Tipp City, Ohio

Tipp City is a city in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 9,221 at the 2000 census. Formerly known as Tippecanoe, and then Tippecanoe City, this town was renamed to Tipp City in 1938 because another town in Ohio was likewise named Tippecanoe. The Miami Valley town now lies along Interstate 75 near the Interstate 70 interchange, and has a growing downtown restaurant and service economy to complement its rural and residential heritage.

Geography

Location of Tipp City, Ohio

Tipp City is located on the Miami River, in Miami county, approximately 10 miles north of Dayton, OH and has direct highway access to I-75. 39°57′50″N 84°11′1″W (39.963876, -84.183704)Template:GR.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has an area of 16.1 km² (6.2 mi²). 16.0 km² (6.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.1 km² (0.04 mi²) of it (0.64%) is water.

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 9,221 people, 3,632 households, and 2,542 families residing in the city. The population density was 576.1/km² (1,492.6/mi²). There were 3,799 housing units at an average density of 237.3/km² (615.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.54% White, 0.25% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.90% Asian, 0.39% from other races, and 0.69% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.20% of the population.

There were 3,632 households out of which 36.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.0% were non-families. 25.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the city the population was spread out with 28.2% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 30.1% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 13.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 93.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $48,675, and the median income for a family was $62,991. Males had a median income of $44,917 versus $27,973 for females. The per capita income for the city was $24,118. About 3.8% of families and 5.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.5% of those under age 18 and 2.4% of those age 65 or over.

History

Tippecanoe City was founded in 1840, along the developing Miami and Erie Canal. Its name derives from Presidential candidate William Henry Harrison's nickname, Tippecanoe, which derived from his heroism at the Battle of Tippecanoe, November 7, 1811.

The early city was a popular stopping-off point for the boatmen. The original downtown included a large number of bars and a red light district. The now dry canal locks can be seen just East of downtown. As Tippecanoe City grew, it merged with Hyattsville, a contemporaneous village located on Hyatt Street. Cowlesville and Ginghamsburg are other villages in Monroe township that may be likewise annexed in the future.

Development of the railroads in the 1850's and 1860's put the canals out of business and slowed the city's initially rapid growth. Ruins of a repair shop (yard barn) for the old Inter-Urban rail system can still be seen on the outskirts of town.

The development of U.S. Highway 25 (County Road 25-A) and subsequently Interstate 75 brought construction and vibrance back to the town.

Naming Controversy

The dramatic modern growth of the town has occurred under a new name: Tipp City. The US Postal Service abbreviated the town's name in the 1930s to resolve a conflict with Tippecanoe, Ohio. Some local controversy exists as to whether the name can or should be reverted to the former Tippecanoe City.

Proponents of the change argue that ZIP codes obviate the conflict. The two Tippecanoes are 200 miles apart. Remarkably, Tippecanoe, Ohio does not possess a post office. It is too small for many Ohio maps and is not one of the 10 incorporated municipalities of Harrison County. The poorly populated Harrison County is similar in size to the Tipp City School District, which makes it Ohio's 5th smallest of 88 counties. Downtown businesses that wish to play up the Tippecanoe City 19th century heritage see little confusion in naming.

On the other hand, residents are used to the name Tipp City. Addresses and signage would have to be changed if renaming were sought. The high school name is a constant reminder to people in the area of what Tipp used to mean. It is likely that "Tipp" would continue to be used colloquially even after a prospective changeover. Currently, the issue does not seem to matter enough to most residents to prompt political action.

Economics and Local Businesses

Tipp City functions as a bedroom community north of Dayton, Ohio. The downtown area caters to antique shoppers and hungry visitors with stores and places to eat such as Harrison's (Dayton Daily News review), Coldwater Cafe and Second Street Deli. Some other prominent Tipp City businesses include:

• Dolly Inc., an infant products company that makes toys, bedding and nursery decor accessories
• Tip Top Canning, a local cannery that manufactures canned tomato juice, spaghetti and pizza sauce and diced, crushed, stewed, pureed and whole tomatoes
• Spring Hill Nursery, a national mail-order plant nursery and garden center
• Trophy Nut Company, a quality nuts and candies online and mail-order distributor
• a 2.5 million square foot Meijer distribution center
• Bar-O Equine, a reputed horse training facility that offers boarding, breeding, and classes in horse handling, is located of town at 5825 Rudy Road.

For more information on local businesses, visit the Miami County Economic Development business headlines page.

City Government

Tipp City uses the council-manager government system. In this system, the mayor is the ceremonial head, selected by the council from among its members. The Council President is likewise selected and presides over each council meeting. The council chooses a city manager, who holds administrative authority over the city government. Tipp City is largely Republican in politics, but council members are selected on a nonpartisan, at-large ballot.

