As some of you may recall, the Foundation recently conducted a survey – called the 2025 Barberton Community Impact & Alignment Study – to help us better understand the challenges (and the positives!) our residents are experiencing in our community. The goal is to help us align our work in our forthcoming strategic plan to the areas where our funding, expertise, and advocacy can have the most impact.
In the course of this work, two interesting data points surfaced. I want to share them with you.
The first data point = 83%. (This is the good news.)
The second data point = 69%. (This is the bad frustrating news.)
First, our recent 2025 Barberton Community Impact & Alignment Study revealed that 83 percent of people who live in Barberton intend to stay in Barberton.
This is a significant, standout data point.
The research company that conducted our study does these for Medina County, Summit County, Stark County, and more. People in other county’s predicted a higher probability of moving out of their community when compared to how Barberton residents answered that question.
In fact, Barberton’s loyal population – as captured in this survey result – is an outlier in a positive way. It seems that people who live here, like it here. This is good news!
I mean, how many times have we heard Barbertonians say, “Barberton is the best kept secret!”
In fact, Leon Ricks alone probably said that to me 10 times every time I got the chance to speak with him!
We all know this – once you’re living here, you won’t find a kinder, more accommodating group of people. It’s a great community.
Those who live here know it.
Here’s the data graphic that proves the point!
Second, in the same study, 69% of people in Summit County who do NOT live in Barberton (but do live in Summit County) have either a fair, poor, or very poor perception of Barberton as a place to live.
Sigh.
It’s such an odd contrast, right?
People who live here LOVE it! People who see us from the outside do not see us in the same positive light.
But this data confirms something we all feel and have encountered, right?
For me, I love hanging around in Barberton… seeing my neighbors, going downtown, running into people I know around town, at church, at Kave or Remarkable Diner (a couple of my hot spots), at the grocery store, etc. Our sense of community is alive and unmatched.
But I worked in downtown Akron before coming to the Foundation… and I would network there while building my business and meet all types of leaders and “community”-centric people. What they perceive about Barberton is not what we know to be true about it.
In fact, I found myself “defending” the community many times when people made snarky remarks.
So why is it that people who live here love it, but people who look at us from the outside don’t get it?
One of my leadership mottos I follow is “pay attention to the tension.”
There’s a perception tension here between people that live here, and people that don’t. Those two groups of people tell a vastly different story.
This is a tension we all need to pay attention to.
How can we export – beyond our Barberton borders – some of the Magic we all enjoy here at home? How can we help others “get it” in the same way we do?
Once people are “enlightened” to what Barberton is REALLY like (compared to their misguided perception), they will tell a better story about us.
One thing we can all do is, when we hear someone make a snarky comment that bashes our community, we can stand up for what we know is true – there is Magic in this city. Let’s invite them to experience it!
They may enjoy a park (we have 16!!!), eat at a restaurant, experience downtown, grab a snack at Leaches Meats and Sweets (I guarantee their town doesn’t have a neighborhood from scratch bakery, for example!), and more.
They may find they really like their visit.
Or, better yet, they might just want to move here.
Then they’ll get it.
I hope we have space for them by the time they’re enlightened!
In Community,
Josh Gordon
Executive Director
Barberton Community Foundation
