Darke County, Ohio

Darke County, Ohio
Location in the state of Ohio
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Founded	January 3, 1809
Named for	William Darke
Seat	Greenville
Largest city	Greenville
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	599.76 sq mi (1,553 km²) 598.10 sq mi (1,549 km²) 1.66 sq mi (4 km²), 0.28%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	52,959 88.5/sq mi (34/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.co.darke.oh.us

Darke County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 52,959, which is a decrease of 0.7% from 53,309 in 2000. Its county seat is Greenville and is named for William Darke, an officer in the Revolution.

The Greenville Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Darke County.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 599.76 square miles (1,553.4 km²), of which 598.10 square miles (1,549.1 km²) (or 99.72%) is land and 1.66 square miles (4.3 km²) (or 0.28%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Mercer County (north)
• Shelby County (northeast)
• Miami County (east)
• Montgomery County (southeast)
• Preble County (south)
• Wayne County, Indiana (southwest)
• Randolph County, Indiana (west)
• Jay County, Indiana (northwest)

Darke County, Ohio, is one of the few counties in the United States to border eight other counties.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1820	3,622		—
1830	6,204		71.3%
1840	13,282		114.1%
1850	20,276		52.7%
1860	26,009		28.3%
1870	32,278		24.1%
1880	40,496		25.5%
1890	42,961		6.1%
1900	42,532		−1.0%
1910	42,933		0.9%
1920	42,911		−0.1%
1930	38,009		−11.4%
1940	38,831		2.2%
1950	41,799		7.6%
1960	45,612		9.1%
1970	49,141		7.7%
1980	55,096		12.1%
1990	53,619		−2.7%
2000	53,309		−0.6%
2010	52,959		−0.7%

As of the census of 2000, there were 53,309 people, 20,419 households, and 14,905 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile (34/km²). There were 21,583 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile (14/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.09% White, 0.39% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.1% were of German, 20.1% American, 8.1% English, 6.8% Irish and 5.8% French ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 20,419 households out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.03.

In the county the population was spread out with 26.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $39,307, and the median income for a family was $45,735. Males had a median income of $32,933 versus $23,339 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,670. About 6.00% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The county courthouse in Greenville.

Main article: Ohio county government

Communities

Map of Darke County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

City

• Greenville

Villages

Ansonia Arcanum Bradford Burkettsville Castine

Gettysburg Gordon Hollansburg Ithaca New Madison

New Weston North Star Osgood Palestine Pitsburg

Rossburg Union City Versailles Wayne Lakes Yorkshire

Townships

Adams Allen Brown Butler Franklin

Greenville Harrison Jackson Liberty Mississinawa

Monroe Neave Patterson Richland Twin

Van Buren Wabash Washington Wayne York

Other communities

Abbottsville Baker Beamsville Braffettsville Brock Coletown Cosmos

Dawn Delise Fort Jefferson Frenchtown Hillgrove Horatio Hunchbargers

Jaysville Nashville New Harrison North Dayton Otterbein Pikeville Rose Hill

Rush's Station Savora Stelvideo Sharpeye Webster Woodington

Education

Public School Districts

• Ansonia Local Schools
  • Ansonia High School, Ansonia (the Tigers)
• Arcanum-Butler Local School District
  • Arcanum High School, Arcanum (the Trojans)
• Franklin Monroe Schools
  • Franklin Monroe Middle School/High School, Pitsburg (the Jets)
• Greenville City School District
  • Greenville Senior High School, Greenville (the Green Wave)
• Mississinawa Valley Local School District
  • Mississinawa Valley Junior/Senior High School, Union City (the Blackhawks)
• Tri-Village Local School District
  • Tri-Village High School, New Madison (the Patriots)
• Versailles Exempted Village Schools
  • Versailles High School, Versailles (the Tigers)

Historic places

Darke County has 25 places listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Darke County Courthouse, Sheriff's House and Jail and the Versailles Town Hall and Wayne Township House.

Notable residents

• Annie Oakley - sharpshooter and exhibition shooter, born less than two miles northwest of Woodland,(now Willowdell) near present day Yorkshire.
• Lowell Thomas - writer, broadcaster, and traveler, born at Woodington
• Matt Light - New England Patriots lineman, 3 time Super Bowl champion, born in Greenville

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Darke County, Ohio

External links

• Darke County Government's website