Springfield, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Springfield, Ohio
City
Downtown Springfield in 2021
Flag Seal Logo
Nickname(s):  The Home City, The Rose City (City of Roses), The Champion City, The Field
Springfield, Ohio Location in Ohio Show map of Ohio Springfield, Ohio Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Clark
Founded	1801
Incorporated	1827 (village) 1850 (city)
Government
• Type	Council–manager
Area
• City	26.36 sq mi (68.27 km2)
• Land	26.16 sq mi (67.75 km2)
• Water	0.20 sq mi (0.52 km2)
Elevation	929 ft (283 m)
Population  (2020)
• City	58,662
• Density	2,225.4/sq mi (859.26/km2)
• Metro	136,001
Time zone	UTC−5 (EST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
ZIP Codes	45501–45506
Area code	937 & 326
FIPS code	39-74118
GNIS ID	1085859

Springfield is a city in Ohio, United States. It is the main city of Clark County. Springfield is located in southwestern Ohio. It sits by the Mad River, Buck Creek, and Beaver Creek. The city is about 45 miles (72 km) west of Columbus. It is also 25 miles (40 km) northeast of Dayton. In 2020, about 58,662 people lived in Springfield. The larger Springfield area had 136,001 residents.

Springfield is home to two colleges. These are Wittenberg University and Clark State College. The Little Miami Scenic Trail starts here. This paved trail is almost 80 miles (129 km) long. It goes from Springfield south to Newtown, Ohio. Buck Creek State Park is also near the city. It has the Clarence J. Brown reservoir.

Exploring Springfield's Past

Early Beginnings and Native American History

Before Springfield was founded, two Native American villages were nearby. These were Peckuwe and Piqua. They were home to parts of the Shawnee Tribe. This was until the Battle of Piqua in 1780. The Piqua Sept of Ohio Shawnee Tribe has placed a special cedar pole to remember this history.

Springfield was started in 1801 by James Demint. He was a former teamster from Kentucky. When Clark County was formed, Springfield became its main city. The city was named after Springfield, Massachusetts. That city was important for its armory and historical events.

Growth and Industry in Springfield

Springfield grew thanks to the National Road. This important road ended in Springfield for about 10 years. Later, President Andrew Jackson decided the road would continue west to Richmond, Indiana.

During the mid-to-late 1800s, many important business leaders lived in Springfield. These included Oliver S. Kelly and Asa S. Bushnell. Asa S. Bushnell built the Bushnell Building. Here, the lawyer for the Wright Brothers wrote the patent for the invention of the airplane. P. P. Mast started the Farm and Fireside magazine. His company grew into Crowell-Collier Publishing Company. This company was known for Collier's Weekly. In 1894, The Kelly Springfield Tire Company was founded.

At the start of the 1900s, Springfield was called "The Home City." Many groups built homes for orphans and older members. It was also known as "The Champion City." This name came from the Champion Farm Equipment brand. This company later joined International Harvester. Today, Navistar International still makes trucks in Springfield.

The Birth of 4-H

In 1902, A.B. Graham started a "Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Club." This was in Springfield Township. About 85 children attended the first meeting. This club soon became the "4-H Club." 4-H stands for "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health." It quickly grew into a national group. The first projects included food preservation and gardening. The Clark County Courthouse still has a 4-H symbol to remember this. The Clark County Fair is the second largest fair in Ohio, partly because 4-H is still very popular.

Challenges and Progress

In the early 1900s, Springfield faced a difficult time with racial tensions. In 1904, a large crowd caused violence and destruction in the city. They targeted the black community. More violence occurred in 1906, again causing damage to parts of town.

However, sixty years later, Springfield made history. It became the first city in Ohio to have a black mayor, Robert Henry. This showed important progress for the community.

