Lima ( LY-mə) is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 35,579. It is located in northwest Ohio along Interstate 75, approximately 72 miles (116 km) north of Dayton, 78 miles (126 km) southwest of Toledo, and 63 mi (101 km) southeast of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
Lima was founded in 1831. The Lima Army Tank Plant, officially called the Joint Systems Manufacturing Center, built in 1941, is the sole producer of the M1 Abrams. It is the principal city of the Lima metropolitan area, which had 102,000 residents in 2020 and is included in the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta combined statistical area.
Most restaurants in Lima are of the chain variety, either fast food or sit-down. There is at least one of most major type of restaurant (Texas Roadhouse, IHOP, Applebee's, Olive Garden, Panera Bread, etc.) in town, but there are a few local restaurants worth visiting.
In the city center, the two main hubs are Market Street (running east and west) and Main Street (running north and south). The two streets meet at the center of town, in a small area known as Town Square. It is here that most downtown businesses are, and where weekly "Rally in the Square" events take place during the summer. The yearly "Square Fair" also takes place here in early August.
In the main business district outside of downtown (known as 'Westgate'), main hubs are Elida road (running northwest to southeast) and Cable Road (running North and South). The majority of activities can be found in this area of town, about northwest of downtown. Most restaurants, shopping, activities and the Lima Mall are in this area.
If you take Market Street east out of town it will become Bellefontaine (pronounced 'Bell-fountain') Street, and you will find another business district (known as 'Eastgate') similar to that near Elida/Cable Roads. This is where I-75 exit 125 meets the city, and the Allen County Fairgrounds are about a mile east of this stretch of businesses on Bellefontaine.
Though the town shares its name with the capital of Peru, it is pronounced 'Lye-mah' thanks to the local vernacular. Founded in the 1830s, Lima became an oil boom town in the late 1800s. The city flourished as an industrial town until the 1970s, when many industries began to leave as part of the Rust Belt decline that affected much of the Midwest. This is evidenced by the sheer number of abandoned factories and warehouses in the city. Yet, Lima remains prominent in the area as a hub for business and local culture.
