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Bowling Green is a city in
Wood County, Ohio Wood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 132,248. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harriso ...
, United States, and its
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...
. The population was 30,808 at the 2020 census. Located southwest of Toledo, it is part of the Toledo metropolitan area and a member of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments. Bowling Green is the home of
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...
.


History


Settlement

Bowling Green was first settled in 1832, was incorporated as a town in 1855, and became a city in 1901. The village was named after
Bowling Green, Kentucky Bowling Green is a city in Warren County, Kentucky, United States, and its county seat. Its population was 72,294 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the List of cities in Kentucky, third-most populous city in the stat ...
, by a retired postal worker who had once delivered mail there.


Growth and oil boom

In 1868 Bowling Green was designated as the county seat, succeeding Perrysburg. With the discovery of oil in the area in the late 19th and early 20th century, Bowling Green enjoyed a boom to its economy. The results of wealth generated at the time can still be seen in the downtown storefronts, and along Wooster Street, where many of the oldest and largest homes were built. A new county courthouse was also constructed in the 1890s. The Neoclassical US post office was erected in 1913.


Industrialization

This period was followed by an expansion of the
automobile industry The automotive industry comprises a wide range of companies and organizations involved in the design, development, manufacturing, marketing, selling, repairing, and modification of motor vehicles. It is one of the world's largest industries by ...
. In late 1922 or early 1923,
Coats Steam Car The Coats Steam Car Company was an American steam automobile manufacturer based in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. It was founded by George A. Coats. The company operated from 1921 to 1923. Models A corporation was formed and perhaps two ...
moved to the area and hired numerous workers. It eventually went out of business as the industry became centralized in
Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...
,
Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...
. Bank robbers
Pretty Boy Floyd Charles Arthur Floyd (February 3, 1904 – October 22, 1934), nicknamed Pretty Boy Floyd, was an American bank robber. He operated in the West and Central states, and his criminal exploits gained widespread press coverage in the 1930s. He was s ...
and Billy the Killer encountered police in Bowling Green in April 1931. Their armed confrontation resulted in the death of Billy the Killer. During World War II Italian and German
prisoners of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...
were held nearby. They were used to staff the
Heinz Tomato Ketchup Heinz Tomato Ketchup is a brand of ketchup manufactured by the H. J. Heinz Company, a division of the Kraft Heinz Company. History It was first marketed as " catsup" in 1876. In 1907, manufacturing reached 12 million bottles and it was exp ...
factory in town. The ketchup factory closed in 1975. A runaway freight train carrying hazardous liquids passed through Bowling Green in 2001, in what is known as the known as the
CSX 8888 incident The CSX 8888 incident, also known as the Crazy Eights incident, was a runaway train event involving a CSX Transportation freight train in the U.S. state of Ohio on May 15, 2001. Locomotive #8888, an, was pulling a train of 47 cars, including poss ...
. It traveled more than 65 miles south of Toledo before being stopped by a veteran railroad worker near Kenton; he jumped into the train while it was moving. No one was hurt and there was no property damage in the incident.


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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Bowling Green is within an area of land that was once the
Great Black Swamp The Great Black Swamp (also known simply as the Black Swamp) was a glacier, glacially fed wetland in northwest Ohio and Northern Indiana, northeast Indiana, United States, that existed from the end of the Wisconsin glaciation until the late 19 ...
which was drained and settled in the 19th century. The nutrient-rich soil makes for highly productive farm land. Bowling Green, Ohio is in the North Western hemisphere at approximately 41.376132°N, -83.623897°W.


Climate


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 30,028 people, 11,288 households, and 4,675 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 12,301 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.6%
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 ...
, 6.4%
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, 2.1% Asian, 1.4% from other races, and 2.2% 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 4.8% of the population. There were 11,288 households, of which 18.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 30.7% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 58.6% were non-families. 35.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.16 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age in the city was 23.2 years. 12.8% of residents were under the age of 18; 43.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 19.5% were from 25 to 44; 15.7% were from 45 to 64; and 8.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.0% male and 52.0% 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 29,636 people, 10,266 households, and 4,434 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 10,667 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.84%
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 ...
, 2.82%
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 ...
, 0.21% Native American, 1.83% Asian, 0.02%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, 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 th ...
, 1.81% from other races, and 1.46% 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 3.48% of the population. There were 10,266 households, out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% 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, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.8% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were people living alone, including 7.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21, and the average family size was 2.84. In the city, the population was spread out, with 13.1% under the age of 18, 46.6% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 13.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,599, and the median income for a family was $51,804. Males had a median income of $33,619 versus $25,364 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 $15,032. About 8.0% of families and 25.3% 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 12.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Lubrizol Lubrizol Corporation is an American provider of specialty chemicals for the transportation, industrial and consumer markets. These products include additives for engine oils and other transportation-related fluids, additives for industrial lubr ...
maintains a soap and
surfactant Surfactants are chemical compounds that decrease the surface tension or interfacial tension between two liquids, a liquid and a gas, or a liquid and a solid. The word ''surfactant'' is a Blend word, blend of "surface-active agent", coined in ...
production plant in Bowling Green. The Bowling Green plant opened in 1994 and was expanded in 2013.


