Wilmington

Wilmington, Ohio
Nickname(s): "Dubtown"
Motto: We Honor Our Champions
Location of Wilmington, Ohio
Coordinates: 39°26′45″N 83°49′45″W / 39.44583°N 83.82917°W / 39.44583; -83.82917
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Clinton
Government
- Mayor	David L. Raizk
Area
- Total	7.5 sq mi (19.3 km2)
- Land	7.5 sq mi (19.3 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation [1]	1,017 ft (310 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	11,921
- Density	1,599.9/sq mi (617.7/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	45177
Area code(s)	937
FIPS code	39-85792[2]
GNIS feature ID	1061792[1]
Website	http://ci.wilmington.oh.us/

Wilmington is a city in and the county seat of Clinton County, Ohio, United States.^[3] The population was 11,922 at the 2000 census, though recent population estimates from the Census Bureau place the number at 12,499^[4]. Residents are referred to as Wilmingtonians, and some refer to the town by the moniker "Dubtown" (a play on the pronunciation of "W" as "dub"). At city entrances from state routes, county roads, and U.S. highways, the city slogan of "We Honor Our Champions" is seen, accompanied by signs that highlight various athletic accomplishments from Wilmington individuals and teams. The city is served by the Wilmington Public Library of Clinton County. Wilmington also features a weather forecast office of the National Weather Service, serving all of Southwestern Ohio and portions of Kentucky and Indiana.

Wilmington was featured in Time magazine on December 8, 1997 as a small town that is attractive to suburban families. The city was also featured in a 1995 publication entitled The 100 Best Small Towns in America.^[5] In addition, James W. Denver, for whom Denver, Colorado is named, is buried in Wilmington. There is also a historic hotel in downtown Wilmington named in his honor. Home to Wilmington College, founded in 1870 by the Society of Friends, the city and the surrounding area include more than a dozen Quaker meeting houses.

Economy & Business

In the early 1950s the city became home to a number of U.S. Department of Defense facilities, most notably the Clinton County Air Force Base. Following its closure in 1971, the economy of the city hovered in recession for more than a decade. After a number of small attempts to reuse the abandoned air force base, Airborne Express purchased the facility in 1979 for $850,000, a fraction of the estimated $100 million spent to construct it. During the next 24 years, Airborne invested more than $250 million to build a hub for its national delivery network, including new sort centers, a 9000 foot runway, aircraft hangers, machine shops, flight simulators, a state of art control tower, and a modern administration building to accommodate an estimated 6,000 employees and its fleet of 125 DC-8, DC-9 and Boeing 767 aircraft.

In 2003, Airborne Express reorganized and ABX Air, Inc. was created. ABX Air is a contract freight forwarding business with the primary customer being DHL, one of the world's largest international shipping firms. Owned by the Deutsche Post WorldNet, a German holding company, DHL consolidated its US flight and sorting hub operations in Wilmington in 2005. However, in May 2008, DHL announced a restructuring plan involving its United States operations, a plan that jeopardizes over 6,000 jobs at ABX Air and hundreds at A-Star.^[6] Although DHL has not yet reached an accord with UPS, many are fearing the potential devastation to the Wilmington area and the surrounding county areas as well. The potential economic woe even attracted presidential hopeful Senator John McCain (R-AZ) to Wilmington on August 7, 2008, where he stressed his commitment to anti-trust scrutiny of the potential deal between DHL and UPS.^[7] Sen. McCain's vice presidential running mate Governor Sarah Palin visited October 9, 2008, reiterating McCain's concern for the area economy and the DHL plans. On November 10, 2008, DHL announced that domestic shipping operations in the United States would be discontinued, and that the hub in Wilmington would close. Approximately 3,000 people who work at the hub, who would be losing their jobs, are from Wilmington and elsewhere in Clinton County: this number represents about one-quarter of the population of the town.^[8] The town's plight was the focus of a 60 Minutes (CBS television news program) broadcast on January 25, 2009.^[9]

