Bellevue ( ) is a city in
Erie,
Huron,
Seneca, and
Sandusky counties
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
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 ...
, located 61 miles southwest of
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
and 45 miles southeast of
Toledo. The population was 8,249 at the
2020 census. The
National Arbor Day Foundation
The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communitie ...
has designated Bellevue as a
Tree City USA
The Arbor Day Foundation is an American 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization dedicated to planting trees. The Arbor Day Foundation has more than one million members and has planted more than 500 million trees in neighborhoods, communitie ...
.
The Sandusky County portion of Bellevue is part of the
Fremont Micropolitan Statistical Area, while the Huron County portion is part of the
Norwalk Micropolitan Statistical Area. The small portion of the city that extends into Erie county is part of the
Sandusky Micropolitan Statistical Area.
History
The city derives its name from James H. Bell, a railroad official.
Bellevue was the home of
Henry Morrison Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...
when he partnered up with
John D. Rockefeller
John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American businessman and philanthropist. He was one of the List of richest Americans in history, wealthiest Americans of all time and one of the richest people in modern hist ...
to start
Standard Oil
Standard Oil Company was a Trust (business), corporate trust in the petroleum industry that existed from 1882 to 1911. The origins of the trust lay in the operations of the Standard Oil of Ohio, Standard Oil Company (Ohio), which had been founde ...
. Flagler later went on to build the
Florida Overseas Railroad, to
Key West, Florida
Key West is an island in the Straits of Florida, at the southern end of the U.S. state of Florida. Together with all or parts of the separate islands of Sigsbee Park, Dredgers Key, Fleming Key, Sunset Key, and the northern part of Stock Islan ...
. The property of his former Bellevue residence on Southwest Street is the current location of the Mad River & NKP Railroad Museum.
National Register of Historic Places
Bellevue and the surrounding countryside are home to three sites listed on the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
: the
Heter Farm, the
John Wright Mansion
The John Wright Mansion is a historic farmhouse located east of Bellevue, Ohio, Bellevue in northwestern Huron County, Ohio, Huron County, Ohio, United States. Built in 1881, it represents an unusual combination of location and architectural s ...
, and the
Tremont House.
Geography
According to the 2010 census, the city has a total area of , of which (or 98.24%) is land and (or 1.92%) is water.
Demographics
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 8,202 people, 3,296 households, and 2,148 families living in the city. 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 3,662 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.3%
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 ...
, 0.6%
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 ...
, 0.2%
Native American, 0.2%
Asian, 0.7% from
other races, and 2.0% 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 3.2% of the population.
There were 3,296 households, of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.9% 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, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 3.01.
The median age in the city was 36.5 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14.5% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.
2000 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 2000, there were 8,193 people, 3,332 households, and 2,242 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 3,559 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.77%
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 ...
, 0.27%
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 ...
, 0.15%
Native American, 0.27%
Asian, 0.82% from
other races, and 0.73% 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 2.56% of the population.
There were 3,332 households, out of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.2% 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, 10.4% 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 12.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 3.01.
In the city the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 29.1% from 25 to 44, 21.5% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 93.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.6 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $88,100, and the median income for a family was $98,173. Males had a median income of $76,601 versus $44,189 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 city was $58,932. About 1.3% of families and 2.8% 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 ...
, including 1.5% of those under age 18 and 1% of those age 65 or over.
Infrastructure
Roads
Bellevue is located on
U.S. Route 20, which forms East and West Main Street. State Routes
18,
269
Year 269 ( CCLXIX) was a common year starting on Friday of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Claudius and Paternus (or, less frequently, year 1022 ''Ab urbe condita''). The denomination 269 for this ...
, and
113 113 may refer to:
*113 (number), a natural number
*AD 113, a year
*113 BC, a year
*113 (band), a French hip hop group
*113 (MBTA bus), Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority bus route
*113 (New Jersey bus), Ironbound Garage in Newark and run to ...
also run through the city.
There is no public transportation, such as passenger buses or taxis. Bellevue is also served by the
Ohio Turnpike
The Ohio Turnpike, officially the James W. Shocknessy Ohio Turnpike, is a controlled-access toll road in the U.S. state of Ohio, serving as a primary corridor between Chicago and Pittsburgh. The road runs east–west for in the northern sect ...
via U.S. Route 20 and State Route
4.
Railroad
During the first half of the 20th century, Bellevue was a busy railroad hub of the
Nickel Plate Road, and it remains today as a hub for the
Norfolk Southern Railway
The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...
, which operates a massive railroad yard in Bellevue. From Bellevue, Norfolk Southern Lines extend northeast to
Cleveland
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located along the southern shore of Lake Erie, it is situated across the Canada–U.S. maritime border and approximately west of the Ohio-Pennsylvania st ...
, north to
Sandusky, northwest to
Toledo, west to
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 ...
and south to
Columbus. Also, the
Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway operates a line from Bellevue that extends east to
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
.
Media
Bellevue and the surrounding area was served by a
daily newspaper
A newspaper is a Periodical literature, periodical publication containing written News, information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as poli ...
, ''
The Bellevue Gazette''. The Gazette closed in June 2016, and is no longer in operation.
Notable people

*
Henry Flagler
Henry Morrison Flagler (January 2, 1830 – May 20, 1913) was an American industrialist and a founder of Standard Oil, which was first based in Ohio. He was also a key figure in the development of the Atlantic coast of Florida and founder ...
, Standard Oil tycoon, developer of Eastern Florida and "Father of Miami"
*
Mildred Gillars (A.K.A. Axis Sally), radio personality during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
*
Arthur F. Gorham, Commander of the 1st Battalion,
505th Parachute Infantry Regiment during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
*
John Greenslade,
Vice Admiral
Vice admiral is a senior naval flag officer rank, usually equivalent to lieutenant general and air marshal. A vice admiral is typically senior to a rear admiral and junior to an admiral.
Australia
In the Royal Australian Navy, the rank of Vice ...
and Commander of the Pacific-Southern Naval Coastal Frontier during
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
*
Daniel M. Harkness, half brother of Henry Flagler and his son
William L. Harkness, investors in Standard Oil
*
Stephen V. Harkness, invested as a silent partner in the founding of Standard Oil.
*
Benny LaPresta, NFL professional football player
*
Amos Northup, automotive designer
*
Christi Paul, CNN reporter and anchor
*
Bradbury Robinson, threw the first
forward pass
In several forms of football, a forward pass is the throwing of the ball in the direction in which the offensive team is trying to move, towards the defensive team's goal line. The legal and widespread use of the forward pass distinguishes grid ...
in
American football
American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
history
*
Brad Snyder, outfielder for
Chicago Cubs
The Chicago Cubs are an American professional baseball team based in Chicago. The Cubs compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (baseball), National League (NL) National League Central, Central Division. Th ...
.
*
Howard L. Vickery, Rear Admiral, Vice Chairman U.S. Maritime Commission during World War II
References
Further reading
* Camp, Mark J. "Railroad Depots of Northwest Ohio." Chicago, Arcadia Publishing, 2005. .
* Drown, William. "Bellevue and Historic Lyme Village (OH)." Chicago: Arcadia Publishing, 2002. .
* Oddo, William. "Bellevue, a Pictorial History: A Historic Reflection of an Ohio Community." Genealogy Publishing Services, 2005. .
External links
City of BellevueBellevue Chamber of CommerceBellevue City SchoolsBellevue Public Library
{{Authority control
Bellevue, Ohio
Cities in Erie County, Ohio
Cities in Huron County, Ohio
Cities in Sandusky County, Ohio
Cities in Seneca County, Ohio
Cities in Ohio