Perrysburg, Ohio

Perrysburg is a city and southern suburb of Toledo located in Wood County, Ohio, United States, along the south side of the Maumee River. The population was 20,623 at the 2010 census. It was founded before and is part of the Toledo Metropolitan area, a large port city located about 12 miles (19 km) further up the Maumee River. It is the second largest suburb of Toledo and the second largest city in Wood County, after the county seat of Bowling Green.

Perrysburg, Ohio
City
Downtown Perrysburg
Motto(s):  "Embracing Our Past. Poised For The Future."
Location of Perrysburg in Ohio
Location of Perrysburg in Wood County
Coordinates: 41°33′1″N 83°37′48″W
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Wood
Government
• Mayor	Tom Mackin
Area [1]
• Total	11.93 sq mi (30.91 km^2)
• Land	11.89 sq mi (30.80 km^2)
• Water	0.04 sq mi (0.11 km^2)
Elevation [2]	630 ft (192 m)
Population  (2010)[3]
• Total	20,623
• Estimate  (2019)[4]	21,626
• Density	1,818.53/sq mi (702.15/km^2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes	43551–43552
Area code(s)	419
FIPS code	39-62148[5]
GNIS feature ID	1066139[2]
Website	ci.perrysburg.oh.us

History

Perrysburg is home to Fort Meigs, the largest wooden walled fortification in North America.

Early History

Perrysburg lies near the center of the Twelve Mile Square Reservation, a tract of land ceded by the Odawa people to the United States of America by the Treaty of Greenville in 1795, following the end of the Northwest Indian Wars. They had occupied this territory since the turn of the 18th century, after having settled in the region of the French trading post at Fort Detroit. The Odawa had controlled much of the territory along the Maumee River in present-day northwestern Ohio.[6]

In 1810, early European-American settlers here were Major Amos Spafford (1753-1818), his wife Olive (1756-1823), and their four children. In 1796, Spafford, a native of Connecticut, was a surveyor for the Connecticut Land Company. He drew the first map laying out Cleveland and named the city. He left there in 1810 following appointment as custom's collector and postmaster for the new port at the foot of the rapids of the Maumee River, Port Miami of Lake Erie. Spafford was granted a 160-acre land patent on River Tract #64 in Waynesfield township, signed by President James Monroe. Two years later, 67 families lived in the area, but most fled at the outbreak of the War of 1812.[7] After the war and the 1817 Treaty of Fort Meigs, which extinguished the Odawa claim to this area, Spafford purchased the land.

War of 1812

When the war clouds of 1812 began to edge toward Northwest Ohio, General William Henry Harrison ordered the construction of the fort, beginning in February 1813. Harrison was General Anthony Wayne's former aide-de-camp. Later he was elected as the country's ninth president. The installation was named Fort Meigs in honor of Ohio's fourth governor, Return Jonathan Meigs. Fort Meigs was constructed on a bluff above the Maumee River, and built from a design by the army engineer Captain Eleazer D. Wood, for whom the county would be named. Two critical battles with the British were fought at the fort during the War of 1812.

Early settlers in the area fled to Huron during the War of 1812. They returned to settle in the floodplain below Fort Meigs, calling the settlement Orleans. They moved to higher ground after being flooded out. Perrysburg was located by a surveying team led by Alexander Bourne, appointed to that position by Edward Tiffin, Surveyor General of the United States. Contrary to numerous Internet postings, Charles Pierre L'Enfant did not survey and plat Perrysburg, Ohio on April 27, 1816; this survey was performed in late June and early July 1816, by surveyors Joseph Wampler and William Brookfield under the auspices of Alexander Bourne and Josiah Meigs, Surveyor General of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Missouri.[8]

Growth of Perrysburg

The town soon became a center for shipbuilding and commerce on Lake Erie. It was named after Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, naval commander during the War of 1812 and hero of the Battle of Lake Erie.[9]

In 1833, Perrysburg contained a courthouse, jail, schoolhouse, two stores, two taverns, two physicians, two lawyers, about 60 houses, and 250 inhabitants.[10]

In 1854, an epidemic of cholera decimated the population. The town closed down for two months in that summer, trying to contain the epidemic at a time when people did not understand how it was transmitted. More than 100 people died. Other towns along the Maumee also suffered high losses from the epidemic, and Providence, Ohio was abandoned. It had suffered a disastrous fire less than a decade before.

