Tiffin, Ohio

Tiffin is a city in and the county seat of Seneca County, Ohio, United States. Developed along the Sandusky River, Tiffin is located about 55 mi southeast of Toledo. The population was 17,953 at the 2020 census.

It is the home of Heidelberg University and Tiffin University. At one time the city was noted as a glass and porcelain manufacturing center. The National Arbor Day Foundation has designated Tiffin as a Tree City USA.

History
The bronze statue of "The Indian Maiden" on Frost Parkway near Miami Street, marks the site of Fort Ball, a military depot of the War of 1812. During a fighting engagement of that war, Erastus Bowe sighted the location where Tiffin later developed. In 1817, he returned to the site and built the Pan Yan Tavern on the North Sandusky River. Its name was likely derived from Penn Yan, New York. Early homesteaders followed soon after Bowe, and the settlement of Oakley sprang up around the Pan Yan on the north side of the river. The chief road of the area followed the path of the stagecoaches through Oakley, which was called Fort Ball after 1824.

In 1821, Josiah Hedges purchased a piece of land on the south bank of the river opposite Oakley and founded another settlement. He named this village in honor of Edward Tiffin, first governor of Ohio and later a member of the United States Senate who had helped gain statehood for the Ohio Territory in 1803. Tiffin was incorporated by an act of the Ohio Legislature on March 7, 1835. In March 1850, Fort Ball was absorbed by Tiffin.

In 1824, with the establishment of Seneca County by the Ohio Legislature, Tiffin was designated as the county seat. The county was named after the Seneca people, the westernmost of the Iroquois League of Six Nations who dominated the territory for centuries.

The discovery of natural gas in the vicinity in 1888 gave new momentum to the city's industrial development. Various companies were founded in or moved to the city during this period, including Webster Industries, Inc., American Standard Companies, Tiffin Glass Works, and the Hanson Clutch and Machinery Company. Now known as Tiffin Parts, it has been operating at the same site since the 1920s and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In the spring of 1913, the Upper Mississippi and Ohio River valleys were ravaged by Great Flood of 1913. During a three-day period, Tiffin sustained more than $1,000,000 in property loss, with 46 houses and 2 factories swept away, 10 factories damaged, 69 places of business heavily damaged, 6 bridges within the corporate limits destroyed, and 19 deaths.

Ballreich's Bros., a potato chip company, has operated in Tiffin since 1920. While the company's retail market is Northern Ohio, its products have a reputation that extends beyond its local retail market; these are available for shipping anywhere via the company's website. The company was acquired by a group of local investors in 2019.

Tiffin St. Paul's United Methodist Church was the first church in the world to be lit by Thomas Edison's light bulbs, and the first public building in the United States to be wired for electricity.

Tiffin is the home of the historic Ritz Theatre, built in 1928 as a vaudeville house; it is in the Italian Renaissance style. The Ritz Theatre received extensive renovation and restoration in 1998.

On November 10, 2002, an F3 tornado hit southeast Tiffin, destroying several homes outside city limits. A new Mercy Hospital of Tiffin was built and opened in July 2008.

In 2022, Tiffin City Council elected the city's first female mayor, Dawn Iannantuono, following the resignation of former Mayor Aaron Montz. Iannantuono was the 50th mayor of the City of Tiffin. She decided not to seek another term as mayor, and was succeeded by small business owner and former educator Lee Wilkinson.

In 2023, the estimated population of Tiffin is 17,706 people.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 6.90 sqmi, of which 6.76 sqmi is land and 0.14 sqmi is water. The Sandusky River flows through the center of the city. It is located on U.S. Route 224.

2020 census
As of the census of 2020, there were 17,953 people and 7,111 households residing in the city. The population density was 2561.05 PD/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 88.3% White, 4.3% African American, 0.5% Native American, 1.7% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.3% of the population.

4.3% of residents were under the age of 5, 17.9% were under the age of 18, and 19.1% were 65 or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.7% male and 51.3% female.

2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 17,963 people, 7,086 households, and 4,115 families residing in the city. The population density was 2657.2 PD/sqmi. There were 8,007 housing units at an average density of 1184.5 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 93.9% White, 2.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.7% from other races, and 1.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.1% of the population.

There were 7,086 households, of which 27.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.0% were married couples living together, 12.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.9% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 2.91.

The median age in the city was 35.2 years. 20.7% of residents were under the age of 18; 17.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.5% were from 25 to 44; 24.6% were from 45 to 64; and 15.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 48.9% male and 51.1% female.

