Xenia, Ohio - Bicycle Capital of the Midwest

Xenia proclaims to be the Bicycle Capital of the Midwest. Not one to take to bike riding myself, I will have to trust them on this. New Breman, a town I will introduce you to later in this blog, has a most remarkable Bicycle Museum and may want to give Xenia a run for its money. However, if the title is earned by the creation of an impressive bike trail system complete with photo-worthy rest area, then the prize goes to Xenia.

Xenia Station, pictured here, is at the heart of the largest paved trail hub in Ohio which has about 170 miles of paved bike trails linking Xenia to places such as Dayton and Yellow Springs. Needless to say, Xenia Station is a fine place to park the car, stretch your legs and head out for a walk.

I will be honest, I did not get out and walk a lot of the bike trail in Xenia. Spoiled by the old town charm of Spring Valley with its bike trail and the abundant wooded trail system I know is just down the road, I was more keen on driving through Xenia to get a feel for the place and continue on my journey.

I say this not to discourage you from exploring Xenia. I am not sure one really can get a true feel for a town by simply driving through. I am quite certain that if you drove through Spring Valley you would think me a bit daft for praising it as I do. Some places beg of you, no, require you to get out and explore on foot.

The Storm that struck Xenia

Two presidents have visited Xenia, the first being President Elect Lincoln during his inaugural train progress and the second, President Nixon who came to see first-hand the damage inflicted on Xenia by a level F5 tornado. On April 3, 1974 an F5 tornado ripped through the heart of Xenia during the Super Outbreak. The Super Outbreak was the most violent tornado outbreak ever recorded with 30 F4/F5 tornadoes reported. From April 3 to April 4, 1974, there were 148 tornadoes confirmed in 13 states. The series of tornadoes damaged 900 square miles along a total combined path length of 2,600 miles. In Xenia, the disaster killed 34 people, injured an additional 1,150, destroyed almost half of the city’s buildings and left 10,000 people homeless. Five schools, nine churches and 180 businesses were destroyed.

It was this unprecedented outbreak and resulting destruction that brought the producers of the television documentary Tornado! to Xenia, Bob Hope to host a benefit and a visit from President Nixon. But Xenia’s plight with tornadoes was not over. The town was targeted by a smaller tornado in April, 1989 and again by another F4 tornado on September 20, 2000.

Knowing all of this, it is easy to believe the legend that the area was referred to by local Shawnee Indians as, ”the place of the devil wind" is more fact than lore. According to one source, 20 tornadoes have been recorded in Green County (home of Xenia) since 1884.  

View of downtown Xenia

Greene County Historical Society