Versailles ( ) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Darke County,

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. It is the only village in Wayne Township. The population was 2,692 at the 2020 census.

History

Founded in 1819, the village is named after the city of

Versailles The Palace of Versailles ( ; ) is a former royal residence commissioned by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, Yvelines, Versailles, about west of Paris, in the Yvelines, Yvelines Department of Île-de-France, Île-de-France region in Franc ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. Versailles was originally named Jacksonville, in honor of

Andrew Jackson Andrew Jackson (March 15, 1767 – June 8, 1845) was the seventh president of the United States from 1829 to 1837. Before Presidency of Andrew Jackson, his presidency, he rose to fame as a general in the U.S. Army and served in both houses ...

and his victory at the

Battle of New Orleans The Battle of New Orleans was fought on January 8, 1815, between the British Army under Major General Sir Edward Pakenham and the United States Army under Brevet Major General Andrew Jackson, roughly 5 miles (8 km) southeast of the Frenc ...

. Later on, as a large number of early residents were of French descent, it was suggested that the village's name be changed to "Versailles" in memory of their homeland. Versailles became the new name of the village in 1837.

Village name

The proper local pronunciation of the name is ''ver-sales'', with the accent on the second syllable, unlike the French city of the same name ().

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2010, there were 2,687 people, 1,083 households, and 686 families living in the village. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 1,150 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.0%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.2%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.1% Native American, 0.1% from other races, and 0.7% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.6% of the population. 45.9% were of

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 33.8% French, and 11.0% Irish ancestries. There were 1,083 households, of which 32.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.2% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.8% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 36.7% were non-families. 33.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39, and the average family size was 3.06. The median age in the village was 39.8 years. 25.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.6% were from 25 to 44; 24.2% were from 45 to 64, and 19.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.7% male and 52.3% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 2,589 people, 1,061 households, and 687 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 1,109 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 99.38%

, 0.04%

, 0.12% Native American, 0.08% Asian, 0.12% from other races, and 0.27% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.12% of the population. There were 1,061 households, out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.5% were

living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.2% were non-families. 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35, and the average family size was 3.00. In the village, the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.8% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 19.0% from 45 to 64, and 20.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 90.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.3 males. The median income for a household in the village was $37,908, and the median income for a family was $47,717. Males had a median income of $32,440 versus $25,194 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the village was $18,275. About 3.5% of families and 5.3% 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 ...

, including 5.1% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Versailles' municipal building, the Versailles Town Hall and Wayne Township House, is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

Poultry Days

Versailles is also known for hosting its yearly Poultry Days festival on the second full weekend of June. The festival consists of crowning a "Ms. Chick" and "Little Miss Chick," a carnival, a parade, the production of over 25,000 slow roasted chicken dinners, and the Poultry Days

Ultimate Ultimate or Ultimates may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums *Ultimate (Bryan Adams album), ''Ultimate'' (Bryan Adams album) *Ultimate (Jolin Tsai album), ''Ultimate'' (Jolin Tsai album) *Ultimate (Pet Shop Boys album), ''Ult ...

tournament.

Education

The Versailles Exempted Village School District operates one Elementary, Middle, and Jr./Sr. High School. The school building was finished in 2010 and resides at 280 Marker Road within the village limits. The school was paid for by the Versailles people in tax dollars. Building For Our Future
, Versailles Exempted Village Schools, 2008. Accessed January 10, 2009.

References

External links

Village website

{{Authority control French-American culture in Ohio Villages in Darke County, Ohio 1819 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1819 Villages in Ohio