Community Profile
History of Bowling Green
Overview
Bowling Green draws inspiration and appeal from a diverse mix of business and residents. College and community grow, learn, and work together. With our past reflected in a vibrant, yet carefully preserved, downtown and elegant oil boom mansions, our future is driven by an aggressive, thriving business community strengthened by a strong local economy. Bowling Green is an inviting and friendly town which an increasing number of corporations, businesses and families are happy to call home.
Population
Bowling Green
29,793 (2005 Census Bureau Estimate)
Wood County
123,929 (2005 Census Bureau Estimate)
Labor Force
County
68,800 (Sept. 06 Ohio Labor Market)
MSA
388,600 (Sept. 06 Ohio Labor Market)
Taxes
Tax statistics do not include local reduction factor or rollback
City Income
1.92%
School Income
0.5%
Sales & Use
6.5% State & County
State Income
0.712 to 7.185% for individuals
Real Property
47.210754/$1,000 (Valuation: 35%) – Comm/Ind
Education Facilities
Bowling Green City Schools prepare students through offering a strong curriculum of academic programs. Eighty to eighty-five percent of the high school’s graduating seniors go on to higher education. Vocational students attend classes at Penta Career Center which is currently constructing a new campus that will offer state of the art skills training. The schools also offer a variety of opportunities to participate in sports and the arts.
Bowling Green is served as well by several private schools. Montessori provides classes for students from pre-school through grade six. St. Aloysius and the Bowling Green Christian Academy offer faith based education for students in grades one through eight. Additional information on education in the area can also be found at the web site for the Wood Co. Educational Service Center.
Bowling Green State University provides a quality post-secondary education for more than 19,000 students. 884 faculty members help to maintain a 19:1 student to faculty ratio. In addition, there are twelve colleges and universities within a 50 mile radius of the city. These include Owens Community College, the University of Toledo, and the University of Findlay.
Recreation
Whether you want to bike along a 17 mile trail or enjoy the sounds of jazz & blues at the Black Swamp Arts Festival, Bowling Green offers a wide variety of recreational opportunities. The Bowling Green Parks and Recreation Department provides recreation, sport, fitness, aquatic and outdoor environmental programs and facilities that enhance the quality of life. The parks system consists of 225 acres of nature preserves, shaded picnic groves, athletic fields, parks, hiking trails, and swimming pools. Programs are offered year round for all ages.
Golfers in Bowling Green have a choice of three city courses. Stone Ridge Golf Club and BGSU’s Forrest Creason Golf Club offer full eighteen hole courses and the Bowling Green County Club provides nine holes of play.
Bowling Green State University’s facilities provide additional opportunities for participatory recreation such as hockey and ice skating programs. They also offer a wide variety of teams to support and cheer for throughout the year.
Medical Services
Since 1951, Wood County Hospital has been providing for the health care needs of area residents. The independent, not-for-profit 162-bed community hospital is located on a 37-acre campus in Bowling Green. Wood County Hospital offers a comprehensive range of inpatient and outpatient health services including: primary care, general surgery, orthopedics and weight loss surgery, obstetrics and gynecology, occupational medicine, physical medicine and rehabilitation, sleep disorders treatment, radiology and diagnostic services, health education and wellness programming.
Business & Industry is also well served by Wood County Hospital. ReadyWorks, the hospital’s occupational medicine program, was developed to help balance the dynamics between the employer, employee, medical provider and insurer. The goal is to maintain employee health, prevent workplace injuries, return employees to work and reduce employer healthcare costs. WCH’s services are designed to help companies provide quality medical treatment to their employees, reduce Workers’ Compensation and absenteeism costs, provide a medical liaison for communication and coordination between the employer, physician, and employee and managed care organization.
Bowling Green is home to numerous health care organizations and behavioral health services. The Wood County Health Department serves more than 120,000 area residents each year with immunizations and other health-related services. In addition, major medical centers and the Medical University of Ohio are within easy driving distance for specialized services.