Bellefontaine, Ohio

Bellefontaine [pronounced bell-FOUN-tin; IPA: /bɛl.'faʊn.tɪn/] is a city located in the United States; within Logan County in the state of Ohio. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 13,069. It is the county seat of Logan County^GR6, and the center of the Bellefontaine Micropolitan Statistical Area (as defined by the United States Census Bureau in 2003). The highest point in Ohio (Campbell Hill) is within the city limits of Bellefontaine.

[edit] History

The name Bellefontaine means "beautiful fountain" in French, and is purported to refer to several springs in the area.^[1]

[edit] Blue Jacket's Town

Around 1777, the Shawnee war leader Blue Jacket (Weyapiersenwah) built a settlement here, known as Blue Jacket's Town. Blue Jacket and his band had previously occupied a village along the Scioto River, but with the coming of the American Revolutionary War to the Ohio Country, Blue Jacket and other American Indians who took up arms against the American revolutionaries relocated in order to be closer to their British allies at Detroit. Blue Jacket's Town was destroyed in a raid by Kentucky milita in 1786 at the outset of the Northwest Indian War. The expedition was led by Benjamin Logan, namesake of Logan County. Blue Jacket and his followers relocated further northwest to the Maumee River.

Beginning in the 1800's, Revolutionary War veterans and others from Virginia and elsewhere began settling in the area of Blue Jacket's Town. Bellefontaine is on or near the edge of the Virginia Military District, and the Treaty of Greenville delineating lands to be held by Americans from those to be held by natives was poorly administered in the area.^[2]

Historic Holland Theatre.

[edit] The railroads

In 1820, the town of Bellefontaine was officially laid out. In 1837, the Mad River & Lake Erie Railroad built the first railroad in Bellefontaine. This began Bellefontaine's reputation as a railroading town. This reputation was cemented in the 1890's, when the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad (also called the Big Four Railroad) built a main terminal here. This terminal also boasted the largest roundhouse between New York and Saint Louis.^[3]

Though railroading hit hard times in the late 20th century, and the Big Four terminal ceased operations in 1983, Bellefontaine remains a landmark on America's railways. The city is at the junction of CSX lines going to Cleveland, Indianapolis, and Dayton.

[edit] Automotive transportation

In 1891, Bellefontaine became the location of the first concrete street in America. George Bartholomew invented a process for paving using Portland cement, which until then had been used in stone construction. A small section of Main Street, on the west side of the Logan County Courthouse, was the first to be paved using that process. When that proved successful, Court Street, which runs along the south side of the courthouse, was then paved. While Main Street is now paved with asphalt, Court Street has retained its original concrete pavement for over 100 years.

In 1979, Honda began manufacturing motorcycles in nearby Marysville, Ohio. Since that time, Honda's operations in the Bellefontaine area have greatly expanded, and Bellefontaine is now centrally located to Honda operations in Marysville, East Liberty, Russells Point, Anna, and Troy, Ohio. It follows, then, that Honda is presently Bellefontaine's largest employer.

[edit] Campbell Hill and US military operations

To European settlers, Campbell Hill was first known as Hogue's Hill, perhaps a misspelling of the name of the person who first deeded the land in 1830, Solomon Rogue. In 1898, the land was sold to Charles D. Campbell, in whose name Campbell Hill is now known. Campbell sold the hill and surrounding land to August Wagner, who was the original brewer of Augustiner and Gambrinus beers. (These brands are now the trademarks of the Gambrinus Company of San Antonio, Texas, though the company has stopped production of these beers.)

In 1950, the family of August Wagner deeded Campbell Hill and the surrounding 57.5 acres to the Federal government of the United States. The government then stationed the 664th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron on the hill in 1951. This military unit was responsible for monitoring for possible aerospace attacks from the Soviet Union during the Cold War. The 664th AC&WS and similar military units were eventually superseded by the North American Aerospace Defense Command (or NORAD), and the base in Bellefontaine was closed in 1969.

The Ohio Hi-Point Vocational-Technical District opened a school atop the hill in 1974. The school is now known as the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center.

The Logan County courthouse in Bellefontaine

[edit] Law and government

Bellefontaine has an elected mayor and city council style of government.

[edit] Mayor

Robert C. Lentz

[edit] City Council

The Bellefontaine City Council consists of one president, four ward council members, and three council members at-large:

William Patterson, Council President
David Haw, First Ward (President Pro Tem)
Diane Hager, Second Ward
Brian Evans, Third Ward
Jerry Pitzer, Fourth Ward
David Henry, Council at Large
Donald Horn, Council at Large
Terri Knox, Council at Large
Bonnie Pattison, Clerk of Council

City Council Meets on the Second and Fourth Tuesday of every month in the Council Chambers, located in the City Building at 135 North Detroit Street.

[edit] City Staff

Service-Safety Director - Gary C. Carmean
Chief of Police - Brad K. Kunze, CLEE
Fire Chief - James Holycross
Municipal Court Judge - John Ross
City Prosecutor - William Goslee
City Law Director - Howard Traul
City Auditor - Tim Decker
City Treasurer - Joe Yoacam
City Engineer - Tim Notestine G.E.D.
City Traffic Engineer - Don Volbrecht

City offices.

