Canal Winchester is a city in Fairfield and Franklin counties in the U.S. state 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 ...

. The population was 9,107 at the 2020 census. It is a suburb in the Columbus metropolitan area.

History

Canal Winchester was founded in 1828 by Reuben Dove and John Colman. When construction of the Ohio & Erie Canal came through Dove's wheat field, he wanted to sue the state. The canal workmen instead convinced him that he would be better off laying out a town, because the area was midway between Columbus and

Lancaster Lancaster may refer to: Lands and titles *The County Palatine of Lancaster, a synonym for Lancashire *Duchy of Lancaster, one of only two British royal duchies *Duke of Lancaster *Earl of Lancaster *House of Lancaster, a British royal dynasty ...

.. On November 4, 1828, Dove and Colman recorded the first plat for Winchester, Ohio, in Violet Township,

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio * Fairfield County, South Carolina {{Geodis, uscounty ...

. Dove named the village after his father's hometown of

Winchester Winchester (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city in Hampshire, England. The city lies at the heart of the wider City of Winchester, a local government Districts of England, district, at the western end of the South Downs N ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. Winchester flourished because of agriculture and transportation. The

Ohio and Erie Canal The Ohio and Erie Canal was a canal constructed during the 1820s and early 1830s in Ohio. It connected Akron, Ohio, Akron with the Cuyahoga River near its outlet on Lake Erie in Cleveland, Ohio, Cleveland, and a few years later, with the Ohio ...

brought passengers, freight and a means to transport grain to market. The first canal boat floated through Winchester in 1831. The village was named Canal Winchester when the post office was established in 1841, because there were five other locations in the state named

. A local legend explains how Canal Winchester received its post office. On

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

, October 31, 1841, two teenage boys, as a prank, hooked two horses up to the foundation of the post office of the town of Waterloo and then pulled it across the street to Winchester. With this, the town of Waterloo was no more and Winchester was a legitimate village. The village was annexed to Madison Township, Franklin County, in 1851. In May 1866, the Ohio Secretary of State granted incorporation papers for the Village of Canal Winchester. In 1869, the railroad came to Canal Winchester, causing economic growth.

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 , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Climate is characterized by relatively moderate temperatures and evenly distributed precipitation throughout the year. " The Köppen climate classification for the 43110 ZIP code, which encompasses parts of Columbus, Ohio, is Dfa. “Humid Continental Climate” Climate Summary for Winchester, Ohio
/ref>

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 7,101 people, 2,646 households, and 1,924 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 2,893 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 91.6%

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 ...

, 5.1%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 1.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.6% 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 people of any race were 1.2% of the population. There were 2,646 households, of which 37.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.7% 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, 9.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 27.3% were non-families. 23.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.11. The median age in the village was 39.7 years. 26.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25.3% were from 25 to 44; 26.9% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 4,478 people, 1,664 households, and 1,264 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 1,779 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 95.60%

, 2.19%

, 0.38% Native American, 0.67% Asian, 0.04% from other races, and 1.12% from two or more races.

or Latino people of any race were 0.51% of the population. There were 1,664 households, out of which 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.0% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.04. In the village the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 5.1% from 18 to 24, 30.2% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males. The median income for a household in the village was $55,645, and the median income for a family was $67,833. Males had a median income of $39,123 versus $37,399 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 $24,394. About 1.2% of families and 2.2% 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 2.0% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Culture

Festivals

Canal Winchester hosts a

Labor Day Labor Day is a Federal holidays in the United States, federal holiday in the United States celebrated on the first Monday of September to honor and recognize the Labor history of the United States, American labor movement and the works and con ...

Festival the first weekend of September. There are rides, musical entertainment, food, a beer tent and games. There is a parade on Monday, Labor Day. During the first weekend of August the town holds the Blues and Ribs Fest bringing blues artists and rib vendors from all over the country. The first weekend in December the city hosts Christmas in the Village, a Holiday themed festival with food, choirs, a gingerbread house contest, ice sculptors, family activities and horse-drawn buggy rides.

Landmarks

Highlights of the area include Historic Downtown Canal Winchester, The National Barber's Museum and National Barber Hall of Fame, Slate Run Vineyard and Winery, the US headquarters of Scottish brewing company

BrewDog BrewDog is a Multinational corporation, multinational brewery, Distillation, distillery and pub chain based in Ellon, Aberdeenshire, Scotland. With production of over 100 million litres, BrewDog is the seventh-largest beer brand in Britain, ...

, the BrewDog beer hotel, and the many antique shops in the Village. Canal Winchester is also home to the Bergstresser Bridge, the only standing wooden

covered bridge A covered bridge is a timber-truss bridge with a roof, decking, and siding, which in most covered bridges create an almost complete enclosure. The purpose of the covering is to protect the wooden structural members from the weather. Uncovered woo ...

in Franklin County.

Education

New elementary schools, a new wing of the high school, and a new middle school have all been built since 2000. Canal Winchester High School's mascot is the Indians, and their colors are maroon and white. The high school offers many college prep and AP courses. The school is best known for its football, wrestling, basketball, cross country, cheerleading, track, and volleyball teams, all of which compete at the Division 1 level. The baseball team was back-to-back state runner-up from 2008 to 2009. In recent years the school has produced two Wendy's High School Heisman State Finalists, Greg Guiler and Andy Rhinehart; the award recognizes the state's best high school student athletes. The soccer team have seen success, with two district titles (2013, 2014), and one OCC Cardinal Division title (2014).

Sister cities

Bernay, Eure Bernay () is a Communes of France, commune in the west of the Eure Departments of France, department in Northern France. In 2012, Bernay was designated one of the French Towns and Lands of Art and History. Geography Bernay is in the valley of t ...

, France

Notable people

* Byron Mullens,

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada). The NBA is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Ca ...

player *

Oley Speaks Oley Speaks (June 28, 1874 – August 7, 1948) was an American composer and songwriter. His compositions include many religious songs, as well as his best-known success, " On the Road to Mandalay", which takes its lyrics from the poem " Mandalay ...

, composer and songwriter * Robert Warren, television painter * Grace Marie Bareis, an American mathematician and educator who became the first person to receive a doctorate degree in mathematics from Ohio State University

References

External links

City website

Canal Winchester Chamber of Commerce
{{Authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Franklin County, Ohio Cities in Fairfield County, Ohio Populated places established in 1828