Springfield - Ohio - Culture

Springfield has had many nicknames, each a reflection of its rich history. From the "town at the end of the Pike" to the "Champion City" to the "City of Roses", Springfield has maintained its pioneering and entrepreneurial spirit. Springfield offers a thriving arts community, a flourishing parks district, a strong city government, and a diverse economic base which supports continued growth and opportunity for its citizens and businesses.

In 2001, Springfield, the city, which Newsweek featured in 1983 as a city, which mirrors America, will turn 200. Each Labour Day weekend costumed Springfield residents and craft merchants from around the Midwest gather for an 18th century trades fair called the Fair at New Boston to celebrate Clark County's unique place as a frontier trade route. At its peak at the turn of the century, Springfield was a leader in production in many industries including metal caskets, agricultural implements, and roses.

For almost a decade Springfield was known as the "Town at the End of the Pike." That's because the massive National Road project stalled here due to a lack of federal funding

Over the years, Springfield has had three other nicknames: Champion City (the highly successful Champion reaper was produced here in the 1800's), Home City (the Masons, Odd Fellows, and Knights of Pythias located retirement homes here around the turn of the century) and City of Roses (by 1919, Springfield's 33 greenhouses produced more roses than any other city in the world).

Strategic location is the key ingredient to any successful business, and accessibility is one of Springfield's most powerful assets. Located between Dayton and Columbus along interstate 70, Springfield, Ohio has next morning truck delivery to 69 percent of the U.S. population and 74 percent of wholesale sales nationwide. Easy connections to four major interstate highways and easy access to Ohio's international airports (Dayton 23 miles - Columbus 45 miles - Cincinnati - 90 miles) link Springfield to every part of the nation and the world.

Even as it celebrates its past, Springfield embraces its future. Efforts to renew the downtown area are progressing. A new library was built, and Clark State Community College sponsored the building of the multi-million dollar Performing Arts Center, which features local productions and internationally acclaimed artists alike.