Xenia is a city in Ohio, United States. Founded in 1834, Xenia City was home to the first mayor, Cornelius Clark. The old municipal government system was replaced in 1918 by the current city commission-manager plan. In addition to municipal government, Xenia is home to a tornado siren system. Following a tornado outbreak in 1974, Xenia purchased five Federal Signal Thunderbolt tornado sirens. However, the sirens were silenced during the 2000 tornado strike due to a lack of backup power. In order to address this issue, Xenia City recently purchased five 2001-SRNB series tornado sirens with battery backup.
In the 1950s, Xenia's tornado devastation made headlines nationally. NBC's "Tornado!" hosted a documentary on the disaster, and President Richard Nixon visited the town. Bob Hope and other celebrities donated to Xenia in the aftermath of the tornado, and the Xenia High School has a Bob Hope Auditorium named in his honor. In 1975, the Xenia Daily Gazette staff won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting.
Xenia's demographics are varied. Eighty-one percent of the population is white, while 14.7% is black or Hispanic. The median household income in Xenia is $37,292, while the average household income is $50,271. It is also important to note that 80% of Xenia residents have a high school degree. This may be an important factor when determining your audience.