WELCOME TO JACKSON CENTER, 45334

The 50 Things You Should Know!

1. While our community is growing at a consistent and manageable growth rate, we are poised for expansion in residential growth with 3 areas for new development. 

a. Westwood Estates is the newest area with 15 extra-large lots. It is a prime residential area of the village with 14 lots sold and 8 new homes recently completed. The Subdivision is in close proximity to our expanding Tiger Trail Park with a paved walking track and multiple soccer fields. 

b. Eastwood Estates has potential of further development with 20 platted lots and has 3 new homes under construction. There is availability to develop an additional 40 more lots in this subdivision. This subdivision is near Wally Byam Memorial Park with playground, new T-ball fields, and updated swimming pool in 2020.

c. Another prime residential development, Hudson Lake Estates, is expanding in 2024 with 24 larger lots for upper mid-range homes. An additional phase is in the early planning stages. This development has a HOA-owned commons area with private, well-stocked lake and walking track. Subdivision is close to school and near to Wally Byam Park.

2. Jackson Center Local School District is small geographically but it is in an area of highly competitive academic and athletic schools. Jackson Center, as well as other Shelby County and area schools, can boast routinely sending teams and individuals to district, regional, and state events. The cooperation and competition between schools and communities as well as our outstanding families and school staff contribute to maximizing the Jackson Center students’ overall educational experience. 

3. Jackson Center School has a proven record of continuing excellence as indicated by the Ohio School Report Card. In 2021-2022, the state report card transitioned to using STARS instead of a letter grade to better show a district’s strengths. The most recent year, Jackson Center was rated as an overall “Five Star School District”, the ONLY one in Shelby County. Only 75 schools received the 5-Star rating out of 880 total schools in Ohio. Furthermore, for the most recent school years of 2021-2022 and 2022-2023, Jackson Center school received 24 out of a possible 25 STARS on the latest report cards. Only 12 schools scored 25 stars leaving Jackson Center Schools tied for 13th place out of 607 public schools. The categories include Achievement, Progress, Gap Closing, Graduation, and Early Literacy. Furthermore, the athletic teams consistently have students that excel in the classroom and are in the top schools in the state in Team GPA. The 2022-2023 Boy’s basketball team had the 3rd highest GPA of any size school in the state of Ohio finishing just 0.002 out of first place.

4. Jackson Center School’s buildings and grounds were either newly built or updated in time for the 2017-2018 school year. The building has been featured in architectural magazines and is poised for growth into the future. The community’s, local businesses’, and industries’ support of the project was tremendous and continues to go far beyond bricks and mortar. 

5. Jackson Center School’s Programs are very well attended and are coached/taught by respected, highly successful, well-supported personnel. The sports’ programs have produced many elite athletic achievements and championships while the school’s music, drama and arts programs at the school are at the highest levels they have ever been. The dedicated educators working with these programs have the students performing at superior levels at each performance. Finally, the students at Jackson Center are expected to learn the value of service. Countless hours are put in each year serving veterans, those less fortunate, and those that cannot help themselves. The staff and students of the school district are proud of who they have become and who they will be in the future! 

6. We have an extraordinary industrial community within our village and the surrounding township. It is highly coveted by many other communities within the state. We currently have 2 of Shelby County’s top 4 employers with Airstream, Inc. and Plastipak Packaging. Both are also in the top 40 employers within the Greater Dayton area.

7. Airstream, Inc. completed construction of a new 750,000 square foot “state of the art” plant in 2019. This is in addition to their existing manufacturing facilities and service center. The new plant houses their iconic, aluminum travel trailer while allowing their pre-existing facilities to be used for expansion of existing and new product lines. Their current employment is over 1,400 with many job opportunities available.

