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'Ottawa Hills' is a village in Lucas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,564 at the 2000 census. The village serves as an affluent bedroom community and suburb of Toledo. The village maintains a full time police and fire rescue department. The Ottawa Hills school district is the second best public school in Ohio. The village is ranked 13 out of 1065 political subdivisions in the state of Ohio by per capita income.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

History

Notable miscellanea

Residents

Homes

References

See also

External links

Geography

Ottawa Hills is located at (41.669750, -83.640068).
The village has a total area of 3.0 km² (1.9 mi²).^[1] 4.8 km² (1.9 mi²) of it is land and 0.53% is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 4,564 people, 1,696 households, and 1,307 families residing in the village. The population density was 947.4/km² (2,448.6/mi²). There were 1,786 housing units at an average density of 370.7/km² (958.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 93.97% White, 1.25% African American, 0.09% Native American, 2.70% Asian, 0.46% from other races, and 1.53% from two or more races. 1.23% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 1,696 households out of which 38.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.0% were married couples living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.15.
In the village the population was spread out with 30.1% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 19.7% from 25 to 44, 29.9% from 45 to 64, and 16.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 94.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 89.2 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $100,000, and the median income for a family was $117,130. Males had a median income of $84,029 versus $40,801 for females. The per capita income for the village was $58,846. 2.1% of the population and 1.4% of families were below the poverty line. 3.2% of those under the age of 18 and 0.8% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

History

The Village of Ottawa Hills really got its start in 1915. John North Willys, president of the Overland Company, acquired approximately 1,200 acres (4.6 km²) beginning at the intersection of Bancroft Street and Indian Road and extending along the Ottawa River to Central Avenue.
The August 1, 1915 edition of the ''"Toledo Times"'' includes the following description:

Landscape architects, city planning engineers, landscape gardeners, and other experts, backed by an army of workmen equipment with the latest machinery and tools have been steadily at work on the tract for over a year. They have practically completed the improvement of the first 100 acre unit of the development, lying at Arrowhead Point (former known as 5 Point). This is at the intersection of Bancroft Street, Secor and Indian Roads, a 20 minute ride from the business district. A cursory inspection of the property reveals the scale on which the improvements are being made. Practically 35% of it has been given over to park purposes. This includes the wooded area along the river's course, flanked on one side by Percifilous Bluff and the other side by a slope that rises, by gentle degrees, to a level with the top of the bluff. In the valley, river banks have been dressed gracefully to the water's edge.

John North Willys turned to the E.H. Close Realty Company for the actual development of Ottawa Hills.
The Close Realty Company had developed more than 1,000 acres (4 km²) of land in Toledo and the surrounding area. Planners, engineers, and architects with national reputations were involved in the layout and design of the Village. They were also involved with the creation of various restrictive covenants to assure proper quality development and construction of homes.
Several annexations have substantially changed the shape of the Village from the original 1,200 acres (4.6 km²). However, much of the early development of the Village is very consistent with the original plans that date back to 1915. The portion of the Village adjacent to Secor Road and south of Bancroft Street, Plat 1, is very similar in layout and design to the original plans. Many of the oldest homes in the Village are located in Plat 1. E. H. Close lived in this plat in one of the first homes built in the Village.^[2]

Notable miscellanea

Residents

★ Tom Scholz, guitarist and founder of the rock band Boston.

★ Tom Cruise/Katie Holmes, actors (only lived in the village for a few months).

Homes

★ '"TomKat's" former house' - It was reported and verified that Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes bought a $1.5 million mansion in Ottawa Hills. Neighbors and real estate agents claim that they ended up selling it again very quickly, due to unknown reasons. This home was built by E.H. Close, the developer of the Village.

★ '''Mr. Blandings'' replica' - As a promotion the 1948 film ''Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'', a replica of the house in the movie was built in Ottawa Hills. Thousands lined up in the front yard, paying admission to the opening of the house. It still stands today, with the external design of the house virtually unchanged.^[3]

★ '"Ottawa Hell" house' - There is a home in Ottawa Hills that has long had a sign in the front yard reading "Welcome to Ottawa Hell" that gets much attention since it is located on one of the busiest street in the village.^[4]

★ 'Montpelier' - On Brookside Rd. an exact replica of James Madison's original Montpelier.

References

1. http://www.city-data.com/city/Ottawa-Hills-Ohio.html
2. http://www.ottawahills.org/
3. http://www.toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070401/ART09/70331021&SearchID=73278467862917
4. http://toledoblade.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060527/NEWS02/605270416/0/NEWS10

See also

★ Ottawa Hills High School, the village high school

★ The Village Voice of Ottawa Hills, the village magazine

★ Sculpture in the Park, a sculpture garden in the village

★ Ottawa River, a creek that runs through much of the village

External links

★ more Ottawa Hills, Ohio info from Toledo.com