Ontario

City · Richland County · 6,656 residents · 1.5% municipal income tax

Richland County

Local events in Ontario

14 events in the next 90 days from 2 public calendars. All local events in Ontario

  1. Family Story Time

    6 to 7 p.m. · Ontario Branch · Free · From Mansfield-Richland County Public Library

  2. Crafty Kids

    All day · Ontario Branch · Free · From Mansfield-Richland County Public Library

  3. Thankful Tree

    All day · Ontario Branch · Free · From Mansfield-Richland County Public Library

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

How Ontario began

Ontario was laid out in December 1834 by Hiram Cook on the southwest quarter of Section 21 of Springfield Township, beside the trail from Mansfield to Bucyrus, and named for Ontario County, New York; the rival village of New Castle was laid out on the same section the same month but faded, while Ontario gained churches, an academy and, in the 1860s, a station on the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad. It had about 200 people in 1880. The Lincoln Highway (1913, later U.S. Route 30) and the General Motors Fisher Body stamping plant (1956) turned the crossroads into a manufacturing and retail center; residents incorporated a village in 1958 to take in the plant, and Ontario became a city in 2001.

Settled 1834 (George Hoover built the first cabin, at Cook's urging), platted December 1834, incorporated 1958 (village), 2001 (city), by Hiram Cook.

Where the name comes from

Named for Ontario County, New York, the native place of Hiram Cook, who owned the land (Wikipedia and Baughman's 1908 county history). Graham's 1880 county history instead says Cook came in 1820 'from a place called Ontario, in Orange County, N. Y.'

Before the town

No Native village, mound or burial is recorded at the Ontario town site. The town grew up on the trail from Mansfield to Bucyrus by way of Galion, which in 1834 was 'only wide enough for the passage of horses and footmen'; the 1880 county history says Indian trails were the only highways when Springfield Township was first settled, and that one trace used by the Wyandot, Lenape (Delaware) and Shawnee ran past Spring Mills, northeast of Ontario, from the head of the Rocky Fork to the Sandusky River. Colonel William Crawford's column followed that trace in 1782. The land lies north of the 1795 Greenville Treaty line and was ceded at the Treaty of Fort Industry (1805).

Nations recorded here: Wyandot, Lenape (Delaware), Shawnee.

  • Trace from the Rocky Fork to the Sandusky River (trail) — Past Spring Mills, northeast of Ontario, in Springfield Township, 18th century; followed by Crawford's column in 1782 (archive.org)

Timeline

  1. — Hiram Cook comes to Springfield Township and buys a farm a few miles south of the future town site.
  2. — Hiram Cook plats Ontario in December on the southwest quarter of Section 21; New Castle, laid out the same month on the same section by Frederick Cassell and Adam Webber, becomes its rival.
  3. — John Evans and A. Atwood open Ontario's first store.
  4. — The Methodist Episcopal congregation, which began at Bigelow Chapel and Taylor's meeting house in the countryside, builds the first church in Ontario (Baughman's 1908 history gives 1835).
  5. — The United Presbyterians, founded by the Finney family and other Associate Presbyterians who had met in houses and barns for thirty years, build a frame church; the same year a large brick building is put up for high-school purposes.
  6. — The Presbyterians, whose congregation began at Five Corners in 1822 and moved by way of Pleasant Hill, build a church in Ontario.
  7. — A man who had escaped slavery, sold eleven times, tells his story to an audience at the United Presbyterian church in Ontario, at a meeting arranged by abolitionist Joseph Roe, who lived just west of town.
  8. — The Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, later the Erie mainline, reaches Ontario and establishes a station; Graham's 1880 history dates its first passenger cars through New Castle to 1864.
  9. — The Ontario high-school building closes after receiving students from a distance since 1850 and is taken over by the Masonic fraternity.
  10. — The Lincoln Highway is routed through Ontario, becoming U.S. Route 30 in 1928.
  11. — The Springfield Township School, a Renaissance Revival building designed by Fred J. Porter and D. Roy Virtue, is built at what is now 3560 Park Avenue West.
  12. — General Motors builds a Fisher Body stamping plant in Springfield Township next to the settlement.
  13. — Residents vote on June 25 to incorporate Ontario as a village, bringing the GM plant inside its boundaries.
  14. — Ontario becomes a city on April 30 after its population passes 5,300.
  15. — The Springfield Township School is listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 24.

