Urbana, Ohio
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Urbana is a city in
Champaign County, Ohio Champaign County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,714. Its county seat and largest city is Urbana. The county takes its name from the French word for "open level country". Champaign C ...
, 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 ...
. It is located about northeast of
Dayton Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
and west of Columbus. The population was 11,115 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Urbana micropolitan area. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army during the
War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...
. It is the burial place of the explorer and soldier Simon Kenton. The city was home to
Urbana University Urbana University was a private university specializing in liberal arts education and located in Urbana, Ohio. In its final few years, it was purchased by Franklin University and was a branch campus of that university. History Urbana Universi ...
and Curry Normal and Industrial Institute, a school for African American students.


History

Champaign County was formed on February 20, 1805, following the
American Revolution The American Revolution (1765–1783) was a colonial rebellion and war of independence in which the Thirteen Colonies broke from British America, British rule to form the United States of America. The revolution culminated in the American ...
and the
Northwest Indian War The Northwest Indian War (1785–1795), also known by other names, was an armed conflict for control of the Northwest Territory fought between the United States and a united group of Native Americans in the United States, Native American na ...
. Colonel William Ward, a Virginian who had settled in the Mad River Valley with Simon Kenton in 1799, purchased 160 acres which he considered the logical and most acceptable site for Champaign's county seat. He approached the county commissioners with a proposition to locate the seat of the new county on this tract. Ward suggested that site to divided into 212 lots and 22 out-lots, half of which, selected alternately, were to be given to the county and while Ward would retain the remainder. Ward also offered two lots for a cemetery and a tract for the public square. The county commissioners approved the proposal, and Ward, with Joseph C. Vance, entered into a written agreement on October 11, 1805. Ward and Vance named the new county seat, Urbana. The origin of the name 'Urbana' is unclear; however, it is thought that Ward and Vance used the Latin word urbs''', which means city. Antrim provides the following theory: "It is said by some that Mr. Ward named the town from the word ''Urbanity'', but I think it is quite likely he named it from an old Roman custom of dividing their people into different classes – one class, the Plebeians, and this again divided into two classes – ''Plebs Rustica'' and ''Plebs'' ''Urbana''. The ''Plebs Rustica'' lived in the rural districts and were farmers, while the ''Plebs Urbana'' lived in villages and were mechanics and artisans." Others feel that Ward and Vance chose to name it from a town in Virginia, possibly Urbanna, but this seems unlikely. Urbanna means 'City of Anne' and was named for the English queen. It is more likely that two Revolutionary War veterans would turn to Latin rather than honor their former foe. A review in 1939 shows that of the 12 cities in the United States named "Urbana", the city in Ohio was the first. When Ward delegated Vance to survey the site, there were no platted towns between Detroit and Springfield to use as a model. Nevertheless, Vance and Ward planned Urbana systematically. They provided for an ample public square, and laid the streets in an orderly pattern with no deviations for bogs and swamps. By 1833, Urbana contained a courthouse and jail, one printing office, a church, a market house, nine mercantile stores, and 120 houses. On June 4, 1897, residents of Urbana formed a
lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the Rive ...
mob and fought their way into the town jail to remove Charles Mitchell, a black man who was suspect in the killing of a white. Crowds of men had been forming for more than a day. The mob hanged Mitchell in the courtyard of the courthouse in the middle of the night. Trying to protect him, Sheriff McCain had summoned the state militia, led by Captain Leonard. After the mob fired into the jail, the militia returned at least five shots, killing Harry Bell, one of the white mob, and wounding others. When the lynch mob gained entry after 2:30 am, the sheriff withdrew militia forces to an upper floor in retreat. On June 21, 2009, a skatepark was added to Urbana's Melvin Miller Park. In November 2013, Damian Prendergast, who was a local skateboarder, died from germ cell cancer. Following his death, his high school class raised $700 and support to dedicate the skatepark in Damian's name.


