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Today’s #GOPCThread will feature #PortsmouthOhio as the fifth city in our #OHCommunitySpotlight series
Founded in 1803 and located on the confluence of the Ohio and Scioto Rivers in Southern Ohio, Portsmouth is one of Ohio’s smallest #LegacyCities #GOPCThread https://twitter.com/TomHorsman/status/1258229487931719683
The city grew quickly thanks to its location on 2 busy rivers, becoming one of the most important industrial cities on the Ohio River between Pittsburgh and Cincinnati #GOPCThread
Portsmouth was a national manufacturing hub, with steel, shoe, + brick industries booming. This grew the Boneyfiddle district, which continues to be a cultural center to this day #GOPCThread
Mitchellace, Shelby Shoe Co, and other companies ushered in a period of economic prosperity between 1900-10. Landmarks, like the library, were constructed at this time #GOPCThread
And the historic Columbia Theater. Originally built in 1910, the theater was damaged by fire in 2007, and was later demolished and rebuilt in 2012 #GOPCThread https://columbiamusicarena.com/
Portsmouth even had its own NFL team, the Portsmouth Spartans. The team eventually relocated to Detroit in 1934 and becoming the Lions. Spartan Municipal Stadium is still standing today #GOPCThread https://sciotohistorical.org/items/show/112
Population peaked in 1930 at 42K residents. Portsmouth then entered a period of decline, starting with the 1937 flood, where 2/3 of the city was under 12ft of water #GOPCThread
After this big flood, @USACEHQ constructed a floodwall along the river. In ’92 the city hired artist Robert Dafford to paint murals of city history on the floodwall #GOPCThread
Portsmouth has struggled as it lost many large employers, dealt with opiate addiction, and lost population. Today, the city is down to 20K residents, w/ 35% in poverty #GOPCThread
If you just look at statistics for the city, you would miss the impressive steps the city and leaders like @SciotoFnd are taking to revitalize this riverside community #GOPCThread
Organizations like Main Street Portsmouth continue to reap successes through their hard work on volunteer beautification projects #GOPCThread https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/news/51389/main-street-portsmouth-continues-revitalizing
The city is utilizing different #placemaking interventions, including this example of small-scale but transformational work in the Boneyfiddle District #GOPCThread https://twitter.com/Ohio_SE/status/1349424367747411980
Citizen groups, like Friends of Portsmouth, are building community through many popup and regular events, like Final Fridays in Boneyfiddle or the annual Winterfest #GOPCThread https://www.friendsofportsmouth.com/
The nonprofit has managed to organize city residents to break an impressive THREE world records in as many years #GOPCThread https://www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com/opinion/44257/portsmouth-ohio-3-world-records
Portsmouth is home to vital anchor institutions, like @ShawneeState and the Kricker Innovation Hub @ssuinnovation supporting the next gen of Southern OH entrepreneurs #GOPCThread https://ssuinnovation.com/
Leaders are working to support the city’s civic infrastructure too. In 2019 @SciotoFdn held the Rethinking Downtown Portsmouth Summit to create a blueprint for change #GOPCThread https://www.greaterohio.org/blog/2019/4/10/rethinking-downtown-portsmouth-summit-creates-a-blueprint-for-change
And last year, the city embarked on a collaborative master planning process involving months of interviews, meetings, and community engagement. View the new plan here #GOPCThread
https://portsmouthoh.org/departments/community-development
https://portsmouthoh.org/departments/community-development
Revitalizing the city has been a community-wide effort, and work is paying off. In 2016 @SiteSelection named Portsmouth one of the US’ Top 10 Best Micropolitan Communities #GOPCThread https://ohiose.com/news/portsmouth-in-national-top-10-ranking/
And in 2020, Portsmouth was a winner of the @NationalCivic All America City Award #GOPCThread http://www.nationalcivicleague.org/2020-all-america-city-finalist-portsmouth-oh/
There is still work to be done in Portsmouth, but leaders in philanthropy, public and private sectors, and city residents are collaborating to create positive change #GOPCThread
Be sure to check the #GOPCThread regularly for the next installment of our #OHCommunitySpotlight series