Van Wert, Ohio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Van Wert, Ohio
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Downtown Van Wert
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Location of Van Wert in Van Wert County
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 Van Wert, Ohio
Location in Ohio
Van Wert, Ohio
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Van Wert |
| Township | Pleasant, Ridge |
| Incorporated (town) | 1848 |
| Incorporated (city) | 1903 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 7.81 sq mi (20.23 km2) |
| • Land | 7.53 sq mi (19.50 km2) |
| • Water | 0.28 sq mi (0.73 km2) |
| Elevation | 778 ft (237 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 11,092 |
| • Density | 1,473.04/sq mi (568.74/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP code |
45891
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| Area code(s) | 419 |
| FIPS code | 39-79562 |
| GNIS feature ID | 2397117 |
| Website | www.vanwert.org |
Van Wert is a city in Ohio, United States. It is the main city of Van Wert County, Ohio. You can find it in northwest Ohio. It is about 77 miles (124 km) southwest of Toledo and 34 miles (55 km) southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana. In 2020, about 11,092 people lived there. Van Wert is the main city in its local area. This area is part of a larger region that includes Lima and Wapakoneta.
Van Wert is named after Isaac Van Wart. He was a hero in the American Revolutionary War. He helped capture a British spy named Major John André. The city is known for growing peony flowers. Van Wert has held a Peony Festival almost every year since 1902. It is also home to the Brumback Library. This was the first county library in the United States.
Contents
History of Van Wert
A man named Captain James Riley surveyed Van Wert in 1824. He was hired by the government to map lands bought from Native Americans. The city became a town in 1848. It officially became a city in 1903.
The area where Van Wert is located was once a huge swamp. It was called the Black Swamp. Early settlers had to deal with muddy ground and malaria. They worked hard to drain the swamp. This helped them create farms and build the town. Famous people from Van Wert include Walter Hinton, an aviation pioneer, and Charles W. Clark, a well-known singer.
For a time, Van Wert was the only place in the world that made Liederkranz cheese. This strong-smelling cheese was made at the Borden plant starting in 1926. The plant is now closed.
The people of Van Wert helped a French town called Vimoutiers. This town was accidentally bombed by the US Air Force during World War II. In 1953, Van Wert residents helped pay to replace a statue in Vimoutiers. A plaque in Vimoutiers remembers this act of kindness. Vimoutiers is famous for making other cheeses like Camembert and Livarot.
On November 10, 2002, a strong tornado hit Van Wert. It was an F4 tornado. Two people sadly died. This tornado was part of a big storm system. Van Wert's emergency warning system helped save many lives. It warned people just minutes before cars were thrown into a movie theater.
Geography and Climate
Van Wert covers a total area of about 7.61 square miles (19.71 km2). Most of this area, about 7.33 square miles (18.98 km2), is land. The rest, about 0.28 square miles (0.73 km2), is water.
Weather in Van Wert
| Climate data for Van Wert, Ohio (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1893–1903, 1924–present) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 71 (22) |
74 (23) |
86 (30) |
90 (32) |
100 (38) |
104 (40) |
110 (43) |
103 (39) |
105 (41) |
93 (34) |
79 (26) |
71 (22) |
110 (43) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 55.3 (12.9) |
58.7 (14.8) |
69.8 (21.0) |
80.2 (26.8) |
88.3 (31.3) |
93.6 (34.2) |
93.7 (34.3) |
92.4 (33.6) |
90.3 (32.4) |
82.9 (28.3) |
68.7 (20.4) |
58.5 (14.7) |
95.5 (35.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 32.5 (0.3) |
36.1 (2.3) |
46.9 (8.3) |
60.3 (15.7) |
71.8 (22.1) |
80.9 (27.2) |
84.5 (29.2) |
82.6 (28.1) |
76.8 (24.9) |
63.9 (17.7) |
49.5 (9.7) |
37.4 (3.0) |
60.3 (15.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 25.3 (−3.7) |
28.3 (−2.1) |
37.9 (3.3) |
49.8 (9.9) |
61.6 (16.4) |
71.0 (21.7) |
74.5 (23.6) |
72.4 (22.4) |
65.8 (18.8) |
53.7 (12.1) |
41.3 (5.2) |
30.8 (−0.7) |
