Norwalk, Ohio, United States

🇺🇸 Norwalk is a city in and the county seat of Huron County, Ohio, United States. The city is the centre of the Norwalk micropolitan area and part of the Cleveland–Akron–Canton combined statistical area. Norwalk is located approximately 10 miles (16 km) south of Lake Erie, 51 miles (82 km) west/southwest of Cleveland, 59 miles (95 km) south-east of Toledo, and 58 miles (93 km) west/northwest of Akron.

History On July 11, 1779, Norwalk, Connecticut, was burned by British Loyalists under Lieutenant-general William Tryon. In 1800, the U.S. federal government gave an area in the Connecticut Western Reserve as compensation; and in 1806, 13 men arrived to make the first survey of what would be called the Firelands.

Between 1806 and 1810, many families made the trip to look over land they had purchased in the Firelands. During the War of 1812, because of the fear of British and Indian raids, settlement of the Huron County area came almost to a standstill. However, in 1815, Platt Benedict of Danbury, Connecticut, visited and examined the present site of Norwalk. He returned to Danbury and purchased 1,300 acres (5.3 km²) of land with an eye toward establishing a town.

In July 1817, Benedict returned to Norwalk with his family and immediately built a house. This was the first permanent residence established within the limits of Norwalk. In May 1818, the county seat was successfully removed from Avery, Ohio, to Norwalk.

Benedict was the first white permanent settler in Norwalk, when he came with his wife, Sarah DeForest, and their children. His descendants remained prominent in the area. On January 19, 1936, the Sandusky Daily Register published the obituary of John L. Severance, the multi-millionaire businessman and Standard Oil founding member. In the obituary, he is listed as "a great grandson of Platt Benedict, one of the founders of [Norwalk, Ohio]".

Among the earliest settlers of Norwalk were other men of wealth and education. They brought with them not only the customs, but also the architecture of New England. Many of their homes are still standing today. In 1881, Norwalk's population reached the required minimum to incorporate as a city, and the City of Norwalk dates from April 12, 1881.

The gastroenteritis-causing virus norovirus is named after the city. It was initially named the "Norwalk Agent". The virus was discovered via electron microscopy of a stool sample from the town in 1972.

Geography Norwalk is located at the centre of the Firelands, a subregion of the Connecticut Western Reserve. The subregion's name recalls the founding of the area as one for settlers from cities in Connecticut that were largely destroyed by fire during the Revolutionary War. Several locations in the Firelands were named in honor of those cities, including Danbury, Greenwich, Groton, New Haven, New London, Norwalk, Norwich, and Ridgefield. Other locations were named for the settlers, including Clarksfield, Perkins, and Sherman.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 9.15 square miles (23.70 km²), of which 8.87 square miles (22.97 km²) is land and 0.28 square miles (0.73 km²) is water. The city of Norwalk is bound by Norwalk Township in each direction and a small portion of the west side is bound by Ridgefield Township. The city is located approximately 12 miles (19 km) south of Lake Erie.