8. In addition to new offices and engineering space, Airstream’s new facility includes their Airstream Heritage Center for the many tourists, students, and customers that come to our village daily to take the Airstream plant tour that was chosen as one of the best in America. These informative tours were temporarily suspended in March of 2020 due to the pandemic but have resumed in 2022. Reservations for the tour are recommended. Airstream is the premier manufacturer of towable travel trailers and Class B motor coaches in the RV market today. They continue to be the leader in RV luxury and innovation by constantly refining and offering many options to fit any lifestyle. The Heritage Center houses some “classic” Airstreams from the past, displays of their world-wide travels and history, a gift shop and the Caravan Café serving Starbucks coffee and snacks. Airstream Heritage Center opened the summer of 2022.

9. Plastipak Manufacturing is located just outside of our village and is a 3-shift operation that employs another 700+ employees. As a worldwide company, they supply plastic bottles to local Pepsi and Procter & Gamble plants in Lima, OH, among others. Their Research and Development Dept. within the Village leads the way in plastic bottle technology.

10. Honda Manufacturing has plants within a few miles to our west (engine plant) and to our east (transmission plant) with a great deal of traffic between them with several area families having some employment connection to these plants. Their main Ohio automotive assembly plants in East Liberty and Marysville also have many workers in our area.

11. We have several other smaller solid businesses that have been successfully operating and employing people within the village for many years. EMI Inc. is a world-wide leader in conveyors and plastics manufacturing equipment. Lacal Equipment is a nation-wide distributor of replacement parts for governmental and private service equipment, such as snowplows, street sweepers, and mowing equipment. Rising Sun Trucking, Whiteline Express Trucking, and Shelby Transport are regional and nationwide trucking companies. Prodeva Inc. manufacturers quality recycling equipment, Precision Details is a top-quality machining industry, and BRI, LLC recycles batteries. The ingenuity, forward thinking, and overall master craftsmanship of these companies and their founders have made them important contributors to our community. Countless ideas and patents, both past and present, have been generated within our village to lead the way in innovation and problem solving. The diversity of these industries is extremely valuable in maintaining a strong, local economy.

12. The total area employment and number of jobs available within our village and township is currently well over 2,500 and expected to rise. A good deal of these workers come to our village every day from nearby communities, some driving 30 miles or more.

13. The unemployment rate for Jackson Center/Shelby County in November 2023 was 2.8% (Ohio Dept. of Job & Family Services). The quality work ethic and hard-working employees of the area has made this a prime area for business and industry to locate and thrive. Shelby County has the highest per capita, industrial workforce in the state of Ohio. While we are located in the northeast corner of Shelby County, we are but a couple of miles from neighboring Logan county (2.5% unemployment) and Auglaize county (2.3% unemployment), which gives us a very good area to draw quality workers. For comparison, Ohio’s Overall Unemployment rate for December 2023 was 3.7%.

14. Access to the village is convenient and easy as we are 7 miles east of I-75 and 11 miles west of US-33. These 2 major thoroughfares are connected by SR 274 which runs East and West directly through the Village. SR 65 also provides good highway access to points South and North. The Dayton International Airport is 45 minutes to the south and John Glenn International Airport in Columbus is approximately 1.25 hour to the east. There are also nearby regional airports in New Knoxville, Sidney, Bellefontaine, and Lima. The I&O Railroad also passes through the Village and provides rail access.

15. Jackson Center has a Residential and Business Community Reinvestment Area (CRA) within our village limits that allows for real estate tax abatement on approved improvements. Businesses and industries that create jobs and improve their facilities can receive up to 15 years of 100% abatement on any updates and/or new construction. The Village works with the local School Boards to determine the abatement and recipients are asked to work with local schools by donating through a P.I.L.O.T. program (Payment In Lieu Of Taxes). This CRA tax abatement is an attractive incentive for new businesses as well as expansion of existing companies. 

16. The Residential portion of the CRA Ordinance, provides the homeowner a 5-year, tax abatement to encourage new home construction and remodeling. The home owner receives 100% abatement of the improvements for 5 years if applied for within 6 months of completion of their project. Remodeling of existing homes also qualifies for the CRA if improvements are over $8,000. Over 100 new homes have been added to the community since the CRA’s creation. 

