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Bowling Green, Ohio

Bowling Green is the county seat of Wood County in the U.S. state of Ohio. At the time of the 2000 census, the population of Bowling Green was 29,636. It is part of the Toledo, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. Bowling Green is the home of Bowling Green State University and hosts the Black Swamp Arts Festival each summer.

Geography

Bowling Green is located at (41.373942, -83.650873).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 10.2 square miles (26.4 km²), of which, 10.1 square miles (26.3 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.29%) is water.

Green Energy Leadership

Bowling Green has made a financial commitment to reducing its impact on Global Climate Change. Bowling Green has spent $8.8 million dollars and is home to Ohio’s first utility-sized wind farm There are four turbines that are 391 feet tall. These turbines generate up to 7.2 megawatts of power—enough to supply electricity for some 3,000 residents. Located about six miles from the city, the turbines can be seen for miles and have become a local attraction.

At the site, a solar-powered kiosk provides information from visitors including current information on wind speeds and the amount of energy being produced by the turbines.

Through the city of Bowling Green Municipal Utilities you can request that your power come from green energy. The current "power cost adjustment" for this green power is .009 per KWH.

History

Bowling Green was first settled in 1832, was incorporated as a town in 1855, and became a city in 1901. Bowling Green was settled by the Martindales, Maules, Thurstins, Moores, Hollingtons, Shivelys, Walkers, Stauffers, Richards, Tracys, Hartmans, Booths, Mackies, Manvilles, St. Johns' families. In the late 19th and early 20th Century, Bowling Green experienced a boom with the discovery of oil. The wealth can be seen in the downtown store fronts and along Wooster Street where many of the oldest and largest homes were built. This was followed by an expansion of the automobile industry; in late 1922 or early 1923, Coats Steam Car moved there, but went out of business, nevertheless.

The DVD Bowling Green This is Your City can be found at the WCDPL was made in 1959 and tells apart of the history of Bowling Green as well as shows around town.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 29,636 people, 10,266 households, and 4,434 families residing in the city. The population density was 2,919.0 people per square mile (1,127.3/km²). There were 10,667 housing units at an average density of 1,050.6/sq mi (405.8/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 91.84% White, 2.82% African American, 0.21% Native American, 1.83% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.81% from other races, and 1.46% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.48% of the population.

There were 10,266 households out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 33.2% were married couples living together, 7.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 56.8% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.21 and the average family size was 2.84.

In the city the population was spread out with 13.1% under the age of 18, 46.6% from 18 to 24, 19.5% from 25 to 44, 13.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 22 years. For every 100 females there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.4 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,599, and the median income for a family was $51,804. Males had a median income of $33,619 versus $25,364 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,032. About 8.0% of families and 25.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.8% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Bowling Green is a college town, with 46.6% of the population being between the age of 18 to 24.

Cultural Events

Black Swamp Arts Festival

Every September the Black Swamp Arts Festival takes place in Bowling Green. Started in 1993, it ranked a 78 out of 100 in contemporary craft festivals by Sunshine Artists Magazine.

Kelli Kling, marketing and public relations chair for the Festival since 1999, said that the name Black Swamp was chosen for the festival because it is a common regional term for this area of the state. The Great Black Swamp, which was drained near the end of the 1800s to make farming possible, extended from Lake Erie to Indiana. It was the last area of Ohio to be settled. Bowling Green is the largest city to exist in the remnants of this vast wetland.

In the last few years, the festival itself has grown to include 100 juried artists, 42 local/invitational artists, 4 musical stages, youth arts, acts of art, and concessions. All types of music, including blues, jazz, and rock, could be heard from the main stage, which featured 18 different musical acts. Howard’s Club H no longer assists the planning committee in attracting many of the local and national musicians. The historic Cla-Zel Theatre also participates in the Festival by showing independent and art-related films throughout the weekend.

Main street is closed to traffic, and artists from around the country display and sell a variety of artwork. There are also musical performances, children's activities, and food

National Tractor Pulling Championships

Bowling Green has hosted the National Tractor Pulling Championships since 1967. This annual event, one of the largest in the nation, is held at the Wood County Fairgrounds and draws an estimated 60,000 people. The Fairgrounds is located along Poe Road between Haskins Road (State Route 64) and Brim Road.

Wood County Fair

Every year Bowling Green hosts the Wood Country Fair. It happens at the end of July and/or beginning of August and lasts a week. The fairgrounds are located off Poe Road in between Haskins and Brim. Main Events include: Tractor Pull, Altered Farm stock Trackor Pull, Antique Tractor Pull, Mule Pull, Semi-Truck Pull, Youth Parade, Demolition/Combine Derby, Catch-a-pig, Cheerleading Competition, Harness Racing and the annual Country Music Concert. Another special event is quilt day. Special Days like Senior Citizen day, or DARE day allow discounted tickets.

Country singers who have been to the Wood Coutnry fair:

Phil vassar and Melissa lambert (2006)

Tracy Lawrence and Joshua Turner (2007)

Jason Michael Carrol and Billy Currington (2008)

Tuesday Nights at the Gish

During the Fall and Spring semesters, Culture Club (an interdisciplinary graduate student organization) sponsors films on Tuesdays. The Gish Theater is located on the Bowling Green State University campus. The Tuesday night film festival has featured the films of Atom Egoyan, Native American documentary filmmakers, and others.

Alternative BG

Since the 1980s, Bowling Green's tiny local music scene has been unusually vibrant for a town of its caliber and has produced regionally well known acts such as Sheepish Grin, Big Hunk O' Cheese, Crucial DBC, Stylex, Rod's Collision, as well as Polyvinyl Record Co. artist Aloha. Noise music, goth subculture(started by DJ James Maule aka Goth Father) and punk music all have close-knit communities in Bowling Green.

The town hosted the Poe Ditch Music Festival in 1975. More than 33,000 people attended the event and the Poe Ditch Music Festival was never held again.