Preble County, Ohio

Preble County, Ohio
Preble County Courthouse
Seal
Location in the state of Ohio
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 1, 1808
Named for	Edward Preble
Seat	Eaton
Largest city	Eaton
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	426.46 sq mi (1,105 km²) 424.12 sq mi (1,098 km²) 2.34 sq mi (6 km²), 0.55%
Population  - (2010)  - Density	42,270 99.7/sq mi (38/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.prebco.org

Preble County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 42,270, which is a decrease of 0.2% from 42,337 in 2000. Its county seat is Eaton. It is named for Edward Preble, a naval officer who fought in the American Revolutionary War and against the Barbary Pirates.

Preble County is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 426.46 square miles (1,104.5 km²), of which 424.12 square miles (1,098.5 km²) (or 99.45%) is land and 2.34 square miles (6.1 km²) (or 0.55%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Darke County (north)
• Montgomery County (east)
• Butler County (south)
• Union County, Indiana (southwest)
• Wayne County, Indiana (northwest)

Rivers and streams

• Harker's Run

• Seven Mile Creek

• Four Mile Creek

• Twin Creek

History

Preble County was formed on February 15, 1808 from portions of Butler County and Montgomery County. It named after Edward Preble, a marine officer in the American Revolutionary War.

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1810	3,304		—
1820	10,237		209.8%
1830	16,291		59.1%
1840	19,482		19.6%
1850	21,736		11.6%
1860	21,820		0.4%
1870	21,809		−0.1%
1880	24,533		12.5%
1890	23,421		−4.5%
1900	23,713		1.2%
1910	23,834		0.5%
1920	23,238		−2.5%
1930	22,455		−3.4%
1940	23,329		3.9%
1950	27,081		16.1%
1960	32,498		20.0%
1970	34,719		6.8%
1980	38,223		10.1%
1990	40,113		4.9%
2000	42,337		5.5%
2010	42,270		−0.2%

As of the census of 2000, there were 42,337 people, 16,001 households, and 12,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 100 people per square mile (38/km²). There were 17,186 housing units at an average density of 40 per square mile (16/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.47% White, 0.32% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.60% from two or more races. 0.43% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,001 households out of which 34.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 63.50% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.10% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the county, the population was spread out with 26.00% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 28.70% from 25 to 44, 24.40% from 45 to 64, and 13.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 99.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,093, and the median income for a family was $47,547. Males had a median income of $35,313 versus $23,573 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,444. About 4.50% of families and 6.10% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.00% of those under age 18 and 6.10% of those age 65 or over.

Government

Main article: Ohio county government

Communities

Map of Preble County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

City

• Eaton

Villages

College Corner Camden Eldorado Gratis Lewisburg

New Paris Verona West Alexandria West Elkton West Manchester

Townships

Dixon Gasper Gratis Harrison Israel Jackson

Jefferson Lanier Monroe Somers Twin Washington

Unincorporated community

• Fairhaven

Notable residents

• Benjamin Hanby - wrote the Christmas carol "Up On The House Top" while living in Preble County.
• Andrew L. Harris - Civil War general and former governor of Ohio.
• William Stephens - former governor of California.
• Kent Vosler - Olympic diver (1976, 4th place).

Education

Public school districts

• Eaton Community Schools
  • Eaton High School, Eaton (the Eagles)
• National Trail Local School District
  • National Trail High School, New Paris (the Blazers)
• Preble Shawnee Local School District
  • Preble Shawnee High School, Camden (the Arrows)
• Tri-County North Local School District
  • Tri-County North High School, Lewisburg (the Panthers)
• Twin Valley Community Local School District
  • Twin Valley South High School, West Alexandria (the Panthers)
• Union County College Corner Joint School District
  • College Corner Union School (grades K-5) is physically located in both Ohio and Indiana (the state line runs through the middle of the building) and serves students from both College Corner, Ohio, and West College Corner, Indiana. After finishing fifth grade, Preble County students attend Union County Middle School and Union County High School, both located across the state line in Liberty, Indiana.

Higher education

• Sinclair Community College
  • Preble County Learning Center, Eaton

See also

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

External links

• Preble County Commissioners
• Eaton-Preble County Chamber of Commerce
• Preble County District Library
• Preble County Information Resource

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