Sugarcreek, Ohio Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Sugarcreek, Ohio
Village
World's Largest Cuckoo Clock
Nickname(s): The Little Switzerland of Ohio
Location of Sugarcreek, Ohio
Location of Sugarcreek in Tuscarawas County, Ohio
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Tuscarawas
Township	Sugar Creek
Government
• Type	Village
Area
• Total	3.80 sq mi (9.84 km²)
• Land	3.80 sq mi (9.84 km²)
• Water	0.00 sq mi (0.00 km²)
Elevation	1,063 ft (324 m)
Population (2020)
• Total	2,373
• Density	624.31/sq mi (241.08/km²)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	44681
Area code(s)	330
FIPS code	39-75210
GNIS feature ID	2399927
Website	http://www.villageofsugarcreek.com/

Sugarcreek is a small town, also called a village, in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, USA. In 2020, about 2,373 people lived there. It's famous for being "The Little Switzerland of Ohio." This is because many Swiss people settled here long ago. Sugarcreek is also in Ohio's Amish Country. It is a popular place for tourists to visit. In the middle of town, you can see one of the world's largest cuckoo clocks. This clock was even on the cover of the Guinness World Records book in 1977!

History of Sugarcreek
- How Sugarcreek Grew
Geography of Sugarcreek
People of Sugarcreek
- Population in 2010
Education in Sugarcreek
Images for kids
See also

History of Sugarcreek

Office of The Budget

Sugarcreek's history began with making cheese. Swiss immigrants came to the area in the early 1830s. They used milk from Amish dairy farms to make their cheese.

In the 1950s, the town started an event called the Ohio Swiss Festival. This festival became very popular with tourists. Because of this success, local business leaders decided to change the town. Starting in 1965, they made Sugarcreek look like a Swiss village.

By the early 1970s, the first businesses for tourists opened. Tourism in Sugarcreek focused on the Amish community. It also included a steam engine train ride. This train, run by the Ohio Central Railroad System, went between Sugarcreek and Baltic. The train stopped running in 2004. After that, fewer tourists visited Sugarcreek.

How Sugarcreek Grew

The village of Shanesville was started in 1814 by Anthony Shane. It was built where two old Indian trails crossed. Today, these are Ohio State Routes 39 and 93.

Shanesville was smaller than Sugarcreek for a while. Sugarcreek was known as East Shanesville back then. It grew bigger when the railroads arrived in the mid-1800s. In 1969, Shanesville officially joined with Sugarcreek. The combined village then took the name Sugarcreek.

Geography of Sugarcreek

A street scene in Sugarcreek

Sugarcreek is located along the South Fork of Sugar Creek. The U.S. Census Bureau says the village covers about 3.79 square miles (9.84 square kilometers). All of this area is land.

People of Sugarcreek

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1900	243	—
1910	389	60.1%
1920	618	58.9%
1930	895	44.8%
1940	836	−6.6%
1950	889	6.3%
1960	982	10.5%
1970	1,771	80.3%
1980	1,966	11.0%
1990	2,062	4.9%
2000	2,174	5.4%
2010	2,220	2.1%
2020	2,373	6.9%
Source:

Sugarcreek has a large Amish community. This community is part of the bigger Holmes County Amish settlement. The village celebrates its Swiss heritage and its Amish culture. These are big reasons why tourists visit.

Sugarcreek is also home to The Budget weekly newspaper. This newspaper is very important to the Amish community. The village also has large factories for the Belden Brick Company.

Most people in Sugarcreek speak English. A smaller number speak German, including Pennsylvania German. Some also speak "Dutch," which here means Pennsylvania Dutch.

Population in 2010

In 2010, there were 2,220 people living in Sugarcreek. There were 904 households and 652 families. The village had about 585.8 people per square mile (226.2 people per square kilometer).

About 28.8% of households had children under 18 living with them. Most households (62.2%) were married couples living together. The average household had 2.46 people. The average family had 2.95 people.

The average age in the village was 40 years old. About 22.3% of residents were under 18. About 17.9% were 65 years old or older. The population was almost evenly split between males (49.6%) and females (50.4%).

Education in Sugarcreek

Sugarcreek is home to Garaway High School and Junior High. The school mascot is a pirate. Sugarcreek also has Miller Avenue Elementary School. This is one of four elementary schools in the Garaway School District. The other elementary schools are Ragersville, Baltic, and Dundee.

The Tuscarawas County Public Library has a branch in Sugarcreek.