| Official Name: | Russia, Ohio |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Mapsize: | 250px |
| Image Map1: | Map of Shelby County Ohio Highlighting Russia Village.png |
| Mapsize1: | 250px |
| Map Caption1: | Location of Russia in Shelby County |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | United States |
| Subdivision Type1: | State |
| Subdivision Name1: | Ohio |
| Subdivision Type2: | County |
| Subdivision Name2: | Shelby |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Terence Daugherty |
| Unit Pref: | Imperial |
| Area Footnotes: | [1] |
| Area Total Sq Mi: | 0.88 |
| Area Land Sq Mi: | 0.87 |
| Area Water Sq Mi: | 0.01 |
| Area Total Km2: | 2.27 |
| Area Land Km2: | 2.24 |
| Area Water Km2: | 0.02 |
| Population As Of: | 2020 |
| Population Total: | 712 |
| Population Density Sq Mi: | 821.22 |
| Population Density Km2: | 317.17 |
| Timezone: | Eastern (EST) |
| Utc Offset: | -5 |
| Timezone Dst: | EDT |
| Utc Offset Dst: | -4 |
| Elevation Ft: | 971 |
| Coordinates: | 40.2339°N -84.4056°W |
| Postal Code Type: | ZIP code |
| Postal Code: | 45363 |
| Area Code: | 937, 326 |
| Blank Name: | FIPS code |
| Blank Info: | 39-69344[2] |
| Blank1 Name: | GNIS feature ID |
| Blank1 Info: | 2399149 |
| Website: | http://www.russiaoh.com/ |
Russia ([3]) is a village in Loramie Township, Shelby County, Ohio, United States. The population was 712 at the 2020 census.
Russia was founded by Lewis Phillips, who purchased and plotted the land where the village now sits. Phillips' house, built in 1853, was the first house in Russia; other settlers followed by the late 1850s. Phillips was also the first businessman in the village, opening a grocery store in 1853. Later settlers soon founded a dry goods store and multiple sawmills; Russia's economy was once heavily dependent on its sawmills. Among the earliest settlers were French-speaking Swiss who had served under Napoléon Bonaparte during the French invasion of Russia in 1812.[4] According to tradition, the village's name commemorates a battle these veterans had fought in Russia.[5]
Russia was established in an area that was already predominantly French. In the early part of the nineteenth century, a large number of emigrants from Alsace, Lorraine, and other parts of France settled in southwestern Shelby County and the adjacent portions of northeastern Darke County. Besides Russia, these immigrants founded the communities of Frenchtown and Versailles. By the middle of the 1850s, the heavily Roman Catholic population had grown to the point that multiple parishes were established in the area. A log church was built and dedicated to Saint Remigius, the patron saint of France, and Mass was first celebrated there on June 15, 1854. The congregation soon outgrew its building and constructed a new brick church; when it became too small, a larger brick church was constructed and completed in 1892. The village is one of many small communities in a heavily Catholic region of western Ohio known as the "Land of the Cross-Tipped Churches".[6]
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.79sqmi, of which 0.78sqmi is land and 0.01sqmi is water.[7]
The median income for a household in the village was $56,035.
As of the census[8] of 2010, there were 640 people, 224 households, and 173 families residing in the village. The population density was 820.5PD/sqmi. There were 242 housing units at an average density of 310.3/sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 99.2% White and 0.8% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.2% of the population.
There were 224 households, of which 44.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were married couples living together, 7.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.0% had a male householder with no wife present, and 22.8% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.86 and the average family size was 3.34.
The median age in the village was 31.6 years. 35% of residents were under the age of 18; 8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24% were from 25 to 44; 19.8% were from 45 to 64; and 13.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.4% male and 51.6% female.
Russia has a public library, a branch of Shelby County Libraries.[9] The town is home to one school, Russia Local School, which enrolls grades K-12. The school's athletic programs' mascot is the Raider.
According to the village website, "Russia is a proud village built upon Christian principles, hard work, and a close-knit, community-minded population. Symbols and colors were selected to underscore the town's French and Catholic heritage in addition to how agriculture and industry largely contributed to the development of the community over time."[10]