Delaware County, Ohio

Delaware County, Ohio
Location in the state of Ohio
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Founded	February 10, 1808
Named for	the Leanape (Delaware)
Seat	Delaware
Largest city	Delaware*
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	457.33 sq mi (1,184 km²) 443.10 sq mi (1,148 km²) 14.23 sq mi (37 km²), 3.11%
PopulationEst.  - (2011)  - Density	178,341 393.2/sq mi (152/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.co.delaware.oh.us
Footnotes: *Based on population just within the county.

Delaware County is a county in the state of Ohio, United States, within the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 174,214, which is an increase of 58.4% from 109,989 in 2000, making it the fastest growing county in Ohio. Its county seat is the city of Delaware, and both are named after the Delaware (Lenape) tribe.

According to Forbes Magazine, Delaware County is the fifth best place in the United States to raise a family and the second best in Ohio, behind Geauga County. It was home to former U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.

Government

The Delaware County Courthouse.

Main article: Ohio county government

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 457.33 square miles (1,184.5 km²), of which 443.10 square miles (1,147.6 km²) (or 96.89%) is land and 14.23 square miles (36.9 km²) (or 3.11%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Morrow County (north)
• Knox County (northeast)
• Licking County (east)
• Franklin County (south)
• Union County (west)
• Marion County (northwest)

Lakes and rivers

The major rivers of the county are the Scioto River, Olentangy River, Alum Creek, and the Big Walnut Creek. These waterways run from north to south across the county. The Alum Creek Lake and the Delaware Lake are reservoirs created on Alum Creek and the Olentangy River, respectively.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	2,000		—
1820	7,639		282.0%
1830	11,504		50.6%
1840	22,060		91.8%
1850	21,817		−1.1%
1860	23,902		9.6%
1870	25,175		5.3%
1880	27,381		8.8%
1890	27,189		−0.7%
1900	26,401		−2.9%
1910	27,182		3.0%
1920	26,013		−4.3%
1930	26,016		0%
1940	26,780		2.9%
1950	30,278		13.1%
1960	36,107		19.3%
1970	42,908		18.8%
1980	53,840		25.5%
1990	66,929		24.3%
2000	109,989		64.3%
2010	174,214		58.4%
Est. 2012	181,061		3.9%
U.S. Decennial Census 2011 estimate

As of the census of 2000, there were 109,989 people, 39,674 households, and 30,668 families residing in the county. The population density is 249 people per square mile (96/km²). There were 42,374 housing units at an average density of 96 per square mile (37/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.25% White, 2.52% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.54% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population. 26.8% were of German, 11.7% Irish, 11.3% English, 10.7% American and 6.9% Italian ancestry according to 2000 census.

There were 39,674 households out of which 40.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.70% were married couples living together, 6.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.70% were non-families. 18.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county the population was spread out with 28.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $67,258, and the median income for a family was $76,453. Males had a median income of $51,428 versus $33,041 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,600. About 2.90% of families and 3.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.40% of those under the age of 18 and 4.80% of those 65 and older.

By 2007, the median income for a household and for a family had risen to $80,526 and $94,099 respectively.

According to the United States Census Bureau, Delaware County is the 21st fastest growing county in the United States.^{[citation needed]}

Localities

Municipalities

Ashley Columbus1 Delaware

Dublin² Galena Ostrander

Powell Shawnee Hills

Sunbury Westerville³

¹ Mainly in Franklin County, but parts of Columbus extend into both Delaware County and Fairfield County.

² Mainly in Franklin County, but parts of Dublin extend into both Delaware County and Union County.

³ Mainly in Franklin County, but a part of Westerville extends into Delaware County.