Wilmington is also home to CMH Regional Health System^[10], a growing regional health provider. From its base of operations at Clinton Memorial Hospital, the non-profit corporation has established health clinics in almost a dozen satellite locations in Southwestern Ohio. In 2007, CMH opened the Foster J. Boyd, MD, Regional Cancer Center in Wilmington, providing cancer treatment services for patients throughout Southwest Ohio. The hospital in Wilmington has 95 staffed beds, and employs nearly 1000 people as of fiscal year 2006. ^[11] The hospital also offers a six-bed Intensive Care Unit, a dedicated Emergency Room (with an average of over 30,000 visits from 2004-2006), an Obstetrics Unit (with 725 births in FY 2006), Surgical services (6,356 surgical procedures and 1,184 endoscopies FY 2006), Medical-Telemetry care, Medical-Surgical and Pediatric care, Physical Rehabilitation, Nuclear Medicine and CT services, and a Sleep Study center, amongst other various professional services at the hospital. However, due to recent monetary concerns, hospital alliances and networks from other cities in Ohio are actively courting CMH in a possible acquisition or a partnership, leaving the autonomous status of CMH in question.^[12]

In addition to air freight services and medical services, the city of Wilmington also robustly competes in the truck freight industry, serving as corporate home to R+L Carriers, a trucking and shipping company located off of the intersection between U.S. 68 and I-71 north of Wilmington.^[13]

Education

The Wilmington City Schools system includes Roy E. Holmes Elementary, Denver Place Elementary, East End Elementary, as well as Rodger O. Borror Middle School (formerly known as Wilmington Middle School) and Wilmington High School. The school district includes 166 square miles, and is the largest in the county. ACT scores are above both the state and national averages, and over three quarters of students go on to attend college, which is far above the state average of 40%.^[14]

In addition, two college campuses are located in the city. Southern State Community College operates its North Campus in Wilmington, with other campuses in Washington Court House, Hillsboro, and Sardinia, with primary focus on transfer credits and health sciences, such as Nursing and Medical Assisting and Respiratory Therapy, as well as a Practical Nursing. ^[15]

Most notably is the campus of Wilmington College, a Quaker established college that dates back from the nineteenth century, which focuses on liberal arts education and programs that promote global peace and understanding.^[16]

Geography

Wilmington is located at 39°26′45″N 83°49′45″W / 39.44583°N 83.82917°W / 39.44583; -83.82917 (39.445913, -83.829128).^[17]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.3 km²), all of it land.

State Routes & Transportation

The city is the nexus of several State Routes and U.S. Routes that traverse Southwest Ohio, including routes 73, 68, 134, 22&3, and 730 [14] [15]. Traveling on Interstate 71, Wilmington is accessible from Exit 50 (U.S. Route 68 and I-71 interchange), which is precisely halfway between Exit 1 in downtown Cincinnati and Exit 100 just outside of Columbus, providing convenient access to both cities.

Demographics

The most accurate information is from the census^[2] of 2000, when there were 11,921 people, 4,867 households, and 2,929 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,599.9 people per square mile (617.8/km²). There were 5,284 housing units at an average density of 709.2/sq mi (273.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 90.66% White, 6.72% African American, 0.23% Native American, 0.65% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.25% from other races, and 1.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.84% of the population.

There were 4,867 households out of which 30.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.7% were married couples living together, 13.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.8% were non-families. 33.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.28 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 15.8% from 18 to 24, 27.3% from 25 to 44, 19.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females there were 89.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $34,880, and the median income for a family was $43,619. Males had a median income of $31,645 versus $22,627 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,346. About 8.9% of families and 11.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.6% of those under age 18 and 10.5% of those age 65 or over.

Culture & Recreation

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Although some people of Wilmington lament the lack of exciting diversions for their town, the city of Wilmington has developed, over the years, a unique experience that speaks of life in a small town that is becoming larger.

Wilmington features a number of smaller commercial shopping malls, including one that hosts a Super Wal-Mart, throughout the town. Wilmington has a bowling alley, Royal Z Lanes, as well as two golf courses, Elks 797 and Majestic Springs. The city is home to the locally renowned Banana Split Festival, held annually in June; the Clinton County Fair held each July; and the Clinton County Corn Festival, a celebration held held each September that highlights agricultural heritage with crafts and displays and games and activities.

