Sunbury

City · Delaware County · 6,778 residents · 1% municipal income tax

Delaware County

Local events in Sunbury

116 events in the next 90 days from 4 public calendars. All local events in Sunbury

  1. Journey to Wonderland

    1 to 3 p.m. · Community Library · Free · From Community Library

Checked October 20; the events page is refreshed daily.

Lakes near Sunbury

The history under the water: the valley before, the dam, the stories. All Ohio lakes

How Sunbury began

Sunbury was platted on November 9, 1816 by brothers William and Lawrence Myers on land bought from a Mr. Alden, at the junction of the Old Walhonding Trail and the Delaware-Newark Pike in Berkshire Township. Its position at that crossroads made it a stagecoach town from 1820, when the first coach arrived from Mount Vernon, until 1873, when rail travel ended the trade; travelers said to have passed through include William Henry Harrison, Henry Clay, Rutherford B. Hayes and Johnny Appleseed. The village incorporated in 1882 and grew slowly through the twentieth century as a Big Walnut-area farm town anchored by its 1868 Town Hall on the square. Sunbury's population more than tripled between 2000 and 2020 as Columbus-area growth reached Delaware County, and the community converted from a village to a city on October 22, 2021.

Platted 1816-11-09, incorporated 1882, by William and Lawrence Myers, who platted the town on land purchased from a Mr. Alden; incorporated as a village in 1882 with I. A. Ports as first mayor.

Where the name comes from

No source consulted explains why the town was named Sunbury; other American towns of the same name exist elsewhere (notably in Pennsylvania), but no source we found connects this Sunbury to a specific namesake.

Before the town

No source we found ties a specific Native village, mound or trail to the town of Sunbury itself. The town was platted in 1816 at the junction of the Old Walhonding Trail and the Delaware-Newark Pike; 'Walhonding' is a place name of Native origin used elsewhere in Ohio, but no source consulted confirms that this particular road followed a pre-contact Native trail rather than simply inheriting the name. Sunbury lies within Berkshire Township, whose land was opened to settlement by the 1795 Treaty of Greenville, in which the Wyandot, Shawnee, Lenape (Delaware), Miami, Ottawa and other nations ceded most of Ohio to the United States. The county's documented Native history includes a Wyandot missionary connection and a recorded Native burial a few miles south in Kingston Township.

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

Timeline

  1. — The Treaty of Greenville cedes most of what becomes Ohio, including the future site of Sunbury, to the United States.
  2. — William and Lawrence Myers plat Sunbury on November 9 on land bought from a Mr. Alden, at the junction of the Delaware-Newark and Columbus-Mount Vernon roads; a Mr. Whitmore opens the first store the year before the town starts, and Mr. Rogers opens the first hotel.
  3. — The first stagecoach reaches Sunbury from Mount Vernon, and Lawrence Myers builds a two-story inn to compete for the growing stagecoach trade.
  4. — Sunbury builds a two-story school building for $5,000 on the town square; the Masons add a third-story lodge room for $1,500. The building goes on to serve as village office, jail, fire station, community library, bank and church.
  5. — The last stagecoach rolls out of Sunbury as railroads take over long-distance travel.
  6. — Sunbury incorporates as a village; I. A. Ports serves as its first mayor.
  7. — The village's business district includes the Sunbury Co-Operative Creamery, the Farmers' Bank, Burrer's Flouring Mill, a poke (bag) factory, a hay-baler factory, and the Delaware County News Item newspaper, published by W. F. Whittier.
  8. — The U.S. Census records 6,614 residents, roughly triple the village's 1980 population of 2,101.
  9. — Sunbury converts from a village to a city on October 22, having passed the 5,000-resident threshold.

Stories

A Stagecoach Crossroads

Sunbury's founders picked their townsite for a reason: it sat exactly where the Old Walhonding Trail crossed the Delaware-Newark Pike, and Lawrence Myers built his inn right at that junction to catch the traffic he expected. The gamble paid off. From the first stagecoach's arrival from Mount Vernon in 1820 until the last one rolled out in 1873, Sunbury was a working stagecoach town, and the roster of travelers who reportedly passed through reads like a list of the era's most famous names: William Henry Harrison, Henry Clay, Rutherford B. Hayes, and the itinerant nurseryman Johnny Appleseed. When the railroads finally made the stagecoach obsolete, the inn's fifty-three-year run as a waypoint for the young republic's traveling public came to a quiet end.

One Building, Many Lives

The two-story building the village raised on its square in 1868 was built, on paper, as a school, for $5,000. It never stayed just a school for long. The Masons paid $1,500 to add a third floor and used it as a lodge room for ninety-one years. Over the building's working life it also did duty as the village office, the jail, the fire station, the community library, and at one time a bank; church services and Farmers' Institute meetings were held there too. A 2002 renovation returned it to use as a community room and village offices, and it still anchors Sunbury's New England-style town square today.

