Ross County, Ohio
Ross County, Ohio | ||
|---|---|---|
 Ross County Courthouse | ||
| ||
 Location within the U.S. state of Ohio | ||
 Ohio's location within the U.S. | ||
| Founded | August 20, 1798[1] | |
| Named for | James Ross | |
| Seat | Chillicothe | |
| Largest city | Chillicothe | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 693 sq mi (1,795 km2) | |
| • Land | 689 sq mi (1,785 km2) | |
| • Water | 3.8 sq mi (10 km2), 0.6% | |
| Population | ||
| • (2010) | 78,064 | |
| • Density | 113/sq mi (44/km2) | |
| Congressional districts | 2nd, 15th | |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC−5/−4 | |
| Website | www.co.ross.oh.us | |
Ross County is a county located in the Appalachian region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 78,064.[2] Its county seat is Chillicothe,[3] the first and third capital of Ohio. Established on August 20, 1798, the county is named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania.[4]
Ross County comprises the Chillicothe, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
1 History
2 Geography
2.1 Adjacent counties
2.2 National protected area
3 Demographics
3.1 2000 census
3.2 2010 census
4 Government
4.1 County officials
5 Politics
6 Education
6.1 Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center
6.2 Ohio University Chillicothe
7 Communities
7.1 City
7.2 Villages
7.3 Townships
7.4 Census-designated places
7.5 Other unincorporated communities
7.6 Ghost town
8 Notable people
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
History
As of 1848, Ross County was described as having almost "one hundred enclosures of various sizes, and five hundred mounds" by Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis in their book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. They describe the Indian-built earthworks as ranging from five to 30 feet in size, and enclosures of one to 50 acres large.[5]
Geography
Countryside northeast of Chillicothe on State Route 180
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 693 square miles (1,790 km2), of which 689 square miles (1,780 km2) is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2) (0.6%) is water.[6] Ross County is the second-largest county by land area in Ohio, after Ashtabula County, as well as the fifth-largest by total area.
Adjacent counties
Pickaway County (north)
Hocking County (northeast)
Vinton County (east)
Jackson County (southeast)
Pike County (south)
Highland County (southwest)
Fayette County (northwest)
National protected area
- Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 8,540 | — | |
| 1810 | 15,514 | 81.7% | |
| 1820 | 20,619 | 32.9% | |
| 1830 | 24,068 | 16.7% | |
| 1840 | 27,460 | 14.1% | |
| 1850 | 32,074 | 16.8% | |
| 1860 | 35,071 | 9.3% | |
| 1870 | 37,097 | 5.8% | |
| 1880 | 40,307 | 8.7% | |
| 1890 | 39,454 | −2.1% | |
| 1900 | 40,940 | 3.8% | |
| 1910 | 40,069 | −2.1% | |
| 1920 | 41,556 | 3.7% | |
| 1930 | 45,181 | 8.7% | |
| 1940 | 52,147 | 15.4% | |
| 1950 | 54,424 | 4.4% | |
| 1960 | 61,215 | 12.5% | |
| 1970 | 61,211 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 65,004 | 6.2% | |
| 1990 | 69,330 | 6.7% | |
| 2000 | 73,345 | 5.8% | |
| 2010 | 78,064 | 6.4% | |
| Est. 2017 | 77,313 | [7] | −1.0% |
| U.S. Decennial Census[8] 1790-1960[9] 1900-1990[10] 1990-2000[11] 2010-20137[2] | |||
2000 census
As of the census[12] of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile (41/km²). There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.74% White, 6.20% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 27,136 households out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 108.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,117, and the median income for a family was $43,241. Males had a median income of $35,892 versus $23,399 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,569. About 9.10% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 78,064 people, 28,919 households, and 19,782 families residing in the county.[13] The population density was 113.3 inhabitants per square mile (43.7/km2). There were 32,148 housing units at an average density of 46.6 per square mile (18.0/km2).[14] The racial makeup of the county was 90.7% white, 6.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population.[13] In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 15.2% were Irish, 12.5% were American, and 10.5% were English.[15]
