Defiance is a city in and the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

Defiance County, Ohio Defiance County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,286. Its county seat is Defiance. The county was named after an early Army fortification, Fort Defiance, which was so named by Mad An ...

, United States, about southwest of

Toledo Toledo most commonly refers to: * Toledo, Spain, a city in Spain * Province of Toledo, Spain * Toledo, Ohio, a city in the United States Toledo may also refer to: Places Belize * Toledo District * Toledo Settlement Bolivia * Toledo, Orur ...

and northeast of

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...

, in Ohio's northwestern corner. The population was 16,494 at the 2010 census.

History

The city contains the site of Fort Defiance, built by General "Mad"

Anthony Wayne Anthony Wayne (January 1, 1745 – December 15, 1796) was an American soldier, officer, statesman, and one of the Founding Fathers of the United States. He adopted a military career at the outset of the American Revolutionary War, where his mil ...

in August 1794, during the

Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1786–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native American nations known today as the Northwestern ...

at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee rivers. General Wayne surveyed the land and declared to General Scott, "I defy the English, Indians, and all the devils of hell to take it." Using the fort as a

base of operation Headquarters (commonly referred to as HQ) denotes the location where most, if not all, of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. In the United States, the corporate headquarters represents the entity at the center or the top ...

s, Wayne ordered his troops to destroy Native American crops and villages within a radius of around the fort. Today a pair of cannons outside the city library on the Maumee River overlook the confluence and mark the location of Fort Defiance, along with a mounded outline of the fort walls. The city was named after Fort Defiance. From Fort Defiance, the U.S. forces moved northeast along the Maumee River to fight the decisive

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their British allies, against the nascent United States ...

near the current town of

Maumee, Ohio Maumee ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. Located along the Maumee River, it is about 10 miles southwest of Toledo. The population was 14,286 at the 2010 census. Maumee was declared an All-America City by the National Civic L ...

. This victory secured for the United States the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

, now the states of Ohio, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin. Fort Winchester was built on the same spot during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States of America and its indigenous allies against the United Kingdom and its allies in British North America, with limited participation by Spain in Florida. It bega ...

, but it was a larger fort that extended southward somewhat along the Auglaize River. Historical plaques in the sidewalks mark the full extent of Fort Winchester. In 1822 Defiance was laid out as a town. In 1845 it was made the county seat of the newly created county, and in 1881 it became a city.

Geography

Defiance is located at (41.281891, -84.362856). According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the city has a total area of , of which, is land and is water. Defiance lends its name to a distinct end

moraine A moraine is any accumulation of unconsolidated debris (regolith and rock), sometimes referred to as glacial till, that occurs in both currently and formerly glaciated regions, and that has been previously carried along by a glacier or ice shee ...

from the Wisconsian glaciation. As Cushing et al. point out, "The Defiance moraine represents the last notable stand of the glacial front in this region." The moraine varies in width from 2 to 4 miles, and according to Leverett, "it is like a broad wave whose crest stands 20 to 50 feet above the border of the plain outside it."

Climate

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2010, there were 16,494 people, 6,663 households, and 4,291 families living in the city. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

was . There were 7,435 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 88.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 3.6%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.4%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 4.8% from other races, and 2.8% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

people of any race were 14.4% of the population. There were 6,663 households, of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 45.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 13.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.6% were non-families. 29.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.91. The median age in the city was 37.1 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 10.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.7% were from 25 to 44; 26% were from 45 to 64; and 15.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 16,465 people, 6,572 households, and 4,422 families living in the city. The

was 1,562.4 people per square mile (603.1/km). There were 7,061 housing units at an average density of 670.0 per square mile (258.7/km). The racial makeup of the city was 87.15%

, 3.44%

, 0.32% Native American, 0.39%

, 0.05%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 6.50% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races.

people of any race were 12.75% of the population. There were 6,572 households, out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were

living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95. In the city the population was composed of 25.7% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males. The median income for households was $41,670, and the median income for a family was $49,599. Males had a median income of $37,322, compared to $23,938 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the city was $19,790. About 7.4% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Defiance City Schools provide public K-12 education. Schools maintained by local

Lutheran Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched th ...

and

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

churches also provide preschool-grade 8 education. Northeastern Local Schools ( Tinora) and Ayersville Local Schools also serve rural Defiance, but each is a smaller school district. There are three high schools in the Defiance area: Defiance (located in Defiance), Tinora (part of Northeastern Local Schools) and Ayersville High Schools. Tinora and Ayersville High Schools are located a few miles from the main city and serve the rural areas of Defiance County to the northeast and southeast, respectively, of Defiance.

Defiance College Defiance College is a private college located in Defiance, Ohio and affiliated with the United Church of Christ. The campus includes eighteen buildings and access to the Thoreau Wildlife Sanctuary. History The college began as Defiance Female ...

is a small liberal arts college affiliated with the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximately 4 ...

and has an enrollment of about 1,000 students. Defiance has a public library, a branch of the Defiance Public Library System.

