The town was founded in 1799 as "Evansburg", named for local farmer Abner Evans, who had opened a successful mill, of which several more followed. The town’s population would continue to grow as soon it would be connected to other towns by a canal and later by railroad.
By the 1880’s the town’s economy boomed with the foundation of several important businesses, most notably were the major tool company Channellock and The Conneaut Lake Ice Company (which was the main supplier of the fresh ice to cities and towns around the northeast).
As locals around the area were colloquially referring to the town as the name of the neighboring lake, the town was officially renamed Conneaut in 1892. The same year the famous local park was also opened, and the town became become a major tourist destination in Pennsylvania.
Announcement of Marion Christy swimming Conneaut Lake in 1901.[6]
In 1907 trolley lines was installed that connected the town and park with several other local towns, but by the 1920s these were mostly removed due to the automobile rendering it obsolete.
By the 1930’s the rise of refrigeration resulted it most towns no longer needing fresh ice to preserve food, and thus saw the closure of the Ice Company. This along and the closure/move of serveral other companies, the town’s local population began to decline (although the population rose once again in the mid 20th century). Today the town serves mainly as a resourt town, home to many shops, restaurants and other amenities.[7]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the borough has a total area of 0.36 square miles (0.94 km2), all land.[5]U.S. routes 6 and 322 pass through the borough, leading east together 9 miles (14 km) to Meadville, the Crawford County seat. US 6 leads northwest 7.5 miles (12.1 km) to Linesville at the northeast end of Pymatuning Reservoir and 14 miles (23 km) to the Ohio border, while US 322 leads southwest 12 miles (19 km) to Jamestown at the southern end of Pymatuning Reservoir and 17 miles (27 km) to the Ohio border.
Conneaut Lake Park, an amusement resort which opened in 1892, is located 3 miles (5 km) north of the borough, near the northern end of the lake.
As of the census[10] of 2000, there were 708 people, 331 households, and 187 families residing in the borough. The population density was 1,927.9 inhabitants per square mile (744.4/km2). There were 370 housing units at an average density of 1,007.5 per square mile (389.0/km2). The racial makeup of the borough was 97.18% White, 0.14% African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.98% Asian, 0.14% Pacific Islander, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.42% of the population.
There were 331 households, out of which 22.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 43.5% were non-families. 35.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.14 and the average family size was 2.80.
In the borough the population was spread out, with 20.3% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 26.0% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.
The median income for a household in the borough was $34,306, and the median income for a family was $42,375. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $21,417 for females. The per capita income for the borough was $18,486. About 5.5% of families and 7.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 8.2% of those under age 18 and 11.7% of those age 65 or over.
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