Stories

Two towns on one section

In December 1834 two villages were laid out on Section 21 of Springfield Township along the Mansfield-Bucyrus trail. New Castle was platted by Frederick Cassell and Adam Webber, surveyed by John Stewart, and had a tavern kept by Webber and a Lutheran church built in 1838. A mile to the west Hiram Cook platted Ontario in the woods, persuaded George Hoover to build the first cabin, where Hoover kept a blacksmith shop and a few groceries, and built a hotel on the trail himself. Ontario stood higher and sat on crossing stage lines, and its churches, stores and academy drew the country congregations in. By 1880 the county historian found New Castle's church empty and its population about forty, while Ontario had about 200 people.

A village built around a stamping plant

For more than a century after 1834 Ontario stayed a small crossroads settlement, a stop on the Erie Railroad and then on the Lincoln Highway. In 1956 General Motors built a large Fisher Body stamping plant just outside the settlement in Springfield Township. To bring the plant and the development it would draw inside a municipal boundary, residents voted on June 25, 1958, to incorporate Ontario as a village. The town grew through the late twentieth century into a retail and manufacturing center and became a city in 2001.

Ontario Academy

In 1850 Ontario put up a large brick building for high-school purposes. It took in students from a distance for more than twenty years, and Baughman's 1908 county history credits the Ontario academy with much of the town's early growth. Its doors closed in 1874, and by 1880 the Masonic fraternity occupied the building while the town's children went to a new brick schoolhouse on the east side. In 1928 the township replaced its schools with the Springfield Township School on Park Avenue West, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003 and has since been converted into apartments.

Photographs

The former Springfield Township School (built 1928), 3560 Park Avenue West, Ontario, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The former Springfield Township School (built 1928), 3560 Park Avenue West, Ontario, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. (2012)
Photo: Nyttend / Wikimedia Commons, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Ralston Knob, a gravel knob in the Ontario area of the kind the 1905 'Divide' article describes along the Lake Erie-Ohio River watershed.
Ralston Knob, a gravel knob in the Ontario area of the kind the 1905 'Divide' article describes along the Lake Erie-Ohio River watershed. (2022)
Photo: JBTHEMILKER / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Local history sources: en.wikipedia.org · en.wikipedia.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · archive.org · npgallery.nps.gov · commons.wikimedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org

Historic places

1 place in Ontario on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.

  1. Springfield Township SchoolBuilding · Ontario · listed 2003
    Address
    3560 Park Ave. W
    Where
    Ontario, Richland County · ZIP 44906
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    2003
    NRIS reference number
    03000325
    Coordinates
    40.76085, -82.64244

Source: National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places point file. The listing year is shown where NPS's certification date agrees with the listing's reference number. Listing recognizes significance; it does not restrict a private owner.

Every historic place in Richland County on the full map

Water

Clear Fork Reservoir, a 4.5-billion-gallon impoundment of the Clear Fork southwest of the treatment plant, supplemented by 9 city groundwater wells The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Ontario's boundary: 1 hospital, 1 dialysis center, 1 fire or EMS station, 2 colleges, 3 public schools, 1 library, 1 police station, 1 public charging site, 4 Toxics Release Inventory facilities and 4 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Hospitals (1)

  1. Avita Ontario HospitalGeneral hospital · Ontario
    What it is
    General hospital
    Address
    715 Richland Mall, Ontario, OH 44906
    County
    Richland County
    Beds
    26
    Helipad
    Yes
    Ownership
    Non-profit
    Medicare overall rating
    4 of 5 stars
    Emergency department (Medicare)
    Yes
    Medicare reports it as
    Avita Ontario
    Phone
    (567) 307-7666
    Medicare ID
    360365

Source: HIFLD hospitals inventory via FEMA (closed hospitals it still lists left out, hospitals opened since added), with Medicare Care Compare ratings matched by name and address.

