Piqua, Ohio

Piqua is a town in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 20,738 at the 2000 census.

Piqua was one of the cities that experienced severe flooding during the Great Dayton Flood of 1913.

Geography

Location of Piqua, Ohio

Piqua is located at 40°8′51″N 84°14′53″W (40.147474, -84.247968)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 28.3 km² (10.9 mi²). 27.7 km² (10.7 mi²) of it is land and 0.6 km² (0.2 mi²) of it (2.19%) is water.

The Great Miami River runs through Piqua. The area at the south end of town on the east side of the river is known as Shawnee.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 20,738 people, 8,263 households, and 5,585 families residing in the city. The population density was 749.0/km² (1,939.2/mi²). There were 8,886 housing units at an average density of 320.9/km² (830.9/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 94.21% White, 3.38% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.44% Asian, 0.27% from other races, and 1.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.74% of the population.

There were 8,263 households out of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.4% were married couples living together, 12.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.4% were non-families. 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 26.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 28.9% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 91.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.7 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $35,681, and the median income for a family was $41,804. Males had a median income of $31,808 versus $22,241 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,719. About 9.6% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.0% of those under age 18 and 7.9% of those age 65 or over.

History

Piqua's history dates back to a previous settlement in 1747 called Fort Pickawillany located a mile northeast of the present city at the Great Miami River's intersection with Loramie Creek.It was demolished by French troops and their Miami tribe Indian allies in 1752. Rossville(since incorporated into Piqua)was the first local African-American settlement after the Randolph slaves were freed following the passing of John Randolph in 1833. The Rossville neighborhood and Randolph cemetery are located on the northeast side of the river off of North County Road 25-A.

Piqua was home to the first municipally-owned nuclear power plant, in operation from 1962 to 1966.

Piqua is believed to be a reference to the Shawnee Indian phrase: "Othath-He-Waugh-Pe-Qua" translated as "He has risen from the ashes!" The phrase is mentioned in a painting of a Native American rising up above the flames before a tribe of onlookers in a state of amazement. The painting is on public display inside the main office of Unity National Bank,the former Third Savings and Loan Association in downtown Piqua.

Piqua's Shawnee Native American history became the namesake for the community of Shawnee which is bordered on the east side of the river adjacent to downtown and the former Pennsylvania Railroad corridor later used by the merged Penn Central Transportation and subsequently by Conrail. Shawnee has also long since been incorporated into Piqua.The Piqua High School Indians athletic teams also took its inspration from its local Native American history.

Piqua has two Main Streets,the one being north and southbound along Miami County Road 25-A(the former U.S. Highway 25, also known as the Dixie Highway) the other running east through Shawnee. U.S. 36 also runs through much of the city, cutting the town almost directly in half. Main and Ash Streets (U.S. 36) converge in Piqua's downtown. Also running through downtown is the east to west Conrail corridor which was originally the Pennsylvania Railroad two-track throughway which was abandoned in 1985. A section of it became a bike trail in the summer of 2001 now known as Linear Park. The remaining rail line serving Piqua is the north and southbound Baltimore and Ohio line now operated by CSX Transportation(CSXT).

Schools

Piqua Junior High School won the 2005 Ohio States Science Olympiad and advanced to the Nationals held at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on May 21, 2005, along with Solon Middle School (the runner up),representing the two Ohio middle school teams. Piqua's Science Olympiad team is one of the oldest and most established in the state of Ohio. Piqua High School's show choir has performed exceptionally well during the past few years, receiving many grand champion and first-runner-up awards at Ohio competitions. Under the direction of Tom Westfall, the PHS choral department has earned its first "1" ratings at OMEA competitions in over thirty years. The Piqua High School Marching Band is known as the Pride of Piqua and won many championships in the 80s. The program is currently being rejuvenated by the new director, and more focus is being given to teaching the elementary age kids the fundamentals of band. Piqua's biggest high school rivals are the Trojans from Troy, OH, a community about five miles south of the city of Piqua. The Piqua High School football team was also named the Division II state champs for the 2006/2007 season.

Piqua schools also earned their first "effective" rating from the state of Ohio during the 2005-2006 school year, earning 20/26 educational indicators given by the state.

Famous residents

• Matt Finkes, former Ohio State football player.
• Jazz musicians the Mills Brothers.
• World War II ace Don Gentile.
• Posthumous Medal of Honor awardee William H. Pitsenbarger, who was recognized for his actions as an Air Force Pararescueman during the Vietnam War.
• William McCulloch, lawyer and United States Senate member, noted for championing Republican support of the Civil Rights Act in Congress during the 1960s.
• Quinn Pitcock, starting defensive tackle for the Ohio State University.
• Brandon Saine, the 2006 Ohio Mr. Football Award winner, and a 2007 recruiting class verbal commit to play for Ohio State University.
• Kristin King, who was a player on the bronze medal winning Ladies' U.S. Hockey team at the 2006 Winter Olympics.
• The 2006 Division II Football Ohio State Champs
• Jeff Larger

Economy

• The city of Piqua is home of Hartzell Propeller, the leading producer of small aircraft propellers in the world.
• The city also was a major center of underwear production during the late 1800s and much of the 1900s.
• Due to the prosperity of past industry in the city of Piqua, much of the area surrounding downtown contains large mansions and homes. Most notable is the Leo Flesh Mansion, built in the Chateauesque style, it looms over many of the surrounding buildings in the neighborhood.
• Piqua's mall, Miami Valley Center, opened in 1988 and was renovated in the mid 90s. Its anchor stores include JC Penny, Elder Beerman, Sears, and Steve and Barry's Sportswear.

Trivia

• A fictionalized version of Piqua is the setting for the Captain Underpants children's book series.

External links

• Official Website