| Official Name: | St. Marys, Ohio |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Nickname: | Ridertown[1] |
| Motto: | Where living is a pleasure |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Image Map1: | Map of Auglaize County Ohio Highlighting Saint Marys City.png |
| Mapsize1: | 250px |
| Map Caption1: | Location of St. Marys in Auglaize County |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ohio |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Auglaize |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Joseph Hurlburt (R)[2] |
| Leader Title1: | Director of Public Service and Safety |
| Leader Name1: | Gregory J. Foxhoven |
| Established Title: | incorporated |
| Established Date: | 1834 |
| Area Footnotes: | [3] |
| Area Total Km2: | 12.17 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 4.70 |
| Area Land Km2: | 12.09 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 4.67 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.08 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.03 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Note: | census |
| Population Total: | 8397 |
| Population Density Km2: | 694.56 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 1798.84 |
| Timezone: | EST |
| Utc Offset: | -4 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Coordinates: | 40.5489°N -84.3733°W |
| Elevation Ft: | 869 |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 45885 |
| Area Code: | 419 |
| Website: | www.cityofstmarys.net |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 39-69680[4] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2396505 |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
St. Marys is a city in Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. Located in western Ohio, it is west of Wapakoneta and east of the Ohio–Indiana border. Founded in 1823, the city is located on a portage between the St. Marys and Auglaize river systems, which was a significant factor in its development before the era of canals. The population was 8,397 at the 2020 census. It is included in the Wapakoneta micropolitan area.
After the Revolutionary War, the Shawnee village on the site became known as Girty's Town for the Indian traders James and Simon Girty, who had a trading post on the site. James Girty was originally a partner of Peter Loramie, but fled to the St. Marys River when Loramie's trading post was burned in 1782. Girty maintained his trading post between 1783 and 1790 and fled when General Harmar's army approached. He later returned to the post. When General Anthony Wayne approached the St. Marys area in 1794, James Girty packed up his goods and fled to Canada, thus ending the Girty Brothers era in Ohio. The village retained the name until the modern town was founded in 1823.
When General Wayne returned through the St. Marys area late in 1794 after the Battle of Fallen Timbers, he found the site deserted but noted its strategic location as a portage between the St. Mary's River and Auglaize River. He ordered a fort built on the location. Fort St. Mary's, named for the nearby river, was built by a detachment under Lieutenant John Michael in Oct. 1795 following the Treaty of Greenville. Lieutenant John Whistler was placed in charge of the garrison.[5]
In 1812, Gen. William Henry Harrison found the fort in ruins, and built a fort named Fort Barbee on an adjacent site.[6] Col. Joshua Barbee was placed in charge of the fort.
St. Marys was the site of the signing of the, and the six treaties comprising Treaty of St. Mary's of 1818. The latter treaty secured about a third of the state of Indiana from the Miami and Delaware Indians for the United States. The fort was abandoned shortly afterward.
The earliest settlers arrived in 1820. St. Marys was founded by William Houston and John McCorkle, and Charles Murray, in 1823. They bought 400acres of land and laid out the village of 68 lots. The village was incorporated as a town in 1834 and Judge Stacy Taylor was elected its first mayor. The town surpassed the threshold of 5,000 persons and became a city in 1904.
St. Marys was the county seat of Mercer County from 1824 until 1840 when the seat was moved to Celina. After Auglaize County was organized in 1848, St. Marys competed with Wapakoneta for the position as county seat but was ultimately unsuccessful in a controversial countywide election.[7]
Three properties in St. Marys are listed on the National Register of Historic Places: the former Fountain Hotel, the Dr. Issac Elmer Williams House and Office, and the former Holy Rosary Catholic Church, which was destroyed one year before it was placed on the Register.[8]
St. Marys is a part of the Tree City USA national program.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.62sqmi, of which 4.59sqmi is land and 0.03sqmi is water.[9]
Saint Marys is home to Memorial High School.
As of the census[10] of 2010, there were 8,332 people, 3,283 households, and 2,194 families residing in the city. The population density was 1815.3PD/sqmi. There were 3,620 housing units at an average density of 788.7/sqmi. The racial makeup of the city was 96.7% White, 0.4% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.1% Pacific Islander, 0.4% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.3% of the population.
There were 3,283 households, of which 33.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.7% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.2% were non-families. 28.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.08.
The median age in the city was 37.5 years. 26.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.7% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 25% were from 25 to 44; 25.4% were from 45 to 64; and 14.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.2% male and 50.8% female.
As of the census of 2000, there were 8,342[11] people, 3,218 households, and 2,240 families residing in the city. The population density was 1926.7sp=usNaNsp=us. There were 3,479 housing units at an average density of 803.5sp=usNaNsp=us. The racial makeup of the city was 97.49% White, 0.35% African American, 0.13% Native American, 0.98% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.46% of the population.
There were 3,218 households, out of which 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.9% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.4% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the city the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 20.3% from 45 to 64, and 14.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.5 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $38,673, and the median income for a family was $44,247. Males had a median income of $38,371 versus $22,080 for females. The per capita income for the city was $17,682. About 5.7% of families and 7.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 4.9% of those age 65 or over.
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St. Marys' neighboring municipalities, Wapakoneta and New Knoxville, are sister cities with Lienen's neighbors, Lengerich and Ladbergen, respectively.