Can you name the community that fits this description? (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? (Examine the two photos below)
Stories Posted This Week
Tuesday, October 13, 2026
- Night at the (Swiss Historical) Museum, October 24
- Woodcarving ornament workshop at Swiss Heritage Center
- Barefoot nature walks at the Nature Preserve
- Pirate volleyball seeded 4th
- Beavers sports roundup, October 6-11
- Bluffton leaf pickup scheduled for last week of October
- Pirate boys soccer shuts out Bellefontaine
- Watch an after school movie at the Bluffton Public Library
- Dunlap awarded OSBA humanitarian award
Monday, October 12, 2026
Sunday, October 11, 2026
Saturday, October 10, 2026
Friday, October 9, 2026
- Ada Icon headlines, October 9
- Pirate girls soccer loss vs. St. Marys
- Pirate volleyball sweeps Carey
- “The Trumpet Player” sculpture at Bluffton University receives conservation grant
- October 13 Bluffton Schools athletics lineup, streaming
- Plenty of action at Oct 10 Dillinger robbery reenactment and motorcycle show
- Caitlyn Couch junior piano recital, October 16
- Bluffton community survey opens for Active Transportation Plan