Ashtabula

Ashtabula is the largest city in Ashtabula County, Ohio, United States. It is located at the mouth of the Ashtabula River on Lake Erie, 53 miles northeast of Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total population of 17,975. Like many other cities in the Rust Belt, it has lost population due to a decline in industrial jobs since the 1960s. It is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area.

The name Ashtabula is derived from ashtepihəle, which means 'always enough fish to be shared around' in the Lenape language. The city became an important destination on the Underground Railroad in the middle 19th century, as refugee slaves could take ships to Canada and freedom. Even in the free state of Ohio, they were at risk of being captured by slavecatchers.