The History of Kent, Ohio
In 1805 the city of Kent was two villages known as Franklin and Carthage. The villages grew up on the banks of the Cuyahoga River which provided transportation as well as power to run grist mills, woolen mills, cabinet shops, tanneries and glass factories.
In 1863 Marvin Kent was instrumental in bringing the Atlantic and Great Western Railway to town. The introduction of the railroad brought prosperity to the villages. Dozens of retail, commercial and manufacturing enterprises sprung up near the railroad station in the central business district. In 1864 the town fathers renamed the village “Kent” to honor Marvin Kent.
In 1910, the State of Ohio awarded one of its new public teachers' colleges to Kent, and that "normal school" eventually became Kent State University. Kent State is a Mid American Conference (MAC) university with about 24,000 students enrolled on the main campus.
Today Kent is a thriving university town with about 34,000 residents centrally located 45 minutes southeast of Cleveland, 20 minutes east of Akron and about 2 hours northwest of Pittsburgh, Pa. The city of Kent, Ohio offers a safe and enjoyable lifestyle for residents and businesses who have selected Kent as their home.
