Tallmadge, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Tallmadge, Ohio
City
Tallmadge Town Square Historic District
Motto(s):  "History Moving Forward"
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Counties	Summit, Portage
Founded	1807
Incorporated	1936
Area
• Total	14.06 sq mi (36.42 km2)
• Land	14.04 sq mi (36.36 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation	1,194 ft (364 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	18,394
• Density	1,310.11/sq mi (505.83/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	44278
Area code(s)	330
FIPS code	39-76106
GNIS feature ID	1087019
Website	https://www.tallmadgeoh.gov/

Tallmadge (pronounced TAL-mij) is a city in Ohio, United States. It is mostly located in Summit County, but a small part extends into Portage County. Tallmadge is a suburb of Akron. In 2020, about 18,394 people lived there. The city was founded in 1807, making it the second-oldest city in Summit County.

History of Tallmadge

Historically, Tallmadge was part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. This was a large area of land in northeast Ohio. Before it was called Tallmadge, it was known simply as "Town 2, Range 10."

How Tallmadge Was Founded

In 1807, a person named Reverend David Bacon founded and organized Tallmadge. He designed the town with a unique square road in the center. This design was inspired by towns in New England. The town was named after Benjamin Tallmadge, who was a hero in the American Revolutionary War and owned land nearby.

Tallmadge's Growth and Design

During the 1800s, Tallmadge continued to grow around its central square. This square later became a traffic circle known as "Tallmadge Circle" or just "the Circle." The Circle shows how New England ideas influenced the settlement of Ohio. The rest of the city was planned in a grid pattern, like a checkerboard. Businesses and factories often grew near the railroad lines.

Rules About Drinks

For a long time, there were strict rules about selling drinks in Tallmadge. In the early 1990s, stores were allowed to sell drinks, but you still couldn't drink them in public places. Later, in 2001, restaurants were allowed to sell drinks too. However, the money from drinks could not be more than 30% of their total sales.

Tallmadge Across Two Counties

Most of Tallmadge is in Summit County. However, some parts on the east side are in Portage County. This happened because Tallmadge added small areas from a nearby township called Brimfield.

Where is Tallmadge?

Aerial photo of the Tallmadge Circle, a traffic circle located in the center of Tallmadge

Tallmadge covers an area of about 14.02 square miles (36.31 square kilometers). Most of this area is land, with only a very small part being water.

People and Community

In 2010, there were 17,537 people living in Tallmadge. There were 7,026 households, which are groups of people living together. About 28.7% of these households had children under 18. The average age of people in the city was 45.1 years old.

Learning and Schools

The Tallmadge City School District teaches about 2,700 students. Most students in Tallmadge go to schools within this district.

• Younger students (Kindergarten to 5th grade) attend Tallmadge Elementary.
• Middle school students (grades 6–8) go to Tallmadge Middle School.
• High school students (grades 9–12) attend Tallmadge High School.

There is also a private Christian school called Cornerstone Community School. It teaches students from Pre-K to 6th grade.

Tallmadge does not have any colleges or universities right now. However, Western Reserve University actually started its first classes in Tallmadge in 1826! It later moved to Hudson and then to Cleveland.

The city also has a public library. It is a part of the Akron-Summit County Public Library system.

Sports Fun

Tallmadge has a strong history in Little League Baseball. Their teams have played in the Little League World Series in 1974 and 2003. The 1974 team did very well, finishing in fourth place!

The Tallmadge High School sports teams are called the Blue Devils. They have won many state championships.

• The softball team has won 8 state titles (in 1981, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1997, 1998, and 2023).
• The baseball team has won 2 state titles (in 2002 and 2017).

Cool Places to See

Tallmadge Circle and Historic Church

At the very center of Tallmadge is the Historic Tallmadge Church. It was built in 1825 and is recognized as an important historic place. This church was even featured on the cover of Life magazine in 1944!

The church sits in a small park called Tallmadge Circle Park. This park is surrounded by the famous Tallmadge Circle, which is a unique traffic circle. The Circle Park also has Tallmadge's Old Town Hall, built in 1859. The second floor of the Old Town Hall has a museum. In 2003, a new steeple was added to the Old Town Hall, replacing the original one that had been removed many years before.

The Unique Tallmadge Circle

The Tallmadge Circle is a very important landmark. Even though two state routes (SR 91 and SR 261) meet there, the one-lane circle usually handles many cars without getting too crowded. Eight roads lead away from the Circle, pointing in different directions like spokes on a wheel. These roads are named after their directions, like Northwest Avenue. In 2010, one of the intersections near the Circle was changed to a roundabout, similar to the original Circle's design.

Famous People from Tallmadge

• Mike Bettes: A meteorologist who works for The Weather Channel.
• Clara Driscoll: She led the "Tiffany Girls" at Tiffany Studios, who were famous for cutting glass.
• Sidney Edgerton: He was a governor of the Montana Territory.
• John Parry: A referee for the National Football League.
• Dave Ziegler: An executive in American football and the general manager for the Las Vegas Raiders.

Images for kids

• 

  Tallmadge Circle Park panorama, May 2007

See also

In Spanish: Tallmadge (Ohio) para niños