Can you name the community being described? (It may surprise you)
You know your town pretty well, right?
Allow the Icon to pose this question: “Can you name the community that fits the following description?”
Spoiler warning: There’s an Icon in Bluffton and Ada. This column posted on both Icons today. The answer is at the bottom.
The community we describe has the following characteristics:
1 – There's a Main Street streetscape program with bricks between sidewalk and street
2 – A university
3 – An Exempted Village School District
4 – A post office with a historical community mural
5 – Its Main Street is a state route
6 – There’s a bowling alley on the edge of town
7 – A farmers’ elevator is located next to a railroad
8 – The community is approximately four miles from the Lincoln Highway
9 – It’s school athletic teams play in the Northwest Conference
10 – The first four numbers of its postal Zip Code are 4581_
11 – There’s a large, stately Presbyterian Church on Main Street
12 – There’s also a movie theatre on Main Street
13 – The village has an “area” chamber of commerce
14 – A railroad with a usable, historic restored depot is in the community
15 – On the outside of town you’ll find a locally owned greenhouse
16 – Its Main Street business district has approximately 40 small businesses including a florist, Edward Jones agent, optometrist, coffee house, Chinese restaurant, Mexican restaurant, Family Dollar, weekly newspaper and public library
18 – A preschool operates in the village
19 – There’s a College Avenue and a country church named St. John
20 – Its police department is equipped with Ford Police Utility Interceptor vehicles
21 – A non-profit Main Street business sells recycled items
22 – The phone book includes Zimmerlys, Rodabaughs, Neiswanders, Klinglers and Badertschers
23 – The village has a Lions Club
24 – There’s two football fields: one for the high school and one for the university
25 – The adjoining township to the community is named Orange Township
26 – Voters in the village enacted a village income tax
27 – Lima and Findlay are approximately 30 minutes away
What town is The Icon describing? Two communities: Ada and Bluffton.
There’s more similarities, but we’ll stop here.
This comparison of Bluffton and Ada was presented at the Nov. 8 Bluffton Area Chamber of Commerce breakfast, as an introduction to the speaker, David Retterer, mayor of Ada.
Who would have believed it?
Stories Posted This Week
Thursday, October 29, 2026
- Bluffton Icon headlines, October 29
- Kenton missing person investigation leads to arrests and discovery of deceased individual
- Ada Council meeting rescheduled for November 10
- District Governor urges Ada Rotary to make lasting impact
- Apollo Career Center honored as Gold Star Institution
- Leading fish expert to deliver Keiser Lecture at Ohio Northern on Nov. 3
- Down Memory Lane: ONU Homecoming celebration in 1925
- Test-to-Treat not Trick-or-Treat
Wednesday, October 28, 2026
Tuesday, October 27, 2026
- Bulldogs Allen, Rush voted 1st team by NCOSA coaches
- Ada girls soccer eliminated by Grove in district semis
- Northwest Ohio field reports from the Ohio Division of Wildlife
- Can you look up Rotarian in the dictionary?
- Vancrest of Ada to host purse bingo in Kenton
- Karen Kier named to Soroptimist International Gender Medicine Working Group
- Ada ballot for Nov. 3 includes ambulance district, public library and two park district tax levy issues
Monday, October 26, 2026
- Polar Bears sports roundup, October 19-25
- Bluffton Icon headlines October 26
- Jerry R. Wolber, 88, owned Associated Plastics
- Blanchard Valley Health System Announces Updates to Board of Trustees
- Bingo with Officer Penny, October 27
- Farms, Barns & Rural Heritage event celebrates WCOLC 20th anniversary