A rural, small-town lifestyle available in Mount Blanchard
Home to about 400 people, Mount Blanchard is a small town surrounded by farmland, offering a quiet life distanced from larger towns. In Mount Blanchard, residents can enjoy the essentials, with just a few restaurants and a gas station, alongside recreational opportunities offered by the Blanchard River. With such a small population, this is somewhere people are going to get to know their neighbors, running into them when out around town. “Especially when the weather’s nice, people are out walking their dogs or at the park with their kids,” says Realtor Brittany Knippen with Key Realty. Still, Ohio Route 37 cuts through the community, connecting it with other towns for amenities and work. “The people who live here work in Findlay or Upper Sandusky,” Knippen says. “It’s a good halfway point between the two.”
Historic Nationals and ranch-style homes
Narrow sidewalks lead up to Nationals from the early 1900s and ranch-style homes along Mount Blanchard’s residential streets. Older trees rise above the rooftops, where untrimmed branches hang over front yards and sidewalks. Farther from town, long driveways break up the cornfields, leading to farmhouses and more ranch-style homes. Trees cluster around homes to provide some privacy from the open landscape. The ranch-style homes typically sell between $100,000 and $200,000, while the Nationals and farmhouses range from $300,000 t0 $380,000.
Nearby nature preserves and kayaking on the Blanchard River
Sharing its grounds with the town water tower, Hurricane Park offers a playground, soccer field and basketball court. Along with Island Park’s baseball diamonds and basketball court, it’s also the site of the Mount Blanchard Swimming Pool, open May through August. The park sits along the Blanchard River, where people can fish or kayak. The park is one of 11 access points to the Blanchard River Water Trail, which flows along 38 miles of Hancock County. The river also goes through Blanchard River Nature Preserve, though low water levels mean it might not always be deep enough to kayak. However, the trails are also open, offering great birdwatching opportunities.
Since the Blanchard River hugs the western side of town, homes there are at some risk of floods. However, the town has taken preventative measures, and flooding has decreased over the past 20 years.
Taking Ohio Route 37 to other nearby towns like Findlay
In town, Main Street is the main thoroughfare, running north to south. It becomes Ohio Route 37 to the north, connecting Mount Blanchard with Findlay, about 15 miles away. In addition to the grocery stores and other commercial offerings there, Blanchard Valley Hospital is also located in Findlay, about 13 miles from Mount Blanchard. When residents want to travel by plane, they’ll have to head 87 miles south to John Glenn Columbus International Airport.
Mount Blanchard schools all share one building
Riverdale Elementary, Middle and High schools are all in the same school complex, where the grounds are complete with a playground, pond and athletic fields. High school students can take College Credit Plus classes to earn potential college credit before graduating. Niche doesn’t rate the individual schools, instead giving the whole complex a C-plus rating.
Mount Blanchard's three restaurants and nearby grocery options
Mount Blanchard has just three eateries in town. Corner Bar and Grill serves ice cream, sundaes and burgers. The ice cream flavors rotate regularly, so people can keep trying new options. Moore Than Just BBQ has barbeque classics and additional items like egg rolls and chili. The Stock Yard is a bar with street signs and license plates hanging on the walls. Mount Blanchard doesn’t have any grocery stores, so residents can head about 14 miles to Findley for major supermarkets like Meijer, Walmart and Aldi. For something closer, Forest’s Dollar General is about 10 miles south. “They’ve ramped up the Dollar General in Forest to have more grocery options,” Knippen says. “If you forget milk, you don’t have to make a 30-minute drive.”
Annual summer and winter festivals in and around Mount Blanchard
Every December, Mount Blanchard hosts Christmas in the Village, the annual holiday parade down the center of town. It includes local organizations like the town’s girl and boy scout troops and Santa riding in an old-fashioned car. Down in Forest, Tree Town Festival draws people from towns like Mount Blanchard. “It’s always the second weekend in July, and people come from miles away to go to it,” Knippen says. The festival includes carnival rides and games, face painting and a barbeque put on by the local firefighters.
Written By
Caroline Ernst