Photographs

The Sunbury Tavern, at the northwest corner of State Route 37 and Galena Road, listed on the National Register of Historic Places
The Sunbury Tavern, at the northwest corner of State Route 37 and Galena Road, listed on the National Register of Historic Places (2011)
Photo: Nyttend, public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Sunbury's 1868 Town Hall on the village square
Sunbury's 1868 Town Hall on the village square (2018)
Photo: Sixflashphoto, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons
Sunbury's municipal administration building, home to the police department and zoning office
Sunbury's municipal administration building, home to the police department and zoning office (2018)
Photo: Sixflashphoto, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Local history sources: ohiogenealogyexpress.com · sunburyohio.org · remarkableohio.org · en.wikipedia.org · delgazette.com · en.wikipedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org · commons.wikimedia.org

Historic places

2 places in Sunbury on the National Register of Historic Places. Press a pin or a name for its whole record.

  1. Sunbury TavernBuilding · Sunbury · listed 1975
    Address
    NW corner OH 37 and Galena Rd.
    Where
    Sunbury, Delaware County · ZIP 43074
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1975
    NRIS reference number
    75001376
    Coordinates
    40.24280, -82.85950
  2. Sunbury Town HallBuilding · Sunbury · listed 1975
    Address
    Town Sq.
    Where
    Sunbury, Delaware County · ZIP 43074
    What it is
    Building
    Listed on the National Register
    1975
    NRIS reference number
    75001377
    Coordinates
    40.24229, -82.85890

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 Delaware County on the full map

Water

Alum Creek Reservoir intake at the Scott plant, Lewis Center Rd at Africa, Orange Township The water here

Hospitals, fire stations and more

Inside Sunbury's boundary: 1 fire or EMS station, 2 high-hazard dams, 7 public schools, 1 library, 1 police station, 1 public charging site, 2 Toxics Release Inventory facilities and 6 spill cases. Press a pin or a name for its whole record and its source.

Fire and EMS stations (1)

  1. Berkshire - Sunbury - Trenton - Galena Fire District Station 350Sunbury
    Address
    350 West Cherry Street, Sunbury, OH 43074
    Coordinates
    40.24714, -82.86614

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.

High-hazard dams (2)

  1. Sunbury Upground Reservoir No. 1Big Walnut Creek - Offstream · condition: fair
    Hazard class
    High: a failure would probably cost a life
    Condition
    Fair (assessed 12/23/2020)
    River or stream
    Big Walnut Creek - Offstream
    Purpose
    Recreation
    Type
    Earth
    Height
    17 ft
    Storage
    91 acre-feet
    Completed
    1955
    Owner type
    Local Government
    County
    Delaware County
    Nearest town (NID)
    Sunbury
    Last inspection
    12/23/2020
    Emergency action plan
    Yes
    NID ID
    OH00812
  2. Sunbury Upground Reservoir No. 2Offstream · condition: fair
    Hazard class
    High: a failure would probably cost a life
    Condition
    Fair (assessed 12/23/2020)
    River or stream
    Offstream
    Purpose
    Recreation
    Type
    Earth
    Height
    20 ft
    Storage
    128 acre-feet
    Completed
    1964
    Owner type
    Local Government
    County
    Delaware County
    Nearest town (NID)
    Sunbury
    Last inspection
    12/23/2020
    Emergency action plan
    Yes
    NID ID
    OH00747

Source: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers National Inventory of Dams, August 2026. "High hazard" rates what a failure would cost downstream, not how likely one is; the condition is the state's assessment.

Public schools (7)