[edit] Geography

Bellefontaine is located at 40°21'39" North, 83°45'29" West (40.360878, -83.758126)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 22.7 km² (8.8 mi²). 22.7 km² (8.8 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water except during times of flooding.

[edit] Economy

The median income for a household in the city was $36,029, and the median income for a family was $42,126. Males had a median income of $34,637 versus $22,849 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,781. 14.6% of the population and 12.9% of families were below the poverty line. 20.7% of those under the age of 18 and 7.0% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 13,069 people, 5,319 households, and 3,436 families residing in the city. The population density was 576.0/km² (1,491.3/mi²). There were 5,722 housing units at an average density of 252.2/km² (652.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.82% White, 5.13% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.93% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.53% from other races, and 2.40% from two or more races. 1.12% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 5,319 households out of which 34.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.7% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.4% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 3.01.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.1% under the age of 18, 10.0% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 19.9% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.4 males.

[edit] Micropolitan statistical area

Bellefontaine is the center of the Bellefontaine Micropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the U.S. Census Bureau. This micropolis consists solely of Logan County, Ohio. The 2000 census^GR2 found 46,005 people in the micropolis, making it the 260th most populous such area in the United States. Among all U.S. statistical areas (CBSAs), the Bellefontaine micropolis ranks 622nd. In Ohio, the Bellefontaine micropolis is the 37th most populous CBSA, and the 21st most populous micropolitan statistical area.

By comparison, the least populous metropolitan area in the United States, Carson City, Nevada, has 52,457 residents. The least populous metropolitan area in Ohio is Sandusky, with 79,555 residents. The Bellefontaine micropolis is not as populous as these, but does have a greater population than some micropolitan statistical areas traditionally considered to be small regional cities. (Examples: El Dorado, Arkansas; Clovis, New Mexico; and Red Wing, Minnesota.)

Though official definitions of micropolitan statistical areas did not exist until 2003, the area now constituting the Bellefontaine micropolis grew in population by 8.7 percent between 1990 and 2000.

[edit] Sites of interest

Sign declaring McKinley Street to be the "World's Shortest Street".

McKinley Street — Whether or not this is the shortest street in the world is the point of some contention. The sign at the street's south end (at the intersection of Columbus Ave.) makes such a claim, although Ebenezer Place, in Wick, Scotland, has held the official record since November 2006^[4]. The City of Bellefontaine's website places the length of McKinley Street at "about 20 feet", and while city's website does not make the claim of the world's shortest street, it does cite McKinley Street as "the shortest street in America".

Also:

Campbell Hill
Court Avenue, the first concrete street in the world
First brokerage house of Edward D. Jones, still houses an office of the brokerage he started.
First United Methodist Church, where Norman Vincent Peale got his start.
The Holland Theater, on the National Register of Historic Places.
Mad River Mountain Snow Ski Resort is one of the few skiing locations in Ohio.

[edit] Education

The Bellefontaine City Schools operate four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school in the area. These schools have a combined enrollment of 2,840. In addition, the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, located atop Campbell Hill, offers both secondary and post-secondary education. Enrolled at Ohio Hi-Point are 505 students. The neighboring Ben Logan Schools campus also has a Bellefontaine address.

Several colleges and universities operate satellite campuses in the Bellefontaine area. These include:

[edit] Media

WBLL, AM radio station
WPKO, FM radio station
Bellefontaine Examiner, newspaper

[edit] Famous past and present residents

Historical marker in downtown Bellefontaine marking the site of Blue Jacket's Town

Walter Alston, baseball manager
George Bartholomew, inventor
Blue Jacket (Weyapiersenwah), Shawnee chief
Bethany Dillon, singer; nominee for 2004 Gospel Music Association New Artist of the Year award
Allan W. Eckert, author
Jim Flora, artist
Melville J. Herskovits, anthropologist
Kin Hubbard, cartoonist and journalist
Edward D. Jones, investment banker
Austin Eldon Knowlton, architect
William Lawrence, Republican politician involved with the attempt to impeach Andrew Johnson, creating the United States Department of Justice, helping to create the American Red Cross, and ratifying the Geneva Convention
The Mills Brothers, entertainers
Norman Vincent Peale, minister and author
Thomas W. Wedge, author, The Satan Hunter ISBN 0-938936-73-5

[edit] External links

	Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Bellefontaine, Ohio

[edit] References

[edit] Maps

Maps and aerial photos Coordinates: 40.360878° -83.758126°
- Street map from Google Maps, or Yahoo! Maps, or Windows Live Local
- Satellite image from Google Maps, Windows Live Local, WikiMapia
- Topographic map from TopoZone
- Aerial image or topographic map from TerraServer-USA

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Categories: Cities in Ohio | County seats in Ohio | Logan County, Ohio | Micropolitan areas of Ohio