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 of 2010, there were 11,793 people, 4,808 households, and 2,932 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,401 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 89.7%
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 ...
, 5.4%
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 ...
, 0.4% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 3.1% 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 2.0% of the population. There were 4,808 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 39.0% were non-families. 33.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age in the city was 38.2 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 16.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.1% male and 52.9% female.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 11,613 people, 4,859 households, and 2,998 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,210 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 91.03%
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 ...
, 5.95%
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 ...
, 0.34% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.03%
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 ...
, 0.48% from other races, and 1.88% 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 1.08% of the population. There were 4,859 households, out of which 29.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.3% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 9.8% from 18 to 24, 27.9% from 25 to 44, 22.4% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,702, and the median income for a family was $42,857. Males had a median income of $33,092 versus $26,817 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,831. About 7.2% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.3% of those under age 18 and 7.6% of those age 65 or over.


Economy

Several companies have facilities in Urbana, including Rittal, Honeywell Aerospace, Honeywell Inc., Control Industries, Freshwater Farms, Bolder & Co Creative Studio. A variety of services are located in buildings around the Urbana Monument Square Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Businesses in the square include banks, accounting, fine dining, bars, and personal care. The Champaign County Farmers Market is held weekly in downtown Urbana. In a contest sponsored by the American Farmland Trust, the market was voted as one of America's four favorite farmers' markets. Urbana is also home to the annual Simon Kenton Chili Cook-Off that takes place downtown in the monument square.


Education

Urbana is primarily served by the Urbana City School District, which includes Urbana High School (9–12) and a pre-k through 8 building. Both the high school and pre-k–8 were finished in 2018, after receiving grants for new school buildings. The original castle building from the high school still stands, but is no longer used. The new high school is on Washington Ave. and the elementary and middle school is south of Urbana on US 68. The city was home to
Urbana University Urbana University was a private university specializing in liberal arts education and located in Urbana, Ohio. In its final few years, it was purchased by Franklin University and was a branch campus of that university. History Urbana Universi ...
from 1850 until 2020. It offered liberal arts tertiary-education opportunities in a small college environment. Serving about 1500 students, it offered 28 undergraduate majors in a variety of disciplines; graduate degrees in Business Administration, Criminal Justice, Education and Nursing; and opportunities for international students desiring to study in the United States. Urbana has a public library, a branch of the Champaign County Public Library.


Transportation


Infrastructure

* Urbana was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad, which connected
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...
to Chicago and
St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...
. * Urbana's municipal airport, Grimes Field, is home to the Champaign Aviation Museum. A museum known for its restoration of a
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is an American four-engined heavy bomber aircraft developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). A fast and high-flying bomber, the B-17 dropped more bombs than any other aircraft during ...
and other historic aircraft.


