Oakwood, Montgomery County, Ohio
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Oakwood is a
city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
in
Montgomery County, Ohio Montgomery County is located in the southwestern portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 537,309, making it the fifth-most populous county in Ohio. The county seat is Dayton. The county was named in honor ...
, United States. A suburb of
Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
. The population was 9,202 at the 2010 census. Oakwood is part of the
Dayton metropolitan area The Dayton, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, also known as Greater Dayton and the Miami Valley, as defined by the United States Census Bureau, is an area consisting of three counties in the Miami Valley region of Ohio and is anchored by the cit ...
. It was incorporated in 1908. John Henry Patterson, industrialist and founder of the National Cash Register Corporation, is considered the "Father of Oakwood." Oakwood is completely land-locked by the surrounding municipalities of
Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
and
Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ket ...
. Its small, compact geographic area facilitates the response of its single unified (consolidated) Department of Public Safety, in which all personnel are certified as
police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...
s,
firefighter A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also ...
s, and
emergency medical services Emergency medical services (EMS), also known as ambulance services or paramedic services, are emergency services that provide urgent pre-hospital treatment and stabilisation for serious illness and injuries and transport to definitive care. ...
(EMS) officers. Oakwood is one of only a few U.S. cities to employ the concept. Public safety officers work 24-hour shifts, performing the different functions within eight-hour blocks of each shift.


History

At the turn of the twentieth century, Oakwood was primarily
farmland Agricultural land is typically land ''devoted to'' agriculture, the systematic and controlled use of other forms of lifeparticularly the rearing of livestock and production of cropsto produce food for humans. It is generally synonymous with bot ...
situated on a hill directly south of the City of Dayton. In 1913, when a disastrous flood devastated downtown Dayton (the Great Dayton Flood), advertising began to tout Oakwood property as "275 feet higher than the intersection of Third and Main Streets." In light of this real estate advantage and its location adjacent to the City of Dayton, Oakwood's largest period of growth began and by 1930, the village population numbered over 6,000. Oakwood incorporated as a city in 1908 and in 1932 adopted the Council/Manager form of government that is still in place. One of the city's early residents was Orville Wright, whose home,
Hawthorn Hill Hawthorn Hill in Oakwood, Ohio, USA, was the post-1914 home of Orville, Milton and Katharine Wright. Wilbur and Orville Wright intended for it to be their joint home, but Wilbur died in 1912, before the home's 1914 completion. The brothers ...
, still stands at the corner of Harman and Park Avenues. John H. Patterson, founder of the
National Cash Register Company NCR Corporation, previously known as National Cash Register, is an American software, consulting and technology company providing several professional services and electronic products. It manufactures self-service kiosks, point-of-sale termin ...
(NCR) also called Oakwood home. The city is known as a suburban residential area with mostly tree-lined streets. During World War II, the Runnymede Playhouse in Oakwood hosted Unit IV of the
Dayton Project The Dayton Project was a research and development project to produce polonium during World War II, as part of the larger Manhattan Project to build the first atomic bombs. Work took place at several sites in and around Dayton, Ohio. Those working ...
. The Dayton Project was a little-known part of the
Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development undertaking during World War II that produced the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States with the support of the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the project w ...
involved in creating industrial quantities of
polonium Polonium is a chemical element with the symbol Po and atomic number 84. Polonium is a chalcogen. A rare and highly radioactive metal with no stable isotopes, polonium is chemically similar to selenium and tellurium, though its metallic character ...
for use in the
neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , which has a neutral (not positive or negative) charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. Protons and neutrons constitute the nuclei of atoms. Since protons and neutrons beh ...
generating triggers of the first
atomic weapon A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bom ...
.


Geography

It is within the
Miami Valley The Miami Valley is the land area surrounding the Great Miami River in southwest Ohio, USA, and includes the Little Miami, Mad, and Stillwater rivers as well. Geographically, it includes Dayton, Springfield, Middletown, Hamilton, and other c ...
region of southwestern Ohio, and borders on
Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
to its north and east and
Kettering Kettering is a market and industrial town in North Northamptonshire, England. It is located north of London and north-east of Northampton, west of the River Ise, a tributary of the River Nene. The name means "the place (or territory) of Ket ...
, Ohio to its south and west. The campus of the University of Dayton is directly adjacent to Oakwood on the northeast. According to the
United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...
, the city has a total area of , all land. The city is unofficially divided into two parts, east and west, by the city's major road, State Route 48, also termed Far Hills Avenue. SR 48 runs north–south and connects the city of Dayton with Oakwood and, further south, with Kettering and other suburbs. The geography of the eastern and western sections differ to a significant extent, with the western side covered in prominent hills, while most of the eastern section is predominantly level or gently sloping.


