Bluffton, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Bluffton is a village in Allen
and Hancock
counties in the U.S. state
of Ohio
. It had a population of 3,896 at the 2000 census
. Bluffton is home to Bluffton University
, a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA
. Bluffton is served by the Bluffton general aviation
airport
. Bluffton participates in the Tree City USA
program.
The Allen County portion of Bluffton is part of the Lima
Metropolitan Statistical Area
, while the Hancock County portion is part of the Findlay
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.7 km²), of which 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.89%) is water.
Riley Creek flows through Bluffton.
of 2000, there were 3,896 people, 1,329 households, and 851 families residing in the village. The population density
was 1,170.2 people per square mile (451.7/km²). There were 1,427 housing units at an average density of 428.6 per square mile (165.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.82% White, 0.77% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.18% from other races
, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.
There were 1,329 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the village the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 22.3% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 76.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $43,208, and the median income for a family was $54,948. Males had a median income of $40,208 versus $21,563 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $18,711. About 4.9% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
sports participate in the Northwest Conference
, an athletic body sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association
(OHSAA) which includes the Ada
Bulldogs, Allen East
Mustangs, Bluffton Pirates, Columbus Grove
Bulldogs, Convoy Crestview
Knights, Delphos Jefferson
Wildcats, Lima Central Catholic
T-Birds, Lincolnview
Lancers, Paulding
Panthers, and Spencerville
Bearcats.
, a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA
.
On March 2, 2007, five Bluffton University baseball players, as well as their bus driver and his wife, were killed in a chartered motorcoach crash on Interstate 75
near downtown Atlanta, Georgia
while en route to a tournament in Sarasota, Florida
. (See Bluffton University bus accident
).
Mid Bus
, founded in 1982 in Lima
by former employees of the Superior Coach Company
after the major school bus body company closed in 1981. Specializing in smaller models, primarily based upon van
and cutaway van chassis
, Mid Bus grew and became one of the larger manufacturers
of customized school buses in the United states. After outgrowing several smaller facilities, in 1995, Mid Bus relocated to a much larger manufacturing and assembly facility in Bluffton. The company was acquired by Collins Industries
in 1998. On September 19, 2007, Collins announced plans to close the Mid Bus plant in Ohio and consolidate all manufacturing at the Collins facility in Kansas. Bluffton is also home to the international firm DTR, a cooperative venture between Duramax and Japan's Tokai Rubber, a manufacturer of rubber components for the auto industry.
Grob Systems, a division of Grob Aerospace, also operates a facility in Bluffton. Bluffton has a lively local farmers market occurring on a weekly basis in the downtown precinct. The farmers market has an average of 18-21 vendors and attracts approximately 200 people a week. Bluffton is also home to the Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs, a business incubator that provides financial, intellectual, and technological resources throughout the greater Bluffton area.
Bluffton is also home to many small, family-run businesses, including florists, bakeries, and coffee shops, and more. Bluffton has 6 fast food restaurants, including McDonald's
, Arby's
, Subway
, Taco Bell
, KFC
, and Burger King
. It is also home to the grocery store chain known locally as Community Markets. The local movie theater is the Shannon Theatre, with a sister theater in Wapakoneta, Ohio
.
Allen County, Ohio
Allen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. Its population was 106,331 as of the 2010 census. It is included in the Lima, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta Combined Statistical Area....
and Hancock
Hancock County, Ohio
Hancock County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 74,782. Its county seat is Findlay and was named for John Hancock, the first signer of the Declaration of Independence...
counties in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
. It had a population of 3,896 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
. Bluffton is home to Bluffton University
Bluffton University
Bluffton University, located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States, is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913...
, a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA
Mennonite Church USA
The Mennonite Church USA, or MCUSA, is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century...
. Bluffton is served by the Bluffton general aviation
General aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
. Bluffton participates in the Tree City USA
Tree City USA
Tree City USA is a tree planting and tree care program sponsored by the National Arbor Day Foundation for cities and towns in the United States.- Requirements :...
program.
