ELYRIA

elyria, a city and the county-seat of lorain county, ohio, u.s.a., on the black river, 8 m. from lake erie, and about 25 m. w.s.w. of cleveland. pop. (1890) 5611; (1900) 8791, of whom 1397 were foreign-born; (1910 census) 14,825. it is served by the baltimore & ohio, and the lake shore & michigan southern railways. elyria is about 720 ft. above sea-level, and lies at the junction of the two forks of the black river, each of which falls about 50 ft. here, furnishing water-power. among the city's manufactures are oxide of tin and other chemicals, iron and steel, leather goods, automobiles and bicycles, electrical and telephone supplies, butted tubing, gas engines, screws and bolts, silk, lace and hosiery. in 1905 the city's factory products were valued at $2,933,450--140.2% more than their value in 1900. flagging, building-stones and grindstones, taken from quarries in the vicinity (known as the berea grit quarries), are shipped from elyria in large quantities. elyria was founded about 1819 by heman ely, in whose honour it was named; it was selected as the site for the county seat in 1823, and was chartered as a city in 1892.