Lake County ranks 11th in population with 229,582 residents according to 2012 Census estimates. The northern border consists of approximately 30 miles of Lake Erie shoreline, much of it accessible by the extensive park system, most significantly the largest natural sand beach in the state, which extends for a mile at the centrally located Mentor Headlands Beach State Park. This coastal asset puts Lake County in an enviable position for wind energy and water-related activities, and its strategic access to both SR2 and I-90, as well as proximity to Hopkins International Airport in Cleveland, has drawn many entrepreneurs from the medical, electrical, adhesive products and other commercial and industrial fields to the area. Lakeland Community College, Lake Erie College, and Auburn Career Center offer opportunities for higher education and enrichment and a range of vocational programs that support and replenish that worker supply. Lake County is host to three State Nature Preserves, the Arthur C. Holden Arboretum, and a park district, Lake Metroparks, comprised of 36 parks and 8,196 acres. Fortunate to have some of the most fertile soil anywhere, the region earned the distinction as the Nursery Capital of the World, and our award-winning wine industry has ripened as an emerging tourism destination.