  1. Big Walnut Early Learning Center at Harrison StreetSunbury
    Address
    70 Harrison St, Sunbury, OH 43074
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    143
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    6
    NCES school ID
    390467406051
  2. Big Walnut Elementary School4 of 5 stars · Sunbury
    Address
    940 S Old 3c Rd, Sunbury, OH 43074
    School district
    Big Walnut Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    389
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    19.8
    Report card, 2025-26
    4 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    84%
    Ohio building IRN
    036483
    NCES school ID
    390467402640
  3. Big Walnut High School4 of 5 stars · Sunbury
    Address
    713 N Miller Drive, Sunbury, OH 43074
    School district
    Big Walnut Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    1,320
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    60.4
    Report card, 2025-26
    4 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    86.2%
    Four-year graduation rate
    98.2%
    Ohio building IRN
    002709
    NCES school ID
    390467402638
  4. Big Walnut Intermediate School3.5 of 5 stars · Sunbury
    Address
    777 Cheshire Rd, Sunbury, OH 43074
    School district
    Big Walnut Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    643
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    33
    Report card, 2025-26
    3.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    84.8%
    Ohio building IRN
    012495
    NCES school ID
    390467405691
  5. Big Walnut Middle School4.5 of 5 stars · Sunbury
    Address
    555 S Old 3c Rd, Sunbury, OH 43074
    School district
    Big Walnut Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    619
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    40
    Report card, 2025-26
    4.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    86.9%
    Ohio building IRN
    043265
    NCES school ID
    390467402639
  6. General Rosecrans Elementary4.5 of 5 stars · Sunbury
    Address
    301 S. Miller Drive, Sunbury, OH 43074
    School district
    Big Walnut Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    352
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    19
    Report card, 2025-26
    4.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    89.1%
    Ohio building IRN
    012103
    NCES school ID
    390467405600
  7. Prairie Run Elementary School4.5 of 5 stars · Sunbury
    Address
    701 N Miller Dr, Sunbury, OH 43074
    School district
    Big Walnut Local School District
    Kind (NCES)
    Regular School
    Students, 2023-24
    447
    Teachers (full-time equivalent)
    24
    Report card, 2025-26
    4.5 of 5 stars
    Performance index
    90%
    Ohio building IRN
    012765
    NCES school ID
    390467405836

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. Community Library-SunburyCentral library · Sunbury
    Address
    44 Burrer Dr, Sunbury, OH 43074
    What it is
    Central library
    Library system
    Community Library
    Open
    3,072 hours a year, 52 weeks
    Building
    16,000 sq ft
    System's visits, FY2024
    172,900
    System's loans, FY2024
    294,439
    People the system serves
    23,045
    Phone
    (740) 965-3901

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. Sunbury Police DepartmentSunbury
    Address
    9 East Granville Street, Sunbury, OH 43074
    Coordinates
    40.24168, -82.85954

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. MORNING STREET CHURCH PARKING DC fast1 DC fast · Sunbury
    Address
    21 S Morning St, Sunbury, OH 43074
    Ports
    1 DC fast
    Plugs
    CCS, CHAdeMO
    Network
    ChargePoint Network
    Hours
    24 hours daily
    Phone
    888-758-4389

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 (2)

  1. Hitachi Astemo Americas, Inc.Toxics Release Inventory · Sunbury
    Address
    707 W Cherry St, Sunbury, OH 43074
    County
    Delaware County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    43074SNBRY707WE
    EPA registry ID
    110000498729
  2. Nestle Beverage CoToxics Release Inventory · Sunbury
    Address
    185 S Columbus St, Sunbury, OH 43074
    County
    Delaware County
    Status
    Reports to the Toxics Release Inventory (active)
    EPA program ID
    43074NSTLF185SC
    EPA registry ID
    110002109067

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 (6)

  1. Material Unknown2025-09-07 · Sunbury
    Reported
    2025-09-07
    What spilled
    Material Unknown
    Where
    Sunbury, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2509EPA0001516
  2. Sewage Sludge / Biosolids2025-07-20 · Sunbury
    Reported
    2025-07-20
    What spilled
    Sewage Sludge / Biosolids
    Where
    Sunbury, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2507EPA0001208
  3. Paint Nos / Lacquer (Not Specified)2025-07-15 · Sunbury
    Reported
    2025-07-15
    What spilled
    Paint Nos / Lacquer (Not Specified)
    Largest amount reported
    20 gallons
    Where
    Sunbury, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2507EPA0001179
  4. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2021-09-23 · Sunbury
    Reported
    2021-09-23
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    300 gallons
    Where
    Sunbury, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2109EPA0001512
  5. Transmission / Steering Fluid2026-03-04 · Sunbury
    Reported
    2026-03-04
    What spilled
    Transmission / Steering Fluid
    Where
    Sunbury, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2603EPA0000297
  6. Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)2026-01-11 · Berkshire Twp
    Reported
    2026-01-11
    What spilled
    Fuel Diesel / Diesel Fuel (Vehicle On Or Off Road)
    Largest amount reported
    200 gallons
    Where
    Berkshire Twp, Delaware County
    Ohio EPA district office
    CDO
    Ohio EPA case number
    2601EPA0000035

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

Local government

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

Ballot issues

DateIssueForAgainstResult
2019-11-05 Issue: Village of Sunbury - Charter 836178Passed (82.45% for)

