Each month, we feature an Ohio Legacy City on our #GOPCThread Series, #OHCommunitySpotlight. This month, we visit Tiffin, the County Seat of Seneca County and home to not one, but two private colleges, Heidelberg University and Tiffin University.
This month’s #OHCommunitySpotlight features all there is to know about @TiffinOhioGov!
Tiffin is home to almost 18k residents and is the county seat of @SenecaCounty
Tiffin was named after Ohio’s 1st governor and incorporated in 1835 on land that was originally inhabited by people from the Myaamia, Kaskaskia, and Peoria tribes
In the 1800s and 1900s, Tiffin was the commerce and services center for the county. Leading industries included glass and porcelain products for consumers, like kitchenware, toilets, sinks.
Examples of glass products manufactured in Tiffin, Ohio. Image courtesy of Tiffin Glass Museum.
Today, Tiffin’s leading employers include @TiffinU, @HeidelbergU, a Mercy Health hospital, middle market manufacturers, and a range of locally owned businesses and national chains.
Regionally beloved @Ballreich_Chips are produced in Tiffin; these chip and snack products are now distributed across Ohio and beyond.
And Tiffin’s annual Heritage Festival in September is a draw for residents in the region and former residents who often return this weekend for class reunions.
Tiffin’s population has decreased ~15% since its peak in 1970. Population loss has slowed significantly since 2010 but has not leveled out yet.
Population of Tiffin, Ohio | 1970-2020
In the last decade, city & biz leaders have seriously focused on reviving Tiffin’s downtown, recognizing that a strong city center could help with attracting and retaining talent and amenities.
For example, the city and universities have made a concerted effort to overcome the “town and gown” divide. This has increased the customer base for new businesses that are helping revitalizing downtown & has helped keep graduates in the region.
A philanthropist with deep, multi-generational ties to Tiffin, has helped build an amphitheater and splash pad, helped maintain the historic theater, and purchased historically significant buildings in town in preparation for eventual redevelopment.
The City has also worked to make the corridors into the city more inviting by maintaining roads in good repair + increasing wayfinding signage. Online, the city, economic development entity, and CVB have a unified branding.
Developers in the City have begun to successfully secure state historic preservation tax credits to help speed the redevelopment of historically significant buildings. The redeveloped buildings are slated to become housing.
Image courtesy of Tiffin - Seneca Economic Partnership
The sustained investment by local gov’t + private investors in the city’s downtown and history has not gone unnoticed. @DowntownTiffin, the city’s Main St. program, has been honored with several awards from @HeritageOhio
Image courtesy of Heritage Ohio
Tiffin is a charming town, well worth visiting and learning from as it continues to reinvent itself!
Cover Image: Downtown Tiffin, Ohio as seen from the intersection of S. Washington St. and E. Perry St. on July 23, 2022. Image by Tiffin419Ohio via Wikimedia
