WAYNE COUNTY
County Offices
428 West Library Street
Wooster 330-287-5400
www.wayneohio.org
Chamber of Commerce
377 West Liberty Street
Wooster 330-262-5735
www.woosterchamber.com
Services
Those who appreciate the relaxed pace and natural beauty of country living will appreciate the small towns and open countryside in Wayne County. This rural region has preserved its agricultural heritage while attracting diverse businesses and industries. Residents enjoy an enviable quality of life in small towns and residential communities where neighbors wave on sight or stop to chat during an evening stroll.
State-of-the-art healthcare is available in two community hospitals within Wayne County, each one dedicated to offering personalized, compassionate care in a setting of advanced technology. Dunlap Memorial Hospital is located in Orrville, listed among the nation’s “Top 100” when compared to hospitals of a similar size. Wooster Community Hospital in Wooster provides a wide variety of medical and surgical specialties, from cardiology and oncology to a maternity center.
Students of all ages enjoy easy access to quality educational institutions on every level in Wayne County. Public school districts excel in favorable pupil/teacher ratio and special programs, complemented by two local colleges that set the pace for academic excellence. The College of Wooster enjoys a 240-acre campus in Wooster. This private college of liberal arts and sciences is nationally recognized for an innovative curriculum that emphasizes independent learning. In fact, US News & World Report has praised Wooster’s independent study program as second only to Princeton University. The University of Akron, a state-supported institution, also maintains a Wayne County campus in Orrville. Wooster is home to the Agricultural Technical Institute for Ohio State University as well as the Ohio Agricultural Research Development center.
Lifestyle
Newcomers to Wayne County will discover a blend of country charm and urban amenities set against the backdrop of rolling hills, lush woodlands, and picturesque farmland. The region is rich in cultural activities and events, historic sites, and unique attractions. The Alice Noble Ice Arena in Wooster offers a premier recreational facility for soccer, lacrosse, hockey, and figure skating. The Wayne Center for the Arts features a calendar of grand performances from opera to musical concerts and family programming. With two major agricultural research centers in the county, it is no surprise to find the Secrest Arboretum with Ohio’s largest collection of old-world roses and a spectacular rhododendron garden.
Known as the “Gateway to Amish Country,” Wayne County and the counties that surround it are home to the world’s largest Amish population. Amish farms, one-room school houses, and quaint black horse-drawn buggies are not uncommon sights in this panoramic area. The infusion of this delightful culture adds treasures like exquisite quilts, masterfully crafted furniture, wonderful restaurants, and farm-fresh produce. Many one-of-a-kind shops and nationally famous retailers and manufacturers are at home in Wayne County, from the J.M. Smucker Company and Wooster Brush Company to manufacturers of specialty collectibles.
The housing selection in Wayne County is attractive and diverse, ranging from country manors and horse properties to modest bungalows or magnificent older homes in the heart of a friendly town or village. Contemporary construction is available in a wide variety of sizes, price ranges, and architectural styles in neighborhoods with a suburban flavor. For the best of all worlds in an atmosphere that preserves the serenity of old-world America yet offers the finest of modern amenities and advantages, few locations can rival Wayne County.
Dalton, Kidron
Municipal Offices
330-828-2221
www.daltonohio.org
Chamber of Commerce
330-262-5735
www.woosterchamber.com
The small community of Dalton offers a page from American history where neighbors still offer to cut each other’s grass during vacations and local residents greet each other by name. Ideally situated between the Amish country pleasures and metropolitan attractions, Dalton offers a hometown spirit. Dalton Community Parka and Dalton Village Green Park are popular destinations for a picnic or sports activities. At the latter, the baseball fields are bordered with century oaks. The unincorporated community of Kidron is probably best known for its rural flavor, country properties, and Lehman’s. As many as 3,000 people from across the nation and around the world can visit this Kidron retail legend on a busy day. From a tiny shop in the 1950s, Lehman’s has matured into a catalog, online, and retail business specializing in “reminders of yesterday.” The roof of the Kidron flagship store covers more than one acre of displays that include pickle kegs, grain mills, wooden barrels, hand water pumps, and vintage stoves.
Doylestown, Chippewa
Doylestown Offices
330-658-2181
www.doylestown.com
Chippewa Offices
330-658-2112
http://chippewatwp.com
Chamber of Commerce
330-262-5735
www.woosterchamber.com
Sprawling fruit farms add a picturesque, rural flavor to the small community of Doylestown, where market gardens and nurseries line the outskirts of town. The brilliantly hued azalea is the town flower, and the village is a magnet for visitors each spring when blooms that include dogwood are at their peak. One of the nation’s largest poultry processing plants is also a major Doylestown employer. Agribusiness has long been a tradition in this area, whether chickens, eggs, or thoroughbred Aberdeen Angus cattle. The local healthcare center and easy access to institutions of higher education add to the quality of life in a tranquil, rural setting. Primarily residential, the community offers a mix of well-kept older homes and newer construction.
Orrville
Municipal Offices
330-684-5000
www.orrville.com
Chamber of Commerce
330-682-8881
www.orrvillechamber.com
The small community of Orrville claims to operate on a large scale in the areas of intellect and industry. Residents tend to be very supportive of the local schools, businesses, and civic or social organizations. The addition of a $3.5 million branch of the University of Akron known as Wayne College was a feather in Orrville’s cap in the early ’70s. In raising $150,000 to purchase former farmland for the college, the community doubled its goals and established a student-aid fund. Orrville also claims one of the few municipal electric utilities in Ohio. Residents enjoy first-rate recreational amenities close to home in the large park complete with swimming pool, bathhouse, baseball diamonds, tennis and basketball courts, and picnic pavilions. Diverse major employers include a community hospital and the famous family-owned Smuckers jellies and jams.
Rittman
Municipal Offices
330-925-2045
www.rittman.com
Chamber of Commerce
330-262-5735
www.woosterchamber.com
The hometown community of Rittman is an easy 20-minute drive from Akron and only 40 minutes away from Cleveland. A scattering of commercial activity is available locally for a convenient small-town lifestyle, while nearby Medina and Wadsworth provide shopping centers and a wide variety of restaurants close to home. Interstates 71 and 76 as well as Route 57 serve as major thoroughfares. Homes in this area range from well-kept older properties shaded by mature greenery in the heart of town to larger family homes and country manors. Lush parks offer a variety of sports facilities. Rittman clubs and organizations add to the quality of life in this primarily residential and family-oriented town.
Wooster, Shreve
Wooster Offices
330-263-5200
www.woosteroh.com
Shreve Offices
330-567-2601
www.shreveohio.com
Chamber of Commerce
330-262-5735
www.woosterchamber.com
Wayne County’s leading city of Wooster is approximately 40 miles west of Akron and 50 miles south of Cleveland. The private College of Wooster is one of the county’s largest employers and enriches the community both culturally and intellectually. Wooster is also home to two outstanding agricultural research institutes. Wooster Community Hospital offers a regional healthcare facility, and the city supports a bustling commercial sector. Rooted in a strong sense of tradition, Wooster encourages growth and progress as evident in its revitalized downtown district. Available housing is a mix of comfortable older homes and newer construction that includes multi-family developments. Amenities are well developed and include the Wayne Center for the Arts, a community fitness center, lush parks, swimming pools, and golf courses. The small community of Shreve offers small-town charm and quiet neighborhoods of primarily older homes just nine miles from Wooster.