In 1994, Happy Wok, the city's first Chinese restaurant opened, and since then, a popular Chinese buffet, #1 China, Great Taste Chinese, and other competitors have joined the competition for foreign flair, with another local favorite being the El Dorado Mexican Restaurant. More recently, a Mediterranean-styled restaurant opened up in downtown Wilmington, featuring Italian cuisine and Greek dishes, as well as a full coffee bar. In the vein of the coffee culture, downtown Wilmington's Books and More store features Jen's Uptown Deli, a metropolitan-style deli that offers soups and signature sandwiches, and a full coffee bar. The deli is also home to a full-fledged skateboarding shop, and has become a boon to the denizens of Wilmington in their skateboarding endeavors and for fundraising efforts to build a skate park. Additionally, the many parking lots on Rombach Avenue (such as those of Royal Z Lanes and Burger King) provide a venue for the town's many car lovers to muck about with their vehicles. During the Harry Potter book release years, the Books and More store hosted a Harry Potter Festival that rapidly grew to became a genuine summer commercial draw to Wilmington. By the time the last book was released, the festival came to include dozens of businesses throughout the downtown area, with thousands in attendance.

Also located in the downtown business district is the historic Murphy Theater, which can be seen in the film Lost In Yonkers, part of which was filmed in the city in the early 1990s. The Murphy Theater stages productions throughout the year from various acts and ensembles as well as staging musicals and plays from neighboring school districts in the county. More recently, the Murphy is home to free screenings of classic movies on occasion. Perhaps the most renowned event to take place at the Murphy Theater was the marriage of actor John Ritter and wife Amy Yasbeck on September 18, 1999, with the marquee simply stating "Congratulations John and Amy."^[18] Nearby in downtown Wilmington is the historic General Denver Hotel, which is named in honor of General James W. Denver.

In late 2007, Kevin Chamberlain, a Wilmington High School graduate, was featured as a choir-member on the NBC miniseries Clash of the Choirs. He was a part of Nick Lachey's choir, which eventually came in first in the competition. Another graduate of WHS, Kevin Walls, appeared on VH1's Best Week Ever in 2006 when the show highlighted Walls' hatemail sent to Joe Rogan on MySpace. In 2009, Walls was casted in two upcoming feature films; cafe and Stringbean & Marcus.

NCAA Sports

Wilmington is home to Wilmington College, a member of the Ohio Athletic Conference and participant in NCAA Division III sports. The college offers a variety of sporting events, from football, soccer, and swimming to baseball and golf, amongst many others. Wilmington College is also home to the 2004 NCAA Women's Division III Basketball Championship team, the most prestigious national title brought back to Wilmington.

In the summer of 2008, the Quakers football home, Williams Stadium, underwent a major renovation, with new stadium lights and artificial playing field installed. Since the renovation, the local high school, Wilmington High School, plays home football games on Friday nights at the stadium.

Famous residents

• Kroger Babb - film and TV producer
• Michael Bray - anti-abortion terrorist and author
• Stephanie Hodge - actress and comedian
• Gary Sandy - actor
• Charles B. Timberlake - U.S. Representative from Colorado
• Kevin C. Walls - Actor
• Michael DeForest Wilson - football player

References

External links

• Official website
• Banana Split Festival - Wilmington
• Clinton Memorial Hospital
• Wilmington Bypass Site
• Wilmington City Schools
• Wilmington / Clinton County Chamber of Commerce
• Wilmington Public Library
• Wilmington News Journal
• National Weather Service Wilmington
• Press release announcing Chamberlain's participation in Clash of the Choirs
• Wilmington College
• Watson Library at Wilmington College

• Wilmington, Ohio is at coordinates 39°26′45″N 83°49′45″W / 39.445913°N 83.829128°W / 39.445913; -83.829128 (Wilmington, Ohio)Coordinates: 39°26′45″N 83°49′45″W / 39.445913°N 83.829128°W / 39.445913; -83.829128 (Wilmington, Ohio)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Clinton County, Ohio County seat: Wilmington City Wilmington Villages Blanchester‡ | Clarksville | Lynchburg‡ | Martinsville | Midland | New Vienna | Port William | Sabina Townships Adams | Chester | Clark | Green | Jefferson | Liberty | Marion | Richland | Union | Vernon | Washington | Wayne | Wilson Unincorporated communities Cuba | Lees Creek | Reesville Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties