcopal, in downtown Hudson.
In 1984, Hudson and Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria, Germany, became sister cities.[15]
There are many churches and other places of worship in Hudson. There are several Christian denominations present, including United Church of Christ, Lutheran, Christian Science, Presbyterian, United Methodist, Anglican, and Roman Catholic, and non-denominational congregations as well as a Jewish temple.
Parks and recreation
The Hudson Park Board oversees more than one thousand acres (4 km²) of parkland in the city.[16] The most prominent property is Hudson Springs Park, which has a lake, a walking trail, a disc golf course, and docks. Cascade Park, Barlow Farm Park, and Colony Park are large neighborhood parks used for sports and general family recreation. Other properties, such as Doc's Woods, MacLaren Woods, Trumbull Woods, and Bicentennial Woods, are kept as forested nature preserves. The first Hudson Park, Wildlife Woods, is actually located west of the city in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.
On multiple occasions, High Point Park has been the subject of criminal mischief in the Hudson Hub, a local newspaper. In 2000, the park's natural gas well was set on fire and contributed to a blaze that scorched 1-2 acres of grassland. Three juveniles were charged with arson. The park has also been home to some of the largest tree houses in Ohio. Police have dismantled three forts colloquially known as "moon towers," each standing in excess of 40 feet (12 m) and visible from Google Earth.[17]
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 22,439 people, 7,357 households, and 6,349 families residing in the city. The population density was 876.9 people per square mile (338.6/km²). There were 7,636 housing units at an average density of 298.4/sq mi (115.2/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.65% White, 2.82% Asian, 1.48% African American, 0.09% Native American, 0.20% from other races, and 0.75% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.82% of the population.
There were 7,357 households out of which 49.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 79.7% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 13.7% were non-families. 12.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.30.
In the city, the population was spread out with 33.5% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.0 males.
The community is quite affluent. According to a 2007 estimate, the median income for a household in the city was $112,740, and a median income for a family was $128,727.[18] Males had a median income of $87,169 versus $38,226 for females. The per capita income for the city was $40,915. About 1.3% of families and 1.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 2.2% of those under age 18 and 2.0% of those age 65 or over.
Historical census population figures
Number of Township and Village residents:
- 1950: 2,877
- 1960: 4,977
- 1970: 8,395
- 1980: 12,643
- 1990: 17,128 [19]
See also
References
- ^ a b Council Elects David A. Basil as Council President : 1/21/2009 Accessed 2009-01-24.
- ^ a b "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/ United States Census Bureau: American FactFinder. Retrieved 30 July 2009.
- ^ MSN list of most expensive suburbs Retrieved June 13, 2009.
- ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ http://www.hudson.oh.us/departments/ISGIS/maps/MajorWatersheds_11x17.pdf City of Hudson Major Watersheds. City of Hudson, Department of Public Works, GIS Division. retrieved July 9, 2006.
- ^ http://www.usps.com United States Postal Service
- ^ 44238
- ^ http://www.telcodata.us/telcodata/coinfo?clli=HDSNOHXA Telcodata. US Central Office Information, retrieved July 9, 2006.
- ^ http://www.nr.nps.gov/ National Register Information System. retrieved July 9, 2006.
- ^ http://www.hudson.oh.us/government/council/index.asp Council of the City of Hudson.
- ^ http://www.mgae.com/press_releases/press_releases.asp MGA Entertainment press release. retrieved September 12, 2006.
- ^ http://www.flood.com/Flood/DIY/AboutFlood/CompanyHistory.htm Flood Company History. retrieved July 9, 2006.
- ^ http://www.hudson.oh.us/profile/sistercity.asp City of Hudson: Sister City. retrireved July 9, 2006.
- ^ http://www.hudson.oh.us/elements/parks%20brochure.pdf Hudson Parks brochure. retrieved July 9, 2006.
- ^ "Google Earth". Google. http://earth.google.com.
- ^ http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/ACSSAFFFacts?_event=Search&geo_id=16000US3922694&_geoContext=01000US%7C04000US39%7C16000US3922694&_street=&_county=hudson&_cityTown=hudson&_state=04000US39&_zip=&_lang=en&_sse=on&ActiveGeoDiv=geoSelect&_useEV=&pctxt=fph&pgsl=160&_submenuId=factsheet_1&ds_name=ACS_2007_3YR_SAFF&_ci_nbr=null&qr_name=null®=null%3Anull&_keyword=&_industry=
- ^ Caccamo, James F. The Story of Hudson Ohio. Hudson, Ohio: The Friends of the Hudson Library, Inc. 1995. p. 43
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