The Allen County portion of Bluffton is part of the Lima
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
Metropolitan Statistical Area
Lima, Ohio metropolitan area
The Lima Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of one county – Allen – in Northwest Ohio, anchored by the city of Lima. As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 108,473 .-History:The Lima metropolitan area was first...
, while the Hancock County portion is part of the Findlay
Findlay, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 38,967 people, 15,905 households, and 10,004 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,266.3 people per square mile . There were 17,152 housing units at an average density of 997.6 per square mile...
Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Geography
Bluffton is located at 40°53′38"N 83°53′30"W (40.893881, -83.891605).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 3.4 square miles (8.7 km²), of which 3.3 square miles (8.6 km²) is land and 0.04 square mile (0.1 km²) (0.89%) is water.
Riley Creek flows through Bluffton.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,896 people, 1,329 households, and 851 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 1,170.2 people per square mile (451.7/km²). There were 1,427 housing units at an average density of 428.6 per square mile (165.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.82% White, 0.77% African American, 0.05% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.18% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.18% of the population.
There were 1,329 households out of which 28.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.9% were non-families. 33.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.99.
In the village the population was spread out with 19.7% under the age of 18, 22.3% from 18 to 24, 21.3% from 25 to 44, 16.8% from 45 to 64, and 20.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 76.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 73.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $43,208, and the median income for a family was $54,948. Males had a median income of $40,208 versus $21,563 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $18,711. About 4.9% of families and 5.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 10.6% of those age 65 or over.
Elementary and secondary
Bluffton High SchoolBluffton High School (Ohio)
Bluffton High School is a public high school located in Bluffton, Ohio in Allen County, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Bluffton Exempted Village School District. Bluffton High School boasts the "Pirates" as its mascot, which makes no sense because it's in northwest Ohio...
sports participate in the Northwest Conference
Northwest Conference (OHSAA)
The Northwest Conference is an OHSAA athletic league located in northwest Ohio and includes schools in Allen, Hardin, Paulding, Putnam, and Van Wert counties. The NWC originally formed in 1947...
, an athletic body sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association
Ohio High School Athletic Association
The Ohio High School Athletic Association is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio...
(OHSAA) which includes the Ada
Ada, Ohio
Ada is a village in Hardin County, Ohio, United States. The population was 5,582 at the 2000 census. In 2006, the village's population was estimated at 5,841, and the 2010 census counted 5,952 people....
Bulldogs, Allen East
Lafayette, Ohio
Lafayette is a village in Allen County, Ohio, United States with a population of 304 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is included in the Lima, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Lafayette is located at ....
Mustangs, Bluffton Pirates, Columbus Grove
Columbus Grove, Ohio
Columbus Grove is a village in Putnam County, Ohio, United States. The population was 2,200 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Columbus Grove is located at ....
Bulldogs, Convoy Crestview
Convoy, Ohio
Convoy is a village in Van Wert County, Ohio, United States with a population of 1,110 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is included in the Van Wert, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Convoy is located at ....
Knights, Delphos Jefferson
Delphos, Ohio
Delphos is a city in Allen and Van Wert Counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It had a population of 6,944 at the 2000 census.The Allen County portion of Delphos is part of the Lima Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Van Wert County portion is part of the Van Wert Micropolitan Statistical...
Wildcats, Lima Central Catholic
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
T-Birds, Lincolnview
Van Wert, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 10,690 people, 4,556 households, and 2,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,803.8 people per square mile . There were 4,927 housing units at an average density of 831.4 per square mile...
Lancers, Paulding
Paulding, Ohio
Paulding is a village in and the county seat of Paulding County, Ohio, United States. It is located predominantly in Paulding Township. The population was 3,595 at the 2000 census.-History:...
Panthers, and Spencerville
Spencerville, Ohio
Spencerville is a village in Allen County, Ohio, United States with a population of 2,235 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is included in the Lima, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Spencerville is located at ....
Bearcats.
