The city of Lakewood, Ohio is situated on the south shore of Lake Erie, bounded on the north by the lake, on the east and south by the city of Cleveland, and on the west by the suburb of Rocky River.

Its population of 55,731* is spread over only 5.6 square miles. Despite this dense population, Lakewood is called the "City of Homes." Situated on tree-lined streets are solidly built single and two-family houses, many with comfortable front porches.

Lakewood is also known for its beautiful shoreline - its "Gold Coast" of private homes, restaurants, and high-rise residential buildings which contribute to the density of the population. Of the 28,521 housing units in the city, 52.5% are renter-occupied, 42.2% owner-occupied, and 5.3% are vacant.

The city is a safe, older community with outstanding city services, public transportation and schools and ready access via its good streets and highways to downtown Cleveland (10-15 minutes).

Lakewood's citizens are well-educated, with 84% of the population 25 years and older holding a high school diploma, and 29% having completed four or more years of college. The city has a good mix of professional, managerial, technical, sales and skilled labor workers. 12.8% of the 31,263 employed Lakewoodites in 1990 worked for federal, state or local government. 79.2% worked outside of Lakewood , and 10% used public transportation.

The mean travel time to work was 21 minutes. 75% of women with children aged 6-17 were employed. 61% of women with children under 6 worked outside the home.

School enrollment for the entire district is approximately 7,700 for the 1999 school year.

Mean household income in 1989 was $35,791; median income was $28, 791. 57% of all households had an income of $25,000 or more. 6.1% of Lakewood's families and 8.5% of its citizens were below poverty level.

In 1990 Lakewood was 97% white, and 6.9% of its population were foreign-born. The median age of Lakewood residents was 32.7 years. 16.5% of the population were under 18, and 17.5% were 60 or older. 40.6% of all households contain only one person. Another 28% had only two people, meaning that over 18,600 households, or 68.9% had only one or two people.

Lakewood may seem to be a contradiction. It is a city of homes, but it is also a city of apartments and condominiums. It has a large percentage of older citizens, but an even larger percent of very young ones. It is perceived by many as a place full of families, yet most households contain only one or two people. It is densely populated, but much of this population is in attractive high-rise buildings along the lake, so that the city gives the impression of less density.

Many people see Lakewood as having the best of both worlds. It has the amenities of a thriving cosmopolitan city, without many of the problems and disadvantages. In addition, it has the advantages of an attractive small town, without its lack of resources.

Statistics are from the 1990 census, unless otherwise specified.
*1996 population estimate-U.S. Bureau of the Census