View source for Windham, Ohio

{{Use American English|date=January 2026}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Windham, Ohio
| settlement_type    = [[Village (United States)|Village]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = "United We Stand"

<!-- Images -->| image_skyline      = Windham park thumbnail Image 4513 (2).jpg
| imagesize          = 200px
| image_caption      = Windham Park
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| mapframe           = yes
| mapframe-point     = none
| pushpin_map        = Ohio#USA
| pushpin_relief     = yes
| pushpin_label      = Windham

<!-- Location -->| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Ohio]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Ohio|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Portage County, Ohio|Portage]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Mayor
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| established_title1 = Incorporated
| established_date1  = 1892
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = <ref name="TigerWebMapServer">{{cite web|title=ArcGIS REST Services Directory|url=https://tigerweb.geo.census.gov/arcgis/rest/services/TIGERweb/Places_CouSub_ConCity_SubMCD/MapServer|publisher=United States Census Bureau|accessdate=September 20, 2022}}</ref>
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 5.33
| area_land_km2      = 5.33
| area_water_km2     = 0.01
| area_total_sq_mi   = 2.06
| area_land_sq_mi    = 2.06
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.00

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_est     = 
| pop_est_as_of      = 
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 1666
| population_density_km2 = 312.69
| population_density_sq_mi = 809.92

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = <ref name=gnis/>
| elevation_ft       = 965
| coordinates        = {{coord|41|14|15|N|81|02|14|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP code]]
| postal_code        = 44288
| area_codes          = [[Area codes 234 and 330|330, 234]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standards|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 39-85946
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 2399712<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2399712}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|windhamvillage.com}}
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Windham''' is a [[village (United States)#Ohio|village]] in eastern [[Portage County, Ohio]], United States. The population was 1,666 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://factfinder.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_10_PL_GCTPL2.ST10&prodType=table |title=2010 Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171) Summary File |access-date=March 18, 2011}}{{dead link|bot=medic|date=April 2020}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> In 1942, the U.S. government chose Windham as the site of an army camp for workers at the newly built [[Ravenna Training and Logistics Site|Ravenna Arsenal]]. As a result, Windham experienced the largest increase in population of any municipality in the nation over the 1940s, at 1,148.7%.<ref name="WindhamEVSD">{{cite web| title= History of the Windham Schools| year= 1998| url= http://windham.sparcc.org/about2.html| publisher= Windham Exempted Village School District| access-date= October 24, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20040810042334/http://windham.sparcc.org/about2.html| archive-date= August 10, 2004}}</ref>

Windham is officially considered part of [[Akron metropolitan area]]; however, it is slightly closer to [[Youngstown, Ohio|Youngstown]] than [[Akron]] and significantly closer to [[Warren, Ohio|Warren]] at {{convert|12.8|mi}} away, even closer than the [[county seat]] of [[Ravenna, Ohio|Ravenna]].<ref name="WindhamVil">{{cite web |url=http://www.windhamvillage.com |title=The Village of Windham, Ohio |access-date=August 19, 2008}}</ref> Due to this, the village also positions itself in relation to cities in the [[Mahoning Valley]].<ref name="WindhamVil" /><ref name="WhereisWindhamOhio">{{cite web |url=http://windhamohio.net/categoryblog/31-general/44-where-is-windham-ohio.html |title=Where is Windham, Ohio? |publisher=Windham Chamber of Commerce |date=December 21, 2007 |access-date=August 19, 2008 |archive-date=August 22, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080822222307/http://windhamohio.net/categoryblog/31-general/44-where-is-windham-ohio.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Accordingly, the sole bank in Windham holds membership in the Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.regionalchamber.com/detail.asp?MemberID=15662 |title=Cortland Banks - Windham |publisher=Youngstown-Warren Regional Chamber |access-date=August 19, 2008 }}{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>

