Wapakoneta, Ohio
City
Downtown Wapakoneta
Downtown Wapakoneta
Official seal of Wapakoneta, Ohio
Seal
Nickname(s): 
Home of the First Man on the Moon, Home of Neil Armstrong, Moon City, Wapak
Wapakoneta is located in Ohio
Wapakoneta
Wapakoneta
Wapakoneta is located in the United States
Wapakoneta
Wapakoneta
Coordinates: 40°34′33″N 84°11′34″W / 40.57583°N 84.19278°W / 40.57583; -84.19278
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountyAuglaize
Founded1782
IncorporatedMarch 2, 1849
Government
 • MayorThomas A. Stinebaugh (R)
Area
[1]
 • Total6.61 sq mi (17.13 km2)
 • Land6.56 sq mi (17.00 km2)
 • Water0.05 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation
895 ft (272 m)
Population
 (2020)
 • Total9,957
 • Density1,517.14/sq mi (585.79/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (EST)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP codes
45895
Area code(s)419, 567
FIPS code39-80766[2]
GNIS feature ID1070980[3]
Websitehttp://www.wapakoneta.net

Wapakoneta (/ˌwɔːpəkəˈnɛtə/, locally /wɒpəkəˈnɛtə/) is a city in and the county seat of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States.[4] Located along the Auglaize River, the city is about 56 miles (90 km) north of Dayton and 83 miles (134 km) south of Toledo. The population was 9,957 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Wapakoneta micropolitan area, which is included in the Lima–Van Wert–Celina combined statistical area.

Neil Armstrong, the first man on the Moon, grew up in Wapakoneta, which is now the home of the Armstrong Air & Space Museum.

History

Auglaize County Courthouse

In 1748, the French built a trading post (Fort au Glaize, also known as "Wapakoneta Trading Post" or "AuGlaize Trading Post") about a half-mile northeast of the future site of Wapakoneta. After being re-established in 1760 as "Francis Duchouquet's Trading Post," the British later took over this territory after the French ceded it following defeat in the Seven Years' War. Neither they nor the later Americans (after independence) built a succeeding fort here. French-Canadian traders later reestablished a trading post at the site in 1784, which was abandoned after the Battle of Fallen Timbers in 1794.[5]

The city itself was established in the 1780s as a Shawnee settlement called "Waughpaughkonnetta" (possibly derived from the Shawnee word "Wa-po'kanite," meaning "the place of white bones"). After the Shawnee tribe was removed to Kansas in 1831, Wapakoneta was platted in 1833 and later named as the seat of Auglaize County in 1848.[6]

The Armstrong Air & Space Museum opened in Wapakoneta in 1972.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 6.26 square miles (16.21 km2), of which 6.21 square miles (16.08 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water.[7]

Wapakoneta is on the Auglaize River and includes parts of Duchouquet, Pusheta, and Moulton Townships.

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note%±
1850504—
186090078.6%
18702,150138.9%
18802,70525.8%
18903,61633.7%
19003,9158.3%
19105,34936.6%
19205,295−1.0%
19305,3781.6%
19405,225−2.8%
19505,79710.9%
19606,75616.5%
19707,3248.4%
19808,40214.7%
19909,2149.7%
20009,4742.8%
20109,8674.1%
20209,9570.9%
2021 (est.)9,840−1.2%
Sources:[2][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]

As of the census[15] of 2010, there were 9,867 people, 4,037 households, and 2,614 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,588.9 inhabitants per square mile (613.5/km2). There were 4,332 housing units at an average density of 697.6 per square mile (269.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 97.1% White, 0.4% African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.4% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 4,037 households, of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 12.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 30.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.95.

The median age in the city was 37 years. 25.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26% were from 25 to 44; 24.4% were from 45 to 64; and 15.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.8% male and 52.2% female.

Education

Wapakoneta is home to Wapakoneta High School. The city has a public library, the main branch of the Auglaize County Public Library.[16]

Notable people

Wapakoneta is Armstrong's birthplace, and has several places named after him, such as the Armstrong Air and Space Museum, operated by the Ohio Historical Society, and Neil Armstrong Airport.

In the film Third Finger, Left Hand (1940), Melvyn Douglas's character is from Wapakoneta, and the film ends at the Wapakoneta railroad station.

Sister cities

Wapakoneta has one sister city, as designated by the Sister Cities International: Lengerich, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

Lengerich's neighboring municipalities, Ladbergen and Lienen, are sister cities with Wapakoneta's neighbors New Knoxville and Saint Marys, respectively.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. 1 2 "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ↑ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ↑ Ohio Forts
  6. ↑ History -- Wapakoneta Area Chamber of Commerce
  7. ↑ "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on January 25, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  8. ↑ "Population of Civil Divisions Less than Counties" (PDF). Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Ninth Census. U.S. Census Bureau. 1870. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 25, 2005. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  9. ↑ "Population of Civil Divisions Less than Counties" (PDF). Statistics of the Population of the United States at the Tenth Census. U.S. Census Bureau. 1880. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  10. ↑ "Population: Ohio" (PDF). 1910 U.S. Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  11. ↑ "Population: Ohio" (PDF). 1930 US Census. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
  12. ↑ "Number of Inhabitants: Ohio" (PDF). 18th Census of the United States. U.S. Census Bureau. 1960. Retrieved May 17, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Ohio: Population and Housing Unit Counts" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved November 22, 2013.
  14. ↑ "Wapakoneta city, Ohio". census.gov. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
  15. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  16. ↑ "Hours & Locations". Auglaize County Libraries. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
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