De Graff, Ohio

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De Graff, Ohio
Aerial view of De Graff from the southeast
Aerial view of De Graff from the southeast
Location of De Graff, Ohio
Location of De Graff, Ohio
Coordinates: 40°18′41″N 83°54′55″W / 40.31139, -83.91528
Country United States
State Ohio
County Logan
Government
 - Mayor Philip Fawcett[1]
Area
 - Total 0.9 sq mi (2.2 km²)
 - Land 0.9 sq mi (2.2 km²)
 - Water 0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation [2] 1,001 ft (305 m)
Population (2000)
 - Total 1,212
 - Density 1,414.4/sq mi (546.1/km²)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 - Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 43318
Area code(s) 937
FIPS code 39-21378[3]
GNIS feature ID 1061018[2]

De Graff is a village located in Logan County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,212 at the 2000 census.

A branch of the Logan County District Library serves the De Graff community.

Contents

[edit] Name

Different sources format the community's name in several different ways: besides the official De Graff, the name has been rendered De Graft, DeGraff, Degraff, and Degraft.[4] Recently, a controversy has arisen as to the proper spelling of the town’s name. Many town icons, such as the water tower and a long-standing brick building, spell DeGraff with no space between the “e” and “G.” Well-known websites such as Mapquest and Wikipedia spell the town’s name as De Graff, while Google spells the name with no space. Passions run high among town residents with purists preferring the traditional spelling of DeGraff.

[edit] Moody murders

In May of 2005, the community was stunned to learn a senior from Riverside High School (located in the village), Scott Moody, had gone on a murder spree through two residences outside of Bellefontaine, Ohio. He killed his maternal grandparents, his mother, girlfriend, classmate, and attempted to kill his sister (Stacy Moody, the lone survivor) before turning the weapon upon himself. The story made national headlines, and many national news agencies were present for the aftermath.[5]

[edit] Geography

De Graff is located at 40°18′41″N, 83°54′55″W (40.311345, -83.915290)[6].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.9 square miles (2.2 km²), all of it land.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census[3] of 2000, there were 1,212 people, 479 households, and 329 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,414.4 people per square mile (544.1/km²). There were 515 housing units at an average density of 601.0/sq mi (231.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 99.67% White, 0.17% African American and 0.17% Asian. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.17% of the population.

There were 479 households out of which 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.3% were non-families. 29.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the village the population was spread out with 26.7% under the age of 18, 10.3% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 99.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.4 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $34,833, and the median income for a family was $43,365. Males had a median income of $35,859 versus $25,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $18,548. About 8.0% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.6% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Government

Until 2007, the mayor of De Graff was Stephanie Orsborne.[7] She was defeated by a 3-1 margin in the elections of November 2007 by Philip Fawcett.[1]

After the village police chief resigned in early May 2008, Sgt. George Piersall was appointed acting police chief.[8]

[edit] Transportation

De Graff is located at the intersection of State Routes 235 and 508.

[edit] Notable natives and residents

[edit] References

[edit] External links