History

A history of Tiffin from the records

The town told from its own council minutes, ordinances and resolutions, decade by decade and theme by theme. Every sentence cites the page it rests on.

How to read this history

Coverage. The archive's council minutes begin in May 1962, and some years have none at all. Each chapter opens with what the archive holds for its decade and names the years it is missing; nothing is inferred across a gap.
Citations. A number after a sentence (^[1]) leads to its source: the document and page, with the page's own words. Each quote has been checked against the page's text by machine; a sentence whose source has not passed that check is not published and is marked where it would stand.
Figures. Money is given as printed, with its year; a figure in today's dollars carries the Derived label (CPI-U, the same method as the pay pages). Sums, counts and per-acre figures are labelled the same way.
Outside the archive. Court opinions and other outside sources are listed apart, under "Outside the archive", and are never cited by the text.
How it was written. Researchers read the pages and recorded each fact with its quote; the chapters were written from those facts only. The chapters are the one place on this site with written prose; lists, the timeline and "on this day" are assembled by rule.

The decades

Before the archive Before 1962

Before 1962: what the archive remembers

Before the minutes begin: 1 document in the archive

The 1960s 1962–1969

1962–1969: a sewer, a water vote and the town's codes

139 council meetings, 134 with minutes · 21 history notes

The 1970s 1970–1979

1970–1979: water on tap, a pond, a charter and a zoning map

181 council meetings, 176 with minutes · 5 history notes

The 1980s 1980–1989

1980–1989: a water tower from the university, a new well, and the edges of town

175 council meetings, 167 with minutes · 2 history notes

The 1990s 1990–1999

1990–1999: a flood, five quiet years, and a town that began to grow

66 council meetings, 61 with minutes · 4 history notes

The 2000s 2000–2009

2000–2009: a water plant, a new high school, and new neighborhoods

93 council meetings, 89 with minutes · 7 history notes

The 2010s 2010–2019

Chapter in preparation; the decade's records, people and projects are listed.

294 council meetings, 284 with minutes · 5 history notes

The 2020s 2020–today

2020–2026: a pandemic, a second count of the town, and building for twice the people

354 council meetings, 349 with minutes · 4 history notes

Themes across the decades

Water

Wells, towers and the water system.

In preparation; 82 dated items on its timeline so far.

Sewer

The sewer, the lagoon and the treatment plant.

In preparation; 62 dated items on its timeline so far.

Parks

Parks, playgrounds and ball fields.

In preparation; 112 dated items on its timeline so far.

Schools

The schools and the school district.

In preparation; 55 dated items on its timeline so far.

Streets

Streets, the stop light and traffic firsts.

In preparation; 165 dated items on its timeline so far.

Boards and commissions

Boards, commissions, committees and the offices.

In preparation; 40 dated items on its timeline so far.

Landmarks

Businesses and places the records name.

In preparation; 4 dated items on its timeline so far.

Ceremonies

Proclamations, dedications, namings, special events and closures.

In preparation; 167 dated items on its timeline so far.

Ordinances

The laws that changed daily life.

In preparation; 456 dated items on its timeline so far.

Land and growth

Subdivisions, annexations and the cost of land.

In preparation; 281 dated items on its timeline so far.

Money

Bonds, big spending, salaries and prices, in today's dollars too.

In preparation; 130 dated items on its timeline so far.

Neighbors

Other towns, the county, the school district, the state: agreements and joint meetings.

In preparation; 233 dated items on its timeline so far.

The wider world

World events the records acknowledge.

In preparation; 23 dated items on its timeline so far.