In 1801, Thomas Hamilton, the first white settler to arrive in the area, built a log cabin at the mouth of the river. By 1846, the town was described as a pleasant village adorned with neat buildings and shrubbery. By the turn of the century, the population had grown from 1,200 to 22,000.

Today, the quality of life is unsurpassed as Ashtabula combines the advantages of a small town’s rural lifestyle with easy access to major cities such as Cleveland, Erie, Youngstown and Warren.

Ashtabula is the home of the Ashtabula County Public Library and Harbor Topkey Library, which gives the community access to a wealth of resources.

The crown jewel of Ashtabula County is the brand new state-of-the-art high school which is located just down the road from Saybrook Farms.

The Ashtabula Arts Center is the center of cultural life and reaches out to 70,000 people each year with a variety of programs offered. For enjoyment and pleasure, the Ashtabula Community is priveleged to have the Ashtabula Chamber Orchestra, community theater groups, museums, ethnic and historical festivals, and free outdoor summer concerts.

The Ashtabula area is still known as a good neighbor community. Tourism is becoming very popular and people are rediscovering its beauty and abundant resources. Some of its attractions are covered bridges, sandy beaches, hunting, snowmobiling, boating, fishing, golfing, wineries and the new Geneva State Lodge and Conference Center located at Geneva on the Lake.