Ohio County, Kentucky

Ohio County, Kentucky
Ohio County Courthouse in Hartford, Kentucky
Location in the state of Kentucky
Kentucky's location in the U.S.
Founded	1799
Named for	The Ohio River, which formed the county's northern border until its division to creation Daviess and Hancock counties.
Seat	Hartford
Largest city	Beaver Dam
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	596.73 sq mi (1,546 km²) 593.79 sq mi (1,538 km²) 2.94 sq mi (8 km²), 0.49%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	23,842 40/sq mi (15/km²)
Time zone	Central: UTC-6/-5
Website	www.ohiocounty.ky.gov

Ohio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of 2010, the population was 23,842. Its county seat is Hartford. The county is named for the Ohio River, which originally formed its northern boundary. It is a dry county, which means that the sale of alcohol is restricted or prohibited.

Geography

Ohio County is part of the Western Coal Fields region of Kentucky. According to the 2000 census, the county has a total area of 596.73 square miles (1,545.5 km²), of which 593.79 square miles (1,537.9 km²) (or 99.51%) is land and 2.94 square miles (7.6 km²) (or 0.49%) is water. Much of Ohio County is farmland and the eastern and northern parts have rolling hills. Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, it is the fifth largest.^{[citation needed]}

Adjacent counties

• Hancock County (north)
• Breckinridge County (northeast)
• Grayson County (east)
• Butler County (southeast)
• Muhlenberg County (southwest)
• McLean County (west)
• Daviess County (northwest)

History

Ohio County was formed on December 17, 1798 from portions of Hardin County, Kentucky. It was named for the Ohio River, which originally formed its northern boundary, but lost its northern portions in 1829, when Daviess County and Hancock County were formed. The first settlements in Ohio County were Barnetts Station and Hartford. In the American Civil War the courthouse in Hartford was burnt down by CSA forces in 1865. Ohio County is famous for its coal mines which in the 1970s produced much of the nations coal.^{[citation needed]}

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1800	1,223		—
1810	3,792		210.1%
1820	3,879		2.3%
1830	4,715		21.6%
1840	6,592		39.8%
1850	9,749		47.9%
1860	12,209		25.2%
1870	15,561		27.5%
1880	19,669		26.4%
1890	22,946		16.7%
1900	27,287		18.9%
1910	27,642		1.3%
1920	26,473		−4.2%
1930	24,469		−7.6%
1940	24,421		−0.2%
1950	20,840		−14.7%
1960	17,725		−14.9%
1970	18,790		6.0%
1980	21,765		15.8%
1990	21,105		−3.0%
2000	22,916		8.6%

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,916 people, 8,899 households, and 6,585 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 per square mile (15 /km²). There were 9,909 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6.6 /km²). The racial makeup of the county was 97.71% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,899 households out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county the population was spread out with 24.90% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,557, and the median income for a family was $34,970. Males had a median income of $29,778 versus $19,233 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,317. About 13.90% of families and 17.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.

Cities and towns

• Baizetown
• Beaver Dam
• Centertown
• Cool Springs
• Cromwell
• Dundee
• Echols
• Fordsville
• Hartford
• Horse Branch
• Magan
• McHenry
• Pleasant Ridge
• Prentiss
• Rockport
• Rosine

Notable natives

• James Earp, lawman, soldier, and saloon-keeper, member of the Earp family
• Newton Earp, Civil War soldier
• Virgil Earp, lawman and soldier
• Bill Monroe, known as the father of Bluegrass music
• George H. Tichenor, inventor of Dr. Tichenor's antiseptic.

See also

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