Findlay is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hancock County. 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". Findlay is one of only two cities in Hancock County, along with Fostoria.

History

The city derives its name from a fort erected on its site in 1812, which was commenced by Col. James Findlay and named in honor of that officer. The history of Findlay as a village began on the 3rd of July, 1821, when Joseph Vance of Urbana, William Neill of Columbus and Elnathan Cory of New Carlisle entered the area.

On March 31 1892, the only known lynching in the history of Hancock County occurred when a mob of 1,000 men, many "respectable citizens", broke into the county jail in Findlay. They lynched Mr. Lytle, who had fatally injured his wife and two daughters with a hatchet the day before, by hanging him twice (first from the bridge, then a telegraph pole) and finally shooting his body over a dozen times. The authorities had intended to secretly convey the prisoner to a suburb at 1 o'clock, where a train was to have been taken for Lima, but their plans were frustrated by the mob.^[1] In the sixties the completion of I-75 caused tremendous growth to Findlay.

Geography

Hancock County Courthouse in Findlay

Findlay is located at (41.042843, -83.642216).

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

The Blanchard River travels through the City of Findlay, flowing east to west.

Findlay is considered one of the fastest growing mid-population cities in the country.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile (875.2/kmē). There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6/sq mi (385.2/kmē). 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.

The waterfalls at Riverside Park in Findlay.

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

The Marathon Petroleum Company building in Downtown Findlay

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 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. Hancor products a plastic drainage tile company has its headquarters there.

Education

The city is home to the University of Findlay a private liberal arts college.

Sports

• The city has had a number of Sports teams over the years U. of F participates in Division II athletics as a member of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
• From 2006-2008 the city was home to the Findlay Freedom, a low level professional ice hockey team
• Beginning in the Fall of 2008 the Findlay Grrrowl will play Jr. A hockey at The Cube Ice Arena at the Hancock Rec Center.

Summer Flood 2007

The Blanchard River as seen from Riverside Park in Findlay.

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

On August 27, 2007 President Bush declared the scene to be a disaster area.

The flood destroyed a number of homes, and damaged hundreds more as the water rose. Many affected residents are still seeking assistance with repair or relocation as of January, 2008.

Local schools and businesses (including the county jail, the main branch of the public library 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.

It was not until the first week of December that the Findlay Hancock County Public Library - Main Branch recovered enough to reopen.

Several downtown businesses did not survive, and many others have relocated to higher ground.

A documentary was commissioned by the United Way of Hancock County, which shows how their partner agencies were able to stand strong and help the citizens, despite suffering catastrophic losses themselves. "The Outpouring" was produced by Allen Film & Video and is available at the United Way of Hancock County office for $10. All proceeds go into their flood funds.

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), journeyman kicker in the National Football League (NFL).^[2]
• 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.
• Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback in the National Football League (NFL).^[3]
• Josh Woodward, singer/song writer.
• Philip Sugden, artist
• Bre' Cameron, (1982-present) Nationally known photographer. www.brecameron.com

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.
• Findlay is one of the few areas in northwest Ohio that is still growing.

References

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

1. ↑ (no author)
2. ↑ ''Thursday's sports transactions.'' Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2006-11-07.
3. ↑ Findlay, Ohio: Roethlisberger friendly but still Browns territory, by Milan Simonich. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 29, 2006.

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

fr:Findlay (Ohio) ht:Findlay, Ohio nl:Findlay (Ohio) pl:Findlay (Ohio) pt:Findlay (Ohio) vo:Findlay (Ohio)