Modern Perrysburg

On October 12, 1984 President Ronald Reagan made a whistle stop in Perrysburg in the Ferdinand Magellan drawing a crowd of over 20,000.[11]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.51 square miles (29.81 km²), all land.[12]

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1830	182		—
1840	1,041		472.0%
1850	1,199		15.2%
1860	1,494		24.6%
1870	1,835		22.8%
1880	1,909		4.0%
1890	1,747		−8.5%
1900	1,766		1.1%
1910	1,913		8.3%
1920	2,429		27.0%
1930	3,182		31.0%
1940	3,457		8.6%
1950	4,006		15.9%
1960	5,519		37.8%
1970	7,693		39.4%
1980	10,196		32.5%
1990	12,551		23.1%
2000	16,945		35.0%
2010	20,623		21.7%
2019 (est.)	21,626	[4]	4.9%
Sources:[5][13][14][15][16][17][18]

2010 census

As of the census[3] of 2010, there were 20,623 people, 8,246 households, and 5,504 families living in the city. The population density was 1,791.7 inhabitants per square mile (691.8/km²). There were 8,845 housing units at an average density of 768.5 per square mile (296.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 92.9% White, 1.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 3.1% Asian, 0.8% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.2% of the population.

There were 8,246 households, of which 34.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.3% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the city was 38.4 years. 26.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.1% were from 25 to 44; 27.6% were from 45 to 64; and 12.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

2000 census

Levis Commons in Perrysburg

As of the census[5] of 2000, there were 16,945 people, 6,592 households, and 4,561 families living in the city. The population density was 1,899.2 people per square mile (733.5/km²). There were 6,964 housing units at an average density of 780.5 per square mile (301.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.34% White, 1.03% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.77% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.90% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.05% of the population.

There were 6,390 households, out of which 38.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.1% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 27.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.18.

In the city the population was spread out, with 29.0% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $62,237 and the median income for a family was $75,651. Males had a median income of $56,496 versus $31,401 for females. The per capita income for the city was $29,652. About 1.5% of families and 2.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.7% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Perrysburg is home to five elementary schools, one intermediate school, one junior high school, Perrysburg High School, and one extracurricular academy. It has received an Excellent rating on the State Report Card for eleven consecutive years[1] and met 26 of 26 of the Ohio Department of Education's indicators with a performance index of 105.6.[19] The district is on the College Board's AP® District Honor Roll for Significant Gains, has NLL District & Regional Championship teams and performers and has nationally recognized fine and performing arts programs.[20] Over 20 advanced placement and honors classes are offered at Perrysburg High School and the district's elementary schools have robust technology integration.[21] The primary public schools are Fort Meigs, Frank, Toth and Woodland Elementary Schools, with the private Catholic school, Saint Rose, making up the fifth. The public intermediate school is Hull Prairie Intermediate School. Perrysburg Junior High School is housed in the old Perrysburg High School building. In addition to property taxes, Perrysburg Schools are supported by 0.5% income tax revenue within the school district.

In the year 2016, 51% of Perrysburg residents over the age of 25 had a bachelor's degree or a higher level of education, compared to 31.7% of Wood County residents, 23% of residents in the Toledo MSA, 26.7% of Ohioans, and 30.3% in the U.S.[22][23][24][25]

Library

The Way Public Library serves Perrysburg area. In 2016, the library loaned 639,113 items and provided 726 programs to its 34,336 registered borrowers. Total holdings in 2016 were 93,416 print materials and 182 print subscriptions.[26]

Notable people

Statue of Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, after whom Perrysburg is named.

