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Plain City

Village · Union County · 4,284 residents · 1.5% municipal income tax

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Union County

Local events in Plain City

32 events in the next 90 days from 3 public calendars. All local events in Plain City

  1. Halloween

    All day · From Village of Plain City

  2. Plain City Writing Group

    11 a.m. to 1 p.m. · The Plain City Public Library · Free · From Plain City Public Library

  3. Trick or Treat

    5 to 7 p.m. · From Village of Plain City

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

How Plain City began

Plain City sits astride the Union-Madison county line on the Big Darby Creek, on ground that had been a long-used Wyandot and Mingo camping ground before Isaac Bigelow and surveyor David Chapman laid out a town there in 1818. It was first called Westminster, renamed Pleasant Valley in 1823, and took its present name in 1851 to avoid confusion with other Ohio towns called Pleasant Valley or Plainfield. A stop on the Post Road and later the Atlantic and Great Western Railroad, it grew into a modest milling and market center and remains a village straddling both counties today.

Settled 1795 (first European settlers in the area), platted June 11, 1818, incorporated June 11, 1818 (per the village's own history page), by Isaac Bigelow, surveyed by David Chapman.

Where the name comes from

The town was first platted as Westminster in 1818, renamed Pleasant Valley in 1823 after a resurvey, and renamed again in 1851 to Plain City to stop confusion with other Ohio towns of similar name; the 'Plain' refers to the relatively flat land along the Darby.

Before the town

The ground just north of present Plain City, along the Big Darby Creek, was a large camping ground used by the Wyandot and Mingo for an extended period before white settlement, and an Indian trace (trail) ran through the area. Local tradition, repeated on the village's own history page, holds that the Big Darby was named for a Wyandot chief called Darby who lived near its mouth; a Columbus Metropolitan Library historian has since questioned that story for lack of documentation, noting that 'Darby'/'Derby' may instead derive from an English place-name root meaning 'deer village,' with the spelling settling on Darby by about 1820 — both explanations are recorded here because sources disagree. Jonathan Alder, raised by a Mingo family after his 1782 capture, settled about five miles north of the town in what is now Jerome Township in 1796 and later built a cabin directly on the Big Darby in 1806, putting a documented formerly-adopted Mingo resident within a few miles of the Plain City camping ground within living memory of its Native use. The 1795 Treaty of Greenville is the treaty under which the land was opened to settlement.

Nations recorded here: Wyandot, Mingo (Seneca-Cayuga).

  • Big Darby Creek camping ground (camp) — along the Big Darby Creek just north of Plain City, pre-1795 (plaincityohio.gov)

Timeline

  1. — First European settlers arrive in the area, on land then part of Darby Township, Madison County.
  2. — Isaac Bigelow and surveyor David Chapman lay out the town of Westminster on June 11.
  3. — Union County is organized and the county line shifts, putting part of the settlement in the new county.
  4. — The town is resurveyed and renamed Pleasant Valley.
  5. — The village is renamed Plain City to avoid confusion with other Ohio towns of similar name.
  6. — Streetlights are installed in the village.
  7. — Municipal water service begins in Plain City.
  8. — An electric plant is built to serve the village.

Stories

Three names in one town

Few Ohio villages changed their name twice inside a single generation the way Plain City did. Isaac Bigelow's original 1818 plat was called Westminster. Five years later, after a resurvey folded in more land, residents renamed it Pleasant Valley — the same descriptive name Jonathan Alder and other early settlers had already been using informally for the wider Darby valley. By 1851 there were enough other Ohio places called Pleasant Valley, or similar, that the post office and residents settled on Plain City instead, a name that stuck. The town's straddling of the Union-Madison county line, a legacy of the 1820 county reorganization, still shows up in its addresses and school district lines today.

