Fostoria (, ) is a city located at the convergence of Hancock, Seneca, and

Wood Wood is a structural tissue/material found as xylem in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It is an organic materiala natural composite of cellulosic fibers that are strong in tension and embedded in a matrix of lignin t ...

counties in the northwestern part of 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 ...

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 13,046 at the 2020 Census, slightly down from 13,441 at the 2010 Census. It is approximately south of Toledo and north of Columbus. The community grew substantially during the end of the 19th century, coinciding with the northwest Ohio gas boom. Typical of

Rust Belt The Rust Belt, formerly the Steel Belt or Factory Belt, is an area of the United States that underwent substantial Deindustrialization, industrial decline in the late 20th century. The region is centered in the Great Lakes and Mid-Atlantic (Uni ...

cities, Fostoria peaked in size in 1970. Fostoria was a major site for the glass industry, having over a dozen glass factories during the end of the 19th century. As the area's gas supply became depleted, many of the factories closed or moved. The city is now known for its railroads, as approximately 100 trains pass through the city each day. As a result, the city is often visited by railfans, hosted by a railroad viewing park.

History

Fostoria was created in 1854 with the merger of the communities of Rome and Risdon. The combination of both communities' Methodist churches, on land donated by Charles W. Foster, led to the merger. To show their appreciation for Mr. Foster's generosity, the new community was named Fostoria. Charles W. Foster's son,

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

, became one of Fostoria's most famous citizens—becoming the 35th governor of Ohio and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury under President

Benjamin Harrison Benjamin Harrison (August 20, 1833March 13, 1901) was the 23rd president of the United States, serving from 1889 to 1893. He was a member of the Harrison family of Virginia—a grandson of the ninth president, William Henry Harrison, and a ...

. Fostoria is known for its

glass Glass is an amorphous (non-crystalline solid, non-crystalline) solid. Because it is often transparency and translucency, transparent and chemically inert, glass has found widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in window pane ...

heritage and

railroad Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...

s: two

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 ...

main lines and one NS main line intersect in downtown Fostoria, an area called the "Iron Triangle." A natural gas boom in the 1880s, the railroad lines, and recruiting efforts by the community caused Fostoria to become home for numerous glass factories, including the Mambourg Glass Company (the city's first glass factory), the Fostoria Glass Company, the Seneca Glass Company, the Novelty Glass Company, and others. Although the boom in gas and glass is long over, railroads continue to be important to the community. More than 100 trains pass through Fostoria each day. The Fostoria Railroad Preservation Society, aided by a $815,760 grant from the Ohio Department of Transportation, completed a train viewing park in 2013 to help capitalize on the thousands of railfans who visit yearly.

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.

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 13,441 people, 5,417 households, and 3,432 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 6,225 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 84.1%

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 ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 4.3% from other races, and 4.7% 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 11.5% of the population. There were 5,417 households, of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.1% 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, 17.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age in the city was 37.9 years. 26% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.8% were from 45 to 64; and 16% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.3% male and 52.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 13,931 people, 5,565 households, and 3,628 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 6,024 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 87.32%

, 5.75%

, 0.19% Native American, 0.48% Asian, 3.60% from other races, and 2.66% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 7.92% of the population. There were 5,565 households, out of which 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.9% were

living together, 15.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.8% were non-families. 29.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.7% 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 3.03. In the city the population was spread out, with 27.0% under the age of 18, 8.8% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 20.8% from 45 to 64, and 15.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males. The median income for a household in the city was $31,166, and the median income for a family was $38,427. Males had a median income of $31,476 versus $22,016 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 $15,568. About 9.0% of families and 11.2% 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 14.1% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Infrastructure

Transportation

The city is served by one airport, called Fostoria Metropolitan Airport. Fostoria was served by the '' Three Rivers''

Amtrak The National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Trade name, doing business as Amtrak (; ), is the national Passenger train, passenger railroad company of the United States. It operates intercity rail service in 46 of the 48 contiguous United Stat ...

Service which ran between

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

's B&O line until train service there ended in March 2005. The city is the site where 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 ...

's ex-Nickel Plate Road mainline crosses the previously mentioned CSX ex-B&O and ex-C&O lines. The three crossings form a triangle, with the site known as the "Iron Triangle." The area is a popular spot for railfans and has a park located in the center between the three mainlines.

Public water system

The City of Fostoria operates a community public water system that serves a population of approximately 15,000 people and has 5,500 metered service connections. The City of Fostoria also provides water to the Village of Arcadia with a population of 537. The water treatment system obtains its water from the East Branch of the Portage River. Most of the water is stored in six upground reservoirs. The system also has three groundwater wells that currently serve as the back-up source for the city. Plant design capacity is 6.08 million gallons per day, but current average production is about 2.2 million gallons per day.

Notable people

* Charlie Earl, former Ohio State Representative, Libertarian Party candidate in the 2014 Ohio gubernatorial election * Charles Foster, son of Fostoria's namesake, former

governor of Ohio A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the type of political region or polity, a ''governor'' ma ...

, former

United States Secretary of the Treasury The United States secretary of the treasury is the head of the United States Department of the Treasury, and is the chief financial officer of the federal government of the United States. The secretary of the treasury serves as the principal a ...

* Edward R. Hays, soldier, lawyer and politician ( Republican) U.S. representative * Micah Hyde, football player * Grant Jackson, left-handed pitcher for six MLB teams over eighteen seasons * Tony Lucadello, baseball scout * Damon Moore, football player * John Quinn, art collector *

Gene Sharp Gene Sharp (January 21, 1928 – January 28, 2018) was an American political scientist. He was the founder of the Albert Einstein Institution, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the study of nonviolent action, and professor of po ...

, nonviolent action scholar and Nobel Peace Prize Nominee * Harold L. Yochum, American theologian, church leader and ninth President of Capital University

References

External links

City of Fostoria official website
{{Authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Hancock County, Ohio Cities in Seneca County, Ohio Cities in Wood County, Ohio Populated places established in 1854 1854 establishments in Ohio