51.0 (10.6) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 18.2 (−7.7) |
20.5 (−6.4) |
28.9 (−1.7) |
39.3 (4.1) |
51.4 (10.8) |
61.1 (16.2) |
64.4 (18.0) |
62.3 (16.8) |
54.7 (12.6) |
43.4 (6.3) |
33.0 (0.6) |
24.1 (−4.4) |
41.8 (5.4) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | −2.8 (−19.3) |
1.7 (−16.8) |
11.5 (−11.4) |
24.7 (−4.1) |
36.6 (2.6) |
47.4 (8.6) |
53.5 (11.9) |
51.5 (10.8) |
41.2 (5.1) |
29.9 (−1.2) |
18.6 (−7.4) |
6.5 (−14.2) |
−5.8 (−21.0) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −24 (−31) |
−18 (−28) |
−15 (−26) |
9 (−13) |
22 (−6) |
35 (2) |
41 (5) |
37 (3) |
25 (−4) |
12 (−11) |
−2 (−19) |
−18 (−28) |
−24 (−31) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 2.57 (65) |
2.05 (52) |
2.52 (64) |
3.59 (91) |
4.76 (121) |
4.59 (117) |
4.66 (118) |
3.95 (100) |
3.15 (80) |
2.99 (76) |
2.94 (75) |
2.59 (66) |
40.36 (1,025) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 6.2 (16) |
4.5 (11) |
2.5 (6.4) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.6 (1.5) |
2.9 (7.4) |
17.1 (43) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 9.1 | 7.8 | 8.6 | 10.6 | 11.0 | 10.0 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.8 | 105.7 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 3.1 | 2.8 | 1.1 | 0.2 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 9.6 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
People of Van Wert
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1850 | 268 | — | |
| 1860 | 1,615 | 502.6% | |
| 1870 | 2,625 | 62.5% | |
| 1880 | 4,079 | 55.4% | |
| 1890 | 5,512 | 35.1% | |
| 1900 | 6,422 | 16.5% | |
| 1910 | 7,157 | 11.4% | |
| 1920 | 8,100 | 13.2% | |
| 1930 | 8,472 | 4.6% | |
| 1940 | 9,227 | 8.9% | |
| 1950 | 10,354 | 12.2% | |
| 1960 | 11,323 | 9.4% | |
| 1970 | 11,320 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 11,022 | −2.6% | |
| 1990 | 10,891 | −1.2% | |
| 2000 | 10,690 | −1.8% | |
| 2010 | 10,846 | 1.5% | |
| 2020 | 11,092 | 2.3% | |
| 2021 (est.) | 11,039 | 1.8% | |
| Sources: | |||
Population in 2010
In 2010, there were 10,846 people living in Van Wert. They lived in 4,536 homes. About 2,812 of these were families. The city had about 1,480 people per square mile. There were 5,111 housing units in total.
Most of the people in Van Wert were White (94.6%). About 1.7% were African American. A small number were Native American (0.1%) or Asian (0.4%). About 1.2% were from other backgrounds. About 2.0% were from two or more backgrounds. Hispanic or Latino people made up 4.0% of the population.
About 29.4% of homes had children under 18. Almost half (44.6%) were married couples. About 12.6% of homes had a female head without a husband. About 4.7% had a male head without a wife. About 38.0% of homes were not families.
About 33.6% of all homes had one person living alone. About 15.9% of these were people aged 65 or older. The average home had 2.33 people. The average family had 2.93 people.
The average age in the city was 39.6 years. About 24.4% of people were under 18. About 8.2% were between 18 and 24. About 23.1% were between 25 and 44. About 26.2% were between 45 and 64. About 18.1% were 65 or older. The city had slightly more females (53.2%) than males (46.8%).
Education in Van Wert
The Van Wert City School District teaches 2,027 students. These are students in public elementary and high schools. The district has five public schools:
- Early Childhood Center (Pre-school to Kindergarten)
- Van Wert Elementary School (Grades 1-5)
- Van Wert Middle School (Grades 6-8)
- Van Wert High School (Grades 9-12)
- Vantage Career Center (Grades 11-12)
The Goedde Building is where the main school offices are located. Van Wert High School sports teams play in the Western Buckeye League. This league is approved by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA).
Van Wert built a new high school and middle school in 2007. A new elementary school also opened next to them. Now, all students are in one area. A new performing arts center was also built. It is called The Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio. This was possible thanks to a gift from Scott Niswonger, a former student. Since 2005, Van Wert Middle School has won the "National Schools to Watch" award every year.
Van Wert also has the main branch of the Brumback Library.
See also
In Spanish: Van Wert (Ohio) para niños
