Plain City, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Plain City is a village on the west banks of Big Darby Creek
, in the northern part of Darby Township
, Madison County
and the southern part of Jerome Township
, Union County
in the U.S. state
of Ohio
. The population was 2,832 at the 2000 census
.
was inhabited by Mingo
and Wyandot Indians, and there was an Indian village just north of present-day Plain City. After 1795, as white settlers began moving into the region, the area around present-day Plain City was referred to as Pleasant Valley.
In 1814, Isaac Bigelow travelled to the area from Centre County, Pennsylvania
to pay for land purchased from his uncle, then returned to Pennsylvania to study medicine with his father. He returned in 1817, and settled in the Pleasant Valley area in 1818. He hired a surveyor named David Chapman, and laid out the town of Westminster on June 11, 1818. At the time, Westminster lay wholly within Darby Township in Madison County. In 1820, when Union County was formed, the county line was moved to the middle of Westminster. In 1823, the previous survey was resurveyed, additional territory was incorporated, and the town's name was changed from Westminster to Pleasant Valley. From 1832 to 1851, there were six additions to the town limits. In 1851, due to there already being another town in Ohio named Pleasant Valley, the town changed its name to Plain City.
Previous to 1850, Plain City was a smaller trading point than Amity
, but after a trunk-line for the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
was laid through its corporation limits, business and manufacturing increased dramatically. The corporation limits were extended in 1868. As of 1875, the town contained five churches, one newspaper, one bank, one brick planing mill
, one flour mill, four dry goods stores, three drug stores, three grocery stores, one jewelry store, one hotel, one carriage and wagon store, two harness shops, two wagon shops, two blacksmith shops, and a boot and shoe store.
The Farmers National Bank
, a building at the intersection of State Route 161 and Chillocothe Street was built in 1902, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1995. The town clock, located at the same intersection, was dedicated on November 15, 1902.
Plain City and the surrounding area have a strong German and agricultural heritage. Plain City was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
that connected Pittsburgh
to Chicago
and St. Louis
.
.
Plain City is served by the Plain City Public Library.Total holding are over 64,000 volumes with over 125 periodical subscriptions.
and State Route 161, eight minutes from Dublin
and twelve minutes from Marysville
.
Plain City is located at 40°6′27"N 83°16′4"W (40.107541, -83.267861).
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all land.
As of the census
of 2000, there were 2,832 people, 1,128 households, and 753 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,563.2 people per square mile (604.1/km²). There were 1,201 housing units at an average density of 662.9 per square mile (256.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.93% White, 0.78% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races
, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 1,128 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $43,313, and the median income for a family was $51,007. Males had a median income of $35,382 versus $23,351 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $20,815. About 4.3% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Each year, during the month of July, the city hosts the Miami Valley Steam Threshers show at Pastime Park, which showcases antique tractors, steam thresher
s and other farm equipment.
Big Darby Creek
The Big Darby Creek is a river located in northwestern central Ohio, and an important tributary to the Lower Scioto River. The river's major tributary is the Little Darby Creek....
, in the northern part of Darby Township
Darby Township, Union County, Ohio
Darby Township is one of the fourteen townships of Union County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,934 people in the township, 1,634 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, Madison County
Madison County, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 40,213 people, 13,672 households, and 10,035 families residing in the county. The population density was 86 people per square mile . There were 14,399 housing units at an average density of 31 per square mile...
and the southern part of Jerome Township
Jerome Township, Union County, Ohio
Jerome Township is one of the fourteen townships of Union County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,950 people in the township, 3,033 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
, Union County
Union County, Ohio
Union County is a county located in the US state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 52,300. Increasingly becoming more of a suburban county, the population was estimated at 47,234 in 2007 by the U.S. Census Bureau...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. The population was 2,832 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
.
History
Until about 1800, the Ohio CountryOhio Country
The Ohio Country was the name used in the 18th century for the regions of North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and in the region of the upper Ohio River south of Lake Erie...
was inhabited by Mingo
Mingo
The Mingo are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans made up of peoples who migrated west to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century. Anglo-Americans called these migrants mingos, a corruption of mingwe, an Eastern Algonquian name for Iroquoian-language groups in general. Mingos have also...
and Wyandot Indians, and there was an Indian village just north of present-day Plain City. After 1795, as white settlers began moving into the region, the area around present-day Plain City was referred to as Pleasant Valley.
In 1814, Isaac Bigelow travelled to the area from Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County, Pennsylvania
Centre County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is part of the State College, Pennsylvania Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 153,990....
to pay for land purchased from his uncle, then returned to Pennsylvania to study medicine with his father. He returned in 1817, and settled in the Pleasant Valley area in 1818. He hired a surveyor named David Chapman, and laid out the town of Westminster on June 11, 1818. At the time, Westminster lay wholly within Darby Township in Madison County. In 1820, when Union County was formed, the county line was moved to the middle of Westminster. In 1823, the previous survey was resurveyed, additional territory was incorporated, and the town's name was changed from Westminster to Pleasant Valley. From 1832 to 1851, there were six additions to the town limits. In 1851, due to there already being another town in Ohio named Pleasant Valley, the town changed its name to Plain City.
Previous to 1850, Plain City was a smaller trading point than Amity
Amity, Ohio
Amity is an unincorporated community in north-eastern Canaan Township, Madison County, Ohio, United States. It is located at , at the intersection of Plain City-Georgesville Road and Amity Pike Road, between Plain City and West Jefferson.- History :...
