Findlay, Ohio, United States

🇺🇸 Findlay is a city in Hancock County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The second-largest city in Northwest Ohio, Findlay lies about 40 miles (64 km) south of Toledo. The principal city of the Findlay micropolitan area, it is home to the University of Findlay and the headquarters of Marathon Petroleum.

History In the War of 1812, Colonel James Findlay of Cincinnati built a road and a stockade to transport and shelter troops in the Great Black Swamp region. This stockade was named Fort Findlay in his honor. At the conclusion of the war, the community of Findlay was born. The first town lots were laid out in 1821 by future Ohio Governor Joseph Vance and Elnathan Corry.

Before the Civil War, Findlay was a stop for slaves along the Underground Railroad.

In 1861, David Ross Locke moved to Findlay, where he served as editor for the Hancock Jeffersonian newspaper until he left in 1865. It was in the Hancock Jeffersonian that Locke penned the first of his Nasby letters.

During the 1880s, Findlay was a booming centre of oil and natural gas production, though the supply of petroleum had dwindled by the early 20th century.

Findlay hosted the highly competitive Ohio State Music Festival in 1884. A young cornet player, Warren G. Harding, and his Citizens' Cornet Band of Marion placed third in the competition. Harding went on to be elected the 29th President of the United States.

On March 31, 1892, the only known lynching in the history of Hancock County occurred when a mob of 1,000 men, many "respectable citizens", broke into the county jail in Findlay. They lynched Mr. Lytle, who had seriously (but not fatally as believed at the time) injured his wife and two daughters with a hatchet the day before, by hanging him twice (first from the bridge, then a telegraph pole) and finally shooting his body over a dozen times. The authorities had intended to secretly convey the prisoner to a suburb at one o'clock, where a train was to have been taken for Lima, but their plans were frustrated by the mob.

In 1908, American songwriter Tell Taylor wrote the standard, "Down by the Old Mill Stream" while fishing along the Blanchard River in Findlay. The song was published in 1910.

A disaster occurred during the 1936 Independence Day celebration, where a stray firework fell into a crowd, injuring 16 people and attracting national media attention.

For three months in the early 1960s, Findlay had the distinction of being the only community in the world where touch-tone telephone service was available. Touch-tone service was first introduced there on November 1, 1960.

In 2007, a flood that crested at 18.46 feet caused around $100 million in damage. The flood was nearly as strong as the 1913 flood.

Geography Findlay is located at 41°02′34″N 83°38′32″W (41.042843, −83.642216).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 19.25 square miles (49.86 km²), of which 0.12 square miles (0.31 km²) is covered by water.

The Blanchard River travels through Findlay, flowing east to west.

The Findlay Reservoir No. 2 is the largest above-ground reservoir in the state of Ohio, with a capacity around 5 billion US gallons (19,000,000 m3) of water.

Demographics As of the census of 2020, 40,313 people and 17,550 households were in the city. The population density was 2,052.3 inhabitants per square mile (792.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 84.6% White, 2.5% Black, 0.2% Native American, 2.3% Asian, and 3.6% of two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 7.9% of the population.

About 20.4% of residents were under 18, and 17.2% were over 65. The gender makeup of the city was 48.2% male and 51.8% female.

The median household income was $50,921 (in 2021 dollars). Per capita income for the city was $33,411; 13.5% of persons were below the poverty line.

Economy Findlay was the headquarters of the Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, founded in 1914, which specializes in the design, manufacture, marketing, and sales of replacement automobile and truck tires, and subsidiaries that specialize in medium truck, motorcycle, and racing tires. Cooper Tire was acquired by Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company in 2021.

Findlay was the longtime headquarters of the Marathon Oil Corporation from 1905 until 1990 when it moved its offices to Houston, Texas. Marathon Petroleum Company, a former subsidiary of Marathon Oil, maintained its main office in Findlay after Marathon Oil moved. On July 1, 2011, Marathon Petroleum became an independent entity, with headquarters in Findlay.

Findlay is home to the Whirlpool dishwasher manufacturing plant and distribution center. This plant is considered to be the largest dishwasher plant in the world (based on production).

Findlay is home to several other major distribution centres, including Best Buy, Lowe's, and Campbell Soup Company.

