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Vandalia, Ohio
Aerial view of Vandalia, with Dayton International Airport to the north
Aerial view of Vandalia, with Dayton International Airport to the north
Nickname(s): 
The Crossroads of America, The Gem's Sparkle, Air City, V-Town, The North Beauty
Location in Montgomery County and the state of Ohio
Location in Montgomery County and the state of Ohio
Country United States
State Ohio
County Montgomery
Area
 • Total 12.39 sq mi (32.09 km2)
 • Land 12.35 sq mi (31.98 km2)
 • Water 0.04 sq mi (0.11 km2)
Elevation
994 ft (303 m)
Population
 (2010)
 • Total 15,246
 • Estimate 
(2019)
14,997
 • Density 1,214.63/sq mi (468.97/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
45377
Area code(s) 937, 326
FIPS code 39-79492
GNIS feature ID 1049271

Vandalia is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and a suburb of Dayton. Its population was 15,246 during the 2010 census. In addition to being the city closest to Dayton International Airport, Vandalia lies at the crossroads of I-75 and I-70, making it a major hub for business.

Geography

Vandalia is about 10 miles (16 km) north of Dayton on Dixie Drive (former U.S. Highway 25). It is between the Great Miami River and the Stillwater River. The city has been called the "Crossroads of America" due to its location on the National Road and the Dixie Highway. These correspond to U.S. Route 40 and former U.S. Route 25, which in turn, have been supplanted by two major expressways: east-west Interstate 70 and north-south Interstate 75.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.41 square miles (32.14 km2), of which, 12.34 square miles (31.96 km2) is land and 0.07 square miles (0.18 km2) is water.

History

On August 17, 1838, Benjamin Wilhelm, a settler from Pennsylvania, settled near the intersection of U.S. Route 40 and US Route 25-A. He built his home and a small general store as a stop and resting place for travelers heading west. The small town began to attract travelers and entrepreneurs, and on February 7, 1848 the town was incorporated as "The Village of Vandalia" with Benjamin Wilhelm as its first mayor. The village was laid out in 38 lots including a church, hotels, blacksmiths shops, a steam sawmill, meat markets, and a carriage shop. It was named after Vandalia, Illinois.

By 1959, Vandalia was outgrowing its "village" status, and its citizens voted to make it a council-manager form of government, effectively making the village into a municipal corporation. On January 2, 1960, Vandalia became a Charter City of the State of Ohio.

Until 2005, Vandalia was home to the Amateur Trapshooting Association (ATA), which moved to Sparta, Illinois after an expansion of the Dayton International Airport.

Name

Some records indicate that Benjamin Wilhelm, the town's founder, settled in Vandalia on his way to Vandalia, Illinois. Instead he stopped here and named his new town after his original destination. Others claim that the town was named Vandalia because the National Road was intended to extend to Vandalia, Illinois, but, for a time, it looked as though it would not do so. This doubt resulted in the name being used for a town along the Road in Ohio.

Architecture

Vandalia has two specific types of architecture that are heavily present throughout the city: colonial and post-modern. Many of the city buildings have post-modern design and are mainly glass and brick. Butler High School has been re-constructed in this style, and New Morton Middle School, the Justice and Municipal Buildings, the Recreation Center, and a new fire station have already been constructed in this manner. Clashing with this in a unique way that many find aesthetically pleasing is Vandalia's colonial architecture. Many of the older buildings and some of the newer multi-story buildings along James E. Bohanan Memorial Drive have a very high end, colonial look. Other townhouses and condos throughout this area have used this architecture frequently, and many developments around Miller Lane have colonial styles. Some homes throughout different neighborhoods like Meeker Creek, Ashbury Farms, Park Place, and Copperfield have many colonial style homes.

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1850 228
1870 313
1880 315 0.6%
1890 265 −15.9%
1900 284 7.2%
1910 221 −22.2%
1920 257 16.3%
1930 331 28.8%
1940 378 14.2%
1950 927 145.2%
1960 6,342 584.1%
1970 10,796 70.2%
1980 13,161 21.9%
1990 13,882 5.5%
2000 14,603 5.2%
2010 15,246 4.4%
2019 (est.) 14,997 −1.6%
Sources:

Vandalia is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 15,246 people, 6,571 households, and 4,166 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,235.5 inhabitants per square mile (477.0/km2). There were 7,055 housing units at an average density of 571.7 per square mile (220.7/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 91.5% White, 4.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 1.4% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 6,571 households, of which 30.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.5% were married couples living together, 12.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.30 and the average family size was 2.88.

The median age in the city was 40.6 years. 23.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.2% were from 25 to 44; 28.7% were from 45 to 64, and 15.7% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.