Local history sources: plaincityohio.gov · en.wikipedia.org · wosu.org · en.wikipedia.org

Historic places

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

  1. Farmers National BankBuilding · Plain City · listed 1995
    Address
    Jct. of Main and Chillicothe Sts., SW corner
    Where
    Plain City, Madison County · ZIP 43064
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1995
    NRIS reference number
    95000168
    Coordinates
    40.10763, -83.26738

    National Register file (NPS) ↗ Search Wikipedia ↗ Street map and directions ↗ On the Cracked Buckeye map

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 Union County on the full map

Water

Mill Creek water pumped into and stored in the Marysville Upground Reservoir on Raymond Road, plus groundwater from city-owned wells, treated at the plant on the reservoir site The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Plain City's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station, 1 public school, 1 poor-rated bridge, 1 library, 2 museums, 1 police station, 1 public charging site and 4 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Fire and EMS stations (1)

  1. Pleasant Valley Joint Fire DistrictPlain City
    Address
    650 West Main Street, Plain City, OH 43064
    Coordinates
    40.11184, -83.28001

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

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.

Public schools (1)

  1. Plain City Elementary School3.5 of 5 stars · Plain City
    Address
    580 S Chillicothe St, Plain City, OH 43064
    School district
    Jonathan Alder Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    665
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    33
    Report card, 2025-26
    3.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    87.3%
    Ohio building IRN
    030130
    NCES school ID
    390482603180

    NCES school record ↗ Ohio School Report Card ↗ Street map and directions ↗

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.

Bridges rated poor (1)

  1. Maple Street over Sweeney RunPoor · built 1928
    Condition
    Poor: a deck, superstructure, substructure or culvert rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale
    What it is
    Bridge
    Built
    1928
    Length
    8 ft
    Owner
    City
    Vehicles a day
    740
    Coordinates
    40.10559, -83.26852

    National Bridge Inventory (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

Source: FHWA National Bridge Inventory 2025. "Poor" means one major part rated 4 or below on the 0 to 9 scale; it calls for repair, not closing, unless the state posts or closes the bridge.

Public libraries (1)

  1. Plain City Public LibraryCentral library · Plain City
    Address
    305 W. Main St., Plain City, OH 43064
    What it is
    Central library
    Library system
    Plain City Public Library
    Open
    2,808 hours a year, 52 weeks
    Building
    11,000 sq ft
    System's visits, FY2024
    34,944
    System's loans, FY2024
    160,896
    People the system serves
    12,389
    Phone
    (614) 873-4912

    IMLS Public Libraries Survey (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

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

Museums, historical societies, gardens and zoos (2)

  1. Columbus AquariumZoo, aquarium or wildlife conservation · Plain City
    What it is
    Zoo, aquarium or wildlife conservation
    City
    Plain City
    Coordinates
    40.10000, -83.27393

    Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

  2. Plain City Historical SocietyHistorical society · Plain City
    What it is
    Historical society
    City
    Plain City
    Coordinates
    40.11501, -83.27021

    Search Wikipedia ↗ IMLS Museum Data Files (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

    The museum list is IMLS's 2018 file; a museum may have closed or moved since.

Source: IMLS Museum Data Files, 2018.

Police stations (1)

  1. Plain City Police DepartmentPlain City
    Address
    800 Village Boulevard, Plain City, OH 43064
    Coordinates
    40.10258, -83.28082

    USGS National Map structures (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

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. Maren Reserve2 Level 2 · Plain City
    Address
    1274 Maren Street, Plain City, OH 43064
    Ports
    2 Level 2
    Plugs
    J1772
    Network
    Blink Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-998-2546

    Station Locator (NREL) ↗ Alternative Fuels Data Center (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

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

Spills reported since 2021 (4)

  1. Ink / Printing Ink2025-11-20 · Plain City
    Reported
    2025-11-20
    What spilled
    Ink / Printing Ink
    Where
    Plain City, Madison County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2511EPA0001899

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  2. Sewage Sludge / Biosolids2025-06-05 · Plain City
    Reported
    2025-06-05
    What spilled
    Sewage Sludge / Biosolids
    Where
    Plain City, Madison County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2506EPA0000916

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  3. Material Undetermined / Other2021-10-11 · Plain City
    Reported
    2021-10-11
    What spilled
    Material Undetermined / Other
    Where
    Plain City, Madison County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2110EPA0001606

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

  4. Sewage Human2026-08-15 · Plain City
    Reported
    2026-08-15
    What spilled
    Sewage Human
    Where
    Plain City, Madison County
    Ohio EPA district office
    SWDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2608EPA0001519

    Ohio EPA spill reports (source) ↗ Street map and directions ↗

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 Plain City, with the share of its residents who live here and the same headline figures as the ZIP page.