17. Jackson Center is a “Public Power” community with our own municipal-owned electric system which includes a 9-acre solar field with 6,894 solar panels generating 2.34 megawatts of electricity. 20% of this generated power is owned and retained by the village and the other 80% is “added into the grid” to share with other municipal-owned systems. While all the electricity is actually used within the community, it is power that doesn’t need brought into the village from other renewable sources. We placed a new sub-station on line in 2019 to assist in better service to our residents and businesses with better distribution of power within the grid and more reliable equipment. The personnel in our electric system are highly trained and work with other municipal power systems as needed to ensure quality service year after year. The Electric system had a 99.98% reliability rating in 2023.

18. JC’s Municipal electric system allows us to maintain equitable utility rates for water and sewer customers that are lower than many other communities. Ownership of an electric system allows us to control some of the pumping costs associated with water and sewer rates and permits us to keep our rates in the lower 1/2 of all municipal rates in Ohio. Additionally, owning our own electric system allows for free street lighting throughout the Village with no additional charge to homeowners or businesses.

19. Our Tap Fees, for someone who may be constructing new facilities, remain some of the lowest in the state which helps new home builders keep additional costs down with the lower tap fees. Tap fees for water and sewer for a typical new home are only $800 with an additional $300 for storm water. Many municipalities are $100’s or even $1,000’s higher than Village rates.

20. Our Municipal employees have a great combination of experience, knowledge, and youth. Many employees are cross-trained to other departments to allow smooth flow of our operations. We also work with many area villages with Mutual Aid to allow services to continue when adversity arises. We are blessed with employees that are part of our community. Our streets are well-maintained and we are constantly improving our water, wastewater, and electric facilities. The Village also continues to improve storm water runoff retention to minimize flooding from heavy rains. With recent improvements and additions, our storm water system currently holds back over 40,000,000 gallons of storm water before it is gradually released from Village detention basins into Jackson Creek.

21. Gas Aggregation, through American Municipal Power (AMP), allows all residents and businesses to combine with other municipalities to have greater bargaining power for the purchase of natural gas. The aggregation secures a fixed rate for natural gas costs for periods of 1 to 4 years to get a cost effective, stable gas price.

22. We have a village owned pool and park system that has been in existence for over 50 years. The JC Municipal Pool at Wally Byam Park underwent a major renovation in 2019 and 2020 to be able to get many more years of service from this valuable asset to the community. The pool celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2019. The pool’s renovation includes a zero entry for easy walk-in access, a stainless-steel liner, water slide, and renovations to the pool house. There is also a splash pad area with several features for the younger children to play and cool off on those hot summer days. It is also available to be rented for private pool parties on select evenings.

23. The park system has expanded to 3 locations- Wally Byam Memorial Park, Veterans Memorial Park, and the new Tiger Trail Park. The park system includes playground equipment, T-ball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, pickleball courts, basketball courts, shelter houses, picnic tables, grills, walking tracks, wooded nature paths, relaxing benches, wooded areas, and a fishing pond. There is ample lighted parking at each location and a recently completed extension of the walking track at Tiger Trail Park. More improvements are under construction in 2024, including continued construction of a complex that will include 2 new baseball fields and 2 new softball fields.

24. Our area churches are strong supporters of the area residents, our schools, and the Community. You will find a welcoming faith home at Grace Lutheran Church and Jackson Center Methodist Church within the Village limits, while Christ The King Church, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, St. Jacob’s Lutheran Church, St. Lawrence Catholic Church, and Maplewood Methodist Church are all within a few miles of the Village. Many of our residents belong to or attend these seven churches. 

25. The village has a “mass notification system” that will notify residents, or anyone who applies for the service, of any information pertaining to emergencies or issues that arise due to power outages, water issues, weather related issues, police matters, or street closures. It can be used for all types of urgent information and can be village-wide or specific to an area of the village. The message can go via an email, a land line, cell phone, text, or all of these options that the resident chooses. The county has a similar notification system for county emergencies.

26. The population in the 2020 US census was 1,441. This represented a 6.8% increase in population from 2000. Shelby County increased 3.2% during this same period. The median age is 35.0.