As of November 2005:

• City Manager: David Collinsworth

• City Council: (7 members)
  • Mayor George Lovett
  • President Bill Beagle
  • Vickie Blakey
  • Tim Evans
  • Richard Mains Jr.
  • Pat Hale
  • Don Ochs
• Misty Cheshire, Clerk of Council

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools Board of Education

• President Patricia Wampler
• Vice President Thomas Cochran
• John Muldowney
• Scott Dixon
• Carla Frame

Bildung

Tipp City Exempted Village Schools serve the city proper and surrounding Monroe Township. The buildings are located on three campuses and serve Kindergarten through 12th grade. The MVCTC provides vocational training to secondary students.

• Broadway Elementary School, Grades K-3 (South)
• Nevin Coppock Elementary School, Grades K-3 (North)
• L.T. Ball Intermediate School, Grades 4-5
• Tippecanoe Middle School, Grades 6-8
• Tippecanoe High School, Grades 9-12

Parks and Recreation

Staffed by four full-time employees, the Parks Division is responsible for the maintenance of City Park and Kyle Park as well as eight neighborhood parks and the Nature Center. Park facilities include tennis courts, basketball courts, swimming pool, athletic fields, picnic shelters, playground equipment, nature trails and a community canoe livery (owned and operated by Barefoot Canoes, not in any way affiliated with the Park Department...) and boat ramp on the Great Miami River at the main City Park. A popular feature of City Park is the renovated Roundhouse. Tipp City's Roundhouse is an historic structure that is a favorite spot for family picnics and reunions. Tipp-Monroe Community Services hosts a summer playground at the Roundhouse for eight weeks while organizations such as the Mum Festival Committee utilizes the facility for their annual events. Another popular attraction at Kyle Park is a golf driving range and batting cages which is now open for residents'enjoyment.

Tipp City Bike Trail

Currently under construction, the Miami County Bike Trail will be a north-south paved biking trail that will stretch the length of Miami County, allowing bikers, hikers and walkers to follow the path of the Great Miami River and Miami and Erie Canal. Starting at the Shelby county line, it will run south through Piqua, Troy and Tipp City before meeting up with the Montgomery County portion just south of Tipp City. The Tipp City portion of the trail will consist of three sections:

• The first stage, which was completed in July 2005, runs from Main Street at the Canal Lock Park, north past the new Aquatic Center, west of the baseball fields, then meanders along the river before ending at the Nature Center on North Third Street. For more information and photos of the trail, click http://www.miamivalleytrails.org/tipp.htm here
• A second segment will run north from the Nature Center to the southern end of the Troy Trail, which currently ends about 1/2 mile north of Tipp-Cowlesville Road. This portion of the trail is funded and construction is set to begin in 2007. Monroe Township is the sponsor for this trail section, and the lead agency is Five Rivers MetroParks.
• A third segment, due to begin construction in 2007-2008, will run south from Main Street, connect with the existing bike trail in Kyle Park, and run south along the eastern side of Canal Road before connecting with the Montgomery County trail at Ross Road. There is currently a parking lot here that allows access and convenient parking to the Montgomery Trail, which runs through Huber Heights, under I-70, and south to Needmore Road. Eventually, the Montgomery Trail will lead to the Triangle Park area in northern Dayton. When these sections are completed, bikers will be able to travel all the way from Tipp City to downtown Dayton via bike path, and Tipp City may experience an increase in bike-based tourism.

For more information on the trail construction, visit Miami Valley Trails. For general information, visit the Tour Great Miami or Miami Conservancy District. In addition, there was an article published by the Dayton Daily News on July 6, 2006 about the trails.

Culture

The cultural focus of Tipp City each year is the Mum Festival. The annual parade and festival in City Park take place the fourth weekend in September. Other community events include Canal Days (the third weekend in May), Independence Day fireworks, Tippecanoe High School "Red Devil" football games, and the Tippecanoe Red Devil Marching Band's Invitational. Tour Great Miami and the Miami County Visitors Bureau maintain a great list of upcoming events.

Although neighboring Bethel township shares a Post Office with Tipp City, the villages of Brandt, Phoneton, and West Charleston are served by Bethel Local Schools and have a somewhat different community.

News and Upcoming Events

For information on Tipp City, including events, restaurant and retail listings, and an events calendar, please see www.visittippcity.org, the website operated by the local visitor's bureau.

For News on Tipp City, see the two weekly newspapers, both released on Wednesdays:

• The Tipp City Herald
• The Independent Voice

It is also serviced by two larger area newspapers that are published daily:

• Dayton Daily News
• Troy Daily News

For those interested in submitting articles or events to the local papers, here is the contact information:

• Independent Voice - Send all items to editor Matt Bayman.
• Dayton Daily News - news of local interest can be sent to Nancy Bowman. For Friday's Going Out guide, send items to Missy DiMatteo (include 'item for Going Out Guide' in the subject line and items must be received by noon Thursday the week before publication)
• Tipp Herald - for local events and community calendar, send items to Melody Vallieu
• Troy Daily

External links

• Tipp City Government
• Tipp City Chamber of Commerce
• Tipp City Public Library
• Tipp-Monroe Community Services
• Tippecanoe Main Street group
• Tipp City Schools
• Monroe Township
• Miami Erie Canal history