Largest employers According to the City of Findlay 2023 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report (ACFR), the following companies are the top employers in the city: 1 Blanchard Valley Regional Health Center; 2 Marathon Petroleum Corporation; 3 Whirlpool Corporation; 4 Goodyear; 5 Findlay City Schools; 6 The University of Findlay; 7 Lowe's Distribution Center; 8 McLane; 9 Hancock County; 10 Ball Metal.

Arts and culture Hancock County hosts a variety of annual events that celebrate local culture, including the Hancock County Fair. In June, the city hosts Boogie on the Block featuring music and entertainment In August it hosts the Flag City BalloonFest hot air balloon festival. Fall events include Oktoberfest and a Halloween parade.

Sport Findlay has previously hosted multiple professional sports teams in minor league baseball, as well as amateur and semi-professional hockey. The Findlay Browns was the final nickname of the minor league baseball teams based in Findlay between 1895 and 1941. Findlay teams played as members of the Interstate League in 1895, Buckeye League in 1915 and Ohio State League from 1937 to 1941. The Findlay Browns were an affiliate of the St. Louis Browns in 1937 and 1938. For hockey, the city was home to the Findlay Freedom from 2006 to 2008. Beginning in 2008, the Findlay Grrrowl played Junior A hockey at the Cube Ice Arena at the Hancock Recreation Center. In 2009, the Grrrowl won the United Junior Hockey League's only championship beating the Jamestown Jets two games to one. The UJHL and an attempted successor folded the next year.

Collegiate sports in Findlay take place at the University of Findlay, which participates in Division II athletics as a member of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.

Government The city is administered by a mayor and a city council with the city council being composed of the president of council, seven ward representatives, and three representatives elected at-large. The mayor appoints the director of public safety and service, while the people elect the auditor, treasurer, law director, and two municipal court judges.

Education Three intermediate (3–5) buildings and three primary (K–2) buildings are within the city of Findlay.

For decades, students attended one of three junior high schools: Donnell (Atoms), Central (Spartans), or Glenwood (Eagles). The original Donnell School building located on Baldwin Avenue was razed in 2012 to make room for the construction of a new building, which began usage in January 2013. Another new school built directly behind the original Glenwood building on North Main Street officially opened and began usage in January 2013. The building known as Central, located on West Main Cross, was originally Findlay's high school (until the current high school was built in 1963). Once the two new middle schools were opened, part of Central was razed, leaving only the auditorium. A new Performing Arts Center (funded mainly by Marathon Petroleum) was constructed by refurbishing and renovating Central's auditorium, finishing in December 2015.

Findlay High School is a comprehensive high school with an enrollment of 1,632 students in grades 9–12. Of the 130 professional staff, 87 have master's degrees or beyond. Accreditation has been granted by AdvancEd Accreditation.

Postsecondary The city is home to the University of Findlay, a private liberal arts college with an enrollment of over 4,100 students, and Owens Community College, a state school with an enrollment of 2,391 students. The University of Findlay is best known for its programs in Education (undergraduate and Master's) and the equestrian studies programs. Students enrolled in the preveterinary or western equestrian studies have access to a 152-acre (62 ha) farm operated by the university. Those students who are pursuing a degree in English equestrian studies have access to a separate rural facility composed of 32 acres (13 ha), which includes the University Equine Veterinary Services Inc.

Winebrenner Theological Seminary also makes its home in Findlay, adjacent to the university. Findlay also had a branch location of Brown Mackie College prior to 2017.

Public library The city has the main branch of the Findlay-Hancock County Public Library. The library was established on April 16, 1888, and was originally housed in the Hancock County Courthouse basement until it was able to move into an old post office building in 1935. The main library building was renovated in 1991, and again in 2009 after a major flood. The library announced in March 2019 it would end the process of charging late fees.

Transport Findlay Airport does not have regularly scheduled passenger flights.

Interstate 75, US 68, and US 224 are major highways that pass through the city. State routes in the city of Findlay include: Ohio State Route 12, Ohio State Route 15, Ohio State Route 568, and Ohio State Route 37.

Historically, the Baltimore & Ohio, the New York Central, and the Nickel Plate Road operated passenger train service through Findlay. The last trains were the Nickel Plate's St. Louis–Muncie–Cleveland trains (#9, Blue Arrow westbound and #10, Blue Dart eastbound). These trains ended in 1959.