Dialysis centers (1)

  1. Davita Mid Ohio DialysisDialysis · Ontario
    Address
    2148 W 4Th St, Ontario, OH 44906
    Dialysis stations
    13
    Medicare star rating
    3 of 5 stars
    Services
    in-center hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, home hemodialysis training
    Ownership
    for profit
    Chain
    DaVita
    Medicare certified since
    2013-12-09
    Phone
    (419) 747-4039
    Medicare ID
    362804

Source: CMS dialysis facility list, September 2026, geocoded with the Census Bureau batch geocoder (an address it could not place sits at its ZIP center).

Fire and EMS stations (1)

  1. Springfield Township Fire Department Station 1Ontario
    Address
    3700 Park Avenue West, Ontario, OH 44903
    Coordinates
    40.76099, -82.64807

Source: USGS National Map structures (most Ohio records last updated 2019 to 2022), checked against the Columbus and Cleveland station lists. The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction and mutual aid, not by distance.

Colleges (2)

  1. Apex Academy Hair Skin Nails School of CosmetologyFor-profit career school · Ontario
    What it is
    For-profit career school
    City
    Ontario
    Students, 2023-24 (12-month count)
    58
    IPEDS unit ID
    490434
  2. Ross Medical Education Center-OntarioFor-profit career school · Ontario
    What it is
    For-profit career school
    City
    Ontario
    Students, 2023-24 (12-month count)
    86
    IPEDS unit ID
    480532

Source: NCES IPEDS 2024 directory, 2023-24 enrollment and tuition, graduation rates for the 2017 (four-year) and 2020 (two-year) entering classes.

Public schools (3)

  1. Ontario High School4 of 5 stars · Mansfield
    Address
    467 Shelby Ontario Rd, Mansfield, OH 44906
    School district
    Ontario Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    534
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    29.62
    Report card, 2025-26
    4 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    87.6%
    Four-year graduation rate
    98.7%
    Ohio building IRN
    028670
    NCES school ID
    390494703608
  2. Ontario Middle School4 of 5 stars · Mansfield
    Address
    447 Shelby Ontario Rd, Mansfield, OH 44906
    School district
    Ontario Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    472
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    21.37
    Report card, 2025-26
    4 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    83.3%
    Ohio building IRN
    028688
    NCES school ID
    390494703609
  3. Stingel Elementary School4.5 of 5 stars · Ontario
    Address
    426 Shelby Ontario Rd, Ontario, OH 44906
    School district
    Ontario Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    904
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    41
    Report card, 2025-26
    4.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    84.2%
    Ohio building IRN
    139485
    NCES school ID
    390494703677

Source: NCES EDGE public school locations 2024-25 and Common Core of Data 2023-24 (type, students, teachers); Ohio School Report Cards 2025-26 (Department of Education and Workforce), matched by name within the district.

Public libraries (1)

  1. Ontario Branch LibraryBranch · Mansfield
    Address
    2221 Village Mall Dr, Mansfield, OH 44906
    What it is
    Branch
    Library system
    Mansfield-Richland County Public Library
    Open
    3,172 hours a year, 52 weeks
    Building
    9,675 sq ft
    System's visits, FY2024
    514,540
    System's loans, FY2024
    1,567,119
    People the system serves
    99,110
    Phone
    (419) 529-4912

Source: IMLS Public Libraries Survey FY2024 (outlets and their systems). Any Ohio resident can get a free card at any Ohio public library.

Police stations (1)

  1. Ontario Police DepartmentOntario
    Address
    555 Stumbo Road, Ontario, OH 44906
    Coordinates
    40.76670, -82.59798

Source: USGS National Map structures, police stations, corrected and completed by hand (September 2026). The department that answers a call is set by jurisdiction, not by distance.

Public EV charging (1)

  1. Spitzer Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram2 Level 2 · Ontario
    Address
    1777 West 4th Street, Ontario, OH 44906
    Ports
    2 Level 2
    Plugs
    J1772
    Network
    Blink Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-998-2546

Source: NREL Alternative Fuels Data Center station list (May 2026), public and open stations, the posts at one address counted as one site.