Regional cooperation

In 2009 Vandalia and Butler Township officials announced plans to jointly staff two fire stations to improve service delivery and response times.The joint agreement marks the third time in recent past that Vandalia City officials have joined with neighboring communities for a common goal. The City of Vandalia shares a wastewater treatment facility with Tipp City and Huber Heights. The Tri-Cities Wastewater Treatment Plant has been in operation since 1985, and jointly owned by the three cities since 1991. In 2007, the Northern Area Water Authority (NAWA) began supplying drinking water to Vandaila and Tipp City. The plant is jointly owned by the two communities.

Revitalization

The city of Vandalia recently passed plans to reinvent the city's urban core around National Road and Dixe Drive. The plan is to bring many of the old shopping centers to the streetfront while placing parking spaces in the back. The first business to take part in this plan is My Favorite Pet on National in which a new building will be built streetfront next to Wendy's. Many improvements have gone underway already such as new vintage style lampposts, new trees, new signage, decorative stoplights, and brick pavers.

News

Vandalia has its own weekly community paper, the Vandalia Drummer. Many in the community also receive city-published tabloids like Business at the Crossroads. Many residents throughout this area also regularly read the Dayton Daily News, the metropolitan area's main daily newspaper.

Events

The City of Vandalia boasts several seasonal festivals and events, such as the annual Oktoberfest in the autumn, the Homecoming parade in the fall, and the Air Show & Parade in the summer. They also host a firework show, The Star-Spangled Celebration. Other events include "Taste of Vandalia", a culinary event, and the Vandalia Corporate Challenge. St. Christopher Catholic Church also hosts the Vandalia Fair every summer, one of the largest in the Miami Valley. In 2013, the Chamber of Commerce spearheadedan effort to bring a farmers market to Vandalia. The market is held in Seger Park on Fridays from 3 - 7 p.m. in the months of June - September.

Parks and recreation

Vandalia is a top-rated parks and recreation community. Vandalia has over thirty parks in the area. Some of the larger ones include Helke Park and the Vandalia Sports Complex. It is also home to the Taylorsvile Metropark, home to the historic village of Tadmor. Vandalia also is home of the Vandalia Recreation Center, a highly popular recreational facility.

Airport conflictions

The city of Dayton had proposed an extension to the Dayton International Airport in 1998 that would annex part of Butler Township. The idea caused a mass conflict as it would disturb the natural shape of the city of Vandalia and it would heavily disturb the shape of National Road, or Rt. 40. The proposals were cancelled, however in 2008, when the city of Vandalia purchased the same land that was partially owned by University of Dayton, the city of Dayton finally began to work on their redeveloped expansion of the airport which included a new sight tower and updating of landscaping and the Airport Access Road. The same land will soon see increased development with the opening of MAC, Morton Middle School, Vandalia-Butler Fire Station #1, and is zoned for increased high end, tech office jobs. The land is also heavily developed as an office park with a mix of retail stores and restaurants. The city of Vandalia is hoping that, with regional cooperation, the city of Dayton will work well to promote more offices and upscale development in the region.

Sister cities


Education

  • Vandalia-Butler City School District is one of only two districts to win the excellency rating every year since 2005. The schools have shown constant improvement. The school district has built a new middle school designed by SHP Leading Design based in Cincinnati, and the district has also renovated and enlarged Butler High School. The school won the All-Sports Trophy several times in the 1990s and 2000s.

St. Christopher Catholic School is one of the top-performing private schools in the area.

Creative Images Institute of Cosmetology is based in Vandalia.

The Western Ohio Japanese Language School (オハイオ西部日本語学校 Ohio Seibu Nihongo Gakkō), a part-time Japanese supplementary school, previously held its classes at the Northridge / Vandalia-Butler Preschool in Vandalia.

Vandalia has a public library, a branch of the Dayton Metro Library.

Infrastructure

Regional cooperation

In 2009 Vandalia and Butler Township officials announced plans to jointly staff two fire stations to improve service delivery and response times. The joint agreement marks the third time in the recent past that Vandalia City officials have joined with neighboring communities for a common goal. The City of Vandalia shares a wastewater treatment facility with Tipp City and Huber Heights. The Tri-Cities Wastewater Treatment Plant has been in operation since 1985, and jointly owned by the three cities since 1991. In 2007, the Northern Area Water Authority (NAWA) began supplying drinking water to Vandalia and Tipp City. The plant is jointly owned by the two communities.

Airport conflicts

The city of Dayton had proposed an extension to the Dayton International Airport in 1998 that would annex part of Butler Township. The plan would disturb the natural shape of the city of Vandalia and it would disturb the shape of the National Road or Rt. 40. The proposals were canceled, however in 2008, when the city of Vandalia purchased the same land that was partially owned by the University of Dayton, the city of Dayton began to work on their redeveloped expansion of the airport which included a new sight tower and updating of landscaping and the Airport Access Road. The same land will soon see increased development with the opening of MAC, Morton Middle School, Vandalia-Butler Fire Station #1, and is zoned for increased high end, tech office jobs. The land is also heavily developed as an office park with a mix of retail stores and restaurants.

Notable people

See also

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