Belmont County, Ohio
| Belmont County, Ohio | ||
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 Location in the state of Ohio |
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 Ohio's location in the U.S. |
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| Founded | September 7, 1801[1] | |
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| Named for | "beautiful mountain" in French | |
| Seat | St. Clairsville | |
| Largest city | Martins Ferry | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
541.27 sq mi (1,402 km²) 532.13 sq mi (1,378 km²) 9.14 sq mi (24 km²), 1.69% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
70,400 132.3/sq mi (51/km²) |
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| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www.belmontcountyohio.org | |
Belmont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 70,400, which is an increase of 0.2% from 70,226 in 2000.[2] Its county seat is St. Clairsville.[3] The county takes its name from the French for "beautiful mountain".[4]
Contents |
History [edit]
In 1976, Belmont County became the first American county to elect a female sheriff, Katherine Crumbly.[1]
In 1987, Michael A Massa, a county resident, created and dedicated the County's first Official Seal and Flag to the people of Belmont County (photo of county seal featured above the county map- see vignette at above right). The citizens of the county held an informal election to select the winning seal and flag, and the event was featured nationally on the Paul Harvey Show. Mike has three younger siblings, Ray Massa, who leads a popular ethnic Band in Columbus (the Columbus Eurorhythyms), and two other siblings who reside in Belmont County.
Geography [edit]
According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 541.27 square miles (1,401.9 km2), of which 532.13 square miles (1,378.2 km2) (or 98.31%) is land and 9.14 square miles (23.7 km2) (or 1.69%) is water.[5]
Adjacent counties [edit]
- Harrison County (north)
- Jefferson County (northeast)
- Ohio County, West Virginia (east)
- Marshall County, West Virginia (southeast)
- Monroe County (south)
- Noble County (southwest)
- Guernsey County (west)
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 11,097 |
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| 1820 | 20,329 | 83.2% | |
| 1830 | 28,627 | 40.8% | |
| 1840 | 30,901 | 7.9% | |
| 1850 | 34,600 | 12.0% | |
| 1860 | 36,398 | 5.2% | |
| 1870 | 39,714 | 9.1% | |
| 1880 | 49,638 | 25.0% | |
| 1890 | 57,413 | 15.7% | |
| 1900 | 60,875 | 6.0% | |
| 1910 | 76,856 | 26.3% | |
| 1920 | 93,193 | 21.3% | |
| 1930 | 94,719 | 1.6% | |
| 1940 | 95,614 | 0.9% | |
| 1950 | 87,740 | −8.2% | |
| 1960 | 83,864 | −4.4% | |
| 1970 | 80,917 | −3.5% | |
| 1980 | 82,569 | 2.0% | |
| 1990 | 71,074 | −13.9% | |
| 2000 | 70,226 | −1.2% | |
| 2010 | 70,400 | 0.2% | |
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 70,226 people, 28,309 households, and 19,250 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 31,236 housing units at an average density of 58 per square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.98% White, 3.64% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.2% were of German, 12.5% Irish, 12.0% American, 10.3% English, 10.2% Italian and 9.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 28,309 households out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.80% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,714, and the median income for a family was $37,538. Males had a median income of $31,211 versus $19,890 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,221. About 11.70% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
Government [edit]
Almost all of the county's government offices are located in the Belmont County Courthouse.[7]
Belmont County's county flag was designed in 1988 by local state official Michael Massa. Local citizens voted in a nationally covered election to choose it from a group of three designs by Massa. The seal (minus a Latin phrase) is featured on the county's flag.[8]
Corrections [edit]
Belmont County is serviced by several detentional centers located around St. Clairsville. The Belmont Correctional Institution is located on 158 acres (0.64 km2) between St. Clairsville and Warnock on State Route 331. The facility currently houses 2,698 inmates.[9] The Belmont County Jail is located in St. Clairsville and is located near Belmont College and Ohio University Eastern Campus. The facility contains 144 beds and also houses the county sheriff's offices.[10] The county is also serviced by Sargus Juvenile Detention Center, a 17-bed facility that also services surrounding counties.[11] Sargus Center is located next door to the county jail.
Communities [edit]
Cities [edit]
Villages [edit]
Townships [edit]
Census-designated place [edit]
Unincorporated communities [edit]
Education [edit]
K-12 [edit]
Belmont County is served by the following local school districts
- Barnesville Exempted Village School District
- Bellaire Local
- Belmont County Educational Service Center
- Bridgeport Exempted Village
- Martins Ferry City
- Olney Friends School
- Shadyside Local
- St. Clairsville-Richland City
- Union Local High School
A small part of the county is served by the following schools of the multicounty Switzerland of Ohio Local School District:
- Hannibal Elementary School in Hannibal
- Powhatan Elementary School in Powhatan Point
- River High School in Hannibal
Higher education [edit]
Notable people [edit]
- James E. Boyd (politician), Mayor of Omaha and the seventh Governor[12]
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Ohio County Profiles: Belmont County" (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "Belmont County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Belmont County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Retrieved 2007-04-28.[dead link]
- ^ "Census 2010 U.S. Gazetteer Files: Counties". United States Census. Retrieved 2011-11-05.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Ohio Secretary of State 2006 Unofficial Election Statistics". Archived from the original on 9 April 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ Ohio County Flags: Belmont County, The Ohio Channel, 2007. Accessed 2007-09-11.
- ^ http://www.drc.state.oh.us/Public/BECI.htm
- ^ http://www.belmontsheriff.com
- ^ http://www.belmontcountyjuvenilecourt.com/index2.php?topic=sargusdetention.php
- ^ "Kansas Governor Walter Roscoe Stubbs". National Governors Association. Retrieved September 29, 2012.
External links [edit]
- Belmont County Government's Web site
- Belmont County Economic Development
- Belmont County Port Authority
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Harrison County | Jefferson County | |
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| Guernsey County |  |
Ohio County, West Virginia | ||
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| Noble County | Monroe County | Marshall County, West Virginia |
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