Housing and aesthetics

Oakwood contains a rich collection of architecture. Because of the city's age, many of the houses were constructed before World War II and are older in design. Houses in Oakwood, which vary greatly in size, have styles which include Tudor, Swiss chalets, Colonial Revival, White Clapboard Colonial, and
Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
. The western end of the city features many large properties and historic houses, such as
Hawthorn Hill Hawthorn Hill in Oakwood, Ohio, USA, was the post-1914 home of Orville, Milton and Katharine Wright. Wilbur and Orville Wright intended for it to be their joint home, but Wilbur died in 1912, before the home's 1914 completion. The brothers ...
, home of Orville Wright. The houses in this area tend to lie on well secluded plots of land, surrounded by many trees. Because of Oakwood's affluence, there is a general societal push for beautification. Run-down houses and unkempt lawns are generally frowned upon by the community; most lawns are well maintained. The city itself gives "Beautification Awards" to the judged most beautiful houses in order to maintain this high level of aesthetic awareness. The city has relatively strict
zoning laws Zoning is a method of urban planning in which a municipality or other tier of government divides land into areas called zones, each of which has a set of regulations for new development that differs from other zones. Zones may be defined for a si ...
that restrict major changes to houses and require city approval for any planned structural additions. The city prohibits chain-link fences that can be seen from the street, and requires all external utility units (such as
air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C or AC, is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior environment (sometimes referred to as 'comfort cooling') and in some cases also strictly controlling ...
units) to be obstructed from the view from the street. Public architecture is a general source of pride for the Oakwood community. The city buildings were designed to incorporate the rich variation of traditional architectural styles found in the city's houses. Oakwood High School displays an elaborate external design. The elementary schools, Edwin D. Smith Elementary School and Harman Elementary School, echo this elaborate style. Smith Elementary is built in the Tudor style like the High School while Harman Elementary is Colonial revival. The newest addition to the school system, the Julian and Marjorie Lange School, features Spanish revival architecture. The Oakwood Board of Education occupies a gray stucco manse with red tile roof in the northernmost area of Oakwood on Rubicon Road. Wright Memorial Library offers similar aesthetics, and the police and fire department is reminiscent of a French château.


Schools

Oakwood schools are repeatedly ranked among the very best in Ohio and the top-tier in the nation. NeighborhoodScout.com chose Oakwood as number 3 in 5 for the entire Midwest. The school district's mascot is the Lumberjack so as to pay homage to the wooded areas which gave Oakwood its name. The Lange School is the city's kindergarten building. Until The Lange School opened in 1999, kindergartens were in each elementary school. The Harman Elementary School and Edwin D. Smith Elementary School provide service to children from first through sixth grades. One contiguous junior and senior high school provides education for all Oakwood students grades seven through twelve. Oakwood High School graduated its first senior class in 1924 and began the practice of the Baccalaureate ceremony at Westminster Presbyterian Church in downtown
Dayton Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
. The end of an Oakwood student's experience is the Senior Awards, Baccalaureate, and Commencement ceremonies. Oakwood High School's yearbook is ''The Acorn'', and its newspaper is ''The Dome.'' Oakwood's educational system places a strong emphasis on post-secondary education. Oakwood High School is a national school of excellence. During the 2016–17 school year, Oakwood High School earned the highest performance index on state tests of any high school in the state. OHS’ index score was 92.0 on a 100-point scale, with no other high school in Ohio above 90. Oakwood High School's English, mathematics, natural science, and foreign language courses are matched by many performing arts opportunities for its students. It is not uncommon for Oakwood's top academic graduates to gain acceptance to some of the most selective universities and colleges in the United States and the world. Most graduates, however, attend schools within a 300-mile radius, with a large percentage remaining in Ohio. Oakwood High School is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 academic institutes in Ohio as well as one of the top 400 in the United States.


Demographics


2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 9,202 people, 3,543 households, and 2,521 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 3,772 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 95.3%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.9%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.2% Native American, 1.4%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.6% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 1.6% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.8% of the population. There were 3,543 households, of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.0% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.2% had a male householder with no wife present, and 28.8% were non-families. 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.15. The median age in the city was 40.5 years. 30.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.1% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 21.9% were from 25 to 44; 30.5% were from 45 to 64; and 11.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.4% male and 52.6% female. The median income for a household in the city was $94,731 and the median income for a family was $116,719. The per capita income for the city was $50,258. 70.6% of Oakwood's residents have earned a bachelor's degree or higher.


2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,215 people, 3,633 households, and 2,597 families residing in the city. The population density was 4,209.0 people per square mile (1,624.6/km). There were 3,815 housing units at an average density of 1,742.5 per square mile (672.6/km). The racial makeup of the city was 97.41%
White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...
, 0.48%
African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...
, 0.07% Native American, 0.98%
Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...
, 0.03%
Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...
, 0.29% from
other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...
, and 0.75% from two or more races.
Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...
or
Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...
of any race were 1.20% of the population. There were 3,633 households, out of which 38.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.8% were married couples living together, 8.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.5% were non-families. 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08. In the city the population was spread out, with 29.1% under the age of 18, 4.2% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 89.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the city was $72,392, and the median income for a family was $88,263. Males had a median income of $70,500 versus $35,833 for females. The per capita income for the city was $41,567. About 1.7% of families and 3.3% of the population were below the
poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...
, including 2.7% of those under age 18 and 2.6% of those age 65 or over.


Sister cities

*
Le Vésinet Le Vésinet () is a suburban commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France. It is a part of the affluent outer suburbs of western Paris, from the centre of Paris. In 2019, it had a population of 15,943. ...
, France *
Outremont, Quebec Outremont is an affluent residential borough (''arrondissement'') of the city of Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It consists entirely of the former city on the Island of Montreal in southwestern Quebec. The neighbourhood is inhabited largely by franc ...
, Canada *
Unterhaching Unterhaching (; Central Bavarian: ''Haching'') is the second largest municipality in the district of Munich in Bavaria, Germany, located to the south of Munich city centre and easily accessible via two federal motorways, Bundesautobahn 8 and Bunde ...
, Germany (friendship pact)


See also

*
Oakwood, Cuyahoga County, Ohio Oakwood is a village in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 3,667 at the 2010 census. It is an inner ring suburb of Cleveland. Geography Oakwood is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has ...
*
Oakwood, Paulding County, Ohio Oakwood is a village in Paulding County, Ohio, United States. The population was 608 at the 2010 census. Geography Oakwood is located at (41.094997, -84.377974). According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , al ...


References


External links


City website

Oakwood Historical Society

The Oakwood Register
{{authority control Cities in Montgomery County, Ohio Populated places established in 1908 1908 establishments in Ohio Cities in Ohio