Parks and recreation

Defiance has several city parks that offer a variety of recreational activities, including baseball and softball diamonds, as well as playground equipment. These parks include Kingsbury Park and Diehl Park. Kingsbury Park also has a public swimming pool.

Independence Dam State Park Independence Dam State Park is a public recreation area located on the banks of the Maumee River three miles east of Defiance in Defiance County, Ohio, United States. The state park features ruins of the Miami and Erie Canal. Recreational f ...

, 4 miles east of the city on State Highway 424, along the

Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) ( sjw, Hotaawathiipi; mia, Taawaawa siipiiwi) is a river running in the United States Midwest from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph and ...

, is also a popular recreational site for area residents. The park provides picnic facilities, nature trails, and fishing. There is a reservoir with adjacent trails, along with a track up top. There is also a

Frisbee golf Disc golf, also known as frisbee golf, is a flying disc sport in which players throw a disc at a target; it is played using rules similar to golf. Most disc golf discs are made out of polypropylene plastic, otherwise known as polypropene, which ...

course. On the other side, there is a dog park. Fort Defiance Park is a park that currently occupies the site of the former Fort Defiance. In 1980, the park was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

Media

Newspaper

*''

The Crescent-News This is a list of newspapers in Ohio. Eight of these are part of the Ohio News Organization and most are part of the Ohio Newspaper Association. Major papers :''This is a list of daily newspapers currently published in Ohio. For weekly newspa ...

''http://www.crescent-news.com

Radio

WONW WONW (1280 AM) is a news, talk, and sports formatted broadcast radio station, affiliated with Premiere Radio Networks and Fox Sports Radio. WONW is licensed to Defiance, Ohio, serving the Defiance, Bryan, Napoleon, and Paulding areas. WONW ...

, 1280 AM, news-talk * WDFM, 98.1 FM, "Hot AC" *

WZOM WZOM (105.7 FM) is a radio station broadcasting a country music format. Licensed to Defiance, Ohio, United States, the station is currently owned by iHeartMedia. In February 2002, the station changed from an Oldies format to the current country ...

, 105.7 FM "The Bull", country

Television

WNHO-LD WNHO-LD (channel 44) is a low-power independent television station in Defiance, Ohio, United States. Owned by American Christian Television Services, it is sister to Lima-licensed religious/secular independent station WLMA (channel 44). The t ...

channel 44, repeater of WLMA,

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton, Ohio, Dayton, southwest of Toledo, Ohio, T ...

Notable people

* Kevin Bacon, Ohio Senator *

Doug Bair Charles Douglas Bair (born August 22, 1949) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played for 15 Major League Baseball (MLB) seasons — from 1976 to 1990 — for seven teams. Career Pittsburgh Pirates Bair was drafted by the ...

, pitcher for seven

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

teams *

Chad Billingsley Chad Ryan Billingsley (born July 29, 1984) is an Americans, American former professional baseball right-handed starting pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers from through and Philadelphia Phillies in . He ...

, former

pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws ("pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

for the

Los Angeles Dodgers The Los Angeles Dodgers are an American professional baseball team based in Los Angeles. The Dodgers compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) West division. Established in 1883 in the city of Brooklyn ...

Michelle Burke Michelle Burke (born Michelle Gray; November 30, 1970) is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as Jodi Kramer in the 1993 Richard Linklater film '' Dazed and Confused'' and as Connie Conehead in the 1993 movie ''Coneheads''. ...

, television and film actress *

Wild Bill Davison William Edward Davison (January 5, 1906 – November 14, 1989), nicknamed "Wild Bill", was an American jazz cornetist. He emerged in the 1920s through his work playing alongside Muggsy Spanier and Frank Teschemacher in a cover band where they p ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

cornet The cornet (, ) is a brass instrument similar to the trumpet but distinguished from it by its conical bore, more compact shape, and mellower tone quality. The most common cornet is a transposing instrument in B, though there is also a sopr ...

player *

Alene Duerk Alene Bertha Duerk (March 29, 1920 – July 21, 2018) became the first female admiral in the U.S. Navy in 1972. She was also the director of the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps from 1970 to 1975. She is a 1974 recipient of a Distinguished Alumni Award ...

, became the first female admiral in the U.S. Navy in 1972 * Alan Francis, 24-time Horseshoe World Champion *

Chet Grant Donald Chester Grant (February 22, 1892 in Defiance, Ohio – July, 1985 in South Bend, Indiana) was an American football player, coach and sportswriter. At a young age, Chet Grant took an active interest in South Bend athletics, particularly Not ...

, football player and journalist *

Asel Hagerty Asel Hagerty (or Asa Hagarty) (June 30, 1837 – March 30, 1919) was an American soldier who fought in the American Civil War. Hagerty received his country's highest award for bravery during combat, the Medal of Honor. Hagerty's medal was won for ...