Elections for office

DateOfficeCandidates and votes
2023-11-07 Member of Council Cindi Cooper 1,530, 38.53%; Molly Drayer 1,317, 33.17%; Timothy P. Gose 1,124, 28.31%
2023-11-07 Mayor Joe St. John 2,403, 100.0%
2022-11-08 Member of Council (Unexpired Term Ending 12-31-2025) John Grumney 1,353, 56.23%; Murray Neff 1,053, 43.77%
2021-11-02 Member of Council Damin A. Cappel 738, 28.82%; Martin Fisher 806, 31.47%; Dave Martin 1,017, 39.71%
2021-11-02 Member of Council Cindi Cooper 1,126, 100.0%
2021-11-02 Mayor Joe St. John 1,327, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Member of Council Timothy P. Gose 825, 100.0%
2019-11-05 Mayor Tommy Hatfield 939, 100.0%

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

Auditor of State record

Rain and snow

How much has actually fallen on Sunbury, day by day, from 1893 to now. Daily totals, not averages.

rain, last 30 days
1.12 in
2026-09-30 to 2026-10-29
rain so far in 2026
44.7 in
8.8 in above normal for the date
snow so far in 2026
18.5 in
a normal year brings 17.8 in
a normal year
42.1 in
average of 30 years, 1991-2020
The last twelve months
MonthRain (in)Snow (in)Days counted
October 2026 1.12 — 29
September 2026 5.25 — 30
August 2026 9.37 — 31
July 2026 4.57 — 31
June 2026 4.01 — 30
May 2026 7.22 — 31
April 2026 3.80 — 30
March 2026 5.92 0.9 31
February 2026 1.71 3.8 28
January 2026 1.75 13.8 31
December 2025 2.38 10.4 31
November 2025 2.18 0.8 30
On the record, 1893–2026
Wettest year2011 — 58.3 in
Driest year1934 — 20.8 in
Snowiest year1910 — 61.7 in
Wettest day on record21 June 1937 — 4.88 in
Heaviest snowfall in a day31 March 1942 — 12.01 in
Deepest snow on the ground21 January 1978 — 18.20 in

Estimated, not measured. No rain gauge has ever stood inside Sunbury, 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.

48,241 days of records, 1893-01-01 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 Sunbury: 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
75
those placed on the map inside Sunbury

Data centers, power and big tech here. Ohio EPA files that name a data-center company, a power plant or substation, or a large technology firm:

  • VASSELL STATION 765 /345 UPGRADES (wastewater and stormwater discharge, latest Aug 1, 2025)
What kind of permits
ProgramFacilities and sites
Wastewater and stormwater discharge35
Sewer and water-line construction12
Wetland and stream fill12
Hazardous waste6
Air pollution4
State sewer loans2
Voluntary cleanup2
Composting1
Public drinking water1
The latest filings
DateFacility or siteWhat
WALNUT RIDGE Wetland and stream fill permit
MARTINDALE PROPERTY, SUNBURY Voluntary cleanup inspection
ALUM CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Sewer and water-line construction permit
ALUM CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Sewer and water-line construction permit
EAGLE CREEK PHASE 4 & 5 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
WOODLAND LAKE Sewer and water-line construction permit
UNITED DAIRY FARMERS NO 673 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
ALUM CREEK WATER RECLAMATION FACILITY Sewer and water-line construction permit
FULLER OIL CO Air pollution report
WOODLAND LAKE SUBAREA B Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
KINTNER CROSSING Sewer and water-line construction permit
LITTLE WALNUT CREEK INTERCEPTOR SEWER PHASE 2A Sewer and water-line construction permit
UNITED DAIRY FARMERS NO 673 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
UNITED DAIRY FARMERS NO 673 Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
SUNBURY WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
WOODLAND LAKE Sewer and water-line construction permit
UNITED DAIRY FARMERS INC SUNBURY Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
CARR INVESTMENTS Wastewater and stormwater discharge notice of violation
UNITED DAIRY FARMERS INC SUNBURY Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
SUNBURY WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge report
JR SMITH PARK Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
BELLSTORES #1167 - SUNBURY OH Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
JR SMITH PARK Wastewater and stormwater discharge permit
SUNBURY WWTP Wastewater and stormwater discharge notice of violation
PRICE PONDS SECTION 1 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 Sunbury, Ohio in?

Sunbury is a city in Delaware County, Ohio, with 6,778 residents.

When was Sunbury, Ohio founded?

Sunbury was laid out 1816-11-09; incorporated 1882. Founders on record: William and Lawrence Myers, who platted the town on land purchased from a Mr. Alden; incorporated as a village in 1882 with I. A. Ports as first mayor. Source

What ZIP code is Sunbury, Ohio?

Most of Sunbury is in ZIP code 43074.

Where does Sunbury, Ohio get its water?

The main water source for Sunbury (Del-co Water Company, Inc.): Alum Creek Reservoir intake at the Scott plant, Lewis Center Rd at Africa, Orange Township.

Cite this page

Cite this page as:

Cracked Buckeye, "Sunbury, Delaware County", https://crackedbuckeye.com/place/sunbury/, built 2026-10-31, accessed [date].

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