Lima

Greater Dayton Area

Founded in 1831, Lima, Ohio, was named after the capital city of Peru. The city has almost 36,000 residents.

Founded in 1831, Lima, Ohio, was named after the capital city of Peru. Since its founding, Lima has served as the county seat for Allen County, with its first courthouse built in the same year. The city’s early development quickly followed, and with the discovery of oil in the late 1800s, Standard Oil established operations here—at one point making it the largest oil field in the U.S. Lima experienced significant industrial growth in the 1920s. The Lima Locomotive Works helped shape the modern steam locomotive, and the Superior Coach Company rose to become the nation’s largest school bus manufacturer. Built in 1941, the Lima Army Tank Plant—now called the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center—is the only facility that produces the M1 Abrams battle tank. At its peak, the plant employed over 5,000 workers. However, like many Rust Belt cities, Lima faced economic challenges in the 1970s and 1980s, resulting in a population drop from 52,000 in the 1970s to 45,000 by 1999. Today, the city has around 35,579 residents. Fun fact: While never filmed there, the television series Glee was set in Lima. The local housing market features a wide range of prices, styles, and ages of homes.

Lifestyle

Dayton, OH