, but after a trunk-line for the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
Atlantic and Great Western Railroad
The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad began as three separate railroads: the Erie and New York City Railroad based in Jamestown, New York; the Meadville Railroad based in Meadville, Pennsylvania ; and the Franklin and Warren Railroad based in Franklin Mills, Ohio...
was laid through its corporation limits, business and manufacturing increased dramatically. The corporation limits were extended in 1868. As of 1875, the town contained five churches, one newspaper, one bank, one brick planing mill
Planing mill
A planing mill is a facility that takes cut and seasoned boards from a sawmill and turns them into finished dimensional lumber. Machines used in the mill include the planer and matcher, the molding machines, and varieties of saws...
, one flour mill, four dry goods stores, three drug stores, three grocery stores, one jewelry store, one hotel, one carriage and wagon store, two harness shops, two wagon shops, two blacksmith shops, and a boot and shoe store.
The Farmers National Bank
Farmers National Bank (Plain City, Ohio)
Farmers National Bank is a bank building in the village of Plain City in Madison County, Ohio, United States. The bank is located at the intersection of State Route 161 and Chillicothe Street...
, a building at the intersection of State Route 161 and Chillocothe Street was built in 1902, and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1995. The town clock, located at the same intersection, was dedicated on November 15, 1902.
Plain City and the surrounding area have a strong German and agricultural heritage. Plain City was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad
The Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, commonly called the Pan Handle Route , was a railroad forming part of the Pennsylvania Railroad system. Its common name came from its main line west from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania across the Northern Panhandle of West Virginia...
that connected Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
to Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and St. Louis
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
.
Government
The village and surrounding area is serviced by the Jonathan Alder Local School District and Jonathan Alder High SchoolJonathan Alder High School
Jonathan Alder High School is an NCA accredited public high school located in Plain City, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Jonathan Alder Local School District. The school, as well as the district, are named after Jonathan Alder, the first white settler in Madison County.The current building...
.
Plain City is served by the Plain City Public Library.Total holding are over 64,000 volumes with over 125 periodical subscriptions.
Geography
Plain City is located at the juncture of U.S. Route 42U.S. Route 42
U.S. Route 42 is an east–west United States highway that runs northeast-southwest for 355 miles from Cleveland, Ohio to Louisville, Kentucky. The route has several names including Pearl Road from Cleveland to Medina in Northeast Ohio, the Cincinnati and Lebanon Pike in southwestern Ohio and...
and State Route 161, eight minutes from Dublin
Dublin, Ohio
Dublin is a city in Franklin, Delaware, and Union counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 41,751 at the 2010 census. Dublin is a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Approximately 57,000 people live within the Dublin school district....
and twelve minutes from Marysville
Marysville, Ohio
Marysville is a city in and the county seat of Union County, Ohio, United States. The population was 15,942 at the 2000 census, and the Census Bureau estimated that it had risen to 17,621 by 2006.Marysville's longtime slogan is "Where the Grass is Greener"...
.
Plain City is located at 40°6′27"N 83°16′4"W (40.107541, -83.267861).
According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1.8 square miles (4.7 km²), all land.
Demographics
The population of Plain City was about 700 in 1875, 1,245 in 1890, 1,432 in 1900, 1,407 in 1910, and about 1,500 in 1915.As of the census
Census
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 2,832 people, 1,128 households, and 753 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,563.2 people per square mile (604.1/km²). There were 1,201 housing units at an average density of 662.9 per square mile (256.2/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.93% White, 0.78% African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.74% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 1.09% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.
There were 1,128 households out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the village the population was spread out with 28.0% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 18.8% from 45 to 64, and 12.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 93.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $43,313, and the median income for a family was $51,007. Males had a median income of $35,382 versus $23,351 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $20,815. About 4.3% of families and 6.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.2% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.
Recreation
The village's public park is named Pastime Park, and features baseball and softball diamonds, camping facilities, a 0.25 mile (0.402335 km) nature walking path, two children's play parks, and the village's public pool, Pastime Pool.Each year, during the month of July, the city hosts the Miami Valley Steam Threshers show at Pastime Park, which showcases antique tractors, steam thresher
Threshing machine
The thrashing machine, or, in modern spelling, threshing machine , was a machine first invented by Scottish mechanical engineer Andrew Meikle for use in agriculture. It was invented for the separation of grain from stalks and husks. For thousands of years, grain was separated by hand with flails,...
s and other farm equipment.
Notable residents
- Israel BeachyIsrael BeachyIsrael Beachy is the bass guitarist for the Christian rock band Disciple, and is the bassist of the recently reformed Christian rock band Staple. He was born in the small town of Plain City, Ohio, USA and lived there with his three brothers and father. Israel graduated from Delaware Christian...
- Musician - Donnie NickeyDonnie NickeyDonnie Orvin Nickey is an American football safety for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He was originally drafted by the Titans in the fifth round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Ohio State....
- NFLNational Football LeagueThe National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
player - Bryan ThompsonBryan Thompson (politician)Bryan Thompson is the Mayor of Brunswick, Georgia. He ran on the Republican ballot and was elected mayor in 2005. He is originally from Plain City, Ohio and graduated from The Ohio State University with a major in performing arts. On March 13, 2006, Thompson appeared on the game show Deal or No...
- Mayor of Brunswick, GeorgiaBrunswick, GeorgiaBrunswick is the major urban and economic center in southeastern Georgia in the United States. The municipality is located on a harbor near the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 30 miles north of Florida and 70 miles south of South Carolina. Brunswick is bordered on the east by the Atlantic...
Further reading
- Curry, W.L., History of Jerome Township, Union County, Ohio, Heritage Books, Inc., Columbus, Ohio, 1913