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 18,135 people, 11,330 households, and 9,471 families residing in the city. The population density was (10,792.4/mi$2$) people per square mile (11,078.9/km$2$). There were 17,862 housing units at an average density of 11,210.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.3% White, 1.5% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 0.0% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.00% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.1% of the population.

There were 11,330 households, out of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.2% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 32.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.31 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out, with 22.3% under the age of 18, 15.1% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 20.9% from 45 to 64, and 15.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $33,261, and the median income for a family was $41,329. Males had a median income of $31,207 versus $22,259 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,580. About 5.7% of families and about 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.4% of those under age 18 and 8.9% of those age 65 or over.

Sports
The Tiffin Saints were part of the Independent Baseball League that played an abbreviated single season at the Heidelberg University baseball field in 2014. The Saints were Tiffin's first "professional" baseball team since the Tiffin Mud Hens played in the Ohio State League from 1936 to 1941. The Tiffin Mud Hens won the OSL championship in 1936.

The Saints and IBL, which initially began with six teams, folded before the end of the inaugural season due to financial woes and controversy over whether or not the players were paid. The Adrian Pioneers beat the Ohio Travelers to win the shortened IBL season.

Tiffin is also home to the Tiffin Cross Country Carnival, a large-scale high school cross country meet.

Education
Tiffin is served by the public Tiffin City School District, which includes Columbian High School, Tiffin Middle School, and C.A. Krout, Noble, and Washington elementary schools. Tiffin is also served by the Calvert Catholic Schools: Calvert High School for grades 7-12, and one campus school, Calvert Elementary, for preschool through grade 6. Other primary and secondary schools in Tiffin include the Sentinel Career Center, one of two charters schools, Bridges Community Academy, and North Central Academy.

In the mid-to-late 19th century, two universities had been founded in the city, Heidelberg University in 1850, and Tiffin University in 1888 (which was originally a subdivision of Heidelberg University until 1917). Both are currently private universities. It is also home to the Tiffin Academy of Hair Design, Vanguard Sentinel Career and Technology Center( a vocational school), and formerly of the American Institute of Massotherapy.

Tiffin holds the Tiffin-Seneca Public Library which in 2021 had 11,138 registered borrowers.

Media
Tiffin is served by The Advertiser-Tribune as its primary print newspaper, and TiffinOhio.net as its primary online news website. The city has 4 radio stations, 1600 WTTF AM, 103.7 WCKY-FM, 103.3 WSJG-LP "St. John Paul The Great Radio". and 93.3 COOL FM. It is also served by its local news/sport/entertainment channel, WTIF (Channel 21 on Cable, and currently not carried by DirecTV or Dish Network).

Transportation
Tiffin has one airport, Seneca County Airport (K16G). A flex-route bus service, the Shelton Shuttle, is provided by Seneca-Crawford Area Transportation. Tiffin is currently on 5 state routes, as well as U.S. Route 224, which skirts the city's southern edge. Tiffin is located on the southern terminus of Northern Ohio and Western Railway. CSX operates a busy line that travels east and west through the city. The city is still a very busy railhub for CSX because of its closeness to CSX's Willard Yard and the "Iron Triangle" in Fostoria.

Notable people

 * Oliver Edwin Baker, president of the Association of American Geographers
 * George H. Brickner, politician and businessman
 * Oliver Cowdery, early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. Practiced law and politics in Tiffin, 1842–1847
 * George Babcock Cressey, geographer and geologist
 * Charles W. Foster, 40th Secretary of the Treasury, 35th Governor of Ohio.
 * William Harvey Gibson, Union General, Civil War, and noted 19th century orator
 * Lorenzo D. Gasser, U.S. Army major general
 * Paul Gillmor, Republican U.S. representative representing the Ohio 5th District from 1988 to 2007.
 * John R. Goodin, U.S. Representative from Kansas
 * Bill Groman, professional football player in the American Football League (AFL)
 * Jay Gruden, former head coach of the Washington Football Team of the NFL
 * Katrina Hertzer, Chief Nurse, U. S. Navy Nurse Corps, during World War I
 * Sue Wilkins Myrick, U.S. Representative from North Carolina and former mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina.
 * John Quinn, Tiffin native, lawyer, art patron, collector of historical manuscripts, and major supporter of William Butler Yeats.
 * George E. Seney, U.S. Representative from Ohio
 * Rodger Wilton Young, Medal of Honor recipient, World War II