Other places

Map of Delaware County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

• Kilbourne
• Lewis Center
• Radnor

Townships

Berkshire Berlin Brown Concord

Delaware Genoa Harlem Kingston

Liberty Marlboro Orange Oxford

Porter Radnor Scioto

Thompson Trenton Troy

School districts

Big Walnut Local SD Buckeye Valley Local SD Centerburg Local SD1

Delaware City SD Delaware Area Career Center Dublin City SD²

Elgin Local SD ³ Highland Local SD4 Johnstown-Monroe Local SD5

Northridge Local SD5 North Union Local SD6 Olentangy Local School District

Westerville City SD7

¹ Mainly in Knox County, with portions in Delaware County

² Mainly in Franklin County, with portions in Delaware County and Union County

³ Mainly in Marion County, with portions in Delaware County

⁴ Mainly in Morrow County, with portions in Delaware County

⁵ Mainly in Licking County, with portions in Delaware County

⁶ Mainly in Union County, with portions in Delaware County

⁷ Mainly in Franklin County, with portions in Delaware County

Transportation

Highways

Interstate 71 and U.S. Highway 23 pass through the county. Interstate 71 crosses over Alum Creek immediately south of the Alum Creek Lake recreation area.

Airports

The area is served by the Delaware Municipal Airport, which is strategically located to serve the rapidly developing southern Delaware County area and the north portion of the Franklin County and Columbus, Ohio, areas. The airport contains a 5,000 foot runway, flight terminal, lounges, and weather briefing areas. It is home to approximately 80 aircraft and an estimated 40,000 operations take place per year. Several smaller airports are located in the county.

Media

The Delaware Gazette, a morning daily founded in 1885, is the dominant local newspaper in Delaware County, while the Sunbury News, a weekly community newspaper, serves eastern Delaware County and residents of the Big Walnut Local School District. Both publications are owned by Brown Publishing Company.

Additional local print publications include the Delaware News, which is owned by Columbus-based Suburban News Publications, ThisWeek in Delaware, which is owned by the Columbus Dispatch, and the Transcript, the student paper at Ohio Wesleyan University. Local residents often subscribe to out-of-town papers as well; the Columbus Dispatch is popular among many.

Points and activities of Interest

The Ohio Wesleyan University, located in Delaware, Ohio, is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States and one of the Five Colleges of Ohio.

Delaware, Ohio is famous for The Little Brown Jug, an internationally famous harness race which is part of the Triple Crown of harness racing.

The Methodist Theological School in Ohio is the Methodist graduate school seminary located between Delaware and Columbus, Ohio. It is often referred to as METHESCO.

Additional notable places include:

• Delaware Municipal Airport Annual Air Fair
• The Germain Amphitheater, formerly the Polaris Amphitheater, closed at the end of 2007
• Alum Creek State Park and the Delaware State Park bring millions of local, national, and international visitors to the area each year.^{[citation needed]}
• The site of the first Ohio State University football game
• The Hamburger Inn at 16 N. Sandusky
• Historical Marker of Rutherford B. Hayes' home on E. William St.
• The Strand Theater.

Notable natives and residents

Notable natives include Rutherford B. Hayes, who was the 19th President of the United States (1877–1881). His wife, Lucy Webb Hayes, was one of the most popular of first ladies. She strongly supported the Temperance movement, and no alcohol was served in the White House during the Hayes administration. This prompting the press to call her "Lemonade Lucy." She also introduced the Children's Easter egg roll, egg rolling, on the White House lawn.

Among the famous who have inhabited or been associated with the county are:

• Horace Newton Allen
• Ben Curtis, professional golfer, British Open Champion
• Amos Dolbear
• Charles W. Fairbanks, the 26th Vice President of the United States
• Arthur Flemming
• Reuben James
• Clare Kramer, actress
• Norman Vincent Peale
• John Purdue founding benefactor of Purdue University
• Branch Rickey
• Buck Rodgers, professional baseball player
• William Rosecrans, a Major General during the American Civil War commanding the Army of the Cumberland from 24 October 1862 to 19 October 1863.
• Frank Sherwood Rowland, a Chemistry Nobel laureate
• F.F. Schnitzer, a famous architect who built the Delaware City Hall and other historic structures
• Ezra Vogel

See also

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

Further reading

• Buckingham, Ray, E. Delaware County Then and Now, History Book, Inc., 1976
• History of Delaware County and Ohio. Chicago: O. L. Baskin & Co., 1880
• Lytle, A. R., History of Delaware County Ohio, Delaware, 1908
• Memorial Record of the Counties of Delaware, union and Morrow, Ohio, Chicago, The Lewis Publishing Company, 1895

External links

• Delaware County Government official site