Delaware, OH

Ohio Wesleyan University began with an unusually direct act of civic investment: in 1842, 172 Delaware residents raised $10,000 to buy the failed Mansion House Hotel and establish a university. The liberal arts college opened in 1844, and its 200-acre campus now includes more than 60 buildings, with the former hotel preserved as Elliott Hall. The surrounding city had been platted along the Olentangy River in 1808 and is the Delaware County seat, about 30 miles north of Columbus; 41,302 residents were counted in 2020. During the Civil War, a camp east of the river trained Black recruits whose regiment became the 5th United States Colored Troops. Present-day community activity connects the college edge, historic downtown, and residential neighborhoods.

Main Street Delaware holds First Friday events from 6 to 9 p.m. with a changing monthly theme, children's activities, and later business hours. In 2026, its farmers market moved into Sandusky Street on Saturday mornings from late May through October, bringing produce, baked goods, plants, honey, meat, eggs, and craft vendors into the downtown roadway. The Arts Castle occupies an 1854 house west of the center and runs classes in visual, fiber, culinary, music, dance, and dramatic arts, along with camps, exhibitions, and special events. Beyond downtown, Delaware's 20-mile bikeway system links neighborhoods with schools, commercial areas, and recreation facilities.