Van Wert is a city in

Van Wert County, Ohio Van Wert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,931. Its county seat is Van Wert. The county was created on February 12, 1820, and later organized on March 18, 1837. It is named fo ...

, 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 in northwestern Ohio approximately southwest of Toledo and southeast of

Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne is a city in Allen County, Indiana, United States, and its county seat. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 at the 2020 census ...

. The population was 11,092 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Van Wert micropolitan area, which is included in the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta combined statistical area. Van Wert is named for

Isaac Van Wart Isaac Van Wart (October 25, 1762May 23, 1828) was a militiaman from the state of New York during the American Revolution. In 1780, he was one of three men who captured British Major John André, who was convicted and executed as a spy for conspir ...

, one of the captors of Major

John André Major John André (May 2, 1750 – October 2, 1780) was a British Army officer who served as the head of Britain's intelligence operations during the American War for Independence. In September 1780, he negotiated with Continental Army offic ...

in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. A center of

peony The peony or paeony () is any flowering plant in the genus ''Paeonia'', the only genus in the family Paeoniaceae. Peonies are native to Asia, Europe, and Western North America. Scientists differ on the number of species that can be distinguish ...

cultivation, Van Wert has hosted the annual Van Wert Peony Festival on and off since 1902. Van Wert is home to the first county library in the United States, the Brumback Library.

History

Van Wert was surveyed in 1824 by Captain James Riley, who was contracted by the government to survey lands purchased from Native Americans under a treaty in 1818. It was incorporated as a town in 1848 and was chartered as a city in 1903. The town is located in an area originally known as the Black Swamp. Early pioneers had to deal with swampy ground, mud, and

malaria Malaria is a Mosquito-borne disease, mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects vertebrates and ''Anopheles'' mosquitoes. Human malaria causes Signs and symptoms, symptoms that typically include fever, Fatigue (medical), fatigue, vomitin ...

. They persevered, draining the swamp for agriculture and eventually reclaiming enough dry land to establish the town. Van Wert was the birthplace of aviation pioneer Walter Hinton and the famous

baritone A baritone is a type of classical music, classical male singing human voice, voice whose vocal range lies between the bass (voice type), bass and the tenor voice type, voice-types. It is the most common male voice. The term originates from the ...

Charles W. Clark. At one point, Van Wert was the only place in the world producing

Liederkranz cheese Liederkranz is an American re-creation of Limburger cheese, made subtly different by the use of a different bacterial culture for smear-ripening. Liederkranz is a cow's milk cheese, with an edible pale yellow-orange tan crust, and a semisoft ...

. Beginning in 1926, this pungent dairy product was manufactured at the now-closed Borden plant. At the time of the closure, Liederkranz cheese was selling for $8 per pound. The people of Van Wert (400 of which called themselves "Cheesemakers") contributed to the town of

Vimoutiers Vimoutiers () is a Communes of France, commune in the Orne Departments of France, department in north-western France. The finish line of the Paris–Camembert bicycle race is Vimoutiers. Geography The commune is made up of the following collec ...

Orne Orne (; or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.Lower Normandy Lower Normandy (, ; ) is a former administrative region of France. On 1 January 2016, Lower and Upper Normandy merged becoming one region called Normandy. Geography The region included three departments, Calvados, Manche and Orne, that cover ...

, France with help in the costs of reconstruction and reparation of the town after it was mistakenly bombed by the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...

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 ...

. They volunteered to pay for the replacement of

Marie Harel Marie Harel (born Marie Catherine Fontaine; April 28, 1761 – November 9, 1844) was a French cheesemaker, who, along with Abbot , invented Camembert cheese, according to local legend. Personal life The sources show profound disagreements on the ...

's statue in 1953. This is recorded by a plaque in the market square of Vimoutiers. Vimoutiers is a centre for local making of

Camembert Camembert ( , , ) is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look, taste and texture to brie cheese, albe ...

, Livarot and Pont-l'Évêque cheeses. On November 10, 2002, an F4 tornado struck the town, killing two people. This was one of many tornado touchdowns during the 2002 Veterans Day Weekend tornado outbreak. Van Wert's emergency warning system is credited with saving many lives after several cars were thrown into a movie theatre that had been packed with people just minutes earlier.

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 10,846 people, 4,536 households, and 2,812 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 5,111 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6%

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 ...

, 1.7%

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, 1.2% from other races, and 2.0% 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 4.0% of the population. There were 4,536 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 44.6% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.0% were non-families. 33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.33 and the average family size was 2.93. The median age in the city was 39.6 years. 24.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.2% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 23.1% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 10,690 people, 4,556 households, and 2,947 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,927 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 96.07%

, 1.50%

, 0.11% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 1.09% from other races, and 0.89% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 2.25% of the population. There were 4,556 households, out of which 29.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were

living together, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.3% were non-families. 31.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.88. In the city, the population was spread out, with 24.1% under the age of 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 26.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 86.1 males. The median income for a household in the city was $33,205, and the median income for a family was $41,711. Males had a median income of $31,441 versus $23,143 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 $17,413. About 5.0% of families and 7.1% 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 7.4% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Van Wert City Schools enrolls 2,027 students in public

primary Primary or primaries may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Groups and labels * Primary (band), from Australia * Primary (musician), hip hop musician and record producer from South Korea * Primary Music, Israeli record label Work ...

and secondary schools. The district operates 5 public schools including the Early Childhood Center (Pre-school-Kindergarten), Van Wert Elementary School (1st-5th grades), Van Wert Middle School (6th-8th grades), Van Wert High School (9th-12th grades), and Vantage Career Center (11th-12th grades), along with the Goedde Building as the Central Administrative Offices. Van Wert High School sports participate in the Western Buckeye League, an athletic body sanctioned by the

Ohio High School Athletic Association The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of comp ...

(OHSAA). Van Wert recently built a new high school and middle school complex in 2007, and just opened a new elementary school next to the high school and middle school complex so all students are now in one area. Along with the new high school/middle school complex, a new performing arts center was built, The Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio, thanks to the private donation of Van Wert High School Alumnus, Scott Niswonger. Every year since 2005, Van Wert Middle School has received the "National Schools to Watch" award. Van Wert has the main branch of the Brumback Library.

References

External links

City of Van Wert

{{authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Van Wert County, Ohio County seats in Ohio 1848 establishments in Ohio