Ephraim Root’s township
Rootstown is named for Ephraim Root, a Connecticut lawyer and investor who owned the township in the Western Reserve. Root first visited in 1800, and his brother David became the first settler in 1802. Rootstown was part of Franklin Township until it was organized as its own civil township in 1810, and the Rootstown post office opened in 1821. It’s the only Rootstown Township in Ohio.
The township covers about 26.4 square miles in southwestern Portage County, with Ravenna to the north and Brimfield to the west. No city or village sits inside it. Besides the Rootstown center, the township history names New Milford, which got street lights along with Rootstown in 1949.
NEOMED on State Route 44
The biggest institution in Rootstown is the Northeast Ohio Medical University, founded in 1973. It has colleges of medicine, pharmacy, dentistry and graduate studies, and enrolled 1,032 students in fall 2025. Its campus sits along State Route 44 near I-76, across from the Rootstown schools campus.
A medical school of that size is a steady presence, but not a Kent-style rental market. About 81% of Rootstown homes are owner-occupied in the Census ACS. If you own a house near campus that’s been rented to students or staff, we can buy it with the tenants in place. Our page on selling a house with tenants explains how leases and deposits move at closing.
The I-76 and State Route 44 corridor
Several highways cross the township: I-76, State Route 5 and State Route 44. I-76 Exit 38 connects to SR 5 east and SR 44, signed for Ravenna. The township hall is along SR 44 just south of the town center, and the schools are on the same road.
Rootstown’s housing is newer than the older Portage towns. The ACS puts the median build year at 1982, and only about 5% of homes date from 1939 or earlier. About 83% are single-family detached, and about 3% are mobile homes. The median home value (owner estimate) is about $258,500, above the county’s $227,000.
Rural lots, wells and septic systems
Outside the subdivisions, some Rootstown homes sit on rural lots. If yours is on a private well or a septic system, expect a retail buyer’s inspector and lender to look hard at both. A failing leach field or a low-producing well can hold up a financed sale.
Portage County has no countywide point-of-sale inspection, according to a 2025 title agency list, so the county doesn’t require a septic test before transfer. A buyer can still ask for one. Our page on selling a house with septic problems covers what happens when a system fails. If you’re selling a parcel of open land rather than a house, see selling vacant land.
When a Rootstown house should be listed instead
Rootstown’s values are above the county median, and plenty of its homes are in good shape. If yours is updated and you have a few months, a listing will likely net more than a cash offer, even after commission. A cash sale makes more sense when the house needs a roof, has water in the basement, is part of an estate, or has to close on a specific date.
Rootstown Local School District keeps all of its schools, elementary through Rootstown High School, on one central campus, which buyers with children will ask about.
From our Akron office to Rootstown
Rootstown is a short drive east of Akron on I-76, and our office is on East Turkeyfoot Lake Road. Bob Donahue walks each house himself in 15 to 20 minutes. The written offer explains the number, and closing happens at a local title company, in as little as 7 days or on your date. For the county pieces, such as the probate court in Ravenna, see our Portage County page. To begin, tell us about the Rootstown house.