History of Mentor, Ohio
Mentor is a city in Lake County, Ohio|Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 50,278 at the United States Census 2000|2000 census. In July 2006, CNNMoney.com ranked Mentor [http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/bplive/2006/snapshots/PL3949056.html 68th] in a list of the Top 100 Best Places to Live in America.
In 1876 James A. Garfield purchased a home in Mentor, from which he conducted the first successful front porch campaign for the presidency. That home is now maintained as the James A. Garfield National Historic Site.
The city is home to Headlands Beach State Park , the longest natural beach on Lake Erie.
Mentor is a diverse community with industry, commerce and residential components. A wide range of housing is represented -- from condominiums and small ranches to half-million-dollar lakefront homes. According to the Mentor city website, 11 city parks comprise 930 acres of parkland. Many bike paths have been built in recent years. The city is a major center of retail stores and restaurants in the Greater Cleveland area. U.S. Route 20|US 20 (Mentor Avenue) is the major retail center, with additional shopping found along most major roads.
Befitting its large population, Mentor has one of the larger school systems in Ohio, with 10 elementary schools, three junior high schools, and Mentor High School. Like many school systems in Ohio, Mentor Schools suffered a financial crisis in the early 2000s, but passed a large levy and is now largely on solid footing -- one of the fastest Ohio school systems ever to emerge from fiscal emergency.
City government is based on a city manager executive appointed by city council. The city encourages development of light industry, which is reflected in its diverse economy and very low property taxes.
Jim Tressel, Ohio State University|Ohio State's American football|football coach, was born in Mentor.
The city slogan is "It's better in Mentor," which almost rhymes because locals pronounce the city's name "men-ner", although in the media, "men-ter" is prominent[http://www.scrippsjschool.org/pronunciation/].
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