Of the 28,919 households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.6% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 39.8 years.[13]
The median income for a household in the county was $42,626 and the median income for a family was $50,081. Males had a median income of $42,721 versus $32,374 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,595. About 13.1% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.[16]
Government
County officials
County officials are:
County Auditor Tom Spetnagel Jr. (D)
County Board of Elections
- Stephen A. Madru (D)
- Beth Neal (D)
- Don Fuller (R)
- Ron Fields (R)
Clerk of Courts Ty D. Hinton (D)
Board of Commissioners
- Stephen A. Neal (D)
- Doug Corcoran (D)
- Dwight A. Garrett (R)
Ross County Court of Common Pleas:
- Judge Michael M. Ater (R)
- Judge Scott Nusbaum (R)
- Probate and Juvenile Court Judge J. Jeffrey Benson (R)
- Magistrate John Di Cesare
County Coroner John Gabis (D)
County Engineer Charles R. Ortman(R)
County Prosecutor Matthew Schmidt (R)
County Recorder Kathleen "Kathy" Dunn (D)
County Treasurer Jerald A. "Jerry" Byers (D)
County Sheriff George Lavender (R)
Politics
Ross is a generally Republican county in Presidential and Congressional elections, although Democratic candidates perform fairly well in the county. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, while Bill Clinton won a plurality in Ross in 1996. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 53% of the county's vote.
Ross is part of Ohio's 2nd and 15th congressional districts, which are held by Republicans Brad Wenstrup and Steve Stivers, respectively.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third parties |
|---|---|---|---|
2016 | 61.0% 18,652 | 33.9% 10,356 | 5.1% 1,557 |
2012 | 49.8% 15,008 | 48.3% 14,569 | 1.9% 583 |
2008 | 52.5% 16,759 | 45.3% 14,455 | 2.2% 711 |
2004 | 54.4% 17,231 | 44.1% 13,978 | 1.5% 462 |
2000 | 52.7% 13,706 | 44.8% 11,662 | 2.5% 648 |
1996 | 39.9% 10,286 | 49.0% 12,649 | 11.1% 2,862 |
1992 | 39.8% 10,825 | 38.5% 10,452 | 21.7% 5,896 |
1988 | 60.4% 14,563 | 38.5% 9,271 | 1.2% 279 |
1984 | 66.6% 17,015 | 31.4% 8,020 | 2.0% 513 |
1980 | 55.5% 13,251 | 39.2% 9,355 | 5.3% 1,253 |
1976 | 50.5% 11,477 | 47.2% 10,743 | 2.3% 531 |
1972 | 71.2% 15,573 | 26.9% 5,879 | 2.0% 436 |
1968 | 50.7% 11,284 | 30.9% 6,873 | 18.4% 4,089 |
1964 | 43.1% 9,623 | 56.9% 12,704 | |
1960 | 60.9% 14,075 | 39.1% 9,036 | |
1956 | 63.7% 13,036 | 36.3% 7,418 | |
1952 | 61.0% 13,431 | 39.0% 8,585 | |
1948 | 52.1% 10,398 | 47.7% 9,524 | 0.2% 42 |
1944 | 53.5% 11,424 | 46.5% 9,928 | |
1940 | 48.6% 11,780 | 51.4% 12,447 | |
1936 | 43.8% 9,817 | 55.7% 12,503 | 0.5% 121 |
1932 | 47.3% 9,575 | 52.1% 10,542 | 0.5% 110 |
1928 | 64.6% 11,179 | 35.0% 6,062 | 0.4% 67 |
1924 | 53.9% 8,431 | 38.5% 6,028 | 7.6% 1,194 |
1920 | 56.5% 9,330 | 42.7% 7,063 | 0.8% 133 |
1916 | 47.8% 4,857 | 50.7% 5,154 | 1.6% 159 |
1912 | 36.8% 3,600 | 45.9% 4,494 | 17.3% 1,698 |
1908 | 49.7% 5,432 | 48.7% 5,325 | 1.6% 174 |
1904 | 54.6% 5,472 | 43.8% 4,387 | 1.6% 163 |
1900 | 51.6% 5,463 | 47.6% 5,035 | 0.8% 88 |
1896 | 52.3% 5,562 | 46.7% 4,967 | 1.0% 101 |
1892 | 49.2% 4,632 | 47.7% 4,489 | 3.1% 296 |
1888 | 50.7% 4,942 | 47.0% 4,584 | 2.3% 221 |
1884 | 50.3% 4,830 | 49.2% 4,723 | 0.5% 50 |
1880 | 50.8% 4,734 | 48.9% 4,551 | 0.3% 32 |
1876 | 48.4% 4,177 | 51.4% 4,431 | 0.2% 21 |
1872 | 49.6% 3,650 | 50.4% 3,711 | 0.1% 5 |
Education
Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center
Pickaway-Ross lies in the Northern part of the county. Students from the following affiliated Ross and Pickaway county districts at the vocational school.
