Lorain

Lorain is a city of 64,000 people (2019) 30 miles west of Cleveland in Northeast Ohio. A former industrial center for shipbuilding, auto manufacturing, and steel, like other Rust Belt cities, the city faces population decline and urban decay.

Understand
The city sits on the shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Black River. The city is Ohio's tenth largest city, the third largest in Greater Cleveland, and the largest in Lorain County by population.

History
The city began as an unincorporated village, Charleston, in 1834. It was incorporated as a village under the name Lorain in 1874 and became a city in 1896.

The 1924 Lorain–Sandusky tornado hit the city on June 28, 1924. The tornado formed over the Sandusky Bay during the late afternoon hours and hit Sandusky, where it killed eight people and destroyed 100 homes and 25 businesses. After moving east over Lake Erie for several miles, the tornado then struck Lorain, killing 72. Among the dead were 15 people inside a collapsed theater, which makes it the worst tornado-related death toll from a single building in Ohio. Eight people were also killed inside the Bath House near the location where the tornado came onshore.

The city's economy has focused on heavy industry. Major industrial operations included the American Shipbuilding Lorain Yard on the City's east side, the Ford Motor Company Lorain Assembly Plant on the City's west side, and the steel production sector on the City's south side, NW consisting of the United States Steel and Republic Steel companies.

The American Shipbuilding Lorain Yard closed in 1983, urging more than 1,500 people out of work. The Ford Lorain Assembly Plant ceased production operations in 2005. In March 2020, US Steel idled its Lorain mill indefinitely, laying off 250 workers. At its peak in 1982, it had employed 8,600 people.

Get in
The City of Lorain is located on Erie Ave (Route 6 east/west) and Broadway (Route 57 north/south).

Amherst is south of Lorain, Vermilion to the west of Lorain and Sheffield Lake is to the east.

The easiest way driving into Lorain from the west is to take Exit 10 from Route 2 and head north into Lorain &mdash; about a 10-minute drive. From the East, take Exit 151 from Route 2 and head due west on Route 611 (Colorado Ave) into Lorain &mdash; also about 10 minutes.

See

 * Lorain International Festival. Every year, as part of the festival, there is a pageant of princesses who each represent their heritage.
 * Lorain International Festival. Every year, as part of the festival, there is a pageant of princesses who each represent their heritage.
 * Lorain International Festival. Every year, as part of the festival, there is a pageant of princesses who each represent their heritage.
 * Lorain International Festival. Every year, as part of the festival, there is a pageant of princesses who each represent their heritage.

Go next

 * Sandusky
 * Cleveland