Napoleon is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in and the

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 ...

Henry County, Ohio Henry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 27,662. Its county seat is Napoleon. The county was created in 1820 and later organized in 1834. It is named for American Founding Father Pa ...

, United States, along the

Maumee River The Maumee River (pronounced ) (; ) is a river running in the Midwestern United States from northeastern Indiana into northwestern Ohio and Lake Erie. It is formed at the confluence of the St. Joseph River (Maumee River), St. Joseph and St. Mar ...

southwest of Toledo. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 8,862.

History

The area around the town was once known as "the Great Black Swamp". This area was opened to European settlement following the

Battle of Fallen Timbers The Battle of Fallen Timbers (20 August 1794) was the final battle of the Northwest Indian War, a struggle between Indigenous peoples of North America, Native American tribes affiliated with the Northwestern Confederacy and their Kingdom of Gre ...

in 1794, which took place about 26 miles to the east.�
The American Town: A Self-Portrait; Napoleon, Ohio
�� 29:44, 1967-01-26, University of Maryland,

American Archive of Public Broadcasting The American Archive of Public Broadcasting (AAPB) is a collaboration between the Library of Congress and WGBH Educational Foundation, founded through the efforts of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). The AAPB is a national effort to di ...

(WGBH and the Library of Congress), Boston, MA and Washington, DC, accessed September 21, 2016. Online access in the US only. The City of Napoleon was founded in 1832 and named for French emperor

Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

. The

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a co ...

was finished in 1843, bringing German immigrants to the area. By the 1880s, the town had more than 3,000 residents; the population growth due in part to the town's location on the Miami and Erie Canal and two separate railroad lines. At the time, most employment existed through businesses which made products for farmers in the surrounding countryside. Four buildings in Napoleon are 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

county courthouse A courthouse or court house is a structure which houses judicial functions for a governmental entity such as a state, region, province, county, prefecture, regency, or similar governmental unit. A courthouse is home to one or more courtrooms, ...

, the sheriff's house and jail, First Presbyterian Church, and St. Augustine's Catholic Church.

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.

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 8,749 people, 3,640 households, and 2,325 families residing 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 4,063 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.7%

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 ...

, 0.9%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 2.9% from other races, and 1.7% 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 8.0% of the population. There were 3,640 households, of which 30.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.3% 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, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.36 and the average family size was 2.90. The median age in the city was 39.2 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.5% were from 25 to 44; 25.6% were from 45 to 64; and 17.7% 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 9,318 people, 3,813 households, and 2,470 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,066 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.63%

, 0.84%

, 0.34% Native American, 0.61% Asian, 3.52% from other races, and 1.06% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 6.34% of the population. There were 3,813 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.0% were

living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.99. In the city, the population was spread out, with 25.9% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 28.2% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $37,467, and the median income for a family was $45,776. Males had a median income of $33,702 versus $23,475 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 $18,078. About 18.9% of families and 4.1% 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 16.3% of those under age 18 and 14.1% of those age 99 or over.

Economy

Napoleon's economy is based on the manufacturing of a variety of goods. A major employer is the world's largest Campbell's Soup Company plant, located on the southeastern end of the city; also

Tenneco Tenneco, Inc. (formerly Tenneco Automotive and originally Tennessee Gas Transmission Company) is an American automotive components original equipment manufacturer and an aftermarket ride control and emissions products manufacturer. It is a ''F ...

owns one of their largest Elastomer Plants there.

Clear Channel Communications iHeartMedia, Inc., or CC Media Holdings, Inc., is an American mass media corporation headquartered in San Antonio, Texas. It is the holding company of iHeartCommunications, Inc., formerly Clear Channel Communications, Inc., a company founded by ...

owns the local

radio station Radio broadcasting is the broadcasting of audio (sound), sometimes with related metadata, by radio waves to radio receivers belonging to a public audience. In terrestrial radio broadcasting the radio waves are broadcast by a land-based rad ...

licensed to Napoleon, WNDH 103.1 FM "The One", which features a classic hits music format.

Education

The Napoleon Area City School District operates one public elementary school (preschool through 6th grade), one public middle school (7th and 8th grades), and one high school, Napoleon High School. Napoleon is also home to St. Paul Lutheran school, St. John Lutheran School, and St. Augustine Catholic school, which provide grades preschool through eighth (8th) grade. The city has the main branch of the Napoleon Public Library.

References

External links

City of Napoleon

City of Napoleon Police Department

Napoleon Police Officers Association Page
{{Authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Henry County, Ohio County seats in Ohio Populated places established in 1834 1834 establishments in Ohio