Rare Valley town with more population, commerce

By Peter H. Milliken | July 23, 2017 at 12:01a.m.

By PETER H. MILLIKEN

milliken@vindy.com

COLUMBIANA

Excellent schools, convenient location, popular annual special events, modern infrastructure and a stable city government are among the reasons local leaders cite for the rapid population and business growth that has characterized this small city.

“It’s a small-town feeling of hometown here. It’s kind of a Norman Rockwell-type city,” city Manager Lance Willard said.

“They love their events, and they’re passionate about the city; and I think that’s infectious,” Willard said of city residents.

“We still have very much the small-town, friendly atmosphere that people want. They want to raise their kids here,” said Ginny Perkins, president of the Columbiana Area Chamber of Commerce.

“All throughout the town, there’ve been new businesses opening and a revitalization that’s really exciting. It’s the perfect little town,” said Tom Mackall, developer of the new Town Center at Firestone Farms at state Routes 7 and 14.

“It always was kind of a bedroom community, but more and more people want to live in a community like this, with smaller schools and better schools and the history – Harvey Firestone’s history,” Mackall added.

“This is the area the Mahoning Valley is moving to. It’s the natural progression of the economy,” Mackall said.

Pennsylvanians are also moving to Columbiana because Ohio has lower taxes, and many Columbiana residents commute daily to jobs in the Pittsburgh area, he added.

It’s only a 45- to 50-minute road trip from Columbiana to the Pittsburgh International Airport area, Perkins said.

“The housing market is unbelievably good for sellers here. Housing is very hard to find,” Willard said.

“You have a planning commission and [city] council that’s very active and passionate about their community,” Willard observed.

Willard, who became city manager in 2013, noted that he is only the third municipal manager here since this community adopted a charter form of government in 1974.

Columbiana, whose motto is “The City with the Small Town Heart,” straddles the boundary of Mahoning and Columbiana counties.

Incorporated as a village in 1837, Columbiana became a city when the 2000 U.S. Census showed its population surpassed 5,000.

This community’s population grew 13.6 percent between 1990 and 2000 and 13.3 percent between 2000 and 2010, according to the U.S. Census, which pegged its 2010 population at 6,384.

Contributing to this city’s charm are its numerous annual events, including Springtime in Columbiana, a July 4 celebration, a wine festival, a street fair, an Ocktoberfest, Christmas in Columbiana, a Christmas parade and the Joy of Christmas Light Show.

The Shaker Woods Festival takes place annually just outside the city.

As for infrastructure, a $22 million new city water treatment plant now under construction will go into service next spring, Willard said.

A new $14 million city wastewater treatment plant opened in 2005, and the city has its own electric utility.

The city’s location is advantageous because it has access to railroad tracks and major highways and is halfway between Cleveland and Pittsburgh, Willard noted.

Major areas of commercial development are at the county line in the city’s north end, near the traffic circle in the center of the city and at the intersection of state Routes 7 and 14.

“You’ve got such a wide selection of shopping areas; and you’ve got that beautiful, quaint hometown atmosphere that people love,” Perkins observed.

“We have an industrial park that is pretty much completely full all the time, and, so much so, that we know that we need another one,” Willard said.