ZIPShareWaterRadon Home valueSchoolsFlood
43064 Jerome Township and Plain City 25% Mill Creek water pumped into and stored in the Marysville Upground Reservoir on Raymond Road, plus groundwater from city-owned wells, treated at the plant on the reservoir site 5.7 pCi/L average radon Median year built 2014 Jonathan Alder Local · 4.5 stars overall 1.9% of residents in the 1% floodplain

Local government

Who holds office in Plain City, how its elections and ballot issues came out, and the state auditor's record.

Money issues on the ballot since 2024: 1 of 1 passed.

Ballot issues

DateIssueForAgainstResult
2025-11-04 Issue: Plain City Electric Aggregation 242113Passed (68.17% for)
2025-11-04 Issue: Plain City Gas Aggregation 239117Passed (67.13% for)
2024-11-05 Issue: Village of Plain City - Tax levy 261169Passed (60.7% for)
2021-03-09 Issue: Plain City Village 14224Passed (85.54% for)
2021-03-09 Issue: Village of Plain City 2021 March Special Election Results Plain City Charter 236Passed (79.31% for)
2020-03-17 Issue: Village of Plain City - Police 46994Passed (83.3% for)

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2025-11-04 Member of Council Toni Arnold 174, 33.72%; Jim Eudaily 180, 34.88%; Michael Steven Terry 162, 31.4%
2021-11-02 Member of Council (Full term ending 12-31-25) Jim Eudaily 85, 21.96%; Kerri Ferguson 80, 20.67%; Lauren DeCamp Giaimo 53, 13.7%; Tyler F. Harriman 71, 18.35%; Michael Steven Terry 98, 25.32%
2021-11-02 Member of Council (Full term ending 12-31-23) Sherry L. Heineman 63, 42.0%; Rochelle L. Pellegrene 32, 21.33%; James R. Sintz 55, 36.67%
2021-11-02 Member of Council Sherry L. Heineman 250, 32.18%; Rochelle L. Pellegrene 178, 22.91%; James R. Sintz 349, 44.92%
2021-11-02 Member of Council Jim Eudaily 435, 20.9%; Kerri Ferguson 395, 18.98%; Lauren DeCamp Giaimo 353, 16.96%; Tyler F. Harriman 373, 17.92%; Michael Steven Terry 525, 25.23%
2021-11-02 Mayor (Unexpired term ending 12-31-2023) Jody Carney 139, 100.0%
2021-11-02 Mayor Jody Carney 743, 100.0%
2020-03-17 Member of Charter Commission Linda M. Beachy 291, 7.81%; James T. Baker 216, 5.8%; Glenn A. Wheeler 246, 6.61%; Carrie M. McGlaughlin 234, 6.28%; Anthony M. Matessa 251, 6.74%; Raymond T. Skidmore 250, 6.71%; Bobbi D. Watkins 236, 6.34%; Michael J. Malone 254, 6.82%; Amy Rucker 241, 6.47%; Sherry J. Headlee 227, 6.1%; Melissa J. McCoy 249, 6.69%; Galen D. Troyer 277, 7.44%; Michael S. Terry 209, 5.61%; Darren Lee 256, 6.87%; Kerri Ferguson 287, 7.71%
2019-11-05 Member of Council Daniel W. Fennell 202, 27.56%; Frank Reed 280, 38.2%; John M. Rucker 251, 34.24%
2019-11-05 Mayor Michael Darrin Lane 383, 100.0%

Winners in bold. Results from the county board of elections' official canvass unless marked.

