Findlay, Ohio

Findlay, Ohio
City
The Blanchard River as seen from Riverside Park in Findlay.
Findlay's position within Hancock County (foreset) and Ohio (background)
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Hancock
Government
• Mayor	Anthony P. Iriti
Area
• Total	17.3 sq mi (44.8 km2)
• Land	17.2 sq mi (44.5 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)
Elevation Template:GR	778 ft (237 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	38,967
• Density	2,266.3/sq mi (875.0/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	45839-45840
Area code	419
FIPS code	39-27048Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1040439Template:GR
Website	http://www.ci.findlay.oh.us/

Findlay is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hancock CountyTemplate:GR. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio approximately 50 miles (80 km) south of Toledo. The population was 38,967 at the 2000 census. It is home to The University of Findlay. The city's official nickname is "Flag City, USA".

Geography

Findlay is located at 41°2′34″N 83°38′32″W (41.042843, -83.642216)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.8 km² (17.3 mi²). 44.5 km² (17.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.

The Blanchard River travels through the City of Findlay, flowing east to west. Findlay is also considered one of the fastest growing mid-population cities in the country.

Demographics

The waterfalls at Riverside Park in Findlay.

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 875.2/km² (2,266.3/mi²). There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 385.2/km² (997.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.70% White, 1.40% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.76% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.66% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.95% of the population.

There were 15,905 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,883, and the median income for a family was $49,986. Males had a median income of $36,150 versus $23,797 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,328. About 5.9% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

File:Pictures of FIndlay 041.jpg

The Marathon Petroleum Company building in Downtown Findlay

Findlay is the headquarters of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, founded in 1914, which specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of automobile, truck and motorcycle tires, together with other automotive products.

Findlay was also the longtime headquarters of the Marathon Oil Corporation, from 1905 until 1990. Marathon is now based in Houston, Texas, but still maintains operations in Findlay under a newly (as of September 1, 2005) organized subsidiary, the Marathon Petroleum Company.

Since the early 1990s, Findlay has experienced significant growth due to its increased importance as a regional shopping and warehouse distribution center. Findlay is home to numerous retail box stores, including two Wal-Mart supercenters, with the newest supercenter completed in July of 2006. An indoor shopping center known as the Findlay Village Mall, regional distribution centers for Best Buy, Lowe's, Cardinal Health, Hercules Tire (Worldwide headquarters & distribution center), and Kohl's, and numerous restaurants and eateries have also been built. As of 2005, there is at least one eating establishment for every 200 citizens in the City of Findlay. It is also home to the grocery store chain known locally as Great Scot Community Markets.

Notable natives

• Willard Harrison Bennett (1903-1987), inventor of the radio frequency mass spectrometer.
• Gavin Creel (1976-present), Broadway actor and singer.
• Ray Harroun (1879-1968), race car developer and driver, and first Indianapolis 500 winner.
• Josh Huston (1982-present), New York Giants kicker in the National Football League (NFL).
• Michael G. Oxley (1944-present), Congressman (1981-2006), Financial Services Committee Chair and co-author of Sarbanes-Oxley Act. Executive Vice President of NASDAQ.
• Mark Metcalf (1946-present), actor in film (Niedermeyer in National Lampoon's Animal House), television ("The Maestro" on Seinfeld) and music videos (Twisted Sister).
• William Mungen (1821-1887), U.S. Representative, lawyer, Union Army colonel.
• David Shivers (1984-Present), Pimp, engineer and all around badass.
• Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback in the National Football League (NFL).

Trivia

Planned diverging diamond interchange (now rejected)

• Findlay was considered as the site of the first diverging diamond interchange in the United States. The road junction was planned for the interchange between Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 224. State officials rejected this plan over the recommendation of city leaders, including mayor Tony Iriti, out of concerns that the unusual road layout could cause numerous accidents. The only other use of this system in the world is at a freeway interchange in Versailles, France.
• The Findlay Reservoir No. 2 is the largest above ground reservoir in the state of Ohio with a capacity of 5 billion gallons of water.
• For three months in the early 1960s, Findlay had the distinction of being the only community in the world where touch tone telephone service was available. Touch tone service was first introduced in Findlay on November 1, 1960.
• The Findlay and Hancock County community was named a winner in the first-ever national competition to identify the 100 Best Communities for Young People in September 2005. The honor was awarded through the America's Promise Alliance. Findlay and Columbus were the only two cities in Ohio to receive the distinction. In 2007, Findlay-Hancock County was once again selected (one of 52 repeat honorees), and joined Toledo as the only two cities in Ohio to receive this designation.
• In 1908, American songwriter Tell Taylor wrote the standard, "Down By the Old Mill Stream" while fishing along the Blanchard River in Findlay. The song was published in 1910.
• On Wednesday, August 22, 2007, record flooding occurred in Findlay when the Blanchard River rose 7.5 feet above the flood stage. Much of the city was under water, including much of downtown and the residential neighborhoods.

Summer Flood 2007

On August 22, 2007 Findlay encountered a flood that was considered to be worse than the flood in 1913, the previous worst flood in Findlay's history. The Blanchard River crested at 19.8 feet shortly after 4:00 PM. The flood claimed one life.

This flood gathered a great deal of attention nationally from news agencies including USA TODAY, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox News, and the Washington Post.

Local schools and businesses (including the county jail and Central Middle School) in the downtown area suffered considerable damage. At Central Middle School, some offices, the school's cafeteria, and many critical servers used for e-mail and student records were completely ruined by the floodwaters.

References

Findlay Reservoir No. 2, the largest above-ground reservoir in the state.

External links

• Findlay's official website
• Findlay/Hancock County Convention and Visitors Bureau
• Downtown Findlay
• Findlay-Hancock County Public Library
• Findlay City Schools
• The Courier
• Hancock Sheriff's Office