Bellevue, Ohio

Bellevue, Ohio
—  City  —
Downtown Bellevue, Ohio on East Main Street.
Location of Bellevue, Ohio
Coordinates: 41°16′33″N 82°50′32″W
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Counties	Erie, Huron, Sandusky, Seneca
Government
• Mayor	David E. Kile
Area
• Total	5.2 sq mi (13.3 km2)
• Land	5.1 sq mi (13.1 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	751 ft (229 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	8,193
• Density	1,619.8/sq mi (625.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	44811
Area code(s)	419
FIPS code	39-05228
GNIS feature ID	1064408
Website	http://www.cityofbellevue.com/

Bellevue ( /ˈbɛlvjuː/) is a city in Erie, Huron, Sandusky and Seneca counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 8,193 at the 2000 census. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Bellevue as a Tree City USA.

The Sandusky County portion of Bellevue is part of the Fremont Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Huron County portion is part of the Norwalk Micropolitan Statistical Area. The small portions of the city that extend into Erie and Seneca counties are part of the Sandusky Metropolitan and Tiffin Micropolitan Statistical Areas, respectively. Bellevue is the only municipality in the state of Ohio to span four counties, and one of only a few that do so in the United States.

Bellevue was the home of Henry Morrison Flagler when he partnered up with John D. Rockefeller to start Standard Oil. Flagler later went on to build the Florida Overseas Railroad, to Key West, Florida. The property of his former Bellevue residence on Southwest Street is the current location of the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum.

Geography

Bellevue is located at 41°16′33″N 82°50′32″W (41.275808, -82.842099).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.2 square miles (13.3 km²), of which, 5.1 square miles (13.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (1.75%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,193 people, 3,332 households, and 2,242 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,619.8 people per square mile (625.2/km²). There were 3,559 housing units at an average density of 703.6 per square mile (271.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.77% White, 0.27% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.82% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.56% of the population.

There were 3,332 households out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,100, and the median income for a family was $48,173. Males had a median income of $36,601 versus $24,189 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,932. About 4.1% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Local high school students can attend Bellevue High School or EHOVE Career Center; there is also the option of open enrollment in neighboring public school districts. Furthermore, Catholic elementary and junior high, Immaculate Conception School (and church; Immaculate Conception Church) is available as a private school option. Due to the city's location, other high school education is available nearby at Tiffin Calvert High School in Tiffin, St. Joseph Central Catholic High School in Fremont, St. Mary Central Catholic High School in Sandusky, or St. Paul High School in Norwalk.

Transportation

Roads

Bellevue is located on U.S. Route 20, which forms East and West Main Street. State Routes 18, 269, and 113 also run through the city.

Railroad

During the first half of the 20th century, Bellevue was a busy railroad hub of the Nickel Plate Road, and it remains today as a hub for the Norfolk Southern Railway, which operates a massive railroad yard in Bellevue. From Bellevue, Norfolk Southern Lines extend northeast to Cleveland, OH, north to Sandusky, OH, northwest to Toledo, OH, west to Fort Wayne, IN and South to Columbus, OH. Also, the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway operates a line from Bellevue that extends east to Pittsburgh, PA

St. Louis Post-Dispatch photograph of Bellevue native Bradbury Robinson, who threw the first legal forward pass in 1906

Notable residents

• Henry Morrison Flagler - Standard Oil tycoon, real estate promoter and railroad developer, began his business career in Bellevue in the 1840s
• Stephen V. Harkness - who invested as a silent partner with Henry Morrison Flagler and oil titan John D. Rockefeller, Sr. in the founding of Standard Oil. Stephen's sons Lamon V. Harkness and William L. Harkness were both born in Bellevue and went on to become extremely wealthy from the Harkness investments in Standard Oil.
• Cheryl Krueger (Class of 1970) - President and Chief Executive Officer of Cheryl&Co.; Director of Bob Evans Farms, Inc.
• Amos E. Northup - Automotive designer
• Vice Admiral John W. Greenslade (Class of 1895) - Vice Admiral & U.S. Commander of the Pacific-Southern Naval Coastal Frontier during World War II
• Howard L. Vickery - Rear Admiral Howard Vickery, Vice Chairman U.S. Maritime Commission during World War II
• Arthur F. Gorham - Commander of the 1st Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment during World War II; twice awarded the Distinguished Service Cross the nation's second highest award for bravery
• Benny LaPresta - NFL professional football player
• Bradbury Robinson - Threw the first forward pass in American football history, was born in Bellevue in 1884.
• Brad Snyder (Class of 2000) - The 2003 Mid-American Conference Baseball Player of the Year, a NCAA Division I All-American, and Outfielder in Chicago Cubs minor
• Christi Paul - CNN reporter and anchor
• Brittany Binger - June 2007 Playboy Playmate

• Mildred Gillars (Attended Bellevue High School from 1913 to 1916) - Radio personality during World War II, best known for propaganda broadcasts for Nazi Germany; also known as Axis Sally

National Register of Historic Places

Bellevue and the surrounding countryside are home to three sites listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the Heter Farm, the John Wright Mansion, and the Tremont House.

Bibliography

• Camp, Mark J. "Railroad Depots of Northwest Ohio." Chicago, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. ISBN 978-0738534015.
• Drown, William. "Bellevue and Historic Lyme Village (OH)." Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002. ISBN 978-0738520230.
• Oddo, William. "Bellevue, a Pictorial History: A Historic Reflection of an Ohio Community." Genealogy Publishing Services, 2005. ISBN 978-1881851219.

External links

• City of Bellevue
• Bellevue Chamber of Commerce
• Bellevue City Schools
• Bellevue Public Library