The History of Stark County

Stark County was established on February 13, 1808.  It was named in honor of the oldest surviving general of the Revolutionary War, General John Stark.  As of 2003, Stark County had a population of 337,519 and a land area of 576 square miles.

Some interesting facts about Stark County:

• Canton is the County Seat and the largest city (80,806) in Stark County.
• Canton is 20 miles from Akron and 53 miles from Cleveland.
• There are five hospitals in Stark County--Alliance Community Hospital, Aultman Hospital, Doctors Hospital, Massillon Community Hospital and Mercy Medical Center.
• The major industries in Stark County are:  Services, 26%; Manufacturing, 26%; Wholesale and Retail Trade, 25%; Government, 10%; Construction, 5%; Finance, Insurance and Real Estate 4%; Transportation and Utilities, 3% and less than 1% for Agriculture and Mining.
• The major employers in Stark County are Alliance Healthcare, Amsted Industries/American Steel, Aultman Hospital, Canton City Board of Education, Diebold, Inc., Maytag Corp/Hoover Co., Mercy Medical Center, P.C.C. Airfoils, Inc., Republic Technologies International and The Timken Company.
• There are 5 city school districts and 12 local districts with more than 65,000 students enrolled.
• There are 27 private and/or parochial schools.
• There 3 four-year and 2 two-years post-secondary campuses.
• There are 12newspapers, 2 television stations and 14 radio stations.
• The average annual temperature is 49 degrees F.
• The average annual rainfall is 45 inches and the average annual snowfall is 48  inches.
• Stark County houses the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the McKinley National Memorial and Museum and many more major attractions.
• There are two state parks in Stark County.

For more statistics, go to http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/39/39151.html