The county seat of Allen County and the largest city in West Central Ohio, Lima is quite literally located at the crossroads of America. Just south of US-30 and west of Interstate 75, you can drive east or west to either coast and north or south to either border without changing roadways. While originally named after Lima, Peru, Lima is actually pronounced LY-ma.
After local businessman Benjamin Faurot accidentally struck oil in the late 1800’s, John Rockefeller and Standard Oil set up shop in Lima, which was the largest oil field in the US for about a decade. Lima also has a long history in manufacturing. Lima Locomotive Works built the Shay Locomotive, which at one time captured 20% of the national market for locomotives. Superior Coach Company was once the world’s largest producer of busses and funeral coaches. The Lima Army Tank Plant built the Pershing and now M1A2 tanks for the US Army. Ford has had an engine plant here since 1957. Westinghouse, Airfoil Textron, Dana, and more have all enlisted the hard-working men and women of Lima to build their products.
Lima is a healthcare hub for West Central Ohio. Mercy Health St. Rita’s Medical Center and Lima Memorial Health System are the two largest employers in the city. Lima Memorial is a Level-2 trauma center and St. Rita’s has partnerships with Nationwide Children’s Hospital and The James Cancer Institute to provide the very best healthcare right here without having to travel. Lima is also home to the Orthopedic Institute of Ohio, an inpatient orthopedic surgery center with 25 Board-certified surgeons.
Lima has multiple options for parents with school-age children to consider. Students in the Lima City Schools attend elementary and middle schools located in their neighborhood before joining the rest of the schools at Lima Senior High. Lima Catholic schools likewise have multiple elementary schools before combining into one class at Lima Central Catholic High School. Both Lima Senior and Lima Central Catholic are known for their athletics. Lima Central Catholic has appeared in ten boys basketball “Final Fours”, winning three, while Lima Senior players have won three statewide “Mr. Basketball” awards. There are also two other parochial school systems, Temple Christian and Lima Christian Academy, located in the city.
There is much to offer residents by way of entertainment and dining. Each starts with the downtown area, which is in the midst of a renaissance due to significant public and private investment. Catch a national touring act or a Lima Symphony Orchestra concert at the Veterans Memorial Civic Center. Take in an art show at the ArtSpace gallery in the town square. Walk from the new Central District to the new Spring & Main development while enjoying your favorite beverage in the outdoor DORA (downtown outdoor refreshment area). The two developments have a combined six restaurants, a coffee shop, and several other specialty food stores and are anchored in between by the new Greater Lima Region Amphitheater. No visit to Lima is complete without a Kewpee, home of the mity mice burger, and one of the Top 10 fast casual restaurants in the country according to TripAdvisor.
Lima is the 190th largest television market in the country and has the distinction of being the smallest market with a local affiliate of all four major networks (NBC, ABC, CBS, FOX). Additionally, Lima has two locally-owned Christian television stations, one of which specializes in local high school sports programming. The area is served by 22 FM radio stations, three AM radio stations, and a daily newspaper, The Lima News.
Lima is a special place that really punches above its weight class. You will not find a city of 35,000 residents that has more to offer residents in recreation, arts, culture, dining, education, healthcare, and retail than Lima, Ohio. Come see the city for yourself and discover why its all good in Lima!
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