Lima

Sister cities

• Harima

History

In the years after the American Revolution, the Shawnee were the most prominent residents of west central Ohio, growing in numbers and permanency after the 1794 Treaty of Greenville. By 1817, the United States had created the Hog Creek Reservation for the local Shawnee, covering portions of what would become Allen and Auglaize counties, and including part of present-day Lima. The creation of the Shawnee reservation freed other lands in the area for settlement, and in February 1820, the Ohio legislature formally established Allen County. In 1831, the Shawnee were forced to surrender all their land in the area to the United States and relocated to Kansas, opening all of Allen County to settlement. The Ohio legislature mandated that a county seat be established and "Lima" was the result. Lima was named after Lima, Peru's capital city. The name was reputedly chosen in a nod to the Peruvian capital which, during the 1800s, was a major source of quinine, an anti-malaria drug for which there had been a demand in the region, an area known as the Great Black Swamp. Since 1831, Lima has been the center of government for Allen County, the first of its three courthouses erected in the city's first year. The foundations of city life followed in quick order. The first school appeared in 1832. Lima's first physician, Dr. William Cunningham, arrived in 1831. 1836 brought the first newspaper to Lima. Lima was officially organized as a city in 1842. Henry DeVilliers Williams was its first mayor. The first public school opened in 1850. In 1854, the first train appeared in Lima, a harbinger of later economic success. Also in 1854, a cholera outbreak in Delphos (a town in Allen County northwest of Lima) spread throughout west central Ohio. Countywide problems caused by the contaminated…

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The Ottawa River flows through the city. Locals sometimes refer to the river as "Hawg Creek". This resembles a traditional local name used dating back to the Hog Creek Shawnee community that existed between Lima and present Ada, prior to the Shawnee removal of 1831. This removal made possible the official founding of "Lima" as a formal town in that year. Lima has a Humid continental climate (Köppen: Dfa) where there are 4 distinct seasons. Rainfall is more common from April to August, rainfall levels reach . Snowfall is at its peak in January, where it reaches .

Race & ethnicity

Largest nearby schools

• Elida Elementary
  Elementary · Elida · 1,018 students · 20:1 ratio
• Lima Senior High School
  High · Lima · 1,013 students
• Apollo Career Center
  High · Lima · 824 students · 13.1:1 ratio
• Bath Elementary School
  Elementary · Lima · 800 students
• Shawnee Middle School
  Middle · Lima · 727 students · 17.3:1 ratio
• Shawnee High School
  High · Lima · 707 students · 18.1:1 ratio
• Elida High School
  High · Elida · 628 students · 17.9:1 ratio
• Elida Middle School
  Middle · Elida · 537 students · 18.5:1 ratio