Results of a new survey show Strongsville residents are happy to be living here and overwhelmingly rate the quality of life as good or excellent.
Mayor Thomas P. Perciak and Councilman Mike Daymut, Chairman of the Strongsville Economic Development Committee,released the results of 'Strongsville in Dialogue 2017/2018: A Survey of Local Residents' March 20.
Working closely with Ohio State University and the Strongsville Residential Survey Subcommittee, the purpose of the survey was to determine the value Strongsville residents place on available amenities and services, as well as their overall assessment of the community’s quality of life.
In December 2017, the Strongsville Residential Survey Subcommittee mailed the survey to 14,675 Strongsville households. Of those, 3,529 completed the survey, resulting in a strong response rate of 24 percent (typically 20 percent is considered very good).
The survey results indicated:
- 92% of respondents rated the “Quality of Life” as good to excellent in Strongsville (3,440 households answered the question; average household size in Strongsville is 2.56 people according the US Census estimates in 2015)
- 88% of respondents indicated they would recommend Strongsville to others as a place to live (3,369 households answered the question)
- 81% of respondents would still choose to live in Strongsville if they could make the choice again, with the number directly influenced by life factors such as current location of family or employment (3,311 households answered the question)
The top four reasons given for living in Strongsville were:
- Safe Environment
- Quality of Housing
- Quality of Schools
- Access to Family
The evaluation of services and amenities showed that the subsequent percentages of citizens rated the following as high in quality:
- Health care services (89% good to excellent)
- Police safety forces (87%)
- Fire-paramedic services (86%)
- Snow-ice removal (74%)
- Strongsville Recreation Center (71%)
- Access to air service (71%)
In contrast, road repairs, including within residential subdivisions, and transportation thoroughfares were rated as needing improvements.
Specific details regarding the households that completed the survey include:
- 90% of respondents who completed the survey were 41 years old or older
- 79% lived in Strongsville for 11+ years
- 62% are actively working
- 50% were female, 50% male
- Response rate by City Ward:
- Ward 1 – 22%
- Ward 2 – 27%
- Ward 3 – 25%
- Ward 4 – 26%
David Civittolo, Associate Professor & Community Economics Specialist at Ohio State University, adds an expert’s insight on Strongsville’s survey process and results: “Strongsville leaders innovatively used the Ohio Community Economics Program to better understand the residents’ sentiments toward community quality of life issues and amenities. The survey results should be very useful to local leaders as they allocate resources to support the services and amenities most desired by residents.”
To see the full survey results,
click here.
Hard copies of the results are also available at the City’s Administrative Offices (16099 Foltz Parkway). The results have been provided to Strongsville City Council and to the Strongsville City Schools for review.
Residential Survey Subcommittee
Thomas P. Perciak, Mayor
Richard L. Pinkerton, Ph.D, Taskforce Chair & Professor Emeritus, Calif St Univ, Fresno
Michael J. Daymut, Co-Chair, Councilman Ward One
Cameron Ryba, Superintendent, Strongsville City Schools
David Civittolo, Associate Prof & Community Economics Specialist, Ohio State University
Amy Ferree, Executive Director, Strongsville Chamber of Commerce
Brent Painter, Director of Economic Development, City of Strongsville
Reverend David Scavuzzo, Senior Pastor, Strongsville United Methodist Church
Barry Zimmerman, Altenheim Senior Living Board Member & Strongsville Rotary