• Burke Badenhop, professional baseball pitcher in Major League Baseball[27][28]
• Clara Blinn, pioneer who died in the aftermath of the Battle of Washita River[29]
• Douglas Brinkley, award-winning historian, lived in Perrysburg from 1968 to 1982
• Bil Dwyer, cartoonist (Dumb Dora) and humorist
• T. J. Fatinikun, professional football player in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League
• Jerry Glanville, college football head coach[30]
• Jim Harbaugh, professional football player in the NFL and head coach in the NFL and college football
• Sam Jaeger, actor and screenwriter[31]
• Ralph Wesley Judd, (1901–1957), professional baseball player in Major League Baseball[32]
• Jim Leyland, professional baseball player and manager in Major League Baseball[33]
• Anna Tunnicliffe, 2008 US Olympic Sailing Team gold medalist[34]

Notable companies

Owens-Illinois building in Perrysburg.

• Owens-Illinois Inc., global glass container manufacturer[35]
• Universal Tube & Rollform Equipment, metalworking machinery dealer, specializing in tube mills, roll forming and coil processing equipment.
• Fox Software, creator of FoxPro (Defunct after being acquired by Microsoft in 1992)

References

1. "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
2. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
3. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
4. "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved May 21, 2020.
5. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
6. Atlas of Great Lakes Indian History, (University of Oklahoma Press: Norman, 1986) pp. 3, 58–59; and R. Douglas Hurt, The Ohio Frontier: Crucible of the Old Northwest, 1720–1830 (Indiana University Press: Bloomington, 1998), pp. 8–12
7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-12-06. Retrieved 2014-12-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
8. History of the Maumee River Basin from the Earliest Account to Its Organization into Counties; Charles Elihu Slocum, 1905
9. "Profile for Perrysburg, Ohio". ePodunk. Retrieved 2010-06-06.
10. Kilbourn, John (1833). The Ohio Gazetteer, or, a Topographical Dictionary. Scott and Wright. pp. 367. Retrieved 12 December 2013.
11. "Former actor, future president stumped often in northwest Ohio". Toledo Blade. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
12. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2012-01-24. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
13. "Population of Civil Divisions Less than Counties" (PDF). Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Ninth Census. U.S. Census Bureau. 1870. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-12-26. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
14. "Population of Civil Divisions Less than Counties" (PDF). Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Tenth Census. U.S. Census Bureau. 1880. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
15. "Population: Ohio" (PDF). 1910 U.S. Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
16. "Population: Ohio" (PDF). 1930 US Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 28 November 2013.
17. "Number of Inhabitants: Ohio" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. 1960. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
18. "Ohio: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 22 November 2013.
19. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2012-02-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
20. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-11-02. Retrieved 2011-11-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
21. http://www.perrysburgschools.net/district/about/DistrictInfoTriFold.pdf%5B%5D
22. "Metropolitan Areas - Enrollment, Teachers, and Educational Attainment" (PDF). 2007.
23. "EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT 2010-2014 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". 2014.
24. "U.S. Census Quick Facts Ohio". 2016.
25. "U.S. Census Quick Facts". 2016.
26. "2016 Ohio Public Library Statistics". State Library of Ohio. Archived from the original on 2008-05-19. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
27. BGSU Falcons player bio. Retrieved on June 13, 2008.
28. Florida Marlins player bio. Retrieved on June 13, 2008.
29. Justus, Judith P. (2000). "The Saga of Clara H. Blinn at the Battle of the Washita." Research Review: Journal of the Little Bighorn Associates 14(1): 11–20, p. 12
30. Portland State U. coach bio Archived 2008-09-22 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved on June 13, 2008.
31. IMDB bio. Retrieved on June 13, 2008.
32. Alabama County Marriages, 1809–1950 found at www.familysearch.org
33. Detroit Tigers coach bio. Retrieved on June 13, 2008.
34. The Toledo Blade - Sailing into Olympics. Retrieved on June 13, 2008.
35. OI Company Facts http://www.o-i.com/About-O-I/Company-Facts/. Retrieved December 30, 2017. Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links

• Official website