Bluffton, Ohio

Bluffton, Ohio
Village
Main Street in downtown
Location in the state of Ohio
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Counties	Allen, Hancock
Townships	Richland, Orange
Government
• Mayor	Fred Rodabaugh
Area
• Total	3.4 sq mi (8.7 km2)
• Land	3.3 sq mi (8.6 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation	833 ft (254 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	6,503
• Density	1,170/sq mi (451.7/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP code	45817
Area code	419, 567
FIPS code	39-07426Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1064461Template:GR
Website	http://www.bluffton-ohio.com/

Bluffton, originally know as Shannon, is a village in Allen and Hancock counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It had a population of 3,896 at the 2000 census. Bluffton is home to Bluffton University, a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA. Bluffton is served by the Bluffton general aviation airport. Bluffton participates in the Tree City USA program.

The Allen County portion of Bluffton is part of the Lima Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Hancock County portion is part of the Findlay Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

Bluffton is located at 40°53′38″N 83°53′30″W (40.893881, -83.891605).Template:GR

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.7 km²), of which 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.89%) is water.

Riley Creek flows through Bluffton.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 3,896 people, 1,329 households, and 851 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,170.2 people per square mile (451.7/km²). There were 1,427 housing units at an average density of 428.6 per square mile (165.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.82% White, 0.77% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.

There were 1,329 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the village the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 22.3% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 76.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $43,208, and the median income for a family was $54,948. Males had a median income of $40,208 versus $21,563 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,711. About 4.9% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.

History

The village was founded by European settlers in 1832.

Education

Elementary and secondary

Bluffton High School sports participate in the Northwest Conference, an athletic body sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) which includes the Ada Bulldogs, Allen East Mustangs, Bluffton Pirates, Columbus Grove Bulldogs, Convoy Crestview Knights, Delphos Jefferson Wildcats, Lima Central Catholic T-Birds, Lincolnview Lancers, Paulding Panthers, and Spencerville Bearcats.

Higher education

Bluffton is home to Bluffton University, a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.

On March 2, 2007, five Bluffton University baseball players, as well as their bus driver and his wife, were killed in a chartered motorcoach crash on Interstate 75 near downtown Atlanta, Georgia while en route to a tournament in Sarasota, Florida. (See Bluffton University bus accident).

Economy

Bluffton is home to companies with a regional, national, or international presence. One of the oldest is the Bluffton Slaw Cutter Company, which has been making a unique food grater/cutter originally designed in 1915. The company presently makes several variations of this original design, and sells the "Bluffton Slaw Cutter" to North American, Asian, and European markets.

Mid Bus, founded in 1982 in Lima by former employees of the Superior Coach Company after the major school bus body company closed in 1981. Specializing in smaller models, primarily based upon van and cutaway van chassis, Mid Bus grew and became one of the larger manufacturers of customized school buses in the United states. After outgrowing several smaller facilities, in 1995, Mid Bus relocated to a much larger manufacturing and assembly facility in Bluffton. The company was acquired by Collins Industries in 1998. On September 19, 2007, Collins announced plans to close the Mid Bus plant in Ohio and consolidate all manufacturing at the Collins facility in Kansas. Bluffton is also home to the international firm DTR, a cooperative venture between Duramax and Japan's Tokai Rubber, a manufacturer of rubber components for the auto industry.

Grob Systems, a division of Grob Aerospace, also operates a facility in Bluffton. Bluffton has a lively local farmers market occurring on a weekly basis in the downtown precinct. The farmers market has an average of 18-21 vendors and attracts approximately 200 people a week. Bluffton is also home to the Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs, a business incubator that provides financial, intellectual, and technological resources throughout the greater Bluffton area.

Bluffton's Farmers Market

Bluffton is also home to many small, family-run businesses, including florists, bakeries, and coffee shops, and more. Bluffton has 6 fast food restaurants, including McDonald's, Arby's, Subway, Taco Bell, KFC, and Burger King. It is also home to the grocery store chain known locally as Community Markets. The local movie theater is the Shannon Theatre.

Notable people

• Science fiction writer Tobias Buckell lives in Bluffton.
• Veteran broadcaster Hugh Downs was a student at Bluffton University and later began his broadcasting career at WLOK, the predecessor of the present-day WIMA (AM) in nearby Lima.
• Actress Phyllis Diller lived in Bluffton while attending Bluffton College.

Annual activities

• Blaze of Lights Festival - Saturday after Thanksgiving
• Freedom Fest - sponsored by the Bluffton/Pandora Rotary Club, Saturday prior to July 4
• Festival of Wheels Car Show
• Special Places, Outdoor Spaces Spring Festival & Craft Show - Third Saturday in May
• Trout Derby - sponsored by the Bluffton Community Sportsmen's Club, first Sunday in May

External links

• Bluffton Icon
• The Bluffton News