Facilities reporting toxic releases (4)

  1. Burner Systems InternationalToxics Release Inventory · Mansfield
    Address
    525 Beer Road, Mansfield, OH 44906
    County
    Richland County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    44906NVRSL525BE
    EPA registry ID
    110000392003
  2. Invensys Energy Com Trol DivToxics Release Inventory · Mansfield
    Address
    535 Beer Road, Mansfield, OH 44906
    County
    Richland County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    44906NVNSY535BE
    EPA registry ID
    110004737090
  3. Pepsi-Cola Bottling of MansfieldToxics Release Inventory · Mansfield
    Address
    1820 Nussbaum Pkwy., Mansfield, OH 44906
    County
    Richland County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    44906PPSCL1820N
    EPA registry ID
    110000392012
  4. Racer TrustToxics Release Inventory · Mansfield
    Address
    2525 West Fourth Street, Mansfield, OH 44906
    County
    Richland County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    44906CPCGR2525W
    EPA registry ID
    110000814566

Source: EPA Facility Registry Service, Toxics Release Inventory reporters. Reporting a release is required of large users of listed chemicals; it is not by itself a violation.

Spills reported since 2021 (4)

  1. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2025-05-22 · Ontario
    Reported
    2025-05-22
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    30 gallons
    Where
    Ontario, Richland County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2505EPA0000829
  2. Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc2023-06-23 · Springfield Twp
    Reported
    2023-06-23
    What spilled
    Other / All Other / Trade Name / Mixture / Solution Etc
    Where
    Springfield Twp, Richland County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2306EPA0001041
  3. Waste Water2023-02-14 · Ontario
    Reported
    2023-02-14
    What spilled
    Waste Water
    Where
    Ontario, Richland County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2302EPA0000226
  4. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-03-02 · Ontario
    Reported
    2026-03-02
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    100 gallons
    Where
    Ontario, Richland County
    Ohio EPA district office
    NWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2603EPA0000275

Source: Ohio EPA emergency response spill reports, 2021 to September 2026, one point per case where Ohio EPA placed it. A report is what the caller or responder recorded; amounts are often blank or estimated.

Its ZIP codes

Each ZIP code that touches Ontario, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.

Local government

How its elections and ballot issues came out and the state auditor's record.

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2015-11-03 Treasurer Jim Hairston 1,325, 100.0%
2015-11-03 Council Member, 4th Ward Daniel J. Zeiter 381, 100.0%
2015-11-03 Council Member, 3rd Ward Mark Weidemyre 377, 100.0%
2015-11-03 Council Member, 2nd Ward Michele A. Webb 229, 100.0%
2015-11-03 Council Member, 1st Ward Leo C. Hess 264, 100.0%

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked. The county's results on file run through 2018-08-07; later elections are not loaded yet.

Auditor of State record

On the November 3, 2026 ballot

Statewide question: State Issue 3: Voter ID

Races, candidates and every question for an address: your ballot. County offices and judges are on your county board's sample ballot.

Rain and snow

How much has actually fallen on Ontario, day by day, from 1892 to now. Daily totals, not averages.

rain, last 30 days
1.47 in
2026-10-01 to 2026-10-30
rain so far in 2026
41.7 in
4.5 in above normal for the date
snow so far in 2026
23.9 in
a normal year brings 31.9 in
a normal year
44.0 in
average of 30 years, 1991-2020
The last twelve months
MonthRain (in)Snow (in)Days counted
October 2026 1.47 — 30
September 2026 4.31 — 30
August 2026 6.88 — 31
July 2026 3.87 — 31
June 2026 3.58 — 30
May 2026 6.47 — 31
April 2026 7.23 — 30
March 2026 4.77 0.9 31
February 2026 1.22 5.8 28
January 2026 1.94 17.2 31
December 2025 3.02 11.2 31
November 2025 2.10 2.4 30
On the record, 1892–2026
Wettest year2011 — 65.1 in
Driest year1934 — 23.3 in
Wettest day on record21 August 2007 — 5.19 in
Heaviest snowfall in a day22 December 2004 — 14.41 in
Deepest snow on the ground9 January 1905 — 25.00 in

79% of these days are measurements from a gauge inside Ontario; the rest are estimated from the nearest gauges around it.

