Bellefontaine, Ohio

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Bellefontaine, Ohio
City seal
City nickname: "The Peak of Ohio"


Location in the state of Ohio
Founded 1820
County Logan County
Mayor Robert C. Lentz
Area
 - Total
 - Water
22.7 km² (8.8 mi²)
0.0 km² (0.0 mi²) 0.00%
Population
 - City (2000)
 - Micropolis
 - Density
13,069
46,005
576.0/km² (1,491.3/mi²)
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5
Latitude
Longitude
 40°21'39" N
83°45'29" W
ci.bellefontaine.oh.us

Bellefontaine (pronounced bell-FOUN-tin; IPA: [bɛl.'faʊn.tɪn]) is a city located in Logan County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 13,069. It is the county seat of Logan CountyGR6, 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.

Contents

[edit] History

The name Bellefontaine means "beautiful spring" 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 1800s, 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.
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 1890s, 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 Avenue, which runs along the south side of the courthouse, was then paved. While Main Street is now paved with asphalt, Court Avenue has retained its original concrete pavement for over 100 years. At its centennial, the street was closed and a statue of Bartholomew placed at its Main Street end, although since then one lane has been reopened for eastbound traffic.

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.

Today, Bellefontaine is centered at the intersection of U.S. Route 68 with State Routes 47 and 540. U.S. Route 33, a freeway that has interchanges with US 68 and SR 540, skirts the northern edge of the city.

[edit] Campbell Hill and US military operations

View westward from the U.S. Route 68 bridge over U.S. Route 33 on the north side of the city, near Campbell Hill.
View westward from the U.S. Route 68 bridge over U.S. Route 33 on the north side of the city, near Campbell Hill.

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 U.S. government. 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
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 (Republican)

[edit] City Council

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

City Council meets on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month in the Council Chambers, located in the City Building at 135 North Detroit Street.

[edit] City Staff

City offices.
City offices.
  • 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 Land Manager - Vanessa Shoffner
  • City Auditor - Tim Decker
  • City Treasurer - Joe Yoacam
  • City Engineer - Tim Notestine G.E.D.
  • City Traffic Engineer - Don Volbrecht

[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 censusGR2 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".
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:

[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

[edit] Famous past and present residents

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

[edit] References

  1. ^ Logan County Rootsweb project
  2. ^ Ohio History, Vol. 12, pg 169
  3. ^ History of Bellefontaine at the city's website
  4. ^ http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/highlands_and_islands/6101968.stm

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:
Logan County, Ohio
Bellefontaine, county seat
Municipalities

Belle Center | Bellefontaine | De Graff | Huntsville | Lakeview | Quincy | Ridgeway | Rushsylvania | Russells Point | Valley Hi | West Liberty | West Mansfield | Zanesfield
Townships

Bloomfield | Bokes Creek | Harrison | Jefferson | Lake | Liberty | McArthur | Miami | Monroe | Perry | Pleasant | Richland | Rushcreek | Stokes | Union | Washington | Zane
Other localities

East Liberty | Lewistown | Middleburg | Northwood | Pickrelltown
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