27. There have been 105* zoning permits issued for new home (or duplexes) construction since 2000. The 2020 Census numbers officially list 656 housing units within the village with a 6% vacancy rate. 65.6% of those occupied were by the home owner. The remaining 34.4% were listed as renter occupied. According to US Census numbers, the average rent is $800-$1,200 for a 2-3-bedroom home in Jackson Center. The unoccupied units have dropped drastically since 2009. (*Through December 31, 2023)

28. The 2020 American Census Bureau lists the median Household Income for the Village of Jackson Center at $58,897. The Bureau also reports a median “Family” Household Income as $71,250 and the “Married-couple” Median Household Income as $87,098.   The American Community Survey Results lists JC residents as having 12.3% of our population fall within the “Low National Income” Range, 65.5% of our population is in the “Medium National Income” Range, and 22.2% is in the “High National Income” Range.

29. The Sperling’s Best Places shows home appreciation in the last 10 years to average 8.35% per year. 2021 had a 11.9% appreciation with a median home price of $168,000. Currently, the housing market remains extremely good for home owners due to the high demand and reasonable interest rates.

30. Sperling’s Best Places also rates cost of living by location. The US National average is 100 and Ohio’s number is 82.7. For comparison, Jackson Center’s cost of living number is listed at 78.1 which is well below the national and state averages. The biggest factor in the overall, lower cost of living is housing costs. Other factors include grocery, health, utilities, transportation, and miscellaneous. 

31. The Village is home to 2 very active medical practices associated with 2 area health systems. Mary Rutan Hospital, Jackson Center Family Care has two physicians and one FNP that practice in Jackson Center and are part of the Mary Rutan Hospital System and Urgent Care located in Bellefontaine, Ohio (18 miles). Wilson Health, Jackson Center Practice, has one physician and one CNP with an office location in the Village and is part of the area-wide, Wilson Health Hospital and Urgent Care system based in Sidney, OH (15 miles). Lima, OH is home to the Lima Memorial Health System and Mercy Health - St. Rita’s Medical Center. Both have additional, extensive resources and specialists. Troy, OH is home to Upper Valley Medical Center (Premier Health) and Troy Hospital, Kettering Health Network. All are conveniently located and within reasonable driving distances of Jackson Center. And if needed, hospitals in Columbus and Dayton are just over an hour away.

32. In addition to hospital affiliated medical practices, the village is home to one of the region’s longest operating chiropractic care offices, Huffer Chiropractic and Wellness Center, which has 4 full time chiropractors and a nutritionist on staff offering full services in chiropractic health care, education, and nutrition. This well-known and respected office is on the leading edge of new technology and trends in chiropractic health care. The Center also has 2 other locations with chiropractors in Dublin, OH and Osgood, OH.

33. The Village has several area options for other medical care. The closest for dental care is Botkins Family Dental Care which has 3 dentists available to serve you. Sidney, OH offers other dental options that accept new patients as well as orthodontic services. Primary Eye Care Associates in Sidney and other area optometrists, serve the village for eye exams, eyewear, and contacts. Valley Eye Institute is an area leader in laser eye surgery.

34. JC has a full-service pharmacy in Jackson Pharmacy and Wellness Center. The staff there is very accommodating to your needs and helpful with any of your prescription needs. They work within many insurance programs and Part D Medicare to offer reasonable pricing to their customers with personal care. They offer free delivery to their Jackson Center area customers.

35. The Village is home to Farmers and Merchants State Bank (Formerly Peoples Federal Savings and Loan of Sidney) as well as Peoples Savings and Loan of West Liberty, both conveniently located in the downtown area. The 2 banking facilities offer a wide variety of options for investing and borrowing with personal attention. US Bank has branches just a few miles away in Anna and Botkins as well as other regional and national banking options within short distances in neighboring communities.

36. Jackson Center has several options for purchasing local needs including 2 very well-established insurance agencies, an auto parts store, a hardware store, a diverse variety/grocery store, two quick marts, a car repair facility, a barber shop, beauty salon and local gift shops. With our proximity to many shopping opportunities in other nearby communities, we are constantly seeking and assisting entrepreneurs to invest locally for more retail business within our Village.