==History==
{{See also|Windham Township, Portage County, Ohio}}
Prior to 1811, the land now comprising the Village and Township of Windham was owned by [[Caleb Strong]],<ref name="WindhamTwp">[http://www.windhamtownship.com/aboutwindhamtwp.htm About Windham Township] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071224102240/http://www.windhamtownship.com/aboutwindhamtwp.htm |date=December 24, 2007 }}. [[Windham Township, Portage County, Ohio|Windham Township Government]], Windham, Ohio.  Retrieved January 6, 2008.</ref> as part of his holdings through the [[Ohio Company of Associates]].<ref name="OhioCo">[http://digicoll.marietta.edu/oca/images/Inventory.pdf Manuscripts and Documents of the Ohio Company of Associates] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080828132025/http://digicoll.marietta.edu/oca/images/Inventory.pdf |date=August 28, 2008 }}. Digital Collections at [[Marietta College]], Marietta, Ohio.  Retrieved January 6, 2008.</ref>  On September 11, 1810, a group of sixteen men met in [[Becket, Massachusetts]] at the home of Thatcher Conant to discuss the purchase of land in [[Ohio]] for settlement.  These men, who would be known as the "Beckett{{sic}} Land Company", consisted of Conant, Elijah Alford, Nathan Birchard, Gideon Bush, Dillingham Clark, Elisha Clark, Isaac Clark, Benjamin Higley, Aaron P. Jagger, Enos Kingsley, Jeremiah Lyman, Bille Messenger, Ebenezer Messenger, Benjamin C. Perkins, John Seely, and Alpheus Streator.<ref name="WindhamTwp" />

On November 11, 1810, the Beckett Land Company purchased about {{convert|14825|acre|km2}} from Caleb Strong.  The land was divided into 100 [[lot (real estate)|lot]]s, and allotted according to each family's investment in the company.  Conant, his wife Elizabeth, Dillingham and Abigail Clark, and Alpheus and Anna Streator donated portions of their allotments near the center of the township for a [[village green]],<ref name="WindhamTwp" /> which was common practice for townships in the [[Connecticut Western Reserve]].  The group of sixteen families then departed from Massachusetts on May 2, 1811.<ref name="OhioGenWeb">[http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohportag/hist018.htm Windham - 1811 - 1850]</ref>  Six weeks later,<ref name="OhioGenWeb" /> they arrived in the purchased [[survey township]], which was located immediately south of [[Nelson Township, Portage County, Ohio|Nelson Township]] in the Connecticut Western Reserve. This new township, known today as [[Windham Township, Portage County, Ohio|Windham Township]], was survey town 4 in range 6 of the Western Reserve.

The first religious service in the new township was held on July 28, 1811, in the home of one of the settlers.  This service was very likely [[Congregational church|Congregationalist]], as several of the families belonged to the Congregational Church in Becket, Massachusetts.<ref name="OhioGenWeb" />  The Congregational Church eventually constructed a building on the Green, and today that church still remains on the Green as a member church of the [[United Church of Christ]].

The Windham Historical Society notes that the township was originally named Strongsburg,<ref name="WindhamHist">{{cite web
| title= Windham Historical Society
| url= http://www.history.portage.oh.us/windham%20hist%20soc.htm
| access-date= January 6, 2008
| publisher= Portage County Historical Society
| archive-date= January 1, 2008
| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080101082355/http://www.history.portage.oh.us/windham%20hist%20soc.htm
| url-status= dead
}}</ref> however, some sources cite the original name as Strongsburgh.<ref name="WindhamTwp" />  The namesake was original landowner Caleb Strong, who was by then the [[Governor]] of [[Massachusetts]]. There is some discrepancy in how this township came to be known as Windham.  According to the Windham Historical Society, the name of the township "was changed to Sharon, by an act of legislature in about 1820….
A few years later the name was again changed to Windham, which it has remained to present."  The Historical Society also cites political concerns as the reason the name was changed from Strongsburg to Sharon.<ref name="WindhamHist" />  However, on Windham Township's website, March 2, 1813 is cited as the date on which "the Township was made a district by itself and the name was changed to 'Sharon'."  The website goes on to state that in 1820, by an act of [[Ohio General Assembly|legislature]], the name was changed again to Windham.<ref name="WindhamTwp" />  Yet another source, ''The Ohio Gazetteer, and Travelers's{{sic}} Guide'', states that the name was changed from Sharon to Windham in January 1829.<ref name="OhioTidbits">{{cite web
| url=http://ohiotidbits.com/13.html
| title=The Ohio Gazetteer, and Travelers's Guide
| access-date=January 6, 2008
| publisher=Ohio Tidbits
}}</ref>  Still another source places these dates as 1817 and 1820, respectively.<ref name="WindhamEVSD" />  Common to most sources are a few claims which reasonably can be ascertained to be fact:

