Middletown, Ohio

Middletown is mostly part of the 1788 Symmes Purchase of 311,682 acres (487.003 sq mi; 1,261.33 km) 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 1825, construction of the Miami and Erie Canal occurred, linking Middletown to Toledo, Ohio on Lake Erie and Cincinnati, Ohio on the Ohio River. A 20 miles (32 km) branch called the Warren County Canal operated to Lebanon, Ohio from 1830 to 1852 when flooding on Shaker Run destroyed the branch. The Great Flood of 1913 destroyed most of the Miami and Erie in the area. The canal was paved over and became the Verity Parkway 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.

The city's name is believed to have been given by its founder, Stephen Vail, but questions remain unanswered as to why. One local historian stated that the city received its name because Vail had come from Middletown, New Jersey. Another writer believed that the city was named Middletown because it was the midway point of navigation on the Great Miami River, which was then considered a navigable stream. Another theory is credited to the city being roughly halfway between Dayton and Cincinnati. 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.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 26.43 square miles (68.45 km), of which 26.19 square miles (67.83 km) is land and 0.24 square miles (0.62 km) is water.

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

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.

There were 23,007 housing units, of which 8.0% were vacant. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.8% and the rental vacancy rate was 6.9%.

99.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 0.4% lived in rural areas.

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 1,859.3 inhabitants per square mile (717.9/km). There were 23,296 housing units at an average density of 889.5 per square mile (343.4/km). 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.

As of the census of 2000, there were 51,605 people, 21,469 households, and 13,933 families living in the city. …

Sites in Middletown included on the National Register of Historic Places include the South Main Street District and the John B. Tytus House.

In Butler County, all sections of Middletown are in the Middletown City School District. 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 and Lebanon City School District.

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.