[4] Originally named New Carlisle, the village was renamed to Walnut Creek when the post office was established in 1841.

[5] Beginning in the 1990s business leaders developed Walnut Creek into an American-Victorian themed town, which the University of Dayton's Susan Trollinger calls "puzzling" because of the stark contrast between Victorian overdecorating and the Amish plainness.

[6]: 49–50  Tourist-oriented businesses typically include "resting places" such as parlors in hotels or wrapround porches lined with rocking chairs or other seating on retail shops, which emphasizes a sense of having plentiful time.

[6]: 57  Her conclusion is that the Victorian theme and emphasis on resting places is capitalizing on the attraction of nostalgia for a simpler life with plentiful time, which it has in common with the Amish.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Walnut Creek CDP has a total area of 2.2 square miles (5.8 km2), of which 1.1 acres (4,467 m2), or 0.08%, are water.