Coldwater, Ohio

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Coldwater, Ohio
Holy Trinity Church in Coldwater, front and western side.jpg
Holy Trinity Catholic Church, which dominates the village's skyline
ColdwaterOhioSeal.png
Mercer County Ohio incorporated and unincorporated areas Coldwater highlighted.svg
Location in Mercer County and the state of Ohio.
Coordinates: 40°29′02″N84°37′30″W / 40.48389°N 84.62500°W / 40.48389; -84.62500
Country United States
State Ohio
County Mercer
Township Butler
Government
  MayorDouglas Bertke[ citation needed ]
Area
[1]
  Total
1.99 sq mi (5.16 km2)
  Land1.94 sq mi (5.02 km2)
  Water0.050 sq mi (0.13 km2)
Elevation
[2]
899 ft (274 m)
Population
 (2020)
  Total
4,774
  Estimate 
(2023) [3]
4,712
  Density2,461.9/sq mi (950.53/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
45828
Area code 419
FIPS code 39-16532 [4]
GNIS feature ID2398595 [2]
Website villageofcoldwater.com

Coldwater is a village in Mercer County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,774 at the 2020 census.

Contents

History

Coldwater was founded in 1838 [5] and was originally called Buzzard's Glory, named after David Buzzard who operated a general store. [6] Coldwater was platted in 1859. [7] The village takes its name from nearby Coldwater Creek. [8] A post office has been in operation at Coldwater since 1847. [9]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.97 square miles (5.10 km2), of which 1.92 square miles (4.97 km2) is land and 0.05 square miles (0.13 km2) is water. [10]

Demographics

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1880 1,001
1890 1,27627.5%
1900 1,51518.7%
1910 1,114−26.5%
1920 974−12.6%
1930 1,51655.6%
1940 2,44961.5%
1950 3,70251.2%
1960 4,15112.1%
1970 3,952−4.8%
1980 4,0071.4%
1990 4,41110.1%
2000 4,4821.6%
2010 4,427−1.2%
2020 4,7747.8%
2023 (est.)4,712 [3] −1.3%
U.S. Decennial Census [11]

As of 2000 the median income for a household in the village was $63,382, and the median income for a family was $81,076. Males had a median income of $47,055 versus $42,401 for females. The per capita income for the village was $29,583. About 2.2% of families and 3.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 1.2% of those under age 18 and 4.2% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the census [12] of 2010, there were 4,427 people, 1,726 households, and 1,176 families residing in the village. The population density was 2,305.7 inhabitants per square mile (890.2/km2). There were 1,817 housing units at an average density of 946.4 per square mile (365.4/km2). The racial makeup of the village was 99.0% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.3% Pacific Islander, 0.2% from other races, and 0.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 1,726 households, of which 32.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.1% were married couples living together, 6.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.5% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 29.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10.

The median age in the village was 39.2 years. 26.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.9% were from 45 to 64; and 17.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

Education

It is home to Coldwater High School, Coldwater Middle School, and Coldwater Elementary School, public schools that are part of the Coldwater Exempted Village School District.

Economy

Coldwater is home to Totally Promotional, an online manufacturer and retailer of customized promotional products; as of February 2023, the firm employed about 230 people. [13]

Major local employers include Mercer Health’s Mercer County Community Hospital, whose main campus is located in the village; the hospital completed a major west-wing expansion in 2018. [14] [15]

The village also hosts a Lincoln Electric Automation facility (formerly Coldwater Machine Company), part of Lincoln Electric’s automation division following its 2018 acquisition of Coldwater Machine. [16] [17] Industry sources also note quality-system certifications at the Coldwater operation. [18]

Other manufacturers with facilities in Coldwater include Basic Grain Products, a snack-foods producer known for rice cakes, [19] and Val-Co/Val-Co Pax, which manufactures poultry and swine production equipment at 210 E. Main Street. [20] [21]

Historically, Coldwater was home to New Idea farm equipment manufacturing; production at the Coldwater plant ceased in 1999 after ownership changes in the 1980s–1990s. [22] [23]

In recent years the village also hosted a flexible-packaging plant under the Shields/Accutech brand of Novolex; in October 2023 the company notified state officials it would close the Coldwater facility. [24] [25]

Library

It is home to the Coldwater Public Library, which is largely funded by the proceeds from the annual Coldwater Community Picnic.

Notable people

References

  1. "ArcGIS REST Services Directory". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  2. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Coldwater, Ohio
  3. 1 2 "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Ohio: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved June 12, 2024.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. "Village of Coldwater". Village of Coldwater. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  6. Coldwater Ohio at 150. Gene Weber & Joyce Alig. January 1988. Retrieved September 26, 2018.
  7. Scranton, S. S. (1907). History of Mercer County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens. Biographical Publishing Company. p. 166.
  8. Overman, William Daniel (1958). Ohio Town Names. Akron, OH: Atlantic Press. p. 31.
  9. "Mercer County". Jim Forte Postal History. Retrieved December 18, 2015.
  10. "US Gazetteer files 2010". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on July 2, 2012. Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  11. "Census of Population and Housing". Census.gov. Retrieved June 4, 2015.
  12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 6, 2013.
  13. "In The News – February 2023". ASI Central (Advertising Specialty Institute). February 28, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2025. ...the company now employs 230 people.
  14. "Mercer County Community Hospital". Mercer Health. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  15. "Crowd turns out to see new hospital wing". The Daily Standard. October 15, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  16. "Our Incredible Facilities". Lincoln Electric Automation (Coldwater Machine). Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  17. "Lincoln Electric acquires Coldwater Machine Company and Pro Systems". Smart Business Dealmakers. December 13, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  18. "Coldwater Machine Co". The Fabricator – Supplier Directory. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  19. "Basic Grain Products, Inc. Issues Allergen Alert on Undeclared Milk in Caramel Rice Cakes". U.S. Food & Drug Administration. April 28, 2021. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  20. "Contact". VAL-CO. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  21. "VAL-CO Pax Inc – Company Profile". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  22. "New Idea may be gone but the memories still alive for many". The Daily Standard. June 14, 2018. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  23. "AGCO to close Coldwater factory". TractorData. December 8, 1999. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  24. "Shields factory to close in Coldwater". The Lima News. October 11, 2023. Retrieved October 16, 2025.
  25. "2023 Public Notices of Layoffs and Closures". Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (WARN). Retrieved October 16, 2025.