Auditor of State record

The county

Union County: 8 ZIP codes, 20 cities, villages and townships, 62,790 people.

Nearby places

Jerome Township, Union County Canaan Township, Madison County Darby Township, Union County Darby Township, Madison County

Rain and snow

How much has actually fallen on Plain City, day by day, from 1905 to now. Daily totals, not averages.

rain, last 30 days
1.23 in
2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
rain so far in 2026
44.5 in
10.1 in above normal for the date
snow so far in 2026
18.2 in
a normal year brings 23.4 in
a normal year
40.5 in
average of 30 years, 1991-2020
The last twelve months
MonthRain (in)Snow (in)Days counted
October 2026 1.23 — 29
September 2026 5.67 — 30
August 2026 9.37 — 31
July 2026 4.19 — 31
June 2026 3.92 — 30
May 2026 7.75 — 31
April 2026 3.13 — 30
March 2026 6.12 2.4 31
February 2026 1.67 2.6 28
January 2026 1.49 13.2 31
December 2025 2.09 9.1 31
November 2025 1.99 1.5 30
On the record, 1905–2026
Wettest year2018 — 55.2 in
Driest year1934 — 25.0 in
Snowiest year1910 — 47.9 in
Wettest day on record18 June 1939 — 4.31 in
Heaviest snowfall in a day23 December 2004 — 15.98 in
Deepest snow on the ground23 January 1978 — 19.02 in

Estimated, not measured. No rain gauge has ever stood inside Plain City, so every figure here is worked out from the gauges around it - the nearest ones weighted most. Treat them as close estimates rather than readings.

42,738 days of records, 1905-01-01 to 2026-10-29. 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 2026-10-31): correlation 0.9515, median absolute difference 0.217 in a month. Built 2026-10-31 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 Plain City: 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
24
those placed on the map inside Plain City
What kind of permits
ProgramFacilities and sites
Wastewater and stormwater discharge17
Wetland and stream fill3
Public drinking water2
Air pollution1
Sewer and water-line construction1
The latest filings
DateFacility or siteWhat
DARBY CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water compliance letter
DARBY STATION SECTION 1 PARTS 1-4 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water compliance letter
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water compliance letter
MADISON MEADOWS II SECTION 3 & 4 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
DARBY CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water violation resolved
MADISON MEADOWS II SECTION 3 & 4 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
MADISON MEADOWS II SECTION 3 & 4 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water notice of violation
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water inspection
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water compliance letter
SHEPPER AVENUE & CONVERSE AVENUE REBUILD Wastewater and stormwater discharge inspection
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water report
DARBY CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
DARBY CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
MID-OHIO WSD-JACKSON STREET WTP PWS Public drinking water notice of violation
DARBY CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
DARBY CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
SHEPPER AVENUE & CONVERSE AVENUE REBUILD Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
MID-OHIO WSD PLAIN CITY Public drinking water plan
MADISON MEADOWS II SECTION 3 & 4 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
MADISON MEADOWS II SECTION 1 - 4 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
DARBY CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit

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 Plain City, Ohio in?

Plain City is a village in Union County, Ohio, with 4,284 residents.

When was Plain City, Ohio founded?

Plain City was settled 1795 (first European settlers in the area); laid out June 11, 1818; incorporated June 11, 1818 (per the village's own history page). Founders on record: Isaac Bigelow, surveyed by David Chapman. Source

How did Plain City, Ohio get its name?

The town was first platted as Westminster in 1818, renamed Pleasant Valley in 1823 after a resurvey, and renamed again in 1851 to Plain City to stop confusion with other Ohio towns of similar name; the 'Plain' refers to the relatively flat land along the Darby. Source

What ZIP code is Plain City, Ohio?

Most of Plain City is in ZIP code 43064.

Where does Plain City, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Plain City (Marysville City): Mill Creek water pumped into and stored in the Marysville Upground Reservoir on Raymond Road, plus groundwater from city-owned wells, treated at the plant on the reservoir site.

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Plain City, Union County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/plain-city/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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