| Walnut Creek, Ohio | |
| Settlement Type: | Census-designated place |
| Pushpin Map: | Ohio#USA |
| Pushpin Label: | Walnut Creek |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ohio |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Holmes |
| Subdivision Type3: | Township |
| Subdivision Name3: | Walnut Creek |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Km2: | 5.76 |
| Area Land Km2: | 5.76 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.00 |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 2.22 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 2.22 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.00 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 908 |
| Population Density Km2: | 157.68 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 408.46 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 1106 |
| Coordinates: | 40.5447°N -81.7403°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 44687 |
| Area Code: | 330 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 39-80612 |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2628984 |
Walnut Creek is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in central Walnut Creek Township, Holmes County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 908. Located in Ohio's Amish Country, Walnut Creek is a popular location for tourists.[2]
Walnut Creek was laid out in 1826.[3] Originally named New Carlisle, the village was renamed to Walnut Creek when the post office was established in 1841.[4]
Beginning in the 1990s business leaders developed Walnut Creek into an American-Victorian themed town, which the University of Dayton's Susan Trollinger calls "puzzling" because of the stark contrast between Victorian overdecorating and the Amish plainness.[5] Tourist-oriented businesses typically include "resting places" such as parlors in hotels or wrapround porches lined with rocking chairs or other seating on retail shops, which emphasizes a sense of having plentiful time. Her conclusion is that the Victorian theme and emphasis on resting places is capitalizing on the attraction of nostalgia for a simpler life with plentiful time, which it has in common with the Amish. Large parking lots and sidewalks connect the business district, which is condensed into six square blocks and connected by wide sidewalks, further encouraging a feeling of a slower-pace and life lived on foot. American flags and other patriotic-themed decor are commonly displayed in both exterior and interior spaces, which Trollinger again finds interesting when contrasted to the Amish, who refuse to recite the Pledge of Allegiance and do not fly flags at their schools and homes.
Walnut Creek is in eastern Holmes County, sitting atop a 200adj=midNaNadj=mid ridge between Goose Creek to the north and Walnut Creek to the south. It is part of the Tuscarawas River watershed.
It lies at the intersection of State Routes 39 and 515. Route 39 leads west to Millersburg, the Holmes county seat, and east to New Philadelphia, while Route 515 leads north 6miles to Winesburg.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Walnut Creek CDP has a total area of 5.8sqkm, of which 4467order=flipNaNorder=flip, or 0.08%, are water.
East Holmes Local Schools operates Walnut Creek Elementary School in the community.[6]
Walnut Creek has a public library, a branch of the Holmes County District Public Library.[7]