37. Curly’s Custom Meats is a premiere, award-winning, meat processor selling quality meats to the public for over 50 years. They are completing construction of a new location within the Village in 2024 for a more efficient operation with a larger store for retail sales. The new location will accommodate meat processing from “hoof to freezer” in a state of the industry facility. They will remain at their previous location for extra services. The new facility will include a new retail store that will also be handling fresh produce from a regional supplier and other related items and beverages. 

38. While local grocery shopping is limited and continues to be a focus moving forward, Family Dollar offers many grocery items and variety items locally. Fresh vegetables, fruits and deli needs nearby are markets in nearby Anna (Anna Market), Indian Lake (Community Market), Huntsville (Hurley Family Farms), and Logansville (Saucy Sows Market). If you wish to drive slightly farther, Jackson Center is almost centrally located between Sidney (our County Seat, 14.1 miles), Wapakoneta (16.9 miles), and Bellefontaine (18.7 miles). All of which are medium size cities that offer larger markets such as Walmart, Kroger, and a variety of shopping opportunities.

39. Dining is somewhat limited but is an area the village is constantly working to improve for our residents and visitors. Mama J’s Pizza opened in December 2023 and offers pizza, subs, salads, and more on a carry-out or dine-in basis. They currently have limited evening hours Thursday through Sunday but plan on expanding hours and services as the business grows. This is their second location in the area. The Heidout has daily home cooked specials and has been a JC staple for 10 years. It offers a friendly atmosphere for a meal or a casual beverage. Casey’s is the 5th largest distributor of pizza in the US and offer a variety of subs, fresh donuts, and quick food items. The deli at the Village Pantry offers sandwiches, snacks, and fresh donuts. A new project coming in 2024 is Sip and Stream which offers a mobile, Airstream food trailer with a permanent block and mortar location. They plan to open in 2024 with a menu of coffee and other drinks in addition to breakfast and lunch items. Drake and Company is a local food catering and food trailer service with a unique and delicious food menu. They travel to other communities and do catering while maintaining a regular, weekly stop in the Village. Nearby Bergman Bakery offers a nice selection of homemade cakes, cookies, and pastries. The Village is continuously working with on additions to our local fare with new possibilities arising at any time. Of course, a night out in any of the 3 nearby cities (Sidney, Bellefontaine, and Wapakoneta) offers many other dining options with craft beer bars, sports bars, and family restaurants available for your dining pleasure. For a wider selection of options, Lima is slightly farther away but within 30 minutes, and we are only an hour’s drive from Columbus, Dayton, and Findlay.

40. The Family Life Center and The American Legion Post #493 offer central meeting places to the community for events. The FLC can be “rented” at no charge for non-profits with a simple check list of “to-do” items afterwards. It includes a meeting hall, a small kitchen, and can also include a small gym available for basketball, volleyball, or pickleball. The American Legion is available for larger events with a large kitchen area and increased seating capacity. The American Legion Scherer Post 493 and the Sons of the American Legion Detachment have a monthly chicken fry on the first Saturday of each month, September thru May. Both locations have reasonable rental rates for individual and business events. 

41. The Family Life Center also houses The Fish Pond Food Pantry and The Knitworthy Clothes Closet. The Fish Pond community food pantry is run by a board of 9 area churches (Methodist, Lutheran, and Catholic) and it distributes food to needy families the second and fourth Wednesdays each month. Those from Jackson Center, Botkins, or Maplewood communities are eligible to come and seek assistance with the proper documentation. In 2018, they distributed over $24,000 in wholesale food products in addition to the many hundreds of donated items. The Knitworthy Clothes Closet is a ministry of the Jackson Center Methodist Church that is open during the same time periods as the food pantry and at other times by appointment. All clothing is free to those in need.

42. The community residents and area churches also support the We Care Fund which temporarily assists residents who may have fallen into a time of need to assist in helping them recover from their struggles. It is administered by a small board that reviews the need and amount of assistance available. Area churches and donations provide the funds.

