Centerville, Ohio Facts for Kids

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.85 square miles (28.10 km²), of which 10.78 square miles (27.92 km²) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km²) is water.

Centerville and Washington Township voted November 4, 2008 on whether to create a merger commission. The proposed merger commission succeeded in the city but failed in the township.

History

In 1796, American explorer Benjamin Robbins founded Centerville, Ohio, naming it after his hometown of Centreville, New Jersey, due to its location between two rivers and its proximity to several other communities. Robbins and two of his brothers chose land in Centerville, with Robbins selecting 160 acres northwest of the town center because of the abundance of springs. During settlement, settlers discovered limestone in Centerville, leading to the replacement of many log cabins with more durable limestone structures. On April 6, 1797, Robbins's family arrived in Centerville from Dry Ridge, Kentucky after ten days of constructing a wagon road, and began assembling houses. Robbins established a log cabin for his family, but during occupancy, the roof was blown away during a storm. Robbins's son, Sam, became the cities first mayor. By 1820, Robbins added a second floor to the house and replaced the base with limestone. In 1803, one-room schoolhouses were established in Centerville, offering education from grades 1 to 6. Benjamin Robbins died on June 3, 1837, and was buried at the Sugar Creek Baptist Cemetery.

In 1900, the U.S. Post Office changed the town’s name from Centreville to Centerville. On December 2, 1968, Centerville became a city. In 1973, Centerville High School was established.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	274	—
1890	252	−8.0%
1900	290	15.1%
1910	353	21.7%
1920	335	−5.1%
1930	400	19.4%
1940	561	40.3%
1950	827	47.4%
1960	3,490	322.0%
1970	10,333	196.1%
1980	18,886	82.8%
1990	21,082	11.6%
2000	23,024	9.2%
2010	23,999	4.2%
2020	24,240	1.0%
2023 (est.)	25,754	7.3%
Sources:

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 23,999 people, 10,693 households, and 6,694 families living in the city. The population density was 2,226.3 inhabitants per square mile (859.6/km²). There were 11,421 housing units at an average density of 1,059.5 per square mile (409.1/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.2% White, 4.0% African American, 0.2% Native American, 3.2% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.8% of the population.

There were 10,693 households, of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.3% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 37.4% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.19 and the average family size was 2.78.

The median age in the city was 46.9 years. 20.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 20.8% were from 25 to 44; 28.4% were from 45 to 64; and 24.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.2% male and 53.8% female.

Arts and culture

Centerville has the largest collection of early stone houses in the state of Ohio. Many are listed in the National Register of Historic Places.

The Town Hall Theatre is located in downtown Centerville.

The Heart of Centerville features a selection of boutiques, restaurants and businesses in a historic setting which includes Ohio's largest collection of early stone buildings.

Education

Main entrance of Centerville High School, May 2014

Centerville Public Schools are part of the Centerville City School District. The district has a preschool which is located in each of the two elementary schools teaching kindergarten to first grade. The district also has six elementary schools teaching second through fifth grade, three middle schools teaching sixth through eight grade, as well as one high school and an alternative high school.

The other public schools in this district include:

Centerville Primary Village North
Centerville Primary Village South (2007)
Normandy Elementary School (1963)
Stingley Elementary School
Driscoll Elementary School
Weller Elementary
W.O. Cline Elementary School (1955)
John Hole Elementary School
C.W. Magsig Middle School (1924)
Hadley E. Watts Middle School (1969)
Tower Heights Middle School
Centerville School of Possibilities
Centerville High School (1973)

There is also one Catholic K-8 School and a Seventh-day Adventist Pre-12 Preparatory School serving the city.

Washington-Centerville Public Library offers residents access to more than 380,000 books, audios, movies, and music as well as educational programs, community services, and research assistance for youth and adults.

Notable people

Hannah Beachler, Academy Award winner for production design
Michael Bennett, NFL defensive tackle for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Erma Bombeck, essayist
Stevie Brock, singer
Phil Donahue, talk show host
Nancy Dutiel, fashion and beauty model (Lancôme)
Claire Falknor, professional soccer player for the Houston Dash
Eric Fanning, was appointed 22nd Secretary of the Army by President Obama on May 18, 2016
Andy Harmon, former Philadelphia Eagles player
A. J. Hawk, former NFL linebacker for the Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, and Cincinnati Bengals
Kirk Herbstreit, played quarterback at Ohio State before becoming a sports analyst on the ESPN program College Gameday
Will Johnson, NFL fullback
Ben Judd, video game agent and producer
Pat Kilbane, comic actor, singer
Nate Leaman, American ice hockey coach
Holley Mangold, Olympic weightlifter and female football player
Nick Mangold, former offensive lineman for the New York Jets
Sean Murphy, baseball catcher for the Atlanta Braves
Mike Nugent, played football for Ohio State University, and the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League
Ifeadi Odenigbo, Current defensive end for the Cleveland Browns
Chip Reese, poker player
Joe Thuney, Current offensive guard for the Kansas City Chiefs
Mike Tolbert, American football player

Sister cities

Centerville has two sister cities, as designated by Sister Cities International:

Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
Bad Zwischenahn, Lower Saxony, Germany

Centerville, Ohio facts for kids

Contents

Geography