Caledonia 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 Marion 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. The population was 560 at the 2020 census.

History

The village was named after

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the forested region in the central and western Scottish Highlands, particularly stretching through parts of what are now Lochaber, Badenoch, Strathspey, and possibly as ...

, an ancient name for Scotland, the ancestral home of a large share of the first settlers. The northern side of Caledonia is the location of the Caledonia Bowstring Bridge, which is 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 ...

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. Caledonia is one of the few post-glaciation prairie areas in Ohio and a historically significant maintained grassland area situated along the Whetstone River in the Sandusky Plains.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the census of 2020, there were 560 people, 246 housing units, 230 households, and 154 families living 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 246 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 93.6%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.0% Asian, 0.5% from other races, 5.0% from two or more races, and 0.5% American Indian/Alaskan Native.

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 1.25% of the population. There were 230 households, with the average household size being 3.34. 58.0% 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. The median age in the village was 32.2 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 32.2% were from 25 to 44; 19.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 50.5% male and 49.5% female. The median income for a household in the village was $64,286, and the median income for a family was $75,625. About 11.7% of the population were living below the poverty line.

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 577 people, 232 households, and 174 families living in the village. The

was . There were 260 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.4%

, 1.6%

, 0.2% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 0.2% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.5% of the population. There were 232 households, of which 31.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were

living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 25.0% were non-families. 21.1% 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 2.49 and the average family size was 2.86. The median age in the village was 40.2 years. 24.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 27.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 578 people, 230 households, and 169 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 242 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.31%

, 0.35%

, and 0.35% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.35% of the population. There were 230 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.0% were

living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.5% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 2.92. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 30.3% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $40,804, and the median income for a family was $46,563. Males had a median income of $34,375 versus $22,344 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 $17,423. About 1.9% of families and 4.9% 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 none of those under age 18 and 5.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

River Valley Local School District operates two elementary schools, one middle school, and River Valley High School. From the 1920s until 2021, Caledonia had a public library: a branch of Marion Public Library. This branch closed in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic & does not have plans to reopen. The library space is currently vacant.

Notable people

Sherwood Anderson Sherwood Anderson (September 13, 1876 – March 8, 1941) was an American novelist and short story writer, known for subjective and self-revealing works. Self-educated, he rose to become a successful copywriter and business owner in Cleveland and ...

spent several years of his childhood in Caledonia, where his father worked as a harness-maker. Anderson based elements of his 1926 semi-autobiographical novel '' Tar: A Midwest Childhood'' on his time in Caledonia. * Daniel Richard Crissinger was educated in Caledonia and served as chairman of the Federal Reserve Board between 1923 and 1927. *

Warren G. Harding Warren Gamaliel Harding (November 2, 1865 – August 2, 1923) was the 29th president of the United States, serving from 1921 until his death in 1923. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he was one of the most ...

was a resident of Caledonia during his childhood and worked for a brief period of time at the community newspaper, ''The Argus''.

References

{{authority control Villages in Marion County, Ohio Villages in Ohio