Bowling Green

General Overview
The city of Bowling Green, seat of Wood County and home to Bowling Green State University, is located in northwest Ohio. Built on the edge of the Great Black Swamp, a glacially carved wetland that was drained in the latter 19th century, Bowling Green is a thriving community with excellent schools, recreational and cultural facilities, and services that exudes small town warmth. The city was named in 1834 by postal carrier Joseph Gordon who had previously lived and worked in Bowling Green, Kentucky. Bowling Green's cost of living is 10.85% lower than the U.S. average.

History
In 1832 Elisha Martindale traveled to the area and claimed 40 acres of land near the site of the current Conneaut School. He was soon joined by more settlers who then built the first school in 1835 and the first store in 1846. In 1855, the settlement was officially incorporated as a village; in the mid-1870s the community was named the county seat for Wood County.

The discovery of oil in nearby North Baltimore in 1886 brought an influx of people and money to the area, some of whom built large homes which still stand today. Bowling Green was granted official city status in1901. The community gained prominence as an educational center in 1910 when Ohio's legislature established the State Normal College, now known as Bowling Green State University.

Government Services
Bowling Green is governed by a mayor and city council. A municipal administrator is responsible for the day-to-day operation of the city and also serves as its Director of Safety and Contracting Authority.

The Bowling Green, Ohio, Police Division has been an internationally accredited law enforcement agency since 1993, exceeding the standards developed by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies.

The Fire Division provides fire protection, rescue squad/advanced life support and initial hazardous material response.

Tax Rates
Median real estate property taxes paid for housing units in 2000: 1.1% ($1,395)

Employment
Bowling Green's business and industry is concentrated in the fields of manufacturing of plastics and rubber, durable goods, merchant wholesalers, retail, Internet services and data processing, hospitality, professional and technical services and health care.

Some of the larger employers in Bowling Green are:
Wall Street Journal
Cooper Standard Automotive
Ashley Furniture Distribution Center

Recreation
The Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department offers a wide variety of recreational, fitness, aquatic and outdoor programs and facilities. The parks system comprises 225 acres of nature preserves, picnic groves, athletic fields, parks, hiking trails, and swimming pools. There are also three city owned golf courses: Stone Ridge Golf Club and Bowling Green State University's Forrest Creason Golf Club, both 18-hole courses; the Bowling Green County Club features nine holes. The university also has an ice arena and offers hockey and ice skating sessions to the public.

Community Organizations
4-H, Bowling Green Jaycees, Boy Scouts: Erie Shores Council: Wood District, Girl Scouts: Maumee Valley Council, Masonic Temple 7, VFW Post 1148, American Legion Post 45,Muscular Dystrophy Association, American Red Cross, Big Brothers-Big Sisters, Senior Citizens Center Wood County, Bowling Green Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, Kiwanis, Moose, BPO Elks