Mansfield, OH Homes For Rent

Homes for Rent in Mansfield, OH: What You Need to Know

Mansfield is strategically located between Columbus and Cleveland, Ohio. Literary fans associate the city with Louis Bromfield, a Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist who advocated for sustainable agriculture and established the Malabar Farm.

Local History

Mansfield, founded in 1808, was named after Col. Jared Mansfield, the surveyor-general who directed the city’s planning. By the 1880s, the city was an economic hub in north-central Ohio, thanks to the railroads in the area. The city’s most famous resident, Louis Bromfield, was born on Dec. 27, 1896, near Mansfield. In 1926, Bromfield won the Pulitzer Prize for “Early Autumn.” He returned to Ohio in 1939, bought the Malabar Farm, and advocated for soil conservation. 

Things to Do in Bromfield’s

Malabar Farm State Park, Louis Bromfield’s 900-acre estate, is located in Lucas, 11 miles from Mansfield. The park includes a barn, gift shop, visitor center with interactive displays, and the home where Hollywood stars Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall were married in 1945. The couple were Bromfield’s friends. Tourists can also ride a farm wagon and stop by the Roadside Farm Market for local produce. Visit the Ohio State Reformatory where part of “Shawshank Redemption” was filmed. The castle-like building opened in 1896 as a reformatory, but it became a maximum-security prison in the 1960s. It closed in 1990.

Cost of Living

Ohio is fairly affordable, and Mansfield is no exception. The city’s cost of living rate, food, and housing costs are 12.2%, 18%, and 19.4% lower than the national average respectively. The median gross rent is $634. The Buckeye State collects 0% to 4.797% in income tax and 5.75% in sales tax. Many municipalities charge up to 3% in additional income taxes. 

Know Your Neighborhoods

Mansfield (population: 46,599) is the seat of Richland County. The city boasts of 33 parks and several public golf courses. Residents praise it for its welcoming and caring community. Those in search of more entertainment can easily drive to either the state capital of Columbus or to Cleveland. Half of all Mansfield residents rent. Looking for top-notch schools? Nearby Lexington and Ontario are known for them.

Weather and Climate

Mansfield experiences four distinct seasons. It receives about 36 inches of snow per year, more than the national average of 28 inches. On Jan. 25-26, 1978, a blizzard dumped 14.7 inches of snow in Mansfield. Snow drifted about 20 feet or higher in some areas. The city enjoys about 175 sunny days annually versus the U.S. average of 205 sunny days.