Middletown is a city in Butler and Warren counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 50,987 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area in southwest Ohio, northeast of Cincinnati and southwest of Dayton.

Incorporated in 1833 and designated a city in 1886, Middletown was formed from parts of Lemon, Turtlecreek, and Franklin townships. It was home to AK Steel Holding Corporation, formerly known as Armco and founded in 1900, whose steel factory in Middletown still operates as part of Cleveland-Cliffs. The city also features Hook Field Municipal Airport, now serving only general aviation, and a regional campus of Miami University. In 1957, Middletown was named an All-America City.

History

Middletown is mostly part of the 1788 Symmes Purchase of purchased by Judge John Cleves Symmes of New Jersey in 1788 from the Continental Congress as part of the Land Ordinance of 1785.

Stephen Vail Jr. purchased land on the eastern bank of the Great Miami River from Symmes and platted 52 lots for the village in 1802. The purchase was complicated when it was discovered that Symmes did not own all the land thought to have been sold to Vail, and eventually, after Vail's death, the Ohio Supreme Court permitted the transactions to go through. In 1982, Middletown opened the Canal Museum to commemorate the events.

Middletown was served by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway, Erie Railroad and Pennsylvania Railroad.

Middletown was principally known for its agriculture and paper mills but became most famous as a steel town when George Verity, founder of American Rolling Mill Company (ARMCO) opened a sheet steel rolling process plant in 1900. Vail centered the city in Fractional Section 28 of Town 2, Range 4 North. One of the first settlers in Middletown was Daniel Doty, who migrated there from New Jersey in the late 18th century.

Geography

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

Middletown adjoins the Great Miami River. Middletown also borders the cities of Franklin, Monroe, Trenton, and Liberty and Madison Townships.

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, Middletown had a population of 50,987. The median age was 38.0 years, with 23.2% of residents under the age of 18 and 16.7% of residents 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 93.6 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 90.8 males age 18 and over.

There were 21,164 households in Middletown, of which 27.8% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 34.6% were married-couple households, 21.9% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 32.9% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.5% 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 || 37,590 || 73.7%

|-

| Black or African American || 6,495 || 12.7%

|-

| American Indian and Alaska Native || 163 || 0.3%

|-

| Asian || 475 || 0.9%

|-

| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander || 46 || 0.1%

|-

| Some other race || 2,150 || 4.2%

|-

| Two or more races || 4,068 || 8.0%

|-

| Hispanic or Latino (of any race) || 4,125 || 8.1%

|}

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 48,694 people, 20,238 households, and 12,505 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 23,296 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 83.3% White, 11.7% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.5% Asian, 1.6% from other races, and 2.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.8% of the population.

There were 20,238 households, of which 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 37.9% were married couples living together, 18.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.8% had a male householder with no wife present, and 38.2% were non-families. 31.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 2.97.

The median age in the city was 38.3 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 27.1% were from 45 to 64; and 14.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.5% male and 52.5% female.

2000 census

As of the census The Middletown City district operates Middletown High School. The Warren County portion is divided among several school districts, with one of them being the Middletown City District, and the others being Franklin City School District<!--UNI 04400--> and Lebanon City School District<!--UNI 04421-->.

Miami University, based in Oxford, Ohio, has a regional campus in Middletown. Miami University Middletown opened in 1966 as the first satellite campus in Ohio. It has an annual enrollment of approximately 1,500 students.

Transportation

Ohio State Route 4 runs north–south through Middletown. Ohio State Route 73 and Ohio State Route 122 run east–west through the city. Ohio State Route 122 accesses Interstate 75 running to the east of Middletown.

Middletown had multiple railroad stations serving the different railroads running through the city, Baltimore and Ohio, Erie Railroad, New York Central (earlier, the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railway) and Pennsylvania Railroad. The last passenger trains were the Baltimore and Ohio's Cincinnatian and Penn Central's Cincinnati-Columbus train, both ending in 1971.

Transit service was formerly provided by the privately owned Ortman-Stewart Transportation Company, which ceased operations at the end of 1972.<!-- --> Today, the Butler County Regional Transit Authority provides bus service in the city with connections to Hamilton, Oxford, as well as Springdale, where riders can transfer to the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority serving greater Cincinnati.

  • Todd Bell, NFL safety
  • Gay Brewer, professional golfer
  • James E. Campbell, 38th governor of Ohio
  • Butch Carter, NBA player and coach; brother of Cris
  • Cris Carter, Hall of Fame NFL player
  • Melville Collins, actor, composer, pianist, and baritone
  • Dan Daub, MLB pitcher
  • Brooklyn Decker, fashion model
  • Shaun Foist, drummer for Breaking Benjamin
  • Goodwen, rock band
  • William Gross, financier for Janus Capital Group and PIMCO
  • Bill Hanzlik, basketball player and coach
  • J. Eugene Harding, U.S. representative
  • Kayla Harrison, two-time Olympic champion in judo
  • Thomas Howard, former MLB player
  • Howard Jones, Hall of Fame college football player and coach
  • Patrick L. Kessler, Medal of Honor recipient
  • Frank Lickliter, professional golfer on the PGA Tour
  • Jerry Lucas, Ohio State and NBA basketball player
  • Roy Lucas, American football coach
  • Buz Lukens, U.S. Representative
  • Jalin Marshall, professional football player
  • McGuire Sisters, vocal trio
  • Debra Monk, Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress
  • Scott Nein, member of the Ohio Senate
  • Clarence Page, columnist for the Chicago Tribune
  • Susan Perkins, Miss America 1978
  • Chrystee Pharris, television and film actress
  • Rufus Phillips, politician and businessman
  • Raven Riley, actress
  • Gordon Ray Roberts, Medal of Honor recipient
  • Charlie Root, MLB pitcher
  • Josh Roush, Filmmaker
  • Terry Rukavina, All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player
  • Van Gordon Sauter, American Communications Executive
  • Ed Schrock, U.S. representative
  • Kyle Schwarber, MLB left fielder
  • Sarah Selby, Radio, Movie, TV Actress
  • Shepherd Sisters, vocal quartet
  • Fannie Douglass Smith, journalist
  • Paul J. Sorg, U.S. representative
  • Ferdinand Van Derveer, brigadier general in the Civil War
  • JD Vance, 50th and current vice president of the United States
  • William Verity, Jr., 27th secretary of commerce between 1987 and 1989
  • John M. Watson, Sr., trombonist and actor
  • Virtue Hampton Whitted, jazz singer and bassist

110px|thumb|right|upright=0.8|Vice President [[JD Vance]]

Vice President JD Vance describes his life in Middletown in Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis (2016). His family had moved there from Jackson, Kentucky, and became caught in the problems of industrial restructuring and loss of jobs.

See also

  • South Middletown, Ohio

References

Further reading

  • Bert S. Barlow, W.H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, and Frederick Schneider, eds. Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio. Hamilton, Ohio: B.F. Bowen, 1905.
  • Jim Blount. The 1900s: 100 Years In the History of Butler County, Ohio. Hamilton, Ohio: Past Present Press, 2000.
  • Butler County Engineer's Office. Butler County Official Transportation Map, 2003. Fairfield Township, Butler County, Ohio: The Office, 2003.
  • A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio with Illustrations and Sketches of Its Representative Men and Pioneers. Cincinnati, Ohio: Western Biographical Publishing Company, 1882.
  • Ohio. Secretary of State. The Ohio municipal and township roster, 2002-2003. Columbus, Ohio: The Secretary, 2003.
  • Middletown Chamber of Commerce
  • "In Depth: America's Fastest-Dying Towns: 10. Middletown, Ohio"