Rocky River, Ohio

Rocky River, Ohio
City
Harbor and river entrance at Rocky River, Ohio Harbor and river entrance at Rocky River, Ohio
Official seal of Rocky River, Ohio Seal
Location in Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio. Location in Cuyahoga County and the state of Ohio.
Location of Ohio in the United States
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Cuyahoga
Settled	1810
Village incorporation	1903
City incorporation	1960
Government
• Type	Mayor-council
• Mayor	Pamela E. Bobst (R)
Area
• 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)
• Total	20,213
• Estimate (2012)	20,011
• 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
GNIS feature ID	1049132
Website	www.rrcity.com

Rocky River is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. An affluent western suburb of Cleveland, located approximately nine miles west of that city's downtown Public Square, the city is named for the river that forms its eastern border. The population was 20,213 at the time of the 2010 census.

Geography

Rocky River is at (41.475297, -81.845759).

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.

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

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1900	1,319		—
1910	1,174		−11.0%
1920	1,861		58.5%
1930	5,632		202.6%
1940	8,291		47.2%
1950	11,237		35.5%
1960	18,907		68.3%
1970	22,958		21.4%
1980	21,084		−8.2%
1990	20,410		−3.2%
2000	20,735		1.6%
2010	20,213		−2.5%
Est. 2014	19,700		−2.5%
Sources:

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, 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.

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

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, 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.

School	Grades	Enrollment	White	Black	Asian	Hispanic	Multi-Racial	Economically Disadvantaged	Limited English Proficient
Goldwood Primary School	K-2	562	90.2%	1.6%	2.3%	3.2%	2.7%	9.2%	5.0%
Kensington Intermediate School	3-5	592	91.2%	0.5%	2.0%	2.9%	3.4%	12.7%	4.9%
Rocky River Middle School	6-8	623	92.1%	0.6%	1.9%	3.0%	1.8%	12.5%	1.9%
Rocky River High School	9-12	850	91.9%	1.3%	2.4%	1.8%	2.4%	11.0%	2.0%

Private schools

School	Grades	Affiliation	Student Body	Enrollment
Le Chaperon Rouge	PK-K	Nonsectarian	Co-ed	126
St. Thomas Lutheran School	PK-K	Lutheran	Co-ed	34
Ruffing Montessori	PK-8	Nonsectarian	Co-ed	299
St. Christopher School	K-8	Roman Catholic	Co-ed	433
Lutheran West High School	9-12	Christian	Co-ed	444
Magnificat High School	9-12	Roman Catholic	Female	775

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
• 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, father of Johnny Manziel

(B) denotes that the person was born there.

• Kevin Barnes, front man and songwriter for the indie rock band of Montreal.(B)
• Nina Blackwood, the first of the original five MTV VJs, graduated from Rocky River High School in 1970.
• 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.
• 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)
• Sammy Kaye,Big Band Era bandleader and songwriter, graduated from Rocky River High School.
• Pat McCormick, comic actor and writer, grew up in Rocky River, and attended Rocky River High School.
• Martin Savidge, award-winning American television news correspondent for NBC News, was a resident when he graduated from Rocky River High School in 1976.
• 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.
• George Steinbrenner, businessman and one-time owner of the New York Yankees.(B)
• Brian K. Vaughan, comics and television writer.

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. 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.

References

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1910	1,174		—
1920	1,861		58.5%
1930	5,632		202.6%
1940	8,291		47.2%
1950	11,237		35.5%
1960	18,097		61.0%
1970	22,958		26.9%
1980	21,070		−8.2%
1990	20,410		−3.1%
2000	20,735		1.6%
2010	20,213		−2.5%

External links

• City government and services
• Chamber of Commerce
• Public library
• School district and State Board of Education Report Cards