43. The American Club is a women’s club that has been in JC for 100 years. As one of their projects over the years, they have raised the funds to build and maintain the local branch of the Amos Memorial Library. No other regional library branch was funded, or continues to be maintained, in this way. In 2022 they merged with the former Junior American Club to be able to continue to support the community. In addition to the American Club there are several other organizations that support our community, school, students, and athletes. These clubs help to minimize costs on parents and taxpayers, and in general make our community a better place to live. A few of these clubs and organizations include, JC Fine Arts Boosters- Tiger Notes & Strokes, JC Tiger Athletic Boosters, JCYSO (Jackson Center Youth Sports Organization), Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, Girl Scouts, 4-H Clubs, Jackson Center PTA, and others. 

44. The Greater Jackson Center Area Growth Association is our local organization of businesses, industries, government and individuals that works for the betterment of Jackson Center and the individual businesses. They also provide Trustees to the Jackson Center Community Improvement Corporation (CIC) which works with the Village government to maintain, attract, and enhance business and industry in Jackson Center. As one of the main activities of the GJCAGA, they sponsor our annual Community Days Festival which is typically the weekend after Memorial Day and the first weekend in June. The festival includes entertainment, rides, food, competitions, Queen and Little Miss pageants, a large raffle, parade and many other activities.

45. Jackson Center is home to Shelby County’s only active movie theater. The Elder Theater has been in operation in the village since 1943 and shows first-run, digital movies in 2-D and 3-D format. The current owners have operated the Elder for over 40 years. A community non-profit, The Friends of the Elder Theatre, has recently been formed as a non-profit to purchase the theater and assume ownership of the Elder to allow it to continue operations as non-profit entertainment venue. All movies are currently $5.00 and they have the best popcorn that can be found anywhere.

46. Our insurance fire rating is currently an ISO Rating of 4. This means that although our fire department is volunteer, their training, equipment, and village water supply assists in keeping our insurance rates low for homeowners. The fire department maintains their equipment to get their maximum life but still keep up to date on having equipment that serves our community best. They recently obtained a used ladder truck with high pumping rates to respond to the need for additional equipment. They also work with other area fire departments on “mutual aid” which allows additional service to Jackson Center and the other neighboring districts in the event of catastrophic fires.

47. Our Police Department has 3 full Time police officers, including our Chief with 20 years of experience in police work. Our department also includes Officer Tyson, an admirably trained, police canine who is an expert in the fields of narcotics, tracking, and evidence recovery. In addition, to these dedicated full-time officers, we have four part-time police officers that assist with patrols during unmanned shifts, weekends, sporting events, community festivals, and as needed. Crime in the US is ranked on a scale of 1 (low crime) to 100 (high crime) by Sperling’s Best Places. Jackson Center has a violent crime rating of only 5.5 (The U.S. Avg is 22.7) and a Property Crime rating of 25.4 (U.S. Avg is 35.4).

48. The Village offers many services to residents not easily found in other communities to enhance your experience of living in Jackson Center. Dump truck rental (in lieu of dumpster), leaf pickup, limb pickup, Christmas tree pickup, recycling area, and a grass clipping dump station are just some examples of extra services provided.

49. There are several colleges and universities within the area within easy driving distance where additional education is offered such as Edison State College, Ohio State-Lima Branch, Northwestern University-Lima, Wright State- Celina Branch, Ohio Northern University, University of Findlay, or Bluffton College. Jackson Center High School also offers opportunities for college credits for enrolled students permitting students to gain college credits before actually enrolling in a college or university. For more information contact Jackson Center Local schools. 

50. YOU ARE WELCOME HERE!! Jackson Center is a great small town to be a part of and we encourage you to do just that. There are organizations, churches, businesses, school groups and employers that need you! We encourage you to be part of something great! Each person contributing only makes us better friends, neighbors, employees, and family. 

Participate. Be positive. Ask questions. Be involved. Make Jackson Center your home! WELCOME HOME!