Hicksville is rural Ohio village with a strong community spirit
Hicksville, which recently celebrated its 150th birthday, is a quaint village in rural northwest Ohio. This community of around 3,500 is notable for its many churches. Residents enjoy a traditional setting with a refurbished downtown and access to top-rated schools. “Hicksville is very small town with an intense sense of community pride,” says Jennifer Ankney of Samuel Switzer Realty. “I was born and raised here, and my husband and I moved back to send our child to Hicksville schools.” The community is surrounded by farmland, about halfway between Defiance, Ohio, and Fort Wayne, Indiana. Officials continue efforts to diversify the economy by attracting more manufacturing jobs to Hicksville Industrial Park. “Being so small, a lot of people who live here work out of town, “ Ankney says, “but we have a lot of factory workers and a fair amount of family farms.”
Colonial-style homes stand out among traditional home options
Most homes are concentrated in the heart of the community on quiet neighborhood streets. Traditional architecture is prominent, with multi-level Colonial Revival-style homes standing out. The bungalow style can be found in both historic homes and contemporary models. Larger ranch-style homes offer spacious lots. Newer homes typically feature larger driveways and attached garages. Prices start at under $100,000 and can approach $400,000. The median price is about $160,000. “Homes are generally affordable,” Ankney says, “but they tend to sell for about 5 percent more than surrounding areas. Of course, it’s much more affordable than Defiance or Fort Wayne.” The climate is typical of the Midwest, with hot summers and cold winters. Snow is not uncommon, but the community is far enough from Lake Erie that heavy lake effect snow is infrequent. Severe weather includes the occasional tornado.
Three well-rated schools share a single campus in town
The three schools that make up the Hicksville Exempted Village School District, rated A-minus by Niche, are located on a single campus on the community’s west side. Hicksville Elementary and Hicksville Middle schools are also rated A-minus. Hicksville High is a B-rated school. The district began the Hicksville Initiative in 2013. The program, which is based on 23 “essentials,” aims to maintain a positive culture in which students model high standards for social behavior and academic performance. “I was a public educator for 15 years, and I am really impressed with a lot of the intervention work from the school system,” Ankney says.
Community park hosts Little League baseball, softball
Hicksville Community Park and the adjacent Froggy Park offer an array of amenities. Several ballfields anchor the athletic facilities that host organized youth competitions. “We have a thriving baseball and softball program for young kids,” Ankney says. “We’re the only community in the area that has enough kids in Little League that we don’t have to travel for games.” Younger residents also enjoy playscapes that include the community’s newest attraction, the Hicksville Splash Pad. Basketball and pickleball courts are among other recreational spaces available to all ages. The community is also home to the Defiance County Fairgrounds. The annual fair is a popular regional event that runs for more than week each August. The fairgrounds are also used for the Christmas Cruise-Thru, a nearly monthlong event that features more than 2 miles of holiday decorations.
Downtown offers shopping, dining, is home to historic opera house
Downtown is a popular commercial district highlighted by renovated brick buildings. High Street is the center of the district, which features independent businesses offering a variety of goods and services and a handful of restaurants. “We have a lot of specialty shops, and farms that do a lot of meat and produce, but if you want to go to a Walmart or a Kroger, you have to travel out of town,” Ankney says. Downtown is also home to a long-running cultural attraction and performance venue, the Huber Opera House and Civic Theater. “One hundred and fifty years ago, it was a stop on the way to New York and Chicago,” Ankney says. “About 25 years ago, a group took it over and restored it.”
Convenient access to Defiance and Fort Wayne
Though somewhat bikeable, the community is largely car-dependent. It’s a little more than 20 miles to Defiance via County Road 18, also known as Defiance Avenue. Fort Wayne, the largest city in the region, is about 5 miles farther from the community via Indiana Highway 37. “When I was teaching in Fort Wayne, it was very commutable,” Ankney says. Hicksville has its own police and fire services, but its small regional hospital recently closed amid financial problems. There are multiple hospitals in Defiance and Fort Wayne. The closest commercial airport is Fort Wayne’s international facility, about 35 miles away.
Written By
Matt Pallister
