ASHTABULA, a city of Ashtabula county, O., U.S.A., on Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Ashtabula river, 55m. N.E. of Cleveland. It is on the Yellowstone trail, and is served by the New York Central, the Nickel Plate and the Pennsylvania rail ways. The population was 22,082 in 192o, and was 23,301 in 193o.
The city is 68oft. above sea-level, and is built on the high bank of the river. Ashtabula harbour, 2m. from the city but within the corporate limits, has a controlling depth of 2oft., and a naviga tion season lasting from April 20 to Dec. 5. Its aggregate com merce in 1927 amounted to i 1,004, 218 tons, valued at $5 7,4 74, Large quantities of iron ore (7,869,457 tons in 1927) are received from the north-west and sent on by rail to Youngstown, Pitts burgh, and other iron manufacturing centres. Large quantities of coal come up by rail from the Ohio and Pennsylvania coal fields (1,117,792 tons in 1925) for transshipment to other ports on the Great Lakes. The leading manufacturing industries are steel sheet and shaft factories, machine shops, tool works, ship yards and tanneries. The 43 establishments within the city in 1927 had an aggregate output valued at $12,238,648.
The name Ashtabula is an Indian word, meaning "fish river." The first white settlement was made about I8o1. The village was incorporated in 1831 and received a city charter in 1891. In 1916 the charter was amended to provide for a city manager and proportional representation. In 1926, after ten years of experience with these features, the citizens voted to retain them.