The City of Xenia is located 20 miles east of Dayton, Ohio at the intersection of US Route 35, US Route 42, and US Route 68. It is home to 24,000 people. The name "Xenia" is the Greek word for hospitality and the source of one of the city's nicknames "City of Hospitality." Several major cities are easily accessible from Xenia. Dayton is 20 minutes to the west. Cincinnati is an hour to the southwest, Columbus is an hour to the northeast, and Indianapolis is two hours to the west. In addition, Wright Patterson Air Force Base sits in the northwest corner of Greene County, of which Xenia is the county seat.
Although Xenia is not a booming metropolis, you may have heard of it. Xenia is most well known as being the site of a legendary tornado on April 3, 1974, which was part of the Super Outbreak of 148 tornadoes in 13 states that struck over a two-day period. The Xenia tornado was an F-5 on the Fujita Scale and garnered national attention and a presidential visit. Xenia was struck again on September 20, 2000 by an F-4 tornado, but that storm did not cause the same level of damage as the 1974 storm. Interestingly, local legend says that Xenia and Greene County have seen more than 20 tornadoes dating back to 1884. The region was supposedly called "the land of crazy winds" by the Shawnee Indians who used to live in the area.
Xenia's other claim to fame is it's standing as the "Bicycle Capital of the Midwest." Xenia received this recognition by being the convenient hub of the Miami Valley Rail-Trails, a large network of bike paths that stretch many miles across the Ohio countryside. These bike paths were created by converting several abandoned rail lines. The bike paths extend out from Xenia in five directions: west through Beavercreek to Dayton; north through Yellow Springs to Springfield; northeast through Cedarville to London; east to Jamestown; and south through Spring Valley, Waynesville, Lebanon, and eventually to Milford (a suburb of Cincinnati).
Xenia is home to Xenia Community Schools, Greene County Career Center, and Xenia Christian High School. In addition, several colleges and universities surround the area. These institutions include: Antioch University, Cedarville University, Central State University, Clark State Community College, Sinclair Community College, University of Dayton, Wilberforce University, Wilmington College, Wittenberg University, and Wright State University.
Recreational activities are abundant in the area with many indoor and outdoor options. These activities include: The Beach Waterpark, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Caesar Creek State Park, Carillon Historical Park, Cincinnati Zoo, Cincinnati Museum Center, Clifton Mill, Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, COSI, Creation Museum, Dayton Art Institute, Entertrainment Junction, Fort Ancient, Glen Helen Nature Preserve, Great Serpent Mound, Great Wolf Lodge, John Bryon State Park, Kings Island, Miami Valley Rail-Trails, National Museum of the United States Air Force, Newport Aquarium, Ohio Caverns, Pro Football Hall of Fame, River's Edge Outfitters, Santa Maria Replica, and Tecumseh Outdoor Drama.
If shopping is your preferred form of recreation, there are several attractions within an hour's drive. In Dayton, shopping areas include Dayton Mall, Fairfield Commons, and The Greene. In Cincinnati, shopping areas include Cincinnati Premium Outlets, Kenwood Town Center, Newport on the Levee, and Tri-County Mall. In Columbus, shopping areas include Easton Town Center, Polaris Fashion Mall, and Tuttle Crossing. Halfway between Cincinnati and Columbus sits the Jeffersonville Outlet Mall at the intersection of I-71 and US Route 35. It is about 25 minutes from Xenia.
Ohio is home to several sports teams including Cincinnati Bengals, Cincinnati Cyclones, Cincinnati Reds, Cleveland Browns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Columbus Blue Jackets, Columbus Crew, Dayton Dragons, and the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Xenia and Greene County are home to a few people of notoriety. These famous residents include actor Dave Chappelle, Trent Cole of the Philadelphia Eagles (2005-present), Mike DeWine who was a U.S. Senator from 1994-2006, Roland James of the New England Patriots (1980-1990), Joseph Warren Keifer who was a U.S. Congressman and Speaker of the House from 1881-1883, John Little who was a U.S. Congressman from 1885-1887, and actor Charles Grapewin (1869-1956) who played Uncle Henry in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz and Grandpa Joad in the 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath. In addition, Xenia was the setting of the films Who's Your Daddy and Gummo. Lastly, Xenia is mentioned in the Stephen King novels The Stand and The Talisman.