Defiance is a city in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, in Defiance County, about 55 miles southwest of Toledo. The population was 16,465 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Defiance County[3]. The city is on the site of Fort Defiance, built by General "Mad" Anthony Wayne in August 1794 at the confluence of the Auglaize and Maumee rivers. Today a lone pair of cannons outside the city library overlook the confluence and mark the location of Fort Defiance, which overlooked the Maumee River.
Geography
Defiance is located at 41°16′55″N, 84°21′46″W (41.281891, -84.362856)[4].
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.0 square miles (28.6 km²), of which, 10.5 square miles (27.3 km²) of it is land and 0.5 square miles (1.3 km²) of it (4.44%) is water.
Demographics
As of the census[2] of 2000, there were 16,465 people, 6,572 households, and 4,422 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,562.4 people per square mile (603.1/km²). There were 7,061 housing units at an average density of 670.0/sq mi (258.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 87.15% White, 3.44% African American, 0.32% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 6.50% from other races, and 2.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 12.75% of the population.
There were 6,572 households out of which 33.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the city the population was composed of 25.7% under the age of 18, 11.1% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.6% 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.1 males.
The median income for households was $41,670, and the median income for a family was $49,599. Males had a median income of $37,322, compared to $23,938 for females. The per capita income for the city was $19,790. About 7.4% of families and 8.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 7.1% of those age 65 or over.
Economy
Defiance's economy is based on manufacturing a variety of products. The largest employer is the General Motors Powertrain division, which is the largest automotive iron foundry in North America. Other manufactures include fiberglass (Johns Manville), auto parts, and farming food products.
Education
Defiance City Schools provide public K-12 education. Schools maintained by local Lutheran and Catholic churches also provide K-8 education.
Defiance College is a small liberal arts college affiliated with the United Church of Christ and has an enrollment of about 1,000 students. The presence of the college provides the community with many sports, cultural, and entertainment events that other similar-sized towns lack.
Parks and recreation
Defiance has several city parks that offer a variety of recreational activities, including baseball and softball diamonds and playground equipment. Kingsbury and Bronson Parks have public swimming pools.
Independence Dam State Park, 4 miles east of the city on State Highway 424 along the Maumee River, is also a popular recreational site for area residents. The park provides picnic facilities, nature trails, and fishing.
Notable natives
- The humorist H. Allen Smith lived in Defiance when he was a child.
- Noted Alaskan wildlife painter Bruce Shingledecker was born and raised in Defiance.
- Defiance is the hometown of 2006 Indianapolis 500, 3-time IndyCar champion, and current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Sam Hornish, Jr.
- Defiance is also the hometown of Major League Baseball star pitcher Chad Billingsley of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
- Defiance is the birthplace of writer Terry "Tuff" Ryan (1946-2007). She made her childhood the subject of the book The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, which describes her mother's remarkable ability to write contest-winning sweepstakes entries. The book was made into a movie in 2005 starring Woody Harrelson and Julianne Moore. It should be noted that while the book is based on Terry's actual family and growing up in Defiance, the movie was not filmed there. It was filmed in Paris, Ontario a small town just northwest of Brantford, Ontario, Canada.
- Defiance is the birthplace of Don Miller, a member of the legendary Four Horsemen backfield of Notre Dame in the 1920s. (source: http://und.cstv.com/trads/horse)
- It is also the 1906 birthplace of jazz cornet player, Wild Bill Davison.
- Defiance is the birthplace of Thomas "Harvey" Thompson, who led the discovery of the SS Central America, otherwise known as the 'Ship of Gold', in October 1989 off the coast of South Carolina. At the time Life Magazine called it, 'the greatest treasure ever found."
- Ben Davis, a defensive back with the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions attended Defiance College.
- William Strickland, conductor
Trivia
- Arby's Restaurant in Defiance Ohio claims to boast the record for highest first day sales, as well as highest first week sales of any restaurant.citation needed
- Defiance is portrayed on the television show "Prison Break", Season 2, Episode 3 "Scan". Fernando Sucre makes a telephone call and hotwires a Chevrolet El Camino pickup at a Defiance roadside.
- At the beginning of the movie M*A*S*H, there is a "miles to" signpost on which Defiance, Ohio is listed.
- The Viet Nam-era Patrol Gunboat, the USS Defiance (PG-95) was named for Defiance, Ohio. It was commissioned on September 24, 1969 and decommissioned on June 11, 1973.
References
External links
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