Electricity Rates in Leetonia, OH

History of Leetonia

The village of Leetonia was founded in 1869, following the American Civil War. Leetonia was named for William Lee of Randolph, New York. Lee was one of the founders of the Leetonia Iron and Coal Company which was laid out in the village in 1866-1867.Leetonia is home to one of the few remaining Beehive oven sites in America. In the early 1860s, Irish businessman William Lee discovered rich deposits of coal, ore and lime under the soil of today's Leetonia. Lee began to buy the surrounding land and established the company "The Leetonia Coal & Iron Company" which consisted of a coal mine, coke ovens, and a blast furnace. This company jumped into the iron and coal industry and soon turned the area into a thriving company town. The area went from housing three families in 1864 to 1,800 people by 1869 when it was incorporated.The coke production was the main operation of the company. Leetonia Coal & Iron would mine the surrounding areas for coal and then cart coal by the tons into the coke ovens on rails above the ovens. The workers would then shovel the coal into the coke ovens to cook. This would purify the coal into a purer product of coal called coke which was then shipped off to the iron mills to be used in smelting iron. Coke has a much higher temperature point than regular coal so it was preferred for use in the mills.Each coke oven is about 12 feet in diameter and 6 to 7 feet in height with the capacity to hold two to three tons of coal each.

Leetonia by the Numbers

Population

4,607

Median Age

44.2 yrs

Median Household Income

$64,872/yr

Median Home Value

$160,900

Homeownership Rate

85%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)