Bryan is a city in, and the county seat of, Williams County, Ohio, United States. It is located in the state's northwestern corner, southwest of Toledo. The population was 8,729 at the 2020 census.

History

left|thumb|Bryan, Ohio, The East Side, 1910 or before

Bryan was platted in 1840 by John A. Bryan, and named for him. It was incorporated as a village in 1841, and reincorporated as a city in 1941.

Williams County was originally part of Defiance County, with Defiance as the county seat. The area was later split into Williams and Defiance counties. Bryan was named the seat for the new county, From 1905 to 1939, Bryan was also the western terminus for the Toledo and Indiana Railway, an interurban that began operation between Toledo and Stryker in 1901.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water.

Climate

Within the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bryan has a hot-summer humid continental climate, abbreviated "Dfa" on climate maps. The hottest temperature recorded in Bryan was on June 29, 2012. The coldest temperature recorded was on January 16, 2009.

|source 2 = National Weather Service

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Bryan had a population of 8,729. The median age was 41.1 years, with 21.8% of residents under the age of 18 and 20.6% aged 65 years or older. For every 100 females there were 92.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 87.7 males age 18 and over.

There were 3,879 households in Bryan, of which 25.6% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 37.1% were married-couple households, 21.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 33.2% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 37.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

{| class="wikitable"

|+ Racial composition as of the 2020 census

! Race !! Number !! Percent

|-

| White || 7,897 || 90.5%

|-

| Black or African American || 54 || 0.6%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 31 || 0.4%

|-

| Asian || 88 || 1.0%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 4 || <0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 175 || 2.0%

|-

| Two or more races || 480 || 5.5%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 562 || 6.4%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 8,545 people, 3,761 households, and 2,214 families residing in the city. The population density was . There were 4,087 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.3% White, 0.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.9% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 2.1% from other races, and 2.0% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 5.1% of the population.

There were 3,761 households, of which 29.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.8% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 41.1% were non-families. 34.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.86. The plant was sold to Kansas City, Missouri-based Nostrum Laboratories in December 2015.

Education

Bryan City School District operates Bryan Public Elementary School and Bryan Middle/High School.

St. Patrick's Catholic School, a combined church and PreK - 6th grade school, also serves local residents.

Bryan has a public library, a branch of the Williams County Public Library.

Media

WQCT-AM, which plays oldies, WBNO-FM, which plays classic hits, and WLZZ-FM in nearby Montpelier, which plays country music, are the local commercial radio stations. Another radio station licensed to Bryan is WGBE-FM, a simulcast of classical music/National Public Radio station WGTE-FM in Toledo.

Infrastructure

Transportation

Bryan is served by Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited service at an unstaffed station along the former New York Central line. Norfolk Southern Railway operates the line for high-volume freight service passing through Bryan between the east and Chicago.

The city is served by U.S. Route 6 (US 6), US 127, State Route 2 (SR 2), SR 15, and SR 34. SR 15 connects to the Ohio Turnpike, which passes to the north of Bryan. Williams County Airport is the nearest general aviation airport.

Notable people

<!-- Please cite a reliable source when adding new people to this list. -->

  • Chris Avell, pastor of Dad's Place Church
  • Chris Carpenter, professional baseball pitcher
  • Richard Cramer, actor
  • Steve Fireovid, professional baseball pitcher
  • Ned Garver, professional baseball pitcher
  • Dr. Margaret Goodell, stem cell scientist and professor at Baylor College of Medicine
  • Bob Hartman, guitarist and founder of the pioneer Christian rock band Petra
  • Terence T. Henricks, astronaut
  • William Isaac, chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation from 1981 to 1985
  • J.O. Kinnaman, biblical scholar and archaeologist
  • Horace Prettyman, the first Ohioan to play football for the University of Michigan
  • Richard Schreder, sailplane designer and pilot
  • Mark Winegardner, author, professor at Florida State University
  • Matt Wisler, professional baseball pitcher

References

  • City website