Beaverdam is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Richland Township, Allen County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. Its population was 319 at the 2020 census. Beaverdam is part of the

Lima, Ohio Lima ( ) is a city in Allen County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,579. It is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75 in Ohio, Interstate 75, appr ...

Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Beaverdam was laid out in 1853. The village was so named on account of there being

beaver dam A beaver dam or beaver impoundment is a dam built by beavers; it creates a pond which protects against predators such as coyotes, alligators, cougars, foxes, eagles, wolves and bears, and holds their food during winter. These structures modify th ...

s near the original town site. A post office called Beaver Dam was established in 1850, the name was changed to Beaverdam in 1895, and the post office closed in 2006. The village was incorporated in 1878.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , all land.

Demographics

The median income for a household in the village was $39,063, and the median income for a family was $47,188. Males had a median income of $29,375 versus $21,932 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $14,750. About 10.3% of families and 8.9% 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 ...

, including 19.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 382 people, 144 households, and 107 families residing in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), 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 geog ...

was . There were 153 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 96.9%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.5%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, and 2.1% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population. There were 144 households, of which 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 15.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.65 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age in the village was 34.8 years. 24.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 51.6% male and 48.4% female.

Transportation

Beaverdam lies at the junction of the old

Lincoln Highway The Lincoln Highway is one of the first transcontinental highways in the United States and one of the first highways designed expressly for automobiles. Conceived in 1912 by Indiana entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, and formally dedicated Octob ...

and the

Dixie Highway Dixie Highway was a United States auto trail first planned in 1914 to connect the Midwest with the South. It was part of a system and was expanded from an earlier Miami to Montreal highway. The final system is better understood as a network o ...

. These early highways were begun in 1914. Currently Beaverdam's economy is dominated by three large truck stops on what is now the junction of

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

and U.S. Route 30. Beaverdam was the eastern terminus of the four lane section of US 30. This meant that vehicular traffic going east on the four lane portion of US 30 that extended from

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. 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 at the 2020 census ...

had to exit the four-lane road and shift to a two-lane road. This required exit enhanced the village's function as an area for refueling of vehicles. US 30 is now a continuous four-lane highway in this part of Ohio that bypasses Beaverdam, but the significance of the junction as a major fuel stop has not been diminished. In the summer of 2006 the exit ramps and overpass on I-75 were widened to accommodate heavy truck and car traffic to the truck stops.

References

{{Authority control Villages in Allen County, Ohio 1853 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1853 Villages in Ohio