Though it started out as a small farming town, today Mentor, Ohio is home to more than 50,000 residents and 1,700 businesses. Mentor’s location near State Route 2 and Interstate 90 means it’s only a 30-minute drive from Cleveland’s arts, culture and sports venues, but you don’t have to travel anywhere for entertainment. Mentor has over 150 restaurants, Ohio’s 7th largest retail center, and hundreds of recreational programs going on year round.

In 2010, Money Magazine named Mentor one of the best 100 places to live in America. And, in terms of small cities, Mentor ranked #37 because of its stable economy, great neighborhoods, excellent educational system, and reasonable cost of living. Additionally, Mentor’s northern border is right along the shore of Lake Erie, which offers residents year-round easy access to the lake and all of its amenities. The city also boasts of Ohio’s longest public swimming beach and “The Best Beach in Northeast Ohio” (as voted by readers of Cleveland Scene magazine).

Residents and visitors can also enjoy a vast system of parks, swimming pools, skate parks, nature preserves, ice arenas, as well as an extensive Bikeway System of walking and biking trails.

True to its humble origins, Mentor has over 1200 acres of green space including 34 parks and public facilities, which provide more recreational opportunities than many major cities do. Whether you like to sunbathe, get out for a hike in nature, learn about history, or just relax, Mentor has something for everyone. Mentor Lagoons Nature Preserve, Headlands Dunes State Nature Preserve and the Mentor Marsh State Nature Preserve provide great resources for hiking, bird watching, and more. Also, James A. Garfield, 20th President of the United States, purchased a small farm in 1876, which he built on to, that still stands today. The James A. Garfield National Historic Site is the restored home of our 20th President.

If history isn’t your thing, the Mentor Parks, Recreation & Public Facilities Department offers more than 1,200 ways to play each year, including art workshops, fitness classes, senior trips, day camps,golf instruction, kayaking tours, nature walks, hockey leagues, and more – you’ll never be bored in Mentor!

For more information about the area, check out the city’s webpage here.