Higher education
Bluffton is home to Bluffton UniversityBluffton University
Bluffton University, located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States, is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913...
, a four-year educational institution affiliated with Mennonite Church USA
Mennonite Church USA
The Mennonite Church USA, or MCUSA, is an Anabaptist Christian denomination in the United States. Although the organization is a recent 2002 merger of the Mennonite Church and the General Conference Mennonite Church, the body has roots in the Radical Reformation of the 16th century...
.
On March 2, 2007, five Bluffton University baseball players, as well as their bus driver and his wife, were killed in a chartered motorcoach crash on Interstate 75
Interstate 75
Interstate 75 is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. It travels from State Road 826 and State Road 924 in Hialeah, Florida to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, at the Ontario, Canada, border...
near downtown Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
while en route to a tournament in Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota, Florida
Sarasota is a city located in Sarasota County on the southwestern coast of the U.S. state of Florida. It is south of the Tampa Bay Area and north of Fort Myers...
. (See Bluffton University bus accident
Bluffton University bus accident
The Bluffton University bus accident was an automobile accident which occurred during the early morning hours of March 2, 2007, on Interstate 75 in Atlanta, Georgia....
).
Economy
Bluffton is home to companies with a regional, national, or international presence. One of the oldest is the Bluffton Slaw Cutter Company, which has been making a unique food grater/cutter originally designed in 1915. The company presently makes several variations of this original design, and sells the "Bluffton Slaw Cutter" to North American, Asian, and European markets.Mid Bus
Mid Bus
Mid Bus was a corporation which specialized in manufacturing customized school buses. Formed in 1981 by former employees of Superior Coach Company in Lima, Ohio, it grew from a dozen employees working in a small facility in Lima to become one of the country's largest manufacturers of smaller school...
, founded in 1982 in Lima
Lima, Ohio
Lima is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. The municipality is located in northwestern Ohio along Interstate 75 approximately north of Dayton and south-southwest of Toledo....
by former employees of the Superior Coach Company
Superior Coach Company
Superior Coach was once a school bus body and professional car manufacturer, but today it focuses on building hearses and is located in Lima in Allen County, Ohio.-History:-Garford Motor Truck Company:...
after the major school bus body company closed in 1981. Specializing in smaller models, primarily based upon van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
and cutaway van chassis
Cutaway van chassis
Cutaway van chassis are used by second stage manufacturers for a wide range of completed motor vehicles. Especially popular in the United States, they are usually based upon incomplete vans made by manufacturers such as Chrysler Corporation, Ford Motor Company, and General Motors which are...
, Mid Bus grew and became one of the larger manufacturers
Manufacturing
Manufacturing is the use of machines, tools and labor to produce goods for use or sale. The term may refer to a range of human activity, from handicraft to high tech, but is most commonly applied to industrial production, in which raw materials are transformed into finished goods on a large scale...
of customized school buses in the United states. After outgrowing several smaller facilities, in 1995, Mid Bus relocated to a much larger manufacturing and assembly facility in Bluffton. The company was acquired by Collins Industries
Collins Bus
Collins Industries is a Hutchinson, Kansas company that specializes in manufacturing of Type A school buses, and also manufactures ambulances and other special-purpose vehicles. The company was founded in 1971 and as of 1998 it was made up of four subsidiaries: Collins Bus Corporation, Wheeled...
in 1998. On September 19, 2007, Collins announced plans to close the Mid Bus plant in Ohio and consolidate all manufacturing at the Collins facility in Kansas. Bluffton is also home to the international firm DTR, a cooperative venture between Duramax and Japan's Tokai Rubber, a manufacturer of rubber components for the auto industry.
Grob Systems, a division of Grob Aerospace, also operates a facility in Bluffton. Bluffton has a lively local farmers market occurring on a weekly basis in the downtown precinct. The farmers market has an average of 18-21 vendors and attracts approximately 200 people a week. Bluffton is also home to the Bluffton Center for Entrepreneurs, a business incubator that provides financial, intellectual, and technological resources throughout the greater Bluffton area.