Clark County Courthouse in downtown Springfield

Automobiles and Architecture

From 1916 to 1926, many car companies operated in Springfield. One famous car was the Westcott. It was known for being built to last. Burton J. Westcott and his wife, Orpha, hired famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. He designed their home in 1908. The Westcott House is a large, two-story home. It shows Wright's prairie style with its flat lines and wide roofs. It is the only Frank Lloyd Wright prairie style house in Ohio. The house was restored and opened for tours in 2005.

Old City Hall, now the Clark County Heritage Center

International Harvester (now Navistar) became a top industry. This was after William Whiteley invented the self-raking reaper in 1856. This company, along with Crowell-Collier Publishing, was very important to Springfield for many years.

Springfield's Location

Springfield is located at 39.927067 degrees North and 83.804131 degrees West. The city covers about 25.50 square miles (66.04 sq km). Most of this is land, with a small amount of water. The Clarence J. Brown Reservoir is just outside the city to the northeast.

Who Lives in Springfield?

The city's population has changed over time. In 2020, the population was 58,662.

Springfield's Diverse Community (2020)

Springfield is home to people from many backgrounds. In 2020, about 68.4% of residents were White (not Hispanic). About 18.6% were Black or African American (not Hispanic). Other groups, including Asian, Native American, and Pacific Islander, also live here. About 6.4% of people identified as having mixed races. Hispanic or Latino people made up about 4.9% of the population.

A Look at the 2010 Census

In 2010, there were 60,608 people living in Springfield. The city had 24,459 households. About 26.3% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.38 people. The average family had 3.01 people.

The population was spread out by age. About 24.4% were under 18. About 15.3% were 65 or older. The average age in the city was 36 years.

Springfield's Economy

Springfield's economy has faced challenges. Many manufacturing jobs have decreased. Between 1999 and 2014, the average income in Springfield dropped by 27 percent. This was much more than the national average. In the 1990s, Springfield lost 22,000 factory jobs. These jobs were a big part of the city's economy.

Today, Springfield's economy relies on different areas. These include healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. Leisure, education, financial services, and retail also provide jobs.

Learning in Springfield

Wittenberg University

Most students in Springfield attend schools in the Springfield City School District. This district has about 7,000 students. It operates 14 schools. These include ten elementary schools, three middle schools, and one high school. The high school is Springfield High School. There is also an alternative school.

Other schools include the Global Impact STEM Academy. This school focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). It opened in 2013. Some parts of Springfield are served by other school districts. These are Northeastern Local School District and Northwestern Local School District. Areas to the west, south, and southeast are in Clark-Shawnee Local School District.

Springfield High School

Wittenberg University is a private college in Springfield. It was founded in 1845. It has about 1,300 students. The university offers more than seventy different majors. It also has over 150 student groups. The WUSO radio station is on campus.

Clark State College is also in the city. It offers associate's and bachelor's degrees. It started as a technical training program in 1962. It became Ohio's first technical college in 1966.

The Clark County Public Library has three public libraries in Springfield.

Media and News

Springfield News-Sun former headquarters

Springfield has one daily newspaper, the Springfield News-Sun. Wittenberg University has its own newspaper called The Wittenberg Torch. The WEEC-FM radio station plays Christian music. Two AM radio stations are licensed to Springfield. These are WIZE 1340 and WULM 1600.

Getting Around Springfield

Several major roads pass through Springfield. Ohio State Route 72 runs north-south through downtown. U.S. Highway 40 goes east-west through downtown. U.S. Highway 68 runs north-south on the west side of the city. Interstate 70 runs east-west south of the city.

The Springfield–Beckley Municipal Airport is south of Springfield. It is used for both civilian and military flights. The closest airport with passenger flights is Dayton International Airport. This airport is about 27.2 miles (43.8 km) to the west.

Springfield used to have passenger train service. Trains from the New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad stopped here. The last passenger train left Springfield on April 30, 1971.

Famous People from Springfield

Many notable people were born or grew up in Springfield. Here are a few:

Images for kids

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  Springfield around 1830

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  Springfield around 1900

See also

In Spanish: Springfield (Ohio) para niños