Mentor, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mentor, Ohio
City
James A. Garfield National Historic Site
Flag Seal
Motto(s):  "The City of Choice"
Location in Greater Cleveland
Mentor, Ohio Location in Ohio Show map of Ohio Mentor, Ohio Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Lake
Government
• Type	Council-manager
Area
• Total	27.99 sq mi (72.50 km2)
• Land	27.80 sq mi (71.99 km2)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.51 km2)
Elevation	630 ft (190 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	47,450
• Density	1,707.02/sq mi (659.09/km2)
Demonym(s)	Mentorite
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	44060-44061
Area code(s)	440 436
FIPS code	39-49056
GNIS feature ID	1086425

Mentor is the biggest city in Lake County, Ohio, in the United States. In 2020, about 47,450 people lived there. It is part of the larger Cleveland area.

Mentor was first settled in 1797. Later, in 1876, James A. Garfield, who would become the 20th U.S. President, bought a house in Mentor. From this house, he ran his successful "front porch campaign" for president. Today, his home is a special place called the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.

The city is also home to Headlands Beach State Park, which has the longest public swimming beach in Ohio. Mentor is a big center for shopping and restaurants, ranking high in Ohio for both. You'll find many stores and malls along Mentor Avenue (US 20), including the Great Lakes Mall. Companies like Convenient Food Mart and medical equipment company Steris are based here.

What's in a Name? The Story of Mentor

Mentor got its name from a character in ancient Greek stories, Mentor. This was a common way to name places back then, especially in the Connecticut Western Reserve area. Other nearby cities like Solon and Euclid also have Greek names.

People often say the city's name in different ways. Some residents say "men-ner," while others, especially in the media, say "men-ter." The city's old slogan, "It's better in Mentor," was a fun way to play on this.

Mentor's Past: A Quick Look

The 20th Century Limited derailment in 1905.

Mentor officially became a city in 1855, but its first settlement was built much earlier in the late 1700s by Charles Parker. This happened before Ohio became the 17th state in 1803.

Mentor was once known as the "Rose Capital of the Nation." This was because so many beautiful rosebushes grew there. During this time, many people from Cleveland visited Mentor to escape the busy, industrial city. After World War II, more people had cars, making it easy to live in Mentor and drive to work. This led to a big increase in families moving to the city. By the year 2000, about 50,000 people lived in Mentor.

The City's Flag

The "Official Flag of the City of Mentor" was created by Brad Frost in 1988. He designed it for a contest held by Mentor Headlands. The flag looks a bit like Ohio's state flag, with a similar shape, a large blue triangle, and stripes.

• The blue triangle on the flag stands for Ohio's hills.
• The stripes represent roads and waterways.
• A white circle in the middle symbolizes Ohio.
• Inside the circle, there's a cardinal, which is the official bird of both Ohio and Mentor.
• Six stars around the circle represent the six original areas, or townships, that were surveyed in 1797, including Mentor.

Where is Mentor? Its Geography

Mentor Marsh Nature Preserve

Mentor is a suburb of Cleveland and sits on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The Mentor Headlands area, in the northeast part of the city, was settled in 1797 by surveyors from the Connecticut Land Company.

The city covers about 28 square miles (72.5 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with a small part being water.

Mentor's Weather

The average temperature in Mentor is about 49.9 degrees Fahrenheit (9.9 degrees Celsius). This is similar to Ohio's average but a bit cooler than the national average. Mentor gets about 42.87 inches (108.9 cm) of rain each year, which is more than the state and national averages. It also gets about 61 days with an inch or more of snow.

Who Lives in Mentor? Demographics

In 2010, there were 47,159 people living in Mentor. Most residents (96.3%) were White. About 1.4% were Asian, and 1.0% were African American. About 1.3% of the population identified as Hispanic or Latino.

The average age of people in Mentor was 44.8 years. About 21.2% of residents were under 18 years old.

Learning in Mentor: Schools

President Barack Obama visiting Mentor High School in 2012.

The Mentor Exempted Village School District runs the public schools in the area. Mentor's school system includes:

• Eight elementary schools
• Two middle schools
• Mentor High School

In the early 2000s, Mentor Schools faced some money problems. However, they worked hard to fix them and are now in a much better financial state.

Elementary Schools

• Bellflower Elementary
• Fairfax Elementary
• Hopkins Elementary
• Lake Elementary (located in Mentor-on-the-Lake)
• Orchard Hollow Elementary
• Ridge Elementary (used to be Ridge Middle School)
• Sterling Morton Elementary

Middle Schools

• Memorial Middle School
• Shore Middle School

High School

• Mentor High School

Special Needs Schools

• CARES (used to be Headlands Elementary)
• Re-Education Services Inc. (used to be Reynolds Elementary)

Private Schools

• Lake Catholic High School
• Mentor Christian School (Kindergarten through 12th grade)
• Assumption Prep (Kindergarten through 8th grade)

Fun in Mentor: Parks and Recreation

Headlands Beach State Park

Mentor has built many bike paths recently. The city also has several parks where you can have fun:

• Bellflower Skatepark: Located at Bellflower Elementary School, this park has a quarter pipe, launch ramp, and grind box for skateboarders.
• Civic Center Park: This park hosts many festivals, day camps, and the yearly Fourth of July fireworks. It has a water park with an Olympic-sized pool, waterslide, and a children's play area. There's also a skate park for both new and experienced skaters.
• Commemorative Rose Garden: Built in 1988, this garden celebrates Mentor's 25th year as a city.
• Donald E Krueger Park: Features a pavilion and four soccer fields.
• Edward R. Walsh Park: This park has a playground, a pond for fishing, a skatepark, fitness course, basketball courts, and fields for baseball and soccer.
• Eleanor B Garfield Park: One of the biggest parks, with a Community Recreation Center, an outdoor pool, an "All People's Playground," sports fields, a fishing pond, and a wildlife area.
• Headlands Beach State Park: This is the longest beach in Ohio!
• Mentor Beach Park: A scenic park overlooking Lake Erie with a playground, a pavilion, and a soccer field.
• Mentor Dog Park: Has separate fenced areas for large and small dogs, with a water fountain and benches.
• Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve & Marina: Located on Lake Erie, it has hiking and biking trails with views of the Mentor Marsh, the marina, and unique plants.
• Morton Community Park: Next to the Mentor Marsh Nature Preserve, it offers walking trails and wildlife viewing. It also has Morton Pool and Spray park, a pavilion, skatepark, and basketball courts.
• Presidents Park: A neighborhood park with a pavilion, playground, basketball, and tennis courts.
• Tiefenbach Park: Provides ramps for skaters and bikers.
• Veteran's Memorial: Built in 2006 to honor veterans. It has five flags for the armed forces and five benches facing a brick wall. You can buy a brick to remember a veteran, which is placed in the Memorial Walkway.
• Veteran's Park: Mentor's first neighborhood park, offering fishing piers, hiking trails, and a wildlife viewing area.
• Wildwood Cultural Center & Park: Home to Mentor’s Oliver family manor, built in 1908. The city bought it in 1980. It offers programs and is used for events like weddings and meetings. The 34-acre estate also has hiking trails.

Getting Around Mentor: Transportation

Mentor is served by Laketran, which provides bus service throughout Lake County. The Lake County Executive Airport is also nearby, with its runways extending into Mentor. Major roads like Interstate 90, US Route 20, and State Route 2 all pass through the city.

Famous People from Mentor

See also

In Spanish: Mentor (Ohio) para niños