* Caleb Strong was the original namesake of the township.<ref name="WindhamEVSD" /><ref name="WindhamTwp" /><ref name="OhioGenWeb" /><ref name="WindhamHist" />
* The name of the township was changed from Strongsburg/Strongsburgh, to Sharon, and again to Windham.<ref name="WindhamEVSD" /><ref name="WindhamTwp" /><ref name="OhioGenWeb" /><ref name="WindhamHist" />
* The second name change, from Sharon to Windham, was in honor of [[Windham, Connecticut]]—home to at least some of the township's original settlers.<ref name="WindhamEVSD" /><ref name="WindhamTwp" /><ref name="WindhamHist" />

On November 22, 1973, a train heading eastbound at 50&nbsp;mph derailed to a switch being open to an industrial track. Two locomotives and the first twelve cars derailed. The engineer Raymond Wilcox died in the accident. During the investigation it was discovered that two juveniles admitted to placing the switch into the reverse direction.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.railfan.net/lists/erielack-digest/200101/msg00174.html | title=(erielack) EL Wreck Windhan, Ohio }}</ref>

The Village of Windham was incorporated in 1892, and on October 12, 1993, the village officially withdrew from Windham Township.<ref name="WindhamVil" />

===Ravenna Arsenal===
In 1940, the [[United States Department of the Army]] reserved {{convert|21418|acre|km2}} in eastern Portage County for the construction of two facilities<ref name="Trespass">OhioTrespassers.com, [http://www.ohiotrespassers.com/arsenal.html Ravenna Arsenal page].  Retrieved October 24, 2007.</ref>  One of these was the Portage Ordnance Depot, which with its twin facility the Ravenna Ordnance Plant became known as the [[Camp Ravenna Joint Military Training Center|Ravenna Arsenal]].  Over 14,000 people were employed at the Arsenal during World War II, and the village of Windham was chosen as the site to house many of these workers.  Windham experienced a population boom as a result; its growth of over 1100% was the largest of any U.S. municipality in the [[United States Census, 1950|1950 Census]], as was reported in the June 1951 edition of ''[[National Geographic]]'' magazine.<ref>Windham Exempted Village School District (1998). [http://windham.sparcc.org/about2.html History of the Windham Schools] Retrieved July 29, 2004.  Site no longer available online, archived at [[Internet Archive]].[https://web.archive.org/web/20040810042334/http://windham.sparcc.org/about2.html]  Archive retrieved October 24, 2007</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the village has a total area of {{convert|2.06|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, all land.<ref name ="Gazetteer files">{{cite web|title=US Gazetteer files 2010|url=https://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/files/Gaz_places_national.txt|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 6, 2013}}</ref> [[Interstate 80]] and the [[Ohio Turnpike]] pass through the village, although there is presently no [[interchange (road)|interchange]] in either Windham or Windham Township. Windham's location on the [[toll highway]], however, has in recent years caused an expansion of [[3G|3G wireless communication services]] for the people of Windham.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.research-store.com/ibcasia/News/alltel_wireless_expands_wireless_broadband_network_in_ohio?productid=82A6270D-EA9D-4A06-94D7-B4A895467A5C |title=Alltel Wireless expands wireless broadband network in Ohio |date=July 21, 2008 |access-date=November 25, 2013 |quote=Coverage also runs east along Interstate 80 from Vermilion to Windham, and extends northeast to Lake County, southeast to the town of Deerfield and southwest to the town of Lodi. |archive-date=December 3, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203004713/http://www.research-store.com/ibcasia/News/alltel_wireless_expands_wireless_broadband_network_in_ohio?productid=82A6270D-EA9D-4A06-94D7-B4A895467A5C |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|1900= 283
|1910= 261
|1920= 314
|1930= 374
|1940= 316
|1950= 3946
|1960= 3777
|1970= 3360
|1980= 3721
|1990= 2943
|2000= 2806
|2010= 2209
|2020= 1666
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census.html|title=Census of Population and Housing|publisher=Census.gov|access-date=June 4, 2015}}</ref>
}}

