Trumbull County, in which Howland Center sits, was an active stop on the Underground Railroad. Starting in the 1820s, and continuing throughout the next few decades, county residents helped a number of slaves escape from the South to Canada by hiding the refugees and ensuring their safe passage to the railroad's next "stations."
Howland Center is a community of 6,481 residents that sits toward the middle of Trumbull County, a few miles south of Mosquito Lake State Park
Trumbull County, in which Howland Center sits, was an active stop on the Underground Railroad. Starting in the 1820s, and continuing throughout the next few decades, county residents helped a number of slaves escape from the South to Canada by hiding the refugees and ensuring their safe passage to the railroad's next "stations."
Howland Center is a community of 6,481 residents that sits toward the middle of Trumbull County, a few miles south of Mosquito Lake State Park. Present-day Mosquito Lake, as well as its neighboring community, are no more or less mosquito-ridden than any other place in America. Howland Center, in fact, boasts a variety of activities to which mosquitoes are most unwelcome. The community isn't an established city or village, but rather a collection of residences and businesses located in Howland Township. It's in the midst of farm country, so the region sees a number of tourists looking to encounter an old-fashioned way of life. In addition, the area around Howland Center boasts a number of antique stores and historical attractions. However, Howland Center is also very much a modern community, with several stores, restaurants, and businesses that cater to residents' retail, culinary, and entertainment needs
You don't need to make any special considerations when planning a move to Howland Center other than the fact that you might not easily find a house rental or apartment rental. Because Howland Center is a census-designated place, and not an established village or city, most of the area's apartment complexes are located in nearby communities like Vienna, Niles, and Warren. The same issue applies to rental houses, which abound in neighboring towns, but not so much in Howland Center. However, if your heart is set on settling here, persistence is the key. Keep a close eye on apartment and home listings, and you might chance upon a unit for lease in Howland Center's immediate vicinity.
It goes without saying that Howland Center's status as an unincorporated community pretty much negates the existence of clearly defined neighborhoods within its boundaries. However, Howland Center is itself part of the larger community of Howland Township, which also includes the cities of Niles and Warren, as well as the unincorporated community of Bolindale.
In case you were wondering, yup, the lake was named for the buzzing bloodsuckers that flitted about its marshy waters during the 1800s. In fact, there's a macabre legend surrounding Mosquito Lake's naming that involves two brothers who were said to have stayed near the at-the-time unnamed waterway and who hid under an iron kettle to escape the mosquitoes that assailed them from every corner. Much later, the men's skeletal remains were found beneath the same kettle that had failed to protect them from the skeeters' onslaught. Voila, Mosquito Lake was born!
Howland Center might not have neighborhoods, but it does have plenty of amenities. Nearby restaurants include Pizza Works, Waffle House, and Salvatore's Italian Grill, while shopping is available in the form of specialty stores like Gorant Candies, WineStyles, and Barba Fine Jewelers. In addition, every Saturday from July through October, farmers and vendors gather at the Howland Farmers Market, where they sell a variety of locally produced fruits, vegetables, and food items. Other community events include the Howland Fall Festival, which features a 5K run, a winemaker's competition, a costume parade, and a pancake breakfast; and a Fourth of July celebration, during which residents can take part in another 5K run, as well as watch a parade, walk among the hot rods at a car show, and take in the sounds of live music.
For outdoorsy types, Howland Township offers a variety of recreation opportunities. The county has several parks with playground equipment, sports fields, picnic pavilions, and, in the case of Howland Township Park, a boardwalk trail that offers views of unique vegetation as well as glimpses of such animals as beavers, white-tailed deer, river otter, and great blue heron. Mosquito Lake also offers opportunities for fishing and boating, as do waterways like the Grand River, Mosquito Creek, and Pymatuning Creek. Golf courses dot the county, and a 15-mile-long trail called the Western Reserve Greenway gives walkers and cyclists the chance to get exercise in a serene, wooded setting. In addition, for the culturally minded, Trumbull County offers a number of museums and historic sites, as well as art galleries, theater troupes, and performance venues.
