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City of Canfield continues to grow
Canfield’s tree-lined “Village Green” sits in the center of the city, providing a venue for summer concerts, a July 4th celebration and the Junior Women’s League Fall Market, which features crafts and other items, with the proceeds benefiting the community. (Photo Courtesy of Canfield City Manager Joseph Warino)
SHERRY KARABIN
Legal News Reporter
Published: August 1, 2013
It was Mahoning County’s original seat, and while the city of Canfield may have lost that designation it continues to thrive attracting new residents and businesses, and making it through the economic downturn with few problems.
“People move here because we have excellent schools and a low crime rate,” said Mayor William Kay, who is completing his second and final term in office. “We are halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh and Youngstown State University, The Butler Institute of American Art and Mill Creek Park are all nearby.”
In 2005 Canfield was rated the 82nd best place to live in the United States by Money Magazine, and for over 30 consecutive years it has been named a Tree City USA community.
“During the downturn we were very lucky because we did not lose any of our businesses, so we did not have to cut services or lay anyone off,” said Kay. “I attribute that to good financial management on the part of city employees, especially City Manager, Joseph Warino.”
Warino said the city has had the same 1 percent income tax for more than 20 years, and there are no plans to raise it. Officials also rely on property taxes and revenue from the state, and he said cuts from Columbus continue to make things difficult.
“The loss in estate tax amounts to about $200,000 less per year and the Local Government Fund has been reduced by about 50 percent, cutting out between $70,000 to $80,000 from our income,” said Warino. “There is no way to recapture those dollars which definitely hurts us.”
Kay said Canfield had its share of foreclosures but it did not qualify for Moving Ohio Forward demolition money because its Median Household Income (MHI) is too high so it has had to use income tax revenue to tear down two properties.
“We would like to tear down five or six more in the future but we have to be sure we have the money first,” said Kay.
Created in 1798 as Township Number 1 in Range Number 3, Canfield was located on the southeastern border of the Connecticut Western Reserve. It was initially called Campfield, but after a vote the name was changed on April 15, 1800 in honor of Judson Canfield, the largest landowner of the six men who purchased it.
Back in 1805, it had just 17 homes, a store and a school. Today there are around 7,800 residents, and Canfield Township, which surrounds the city, has a population of over 9,000.
In its early days Canfield was part of Trumbull County, but when Mahoning came into existence in 1846, it became the county seat. Youngstown officials wanted the honor, and a debate ensued for the next three decades, until the Ohio legislature voted in favor of a bill giving Youngstown the status in 1874. Canfield challenged the proceedings in a case that was eventually appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court, where the decision to make Youngstown the county seat was upheld in 1875.
“James A. Garfield represented us,” said Kay. “He lost the case but he later became President of the United States, which makes for an interesting bit of history.”
In 1992, Canfield city residents voted to secede from the township, creating two separate governmental entities. Despite the desire to go it alone, they continue to cooperate and help one another out, including having a joint fire department, which the mayor said helps save costs for both the city and the township. The city does maintain separate police and service departments, however.
“At one time our downtown had a lot of small businesses,” said Kay, who has lived in Canfield since 1964. “Those have gone out of business and were replaced by a large number of banks and other commercial businesses.”
In fact, today the largest private employer is Farmers National Bank, with other large businesses including Star Extruded Shapes, Inc. and Canfield Metal Coating Corporation. Other light manufacturing companies are United Extrusion Dies, Converse All Steel Services Inc., which specializes in custom flame cutting, and BettsHD, a truck and trailer products manufacturer.
The Canfield Local School District, which serves the city, Canfield Township, and a small portion of Boardman and Beaver Townships, is a major public employer. It includes two elementary, one middle school and a high school, and the district has been repeatedly rated “excellent” by the Ohio Department of Education.
“Recent graduates are attending Harvard, Yale, West Point, and other prestigious institutions of learning,” said Kay.
There is also Bernard-Daniels Lumber Co. on Railroad Street, MultiMedia Farms, a video/film production company, a Giant Eagle, Radio Shack, H&R Block, the Canfield Florist, Lane Family Funeral Homes (Lane Canfield Chapel and Lane Family Reception/Event Center) and a Dollar Tree, all located throughout the city along the US Route 224 corridor.
“We have approved a permit for a Dollar General on the west end of town, which recently broke ground,” said Kay.
“A lot of lawyers, doctors and engineers have offices in the city,” said Warino. “Also, a number of family-owned companies like Neff Plumbing, have been here for a long time,” said Warino.
Canfield has its share of restaurants and catering facilites as well like Bella Napoli Pizza & Pasta, Zenobia Cuisine, which features Middle Eastern food, Caffe Dars, which the mayor said is known for its biscotti, Piccadilly Parlour Victorian Tea Room, J.R. Grinder, Barney’s Deli, the Broadstreet Diner, A La Cart Catering, and Angenetta’s Café & Catering. The most recent business to open is Tequila Jalisco on E. Main Street.
The city’s library on West Main Street is undergoing a major expansion. The Mahoning County public library system is spending about $3.9 million to renovate the old building and add over 13,000 square feet, making it about four times larger and creating meeting space. The mayor said it is expected to open in the fall of 2014.
Canfield has two parks—Fair Park, which has a playground and a community building that can be rented for private events, and Greasel Park, which features tennis courts, a basketball court as well as a play area for children. The MetroParks Bikeway also runs north and south through the city
The city has strict zoning regulations designed to prevent large signage and a property maintenance code to govern overgrown lawns and assure proper care of city properties. The city’s tree-lined “Village Green” sits in the center, providing a venue for summer concerts, a July 4th celebration and the Junior Women’s League Fall Market, which features crafts and other items, with the proceeds benefiting the community.
The most well-known event, which takes place along the southern border of the city, is the Canfield Fair. The first fair was held in October 1847. It now takes place the week before Labor Day and features big name entertainers, drawing hundreds of thousands and making it the largest county fair in Mahoning County.
Canfield has a number of historic sites like the Village Green and Bandstand, several churches and schools, the township hall, the old courthouse, public works building, Farmers National Bank, the Mahoning Dispatch, the Bond House, and the Canfield War Vet Museum. The Canfield Historical Society owns the Bond House and the Mahoning Disptach building. The paper dates back to 1877.
“Our veterans museum has a collection of military arms, uniforms, and letters from soldiers dating back to the Revolutionary War,” said Kay.
In the future, Warino said officials would continue to focus on attracting more residential development. “Our philosphy is to keep Canfield a nice place to live and not so much a manufacturing community.”
“Canfield is a great place to raise a family,” said Kay. “I am always open to development, and would love to have more businesses. We are also looking forward to the new library, which I’m sure will get a lot of use.”