Notable people

*
Clancy Brown Clarence James Brown III (born January 5, 1959) is an American actor. Prolific in film and television since the 1980s, Brown is often cast in villainous and authoritative roles. His film roles include Rawhide in ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Ban ...
– born in Urbana in 1959, producer and actor, son of Congressman Bud Brown (below). * Clarence J. "Bud" Brown Jr., US Representative (1965 to 1983), former publisher of the Urbana Daily Citizen * Call Cobbs Jr. (1911–1971), jazz pianist and organist * Moses Bledso Corwin – attorney and member of
United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...
*
Andy Detwiler Thomas Andrew Detwiler (November 24, 1969 – September 21, 2022), also known as Harmless Farmer, was an American farmer who lost both of his arms in an accident as a very young child, and was known for his YouTube videos. Biography Detwiler ...
- farmer * Elias Franklin Drake – politician and businessman, born in Urbana *
Pete Dye Paul Dye Jr. (December 29, 1925 – January 9, 2020), commonly referred to as Pete Dye, was an American golf course designer and a member of a family of course designers. He was married to fellow designer and amateur champion Alice Dye. Earl ...
– golf course architect voted into the Hall of Fame; grew up in Urbana * Robert Morton Duncan – lawyer and jurist *
Robert L. Eichelberger Robert Lawrence Eichelberger (9 March 1886 – 26 September 1961) was a general officer in the United States Army who commanded the Eighth United States Army in the South West Pacific theatre of World War II, Southwest Pacific Area during W ...
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
general in the
South West Pacific Area South West Pacific Area (SWPA) was the name given to the Allied supreme military command in the South West Pacific Theatre of World War II. It was one of four major Allied commands in the Pacific War. SWPA included the Philippines, Borneo, the ...
during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
* Graham Fach – professional ten-pin bowler on the
PBA Tour The PBA Tour is the major professional tour for tenpin bowling, operated by the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). Headquartered in Mechanicsville, Virginia, over 3,000 members worldwide make up the PBA. While most of the PBA members are Reg ...
(born in Canada, bowled for
Urbana University Urbana University was a private university specializing in liberal arts education and located in Urbana, Ohio. In its final few years, it was purchased by Franklin University and was a branch campus of that university. History Urbana Universi ...
and now resides in Urbana) * Warren G. Grimes (1898–1975) – "Father of the Aircraft Lighting Industry" * Charles T. Hinde – businessman and riverboat captain * Edmund C. Hinde – miner during the
California Gold Rush The California gold rush (1848–1855) began on January 24, 1848, when gold was found by James W. Marshall at Sutter's Mill in Coloma, California. The news of gold brought approximately 300,000 people to California from the rest of the U ...
* Robert R. Hitt
United States Assistant Secretary of State Assistant Secretary of State (A/S) is a title used for many executive positions in the United States Department of State, ranking below the Under Secretary of State, under secretaries. A set of six assistant secretaries reporting to the Under Sec ...
, born in Urbana in 1834 *
Raymond Hubbell John Raymond Hubbell (June 1, 1879 – December 13, 1954) was an American writer, composer and lyricist. He is best known for the popular song, " Poor Butterfly". Life and career Hubbell was born in Urbana, Ohio. He attended schools in Ur ...
– composer of musicals, including the song "
Poor Butterfly "Poor Butterfly" is a popular song. It was inspired by Giacomo Puccini's opera '' Madame Butterfly'' and contains a brief musical quote from the Act two duet ''Tutti i fior'' in the verse. The music was written by Raymond Hubbell, the lyrics by ...
" *
Jim Jordan James Daniel Jordan (born February 17, 1964) is an American politician who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives as the representative for since 2007. He is a member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party. ...
– Representative for Ohio's 4th district * Michael Kent – comedian and magician * Simon Kenton
frontiersman A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, the ...
; buried in Urbana * Tony Locke
Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...
wide receiver *
Beth Macy Beth Macy (born ) is an American journalist and non-fiction writer. She is the author of four published books, including national bestsellers ''Factory Man'' (2014) and ''Dopesick'' (2018). Early life The daughter of a factory worker, Sarah Macy ...
– journalist and non-fiction writer; grew up in Urbana * Joseph Vance – 13th
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 ...
; lived in Urbana * Martin R. M. Wallace – Civil War general, born in Urbana * W. H. L. Wallace – Civil War general, born in Urbana * Colonel William Ward – founder of Urbana * John Quincy Adams Ward – sculptor of the
George Washington George Washington (, 1799) was a Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father and the first president of the United States, serving from 1789 to 1797. As commander of the Continental Army, Washington led Patriot (American Revoluti ...
statue in New York City * Edgar Melville Ward – painter and educator *
Brand Whitlock Brand Whitlock (March 4, 1869 – May 24, 1934) was an Americans, American journalist, attorney, politician, Georgism, Georgist, four-time mayor of Toledo, Ohio elected on the Independent ticket; ambassador to Belgium, and author of numerous arti ...
– born and raised in Urbana; four-time mayor of
Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in Lucas County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the western end of Lake Erie along the Maumee River. Toledo is the List of cities in Ohio, fourth-most populous city in Ohio and List of United Sta ...


See also

* Curry Normal and Industrial Institute


References


External links


City website
{{Authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Champaign County, Ohio County seats in Ohio Populated places established in 1805 1805 establishments in Ohio