Energy policy

Ohio's first utility-sized
wind farm A wind farm, also called a wind park or wind power plant, is a group of wind turbines in the same location used to produce electricity. Wind farms vary in size from a small number of turbines to several hundred wind turbines covering an exten ...
is located along
U.S. Route 6 U.S. Route 6 (US 6) or U.S. Highway 6 (US 6), also called the Grand Army of the Republic Highway, honoring the American Civil War veterans association, is a main route of the United States Numbered Highway System. While it ...
just west of the city limits. There are four turbines that are each tall. These turbines generate up to 7.2 megawatts of power, which is enough to supply electricity for some 3,000 residents. Located about from the city, the turbines can be seen for miles and have become a local attraction. At the site of the turbines, a solar-powered kiosk provides information for visitors, including current information on wind speeds and the amount of energy being produced by the turbines.


Culture

The Black Swamp Arts Festival is a free arts and live music festival held the first full weekend after Labor Day. Its mission is to "connect art and the community by presenting an annual arts festival and by promoting the arts in the Bowling Green community."


Education


Primary and secondary

Public elementary schools of the Bowling Green City School District include Kenwood Elementary, Conneaut Elementary and Crim Elementary. Ridge Elementary was closed in 2013 and Milton Elementary was closed in 2011. Two private primary schools, Bowling Green Christian Academy and the
Montessori The Montessori method of education is a type of educational method that involves children's natural interests and activities rather than formal teaching methods. A Montessori classroom places an emphasis on hands-on learning and developing ...
School of Bowling Green, and one parochial, St. Aloysius, also call Bowling Green home. The Bowling Green Early Childhood Learning Center (Montessori) offers kindergarten and Plan, Do and Talk goes up to grade three. Secondary schools include Bowling Green Middle School and Bowling Green Senior High School.


Post-secondary

Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...
is located on the northeast side of the city, along and north of Wooster Street ( Ohio State Route 64, Ohio State Route 105). As of September 2020, it has 20,232 students.


Library

Bowling Green has the main branch of the Wood County District Public Library.


Media


Newspapers

*
Sentinel Tribune
'
AIM Media Midwest, LLC
* '' The BG News'' *
BG Independent Media
'


Radio

* WBGU 88.1 FM * WFAL Falcon Radio *
WRQN WRQN is an American radio station licensed to broadcast from Bowling Green, Ohio. Though licensed to Bowling Green, its primary market and its studios are in the nearby city of Toledo, Ohio, Toledo. The station broadcasts at 93.5 on the FM rad ...
* WJYM 730 AM * WWOC-LP 97.7 FM


Television

* WBGU-PBS


Transportation

A public
demand response Demand response is a change in the power consumption of an electric utility customer to better match the demand for power with the supply. Until the 21st century decrease in the cost of pumped storage and batteries, electric energy could not b ...
bus service is operated by the city through B.G. Transit.
Bowling Green State University Bowling Green State University (BGSU) is a Public university, public research university in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The main academic and residential campus is south of Toledo, Ohio. The university has nationally recognized progr ...
offers shuttle services via its own buses with routes throughout campus and the downtown area. Bowling Green is linked to North Baltimore via a
rail trail A rail trail or railway walk is a shared-use path on a Right of way#Rail right of way, railway right of way. Rail trails are typically constructed after a railway has been abandoned and the track has been removed but may also share the rail corr ...
called the
Slippery Elm Trail The Slippery Elm Trail is a rail to trail conversion in Wood County, Ohio that runs 13 miles from Bowling Green, through Portage and Rudolph, to North Baltimore, Ohio. History The Bowling Green Railroad Company was founded in 1874. It funct ...
, with East Broadway Street in North Baltimore on the south end and Sand Ridge Road in Bowling Green on the north end. A
CSX CSX Transportation , known colloquially as simply CSX, is a Railroad classes, Class I freight railroad company operating in the Eastern United States and the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. Operating about 21,000 route miles () of trac ...
line runs through town.


Notable people

*
John Barnes John Charles Bryan Barnes (born 7 November 1963) is a former professional football player and manager. Often considered one of the greatest England players of all time and one of Liverpool's greatest ever players, Barnes currently works as an ...
, science-fiction writer"Foreword," in Barnes, John. Apostrophes and Apocalypses. NYC:Tor 1998 p. 9 * Alissa Czisny, figure skater, 2009 and 2011 U.S. champion * Anthony De La Torre, actor *
William Easterly William Russell Easterly (born September 7, 1957) is an American economist specializing in economic development. He is a professor of economics at New York University, joint with Africa House, and co-director of NYU's Development Research Institut ...
, economist / professor at
NYU New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a non-denominational all-male institutio ...
* Randy Gardner, Chancellor, Ohio Department of Higher Education * Theresa Gavarone, Ohio Senator * Scott Hamilton, figure skater, 1984 Olympic champion; television commentator * Chris Hoiles, retired Major League Baseball player * Doug Mallory, NFL assistant coach *
Mike Mallory Mike Mallory (born November 16, 1962) is an American football coach and a former player. He is currently a special teams analyst for the Michigan Wolverines football, Michigan Wolverines. Previously he was the interim special teams coordinator f ...
, NFL assistant coach * Howard McCord poet, novelist, writing professor *
Paul Pope Paul Pope (born September 25, 1970) is an American alternative cartoonist. Pope's work combines the precision and romance of European comics artists with the energy and page design of the manga tradition. Pope's two protagonist types are the ...
, alternative comic book writer/artist * Andy Tracy, first baseman for the
Philadelphia Phillies The Philadelphia Phillies are an American professional baseball team based in Philadelphia. The Phillies compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) East Division. Since 2004, the team's home stadium has ...
* Dave Wottle, runner, 1972 Olympic gold medalist in the 800m * Cara Zavaleta, reality TV personality and model


References


External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Wood County, Ohio County seats in Ohio Populated places established in 1901 Cities in Ohio