Galion, Ohio
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Galion is a city in Crawford County, Ohio and lies near the Ohio Counties of Morrow and Richland. It is part of the Mansfield, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 11,341 at the 2000 census. Galion is the second-largest city in Crawford County.
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[edit] Geography
Galion is located in the southeastern corner of Crawford county at (40.733164, -82.788586)GR1.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 km² (5.0 mi²). 12.8 km² (5.0 mi²) of it is land and 0.20% is water.
The most important river in Galion is the Olentangy, which winds southward toward Columbus and eventually empties into the Scioto River. In Galion, the Olentangy is not a very large river, though another creek joins it near Heise Park.
[edit] Demographics
As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 11,341 people, 4,791 households, and 3,090 families residing in the city. The population density was 882.8/km² (2,286.5/mi²). There were 5,150 housing units at an average density of 400.9/km² (1,038.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.28% White, 0.22% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.35% from other races, and 0.56% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.93% of the population.
There were 4,791 households out of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.3% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.5% were non-families. 30.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the city the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 16.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 85.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $31,513, and the median income for a family was $38,554. Males had a median income of $32,517 versus $19,792 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,113. About 11.9% of families and 14.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.6% of those under age 18 and 11.3% of those age 65 or over.
[edit] Government
Galion is governed by an elected city council, which hires a city manager in lieu of an elected mayor. See also council-manager government.
[edit] Education
The Galion City School District encompasses the entire city of Galion, graduating about 170 students annually. There are a handful of neighborhoods outside of Galion that are also included in the school district.
[edit] History
Settlers arrived in the area as early as 1817. The location was at the crossroads of a north-south road (from Columbus to Portland), now known as Sandusky, and the east-west route that later became (part of) the Lincoln Highway.
The name Galion was suggested in 1824 by a postmaster as a unique name when the city first obtained a post office, because the name that was originally proposed would have duplicated the names of other requested Ohio post offices. It is not known for certain whether the name was intended to have any particular meaning otherwise, although several possible etymologies have been posited. The first plat of the settlement, recorded in Richland County, actually gave the community's name as "Greensburg."
A date often given for the founding of the city is 1831.
Galion was also home to William Montgomery Brown, a Bishop of the Episcopal Church who was tried by the church and convicted of heresy. The first northerner elected as a Bishop in a former Confederate State after the Civil war, Brown was, according to his obituary, "the first Bishop of his communion to be tried for heresy since the Reformation, and the first of any creed in America to be disposed for heretical teachings." His house, Brownella Cottage, is owned and operated by the Galion Historical Society, and the Galion History Museum is located in the carriage house on the Brownella grounds.
[edit] Transportation
In April, 1851 the Cleveland Columbus and Cincinnati Railroad, later known as the "Big Four" and eventually the New York Central, began operating regular service between Columbus and Cleveland, stopping at Galion along the way. Prior to the end of the 19th century, Galion became a division headquarters for the line.
The Erie Railroad also ran through Galion and established large rail yards here, making the city an important rail center.
Galion boasted two large railroad depots, the Big Four Depot on Washington Street, and the Erie Depot (now demolished) on South Market Street. With the move of the Erie yards to Marion in the 1910s, the railroads declined, although the city remained a passenger rail center into the 1960s. The Big Four Depot was abandoned, however it has since been acquired by the City of Galion and is undergoing a slow but thorough restoration.
From 1915 to 1923, Galion was on the original route of the Lincoln Highway, America's first coast-to-coast route. In later years, however, the northern route was improved and became US30North, although until approximately 1970 the route through Galion was designated as US30South. The new, four-lane US30 opened in 2005, and passes just north of town, giving the community excellent transportation access.
State routes in Galion include 309, which connects Marion to the southwest with Ontario to the east; 598, which originates in Galion and stretches northward; 19, which heads westward toward the county seat and also south toward Williamsport; and 97, which goes east through Lexington.
[edit] Industry
The Galion brand of heavy equipment (such as road graders, road rollers, and earthmovers) was manufactured in Galion Iron Works, later purchased by Dresser Industries and then by Komatsu. As of 2000, the plant in Galion operated with a reduced work force, and products manufactured there are no longer branded with the Galion name.
Galion was once home to North Electric Company, a prime supplier of telephone switching systems for government and international markets. It was also producer of the Ericofon, the first ever one-piece telephone designed by Ralph Lysell and Hugo Blomberg. Founded in 1884 by Charles N. North, the company became part of Ericsson in 1951. It was purchased by ITT in the mid 1970s whereupon the company was moved to Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company exists today as [http://www.peco2.com Peco II. The name is derived from North Electric Company's purchase of Power Equipment Company (PECO) in 1960. Peco II purchased the telecomunications product line and associated assets from ITT in 1998.
Perfection Cobey was a manufacturer of dump truck bodies and other truck components.
[edit] References
- Galion Historical Society. The Historian: A Quarterly Newsletter and Collectible Journal, Vol. 7 Issue #4, June 2006, special 175th celebration edition.
[edit] External links
- Galion Public Library
- Galion City School District
- Galion City Municipal Website
- Galion Community Hospital
- Maps and aerial photos
- 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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Crawford County, Ohio Bucyrus, county seat |
|---|---|
| Municipalities |
Bucyrus | Chatfield | Crestline | Galion | New Washington | North Robinson | Tiro |
| Townships |
Auburn | Bucyrus | Chatfield | Cranberry | Dallas | Holmes | Jackson | Jefferson | Liberty | Lykens | Polk | Sandusky | Texas | Tod | Vernon | Whetstone |
| Other localities |