(1837–1919), Canadian-born Medal of Honor recipient in the American Civil War, buried in Defiance * Jessicka Havok, professional wrestler *

Michael Hitchcock Michael Hitchcock (born July 28, 1958) is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and television producer. Early life Hitchcock received his Bachelor of Science degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Un ...

, actor,

comedian A comedian or comic is a person who seeks to entertain an audience by making them laugh. This might be through jokes or amusing Amusement is the state of experiencing humorous and entertaining events or situations while the person or a ...

screenwriter A screenplay writer (also called screenwriter, scriptwriter, scribe or scenarist) is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs and video games, are based. ...

, and

television producer A television producer is a person who oversees one or more aspects of video production on a television show, television program. Some producers take more of an executive role, in that they conceive new programs and pitch them to the television net ...

Sam Hornish Jr. Samuel Jon Hornish Jr. (born July 2, 1979) is an American semi-retired professional auto racing driver. He last competed part-time in the NASCAR Xfinity Series, driving the No. 22 Ford Mustang for Team Penske in 2017. He began his top-tier raci ...

Indianapolis 500 The Indianapolis 500, formally known as the Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, and commonly called the Indy 500, is an annual automobile race held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS) in Speedway, Indiana, United States, an enclave suburb of Indi ...

winner and part-time driver in the

NASCAR Xfinity Series The NASCAR Xfinity Series (NXS) is a stock car racing series organized by NASCAR. It is promoted as NASCAR's second-tier circuit to the organization's top level Cup Series. NXS events are frequently held as a support race on the day prior to a ...

Greg Kampe Greg Charles Kampe (born December 9, 1955) is an American college basketball coach and the current head men's basketball coach at Oakland University. He guided the Golden Grizzlies to their first NCAA Division I tournament and tournament win in ...

, men's head basketball coach at

Oakland University Oakland University is a public research university in Auburn Hills and Rochester Hills, Michigan. Founded in 1957 through a donation of Matilda Dodge Wilson, it was initially known as Michigan State University-Oakland, operating under the Mi ...

* Sarah Kurtz, materials scientist and member of the National Academy of Engineering * Don Miller, one of the Four Horsemen of Notre Dame *

Ray T. Miller Raymond Thomas Miller, Sr. (January 10, 1893 – July 13, 1966), commonly known as Ray T. Miller, was an American politician who served as the 43rd Mayor of Cleveland, mayor of Cleveland, and the chairman of the Cuyahoga County, Ohio, Cuyaho ...

, 43rd

Mayor of Cleveland The mayor of Cleveland is the head of the executive branch of Local government in the United States, government of the Cleveland, City of Cleveland, Ohio. As the chief executive in Cleveland's Mayor–council government#Strong-mayor government fo ...

Jon Niese Jonathon Joseph Niese (born October 27, 1986) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the New York Mets and Pittsburgh Pirates. Early life Niese was born to Jeffery and Annette Niese in L ...

, pitcher for the

Pittsburgh Pirates The Pittsburgh Pirates are an American professional baseball team based in Pittsburgh. The Pirates compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Founded as part of the American Associati ...

Jason Osborne Jason Osborne (born 20 March 1994) is a German former rower and current professional road cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won silver as part of the German team in the lightweight men's quadruple sculls at the 2013 World Rowi ...

, majority leader for

New Hampshire House of Representatives The New Hampshire House of Representatives is the lower house in the New Hampshire General Court, the bicameral legislature of the state of New Hampshire. The House of Representatives consists of 400 members coming from 204 legislative district ...

Chad Reineke Chad Karl Reineke (born April 9, 1982) is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, and Cincinnati Reds. Personal life Reineke attended Ayersville High ...

, pitcher for the

Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds are an American professional baseball team based in Cincinnati. They compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) National League Central, Central division and were a charter member of ...

* Terry "Tuff" Ryan, author of ''The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio'', daughter of Evelyn Ryan (the subject of the book) *

Bruce Shingledecker Bruce Shingledecker (August 9, 1945 – January 8, 2007) was an American painter.

, Alaskan wildlife painter *

H. Allen Smith Harry Allen Wolfgang Smith (December 19, 1907—February 24, 1976) was an American journalist, humorist, and writer whose books were popular in the 1940s and 1950s. Family and early career Smith was born in McLeansboro, Illinois, where he liv ...

, humorist *

Walter W. Wensinger Walter William Wensinger (September 4, 1894July 10, 1972) was a highly decorated officer of the United States Marine Corps with the rank of lieutenant general. He is most noted for his service as commanding officer of 23rd Marine Regiment during ...

, highly decorated lieutenant general in the Marine Corps during World War II

References

External links

City website

Defiance Development & Visitors Bureau

Defiance Public Library

Maumee Valley Heritage Corridor
{{authority control County seats in Ohio Cities in Defiance County, Ohio Cities in Ohio