Life in Logan County
Logan County offers the best of both worlds. Residents can enjoy life in a warm, rural community surrounded by rolling cornfields yet enjoy the amenities of the bigger cities of Columbus and Dayton, Ohio, located just an hour away. Bellefontaine, the Logan County seat, is a beautiful, small community that is enjoying a youthful downtown revitalization. The city, surrounded by several large companies, including those on the Fortune 500 list, is focusing on economic development and providing a desirable place for residents to live, work and raise a family. It boasts 159 acres of park land, and the Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District offers a variety of activities, including youth sports, for young people and adults.
Cost of Living
Bellefontaine has a cost of living that is about 7.5 percent lower than the Ohio average and 25 percent lower than the U.S. average. The average home price, for example, is $105,100, compared to a national average of $231,200, according to Best Places to Live.
Schools
The Bellefontaine area is home to two public school systems: Bellefontaine City School District and Benjamin Logan Local School District. The Bellefontaine City School District has a Niche.com score of B+, and is an above-average public school district. With 2,417 students in grades K-12, the district has a student-teacher ratio of 14 to 1. According to state test scores, 65 percent of students are proficient in math and 63 percent in reading. Benjamin Logan School District has a Niche.com score of B. With 1,722 students in grades K-12, it has a student-teacher ratio of 16 to 1. According to state test scores, 72 percent of the students in Benjamin Logan are proficient in math and 65 percent in reading. Both school districts offer a variety of clubs and activities, college prep, Advanced Placement and gifted courses for their students. Three other school districts — Indian Lake, Riverside and West Liberty — also exists within the community. Logan County is located within a short drive from many private and public universities.
Amenities
In addition to its thriving Bellefontaine Joint Recreation District, Bellefontaine provides several area attractions for its residents. In fact, the city scored an A- for the number and variety of amenities close to home.
Natural Attractions
Living in Logan County and Bellefontaine makes it easy to get out and enjoy outdoor activities. A few of the recreational areas surrounding Bellefontaine include:
- Mad River Mountain: The ski and snowboard resort located in Valley Hi, Ohio, is just a short 7.5-mile drive southeast of Bellefontaine. Mad River Mountain features 144 acres of land and has been a fixture in Ohio for more than 50 years. In addition to skiing and snowboarding, Mad River Mountain offers a 1,000-foot-long tubing hill with 11 lanes of sliding.
- Ohio Caverns and Zane Shawnee Caverns: Both sites offer guided tours of natural underground cave systems. Zane Shawnee Caverns, located just outside of Bellefontaine, is a Native-American owned business that features a campground with cabins, a show cave and a Native American museum. Ohio Caverns, located in West Liberty, are the largest in the state with more than two miles of surveyed passages. The private, family-owned business offers guided tours of the caverns, which are open year-round.
- Indian Lake State Park: Located about 17 miles northwest of Bellefontaine, the state park features a 5,100-acre lake that is nestled around the town of Russells Point. The park offers many recreational opportunities, from boating and jet-skiing to fishing and camping. The 800-acre state park also offers two beaches for swimmers, as well as campsites for those who want to sleep out under the stars.
Dining and Shopping
The city of Bellefontaine’s downtown area has enjoyed a recent renewal as young entrepreneurs have invested in starting small businesses next to some longstanding businesses:
- Six Hundred Downtown
- Olde Mint Antiques
- Nest 1896
- City Sweets & Creamery
- Craft Paper Scissors
- Peach Tree Boutique
- Native Coffee
Entertainment
When you’re yearning for rest or relaxation, social fun or to hit the links with a friend or colleague, you won’t have to go far. Bellefontaine has several choices:
- Cherokee Hills Golf Course
- Liberty Hills Golf Course
- Roundhouse Depot Brewing
- Brewfontaine
- Holland Theatre
- Bellefontaine 8 Cinema
- T P Bowling Lanes
- Tradewinds Day Spa
Demographics
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Logan County has a total population of 45,325 people. Of that population, 94.7 percent are white, and 1.9 percent are Latino. African Americans make up 1.9 percent of the population. About 90 percent of the population in Logan County and in Bellefontaine age 25 and older have a high-school diploma and about 15.6 percent of the population has a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Logan County has a median income of $51,136, and about 6.6 percent of the population under age 65 does not have health insurance, which makes our mission of providing health care available to everyone, without regard for their ability to pay, even more important in our community.
