On August 5, 1930, the first person who would walk on the moon was born in a small Ohio city called Wapakoneta – Wapak for short – 90 miles northwest of Columbus. Though not a large city — its population is less than 10,000 — Wapakoneta has enormous pride in its connections to space travel, its major employers like Washington Penn Plastics and General Aluminum Manufacturing and its growing downtown district. “The downtown is very vibrant, but also there’s a historic aspect to it,” says Amanda Moening, management-level Realtor with Binkley Real Estate, LLC, in Wapakoneta. “They have different events throughout the year, like First Fridays and the Moon Fest, which brings in a lot of people from all over the area.”
General Aluminum Manufacturing Company is an aluminum casting company in Wapakoneta.
Washington Penn Plastics Company in Wapakoneta is a provider of custom polypropylene and polyethylene compounds.
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From historic Victorian homes to modern farmhouses
Moening says the housing market is growing steadily. “Prices have gone up because Wapak is a desired location, but luckily there are a lot of grants and programs that can help buyers with costs.” Single-family homes start around $65,000 and sell as high as $700,000, depending on size and age. Older Victorian and ranch-style homes can date back to the early 1900s, while newly constructed homes come in craftsman and modern farmhouse styles. The median home price is around $200,000, less than half the national median.
Single family homes are a popular option for the residents of Wapakoneta.
Craftsman homes are a great option for families looking to buy in Wapakoneta.
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The Wapakoneta City School District makes the grade
The Wapakoneta City School District earns an overall B-minus on Niche. With just over 3,000 students, the district has a student-teacher ratio of 21:1 across two elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. The average graduation rate is 92%, and the high school has recently seen success in football, baseball and wrestling.
Wapakoneta Elementary School is a public school serving student grades K-4.
The Wapakoneta Middle School is a public school in Wapakoneta that serves students grades 5-7.
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Downtown and the YMCA are connected by Riverwalk
The city has seven parks, including the Wapak Dog Park, a project designed and managed by a local Eagle Scout, and the Wapak Breakfast Optimist Soccer Park, which hosts the area’s soccer tournaments. Following the north bank of the Auglaize River, the city’s Riverwalk trail connects local schools with the downtown district and the Defiance Street YMCA. In the summer, the Wapakoneta Waterpark gives families a place to swim.
The Breakfast Optimist Park in Wapakoneta has a lovely playground for the kids to enjoy.
Wapakoneta offers many community centers such as the local YMCA.
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Local shops and restaurants line the Wapakoneta Heritage Parkway downtown
The downtown food scene serves locally crafted ice cream, coffee, American fare and baked goods. “We have a large slew of restaurants,” Moening says. “And we have a launchpad area where businesses pop up. It’s a way to introduce new businesses and items into our community while also helping businesses grow.” Alongside the cafes and restaurants, local shops sell toys, rustic furniture, handmade goods and more. Along Bellefontaine Street in the southeast of town, grocery stores, national retailers and chain restaurants are clustered together. The work of local artists is displayed and sold at the Riverside Art Center, and the astronaut Neil Armstrong is honored with a statue on the Wapakoneta Heritage Parkway. The Wapakoneta Museum, a few blocks from the river, showcases the area’s rich history.
Krave Creamery in Wapakoneta serves up the best homemade ice cream in the area.
Winans Coffee & Chocolate in Wapakoneta is a local favorite for a great cup of coffee as well as a sweet treat.
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Moon Fest and other events that bring people from all around
Moening says the list of annual events grows every year. “There’s First Fridays, and every year they do something new.” Recently, First Fridays featured an adult prom, and Moening says another was organized as a murder mystery that attracted people from surrounding areas as well. “We had scripts with different clues to give people playing the game. They even staged one of the local police officers to come in and ‘arrest’ the murderer at the end of the night. They’re always trying to do fun things like that.” Another popular event, Children’s Hometown Holiday is free to the public and transforms downtown into a photographic holiday celebration complete with carriage rides, train rides and petting zoos. Many downtown businesses partake in the celebration by opening their doors for scavenger hunts and other family activities.
Perhaps the city’s biggest event, the Summer Moon Festival, or “Summer Moonfest,” is a weekend-long festival honoring hometown hero Neil Armstrong and the anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon mission. The festival features live music, a car show, food trucks and other experiences that make the event popular throughout the region.
Cars are essential for traveling around the city
The city has no public bus service, but drivers have easy access to the interstate. Running along the east side of Wapakoneta, Interstate 75 connects drivers to Dayton, 60 miles south, where travelers can fly out of the Dayton International Airport. The closest hospital providing 24-hour emergency care is roughly 16 miles north at Lima Memorial Health System in Lima. The Lima Memorial Health System of Wapakoneta provides scheduled and walk-in health care appointments within city limits.
Lower crime rates, snowy winters
Wapakoneta crime rates generally trend much lower than state and national rates. The Auglaize River runs through town and is susceptible to flooding. Wapakoneta summers are humid, long and warm, while its winters bring freezing temperatures and average annual snowfalls of roughly 14 inches.
Written By
Konrad Solberg
Photography Contributed By
Jennifer Rehkopf
Video By
Bill Jennings
Interested in learning more about homes in this area?
Reach out to
Cassandra Bell,
an experienced agent in this area.
GreatSchools:
The GreatSchools Rating helps parents compare schools within a state based on a variety of school quality indicators and provides a helpful picture of how effectively each school serves all of its students. Ratings are on a scale of 1 (below average) to 10 (above average) and can include test scores, college readiness, academic progress, advanced courses, equity, discipline and attendance data. We also advise parents to visit schools, consider other information on school performance and programs, and consider family needs as part of the school selection process.
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On average, homes in Wapakoneta, OH sell after 36 days on the market compared to the national average of 49 days. The median sale price for homes in Wapakoneta, OH over the last 12 months is $221,000, up 13% from the median home sale price over the previous 12 months.
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