Findlay, Ohio

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Findlay's position within Hancock County (foreset) and Ohio (background)

Findlay is a city in Hancock County, Ohio, United States. The population was 38,967 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Hancock County^{[Geographic references#6GR6]} and is home to the University of Findlay. The city's official nickname is "Flag City, USA".

Geography

The Blanchard River as seen from Riverside Park in Findlay.

Findlay is located at [41°2′34″N, 83°38′32″W] (41.042843, -83.642216)^{[Geographic references#1GR1]}.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 44.8 km² (17.3 mi²). 44.5 km² (17.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.3 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.

The Blanchard River travels through the City of Findlay, flowing east to west. Findlay is also considered one of the fastest growing mid-population cities in the country.

Demographics

The waterfalls at Riverside Park in Findlay.

As of the census^{[Geographic references#2GR2]} of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 875.2/km² (2,266.3/mi²). There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 385.2/km² (997.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.70% White, 1.40% African American, 0.19% Native American, 1.76% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 1.66% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.95% of the population.

There were 15,905 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.3% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 37.1% were non-families. 30.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.8% under the age of 18, 11.9% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,883, and the median income for a family was $49,986. Males had a median income of $36,150 versus $23,797 for females. The per capita income for the city was $21,328. About 5.9% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.0% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

The Marathon Oil Company building in Downtown Findlay

Findlay is the headquarters of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, founded in 1914, which specializes in the manufacturing and marketing of automobile, truck and motorcycle tires, together with other automotive products.

Findlay was also the longtime headquarters of the Marathon Oil Corporation, from 1905 until 1990. Marathon is now based in Houston, Texas, but still maintains operations in Findlay under a newly (as of September 1, 2005) organized subsidiary, the Marathon Petroleum Company.

Since the early 1990s, Findlay has experienced significant growth due to its increased importance as a regional shopping and warehouse distribution center. Findlay is home to numerous retail box stores including one Wal-Mart supercenter with another supercenter scheduled to be completed in 2006. An indoor shopping center known as the Findlay Village Mall, regional distribution centers for Best Buy , Lowe's, and Kohl's, and numerous restaurants and eateries have also been built. As of 2005, there is at least one eating establishment for every 200 citizens in the City of Findlay.

Trivia

Planned diverging diamond interchange (now rejected)

• Findlay was considered as the site of the first diverging diamond interchange in the United States. The road junction was planned for the interchange between Interstate 75 and U.S. Highway 224. State officials rejected this plan over the recomendation of city leaders, including mayor Tony Iriti, out of concerns that the unusual road layout could cause numerous accidents. The only other use of this system in the world is at a freeway interchange in Versailles, France.
• Findlay is the hometown of Gavin Creel, a Broadway singer and performer. Also, Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.[Findlay, Ohio: Roethlisberger friendly but still Browns territory], by Milan Simonich. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, January 29, 2006.
• Findlay was the birthplace of Willard H. Bennett, the inventor of the radio frequency mass spectrometer
• The Findlay Reservoir No. 2 is the largest above ground reservoir in the state of Ohio with a capacity of 5 billion gallons of water.
• For three months in the early 1960s, Findlay had the distinction of being the only community in the world where touch tone telephone service was available. Touch tone service was first introduced in Findlay on November 1, 1960.

Findlay Reservoir No. 2, the largest above-ground reservoir in the state.