48,730 days of records, 1892-12-01 to 2026-10-30. Source: NOAA NCEI GHCN-Daily, 3,240 gauges in and around Ohio. A day is "gauged" when a gauge standing inside the boundary reported it, and the value is the mean of those gauges. Otherwise it is interpolated by inverse distance from every gauge reporting within 50 miles. Nothing is carried forward, back-filled or smoothed. Against NOAA nClimDiv county monthly precipitation over 136,848 complete county-months (checked 2026-11-01): correlation 0.9515, median absolute difference 0.217 in a month. Built 2026-11-01 from the Cracked Buckeye precipitation archive. Snow is the softer number — snowfall is measured by hand with a ruler, no agency publishes a gridded county snowfall series, and blowing snow defeats every observer.

Environmental permits and filings

What Ohio EPA has on file for Ontario: permits, inspections, violations, cleanups and the state loans behind sewer and water work. Every line links to the agency's own document.

facilities and sites on file
34
those placed on the map inside Ontario
What kind of permits
ProgramFacilities and sites
Hazardous waste14
Voluntary cleanup6
Air pollution4
Wastewater and stormwater discharge3
Contaminated-site cleanup2
Sewer and water-line construction2
Brownfield1
Public drinking water1
State sewer loans1
The latest filings
DateFacility or siteWhat
ROCK RD. LIFT STATION Sewer and water-line construction permit
ROCK RD. LIFT STATION Sewer and water-line construction permit
PR MACHINE WORKS INC - PLANT 2 Air pollution report
MANSFIELD VETERINARY HOSPITAL Air pollution report
CHICK-FIL-A INC - FSU 06140 ONTARIO-MANSFIELD Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
UNIVERSAL TUBULAR SYSTEMS FORMER, ONTARIO Voluntary cleanup inspection
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water report
CITY OF ONTARIO Sewer and water-line construction permit
CITY OF ONTARIO Sewer and water-line construction permit
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water plan
CHICK-FIL-A INC - FSU 06140 ONTARIO-MANSFIELD Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water inspection
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water violation resolved
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water inspection
PR MACHINE WORKS INC - PLANT 2 Air pollution permit
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water notice of violation
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water inspection
ONTARIO VILLAGE STU 2 Public drinking water inspection
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water warning letter
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water notice of violation
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water compliance letter
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water notice of violation
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water compliance letter
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water inspection
ONTARIO CITY PWS Public drinking water compliance letter

Source: Ohio EPA eDocument portal (edocpub.epa.ohio.gov), indexed 2026-10-14. Facilities are placed on the map from Ohio EPA's own map layers, EPA's Facility Registry, coordinates written in the filings, or a geocoded street address. A permit filed under a private person's name (most are household septic systems) is counted but never named, placed or linked; licenses for individual workers and open-burning notices are left out entirely.

Quick answers

What county is Ontario, Ohio in?

Ontario is a city in Richland County, Ohio, with 6,656 residents.

When was Ontario, Ohio founded?

Ontario was settled 1834 (George Hoover built the first cabin, at Cook's urging); laid out December 1834; incorporated 1958 (village), 2001 (city). Founders on record: Hiram Cook. Source

How did Ontario, Ohio get its name?

Named for Ontario County, New York, the native place of Hiram Cook, who owned the land (Wikipedia and Baughman's 1908 county history). Source

What ZIP code is Ontario, Ohio?

Ontario is served by ZIP codes 44906 and 44903; 44906 holds the largest share of its residents.

Where does Ontario, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Ontario (Mansfield City): Clear Fork Reservoir, a 4.5-billion-gallon impoundment of the Clear Fork southwest of the treatment plant, supplemented by 9 city groundwater wells.

Cite this page

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Ontario, Richland County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/ontario/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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