===2010 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name ="wwwcensusgov">{{cite web|title=U.S. Census website|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 6, 2013}}</ref> of 2010, there were 2,209 people, 786 households, and 598 families residing in the village. The [[population density]] was {{convert|1072.3|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|1}}. There were 1,045 housing units at an average density of {{convert|507.3|/sqmi|/km2|1}}. The racial makeup of the village was 91.2% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.5% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.2% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.2% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.5% from [[Race (U.S. Census)|other races]], and 3.5% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 1.3% of the population.

There were 786 households, of which 45.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.9% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 29.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 7.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 23.9% were non-families. 20.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.14.

The median age in the village was 31.6 years. 31.1% of residents were under the age of 18; 11.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 23.4% were from 45 to 64; and 9.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

===2000 census===
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov|publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]]|access-date=January 31, 2008|title=U.S. Census website}}</ref> of 2000, there were 2,806 people, 959 households, and 729 families residing in the village. The population density was {{convert|1,321.4|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. There were 1,143 housing units at an average density of {{convert|538.2|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the village was 92.94% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.92% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.21% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.07% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.18% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 1.67% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 0.43% of the population.

There were 959 households, out of which 45.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 27.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.9% were non-families. 19.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.31.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 35.9% under the age of 18, 10.2% from 18 to 24, 29.2% from 25 to 44, 17.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females there were 89.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.6 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $31,630, and the median income for a family was $32,679. Males had a median income of $30,791 versus $20,859 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the village was $11,875. About 23.5% of families and 23.8% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 37.1% of those under age 18 and 9.0% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
[[File:Windham high school.jpg|thumb|[[Windham High School (Windham, Ohio)|Windham High School]]]]

[[Windham Exempted Village School District]] operates one elementary school, one middle school, and [[Windham High School (Ohio)|Windham High School]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.windham-schools.org/Schools | title=Our schools | publisher=Windham Exempted Village Schools | access-date=March 3, 2018}}</ref> A private academy was chartered in Windham on February 19, 1835.<ref name="WindhamEVSD" />  Windham Academy was the 44th to be chartered by Ohio.<ref name="OhioHistory">{{cite web  |url=http://publications.ohiohistory.org/ohstemplate.cfm?action=detail&Page=002799.html&StartPage=1&EndPage=271&volume=27&newtitle=Volume%2027%20Page%201  |title=Ohio History the Scholarly Journal of the Ohio Historical Society  }}{{Dead link|date=December 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot }}</ref>  This school closed in 1853, and was replaced by a second, short-lived private school in the 1860s.  Windham High School was founded in 1883, across the street from the present school building.

Windham has a public library, a branch of the Portage County District Library.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.portagelibrary.org/hrsloc | title=Hours & Locations | publisher=Portage County District Library | access-date=March 3, 2018}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
Windham has regular public transit bus service on a weekday [[Portage Area Regional Transportation Authority]] route from Ravenna, that also services [[Garrettsville, Ohio|Garrettsville]] and [[Hiram, Ohio|Hiram]] in eastern Portage County.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.partaonline.org/routes.html |title=PARTA :: Routes and Schedules |access-date=December 17, 2008 |archive-date=June 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100608185352/http://www.partaonline.org/routes.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Thomson Jay Hudson]], parapsychologist
* [[Angela Johnson (writer)|Angela Johnson]], writer
* [[Stan Parrish]], football coach
* [[Dempster Woodworth]], Wisconsin state senator and physician
* [[Laurin D. Woodworth]], politician

==References==
{{reflist|colwidth=30em}}

==External links==
* [http://www.windhamvillage.com/ Village website]
* [http://windhamohio.net Chamber of Commerce website] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071223023716/http://www.windhamohio.net/ |date=December 23, 2007 }}

{{Portage County, Ohio}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Villages in Portage County, Ohio]]
[[Category:Populated places in the United States established in 1811]]
[[Category:Villages in Ohio]]