Swamptown, Beartown and Wylestown before Brimfield
Brimfield went through several names before it settled on one. Early on it was called Swamptown, Beartown, Greenbriar and Wylestown, and briefly Thorndike, after proprietor Israel Thorndike. The township was settled in 1816 and organized in 1818. Residents then asked for the Brimfield name to honor John Wyles Jr. of Brimfield, Massachusetts. It’s the only Brimfield Township in Ohio.
The township covers 21.4 square miles in southwestern Portage County. It borders Kent, Franklin, Ravenna, Rootstown, Randolph and Suffield townships, plus Tallmadge, Stow and Springfield Township in Summit County. Parts of Kent and Tallmadge sit on land that once belonged to Brimfield.
Water is part of the township’s map too. Mogadore Reservoir, a 1,104-acre lake owned and maintained by the City of Akron, lies roughly half in Brimfield and half in Suffield Township. Homes near the reservoir and its wooded shoreline draw a different buyer from the subdivisions closer to the highway.
Two I-76 exits and a lot of newer housing
Interstate 76 runs across the township with two exits: Exit 31 at Tallmadge Road and Exit 33 at State Route 43, signed for Kent and Hartville. That access has shaped Brimfield’s growth. In the Census ACS:
- The township’s median build year is 1991.
- Only about 2% of homes were built in 1939 or earlier.
- About 69% are single-family detached, and about 30% are rented.
- Median gross rent is about $1,531.
A newer house in good repair near the interchange is usually a strong listing, and an agent may get you more than we can. We’ll say so if that’s what we see. A cash sale tends to help with the rentals and older condos, and with any house that needs a roof, a furnace or foundation work before a lender would approve it.
The Brimfield center is older
The Brimfield census-designated place, in the middle of the township, is a different picture from the township as a whole. Its median build year is 1969, about 97% of its homes are owner-occupied, and about 96% are single-family detached. The median home value (owner estimate) is about $200,100.
Homes from the 1960s are now 55 or more years old. Original windows, older electrical panels and dated kitchens are common. We price those in rather than asking you to fix them, and the written offer lists what we counted.
The transfer costs are the same anywhere in the township. Portage County’s conveyance fee runs $4.00 per $1,000 of the price, so a sale at the township’s median value comes to about $940, paid by the seller. The Ohio conveyance fee guide explains who is exempt.
Field Local schools
Brimfield is in the Field Local School District. It was formed in January 1959 when the Suffield and Brimfield districts merged, and it serves Brimfield and Suffield townships and a small part of Kent. The district runs Brimfield Elementary, Suffield Elementary, Field Middle School and Field High School, with offices on State Route 43.
Selling a Brimfield house to a buyer from Akron
Brimfield touches the Summit County line, so it’s a short drive from our office on East Turkeyfoot Lake Road. Bob Donahue walks the house in 15 to 20 minutes, occupied or empty. If you’re a landlord, our rental property page covers selling with leases in place. For county matters such as the probate court and the conveyance fee, see the Portage County page. To get started, request a Brimfield offer.