Bluffton is also home to many small, family-run businesses, including florists, bakeries, and coffee shops, and more. Bluffton has 6 fast food restaurants, including McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, Arby's
Arby's
Arby's is a fast food restaurant chain in the United States and Canada. Roark Capital Group owns 81.5% of the company, with Wendy's Company owning the other 18.5%. It is primarily known for selling roast beef sandwiches and curly fries. The Arby's menu also includes chicken sandwiches, appetizers,...
, Subway
Subway (restaurant)
Subway is an American restaurant franchise that primarily sells submarine sandwiches and salads. It is owned and operated by Doctor's Associates, Inc. . Subway is one of the fastest growing franchises in the world with 35,519 restaurants in 98 countries and territories as of October 25th, 2011...
, Taco Bell
Taco Bell
Taco Bell is an American chain of fast-food restaurants based in Irvine, California. A subsidiary of Yum! Brands, Inc., which serves American-adapted Mexican food. Taco Bell serves tacos, burritos, quesadillas, nachos, other specialty items, and a variety of "Value Menu" items...
, KFC
KFC
KFC, founded and also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, is a chain of fast food restaurants based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the United States. KFC has been a brand and operating segment, termed a concept of Yum! Brands since 1997 when that company was spun off from PepsiCo as Tricon Global...
, and Burger King
Burger King
Burger King, often abbreviated as BK, is a global chain of hamburger fast food restaurants headquartered in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The company began in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida-based restaurant chain...
. It is also home to the grocery store chain known locally as Community Markets. The local movie theater is the Shannon Theatre, with a sister theater in Wapakoneta, Ohio
Wapakoneta, Ohio
Wapakoneta is a city in and the county seat of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States with a population of 9,474 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan S A, which is included in the Lima-Van Wert-Wapakoneta, Ohio CSA...
.
Notable people
- Science fiction writer Tobias BuckellTobias S. BuckellTobias S. Buckell is a Grenadian science fiction writer. His 2008 novel, Halo: The Cole Protocol, made the The New York Times Best Seller list. He currently lives in Bluffton, Ohio.-Biography:...
lives in Bluffton. - Veteran broadcaster Hugh DownsHugh DownsHugh Malcolm Downs is a long time American broadcaster, television host, news anchor, TV producer, author, game show host, and music composer; and is perhaps best known for his role as co-host the NBC News program Today from 1962 to 1971, host of the Concentration game show from 1958 to 1969, and...
was a student at Bluffton UniversityBluffton UniversityBluffton University, located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States, is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913...
and later began his broadcasting career at WLOK, the predecessor of the present-day WIMA (AM)WIMA (AM)WIMA "The Talk Station" is a commercial AM broadcasting station operating at 1150 kHz in Lima, Ohio owned and operated by Clear Channel Communications which also operates FM sister stations WIMT, WLWD, WZRX-FM and WMLX from its studio and office location on West Market Street. Its transmitter...
in nearby Lima. - Actress Phyllis DillerPhyllis DillerPhyllis Diller is an American actress and comedian. She created a stage persona of a wild-haired, eccentrically dressed housewife who makes jokes about a husband named "Fang" while pretending to smoke from a long cigarette holder...
lived in Bluffton while attending Bluffton CollegeBluffton UniversityBluffton University, located in Bluffton, Ohio, United States, is a Christian liberal arts college affiliated with Mennonite Church USA.It was founded in 1899 as Central Mennonite College and became Bluffton College in 1913...
.
Annual activities
- Blaze of Lights Festival - Saturday after Thanksgiving
- Freedom Fest - sponsored by the Bluffton/Pandora Rotary Club, Saturday prior to July 4
- Festival of Wheels Car Show
- Special Places, Outdoor Spaces Spring Festival & Craft Show - Third Saturday in May
- Trout Derby - sponsored by the Bluffton Community Sportsmen's Club, first Sunday in May