- Adena Local School District (Ross County)
- Chillicothe City School District (Ross County)
Huntington Local School District (Ross County)- Paint Valley Local School District (Ross County)
- Southeastern Local School District (Ross County)
- Unioto Local School District (Ross County)
- Zane Trace Local School District (Ross County)
- Circleville City School District (Pickaway County)
- Logan Elm Local School District (Pickaway County)
- Westfall Local School District (Pickaway County)
Ohio University Chillicothe
Ohio University built a regional campus in Chillicothe in 1966 which sets on 100 acres of land. The university has over 2,500 students enrolled as of 2010, ranging from traditional-aged students and non-traditional learners.[18]
Communities
Map of Ross County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels
City
Chillicothe (county seat)
Villages
- Adelphi
- Bainbridge
- Clarksburg
- Frankfort
- Kingston
- South Salem
Townships
- Buckskin
- Colerain
- Concord
- Deerfield
- Franklin
- Green
- Harrison
- Huntington
- Jefferson
- Liberty
- Paint
- Paxton
- Scioto
- Springfield
- Twin
- Union
Census-designated places
- Andersonville
- Bourneville
Richmond Dale (also known as "Richmondale")
Other unincorporated communities
- Alma
- Anderson
- Austin
- Bainbridge
- Bourneville
- Brownsville
- Deadman Crossing
- Denver
- Frenchtown
- Fruitdale
- Greenland
- Hallsville
- Harper
- Higby
- Hopetown
- Humboldt
- Kinnikinnick
- Lattaville
- Lickskillet
- Londonderry
- Lyndon
- Massieville
- Metzger
- Mooresville
- Musselman
- Nipgen
- North Fork Village
- Pinhook
- Pleasant Grove
- Pleasant Valley
- Pride
- Roxabell
- Schooley
- Slate Mills
- Spargursville
- Storms
- Summithill
- Tucson
- Vigo
- Yellowbud
Ghost town
- Knockemstiff
Notable people
John Purdue - founding benefactor of Purdue University.
Frederick Madison Roberts - great-grandson of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, first African-American elected to office on the West Coast (elected to California Assembly in 1918), and "dean of the assembly" who helped found the University of California at Los Angeles.
Clyde Beatty - Lion tamer and animal trainer. He also became a circus impresario who owned his own show, which later merged with the Cole Bros. Circus to form the Clyde Beatty–Cole
Blue Jacket - Shawnee War Chief
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ross County, Ohio
References
^ "Ross County History". Ross County, Ohio. Archived from the original on 2009-01-15. Retrieved 2008-05-21..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ ab "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on 2011-05-31. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
^ "Ross County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
[dead link]
^ Squier, E.G. (1848). Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p. 57.
^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
^ "Population and Housing Unit Estimates". Retrieved June 9, 2017.
^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on May 12, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on 2013-09-11. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
^ abc "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2015-12-27.
^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved 2018-05-03.
^ "Profile Fact Sheet". www.ohio.edu. Retrieved 2018-09-09.
External links
- Official website
- Ross County Government's website
- Ross County Commissioners
Places adjacent to Ross County, Ohio | ||||||||||
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Ross County, Ohio
Municipalities and communities of Ross County, Ohio, United States | ||
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County seat: Chillicothe | ||
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
 State of Ohio | ||
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Columbus (capital) | ||
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Coordinates: 39°20′N 83°04′W / 39.33°N 83.06°W / 39.33; -83.06
