In 1966, with the damming and impoundment of the Rock Creek in Ashtabula County, Ohio, Roaming Rock Shores was established as a property owner owned private lake community. Some 15 years later, in 1979, the Village of Roaming Shores was created.

The Village is a unique and thriving private lakefront community where most of the residents are required by property deed to be members of the Association. While the Village government and the Association have clear and distinctly different roles they serve nearly the exact same constitutes. The Village is larger in size and includes residences outside the perimeter of the 1700-acre Association. Both the Village government and Association have grown over the last half century to provide increasingly higher levels of quality services.

The Association was originally the sole governing body of this expansive private community, which was located in two townships. To this day, the Village receives government services from multiple providers: two fire departments, two high achieving school systems and two post offices. In addition, residents enjoy the benefits from modern water and sewer utility infrastructure, full police services, a lakefront restaurant and marina, a nearby grocery store and a range of other amenities that combined make the Village one of the best places to live and play in the region.

The 550-acre man made Lake Roaming Rock of Roaming Shores is the largest private body of water in Ohio and ranks in the top five in Ohio for bass fishing. With 2,189 residential lots and approximately 890 households, the population of the Village is estimated to be 1,600. Roughly 55-60% of residents are full-time, with the remainder being weekend or seasonal. Roaming Shores is by far the most affluent community in rural Ashtabula County. Hallmarks of the Village include stable and growing property values, significant personal home occupancy rates, and residents who possess a high level of educational attainment.

The Village government and the Association have distinct functions. However, understanding those differences often confuses residents and others. Roaming Shores Village is led by an elected six-member council and a mayor. It has seven full-time and five part-time employees (e.g., four part-time police officers and a part-time village administrator/zoning officer) who provide full-time law enforcement, zoning and building code enforcement, drinking water, waste water treatment, and operation and management of the dam.

The Association is led by an elected seven-member board of directors, with a full-time general manager who directs a year around staff of five and 20 to 25 summer seasonal employees. These individuals are responsible for maintaining roads in the village and plowing snow, as well as maintaining two pools, two beaches, dockage at the beaches, the boat ramp, 55 recreation lots, a club house, 20 plus out-buildings and picnic pavilions. Other recreation facilities include baseball fields, basketball and volleyball courts.

The Association has other responsibilities, which include maintaining the road shoulder berm, dozens of acres of open parklands, issuing permits for all watercraft on the lake, providing lake security, and directing the monumental task of lake management (e.g., water quality, dredging, controlling water level and fish population). Lake activity is of prime concern for the Association; members register 1,200 water craft each year.
 
 

The Association originally owned 100% of the 26 miles of roads in the community, which made them “private.” However, 27 direct entrances make it impossible to restrict access to the general public. The Village over the years has purchased 1.5 miles of “chip and sealed” roadway and are now actively pursuing public works grants in order to make safety improvements as well as widen, drain and reconstruct the surfaces with hot-mix pavement.

The annual operating budget of the Village of Roaming Shores is $2.1 million; Rome Rock Association’s annual budget is in excess of $1 million annually. Our central location in rural Ashtabula County offers tranquil living only one hour from Cleveland, Erie and Youngstown. It’s often said that if you live in Roaming Shores there is no need to go on vacation.