Early pioneers had to deal with swampy ground, mud, and malaria.

They persevered, draining the swamp for agriculture and eventually reclaiming enough dry land to establish the town.

Van Wert was the birthplace of aviation pioneer Walter Hinton and the famous baritone Charles W. Clark.

At one point, Van Wert was the only place in the world producing Liederkranz cheese.

Beginning in 1926, this pungent dairy product was manufactured at the now-closed Borden plant.

[9][10][11][12] The people of Van Wert (400 of which called themselves "Cheesemakers") contributed to the town of Vimoutiers, Orne, Lower Normandy, France with help in the costs of reconstruction and reparation of the town after it was mistakenly bombed by the US Air Force during World War II.

[13] Vimoutiers is a centre for local making of Camembert, Livarot and Pont-l'Évêque cheeses.

Van Wert's emergency warning system is credited with saving many lives after several cars were thrown into a movie theatre that had been packed with people just minutes earlier.

33.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

Van Wert High School sports participate in the Western Buckeye League, an athletic body sanctioned by the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA).

Along with the new high school/middle school complex, a new performing arts center was built, The Niswonger Performing Arts Center of Northwest Ohio, thanks to the private donation of Van Wert High School Alumnus, Scott Niswonger.