Ross County, Ohio
| Ross 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 | August 20, 1798[1] | |
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| Named for | James Ross | |
| Seat | Chillicothe | |
| Largest city | Chillicothe | |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
693.02 sq mi (1,795 km²) 689.19 sq mi (1,785 km²) 3.84 sq mi (10 km²), 0.55% |
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| Population - (2010) - Density |
78,064 113.3/sq mi (44/km²) |
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| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 | |
| Website | www.co.ross.oh.us | |
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Ross County is a county located in the Appalachian region of the state of Ohio, United States established on August 20, 1798. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 78,064, which is an increase of 6.4% from 73,345 in 2000.[2] Its county seat is Chillicothe,[3] the first and third capital of Ohio. The county is named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania.[4]
The Chillicothe Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Ross County, and is part of the Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH CSA (Combined Statistical Area).
Contents |
Geography [edit]
Ross County is the second largest county by total area in Ohio, after Ashtabula County. According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 693.02 square miles (1,794.9 km2), of which 689.19 square miles (1,785.0 km2) (or 99.45%) is land and 3.84 square miles (9.9 km2) (or 0.55%) is water.[5]
Adjacent counties [edit]
- Pickaway County (north)
- Hocking County (northeast)
- Vinton County (east)
- Jackson County (southeast)
- Pike County (south)
- Highland County (southwest)
- Fayette County (northwest)
National protected area [edit]
Demographics [edit]
| Historical populations | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 8,540 |
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| 1810 | 15,514 | 81.7% | |
| 1820 | 20,619 | 32.9% | |
| 1830 | 24,068 | 16.7% | |
| 1840 | 27,460 | 14.1% | |
| 1850 | 32,074 | 16.8% | |
| 1860 | 35,071 | 9.3% | |
| 1870 | 37,097 | 5.8% | |
| 1880 | 40,307 | 8.7% | |
| 1890 | 39,454 | −2.1% | |
| 1900 | 40,940 | 3.8% | |
| 1910 | 40,069 | −2.1% | |
| 1920 | 41,556 | 3.7% | |
| 1930 | 45,181 | 8.7% | |
| 1940 | 52,147 | 15.4% | |
| 1950 | 54,424 | 4.4% | |
| 1960 | 61,215 | 12.5% | |
| 1970 | 61,211 | 0% | |
| 1980 | 65,004 | 6.2% | |
| 1990 | 69,330 | 6.7% | |
| 2000 | 73,345 | 5.8% | |
| 2010 | 78,064 | 6.4% | |
As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 73,345 people, 27,136 households, and 19,185 families residing in the county. The population density was 106 people per square mile (41/km²). There were 29,461 housing units at an average density of 43 per square mile (17/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.74% White, 6.20% Black or African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.35% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.19% from other races, and 1.20% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 27,136 households out of which 32.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.20% were married couples living together, 11.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.30% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.97.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.00% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 31.60% from 25 to 44, 23.60% from 45 to 64, and 12.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 108.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.00 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $37,117, and the median income for a family was $43,241. Males had a median income of $35,892 versus $23,399 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,569. About 9.10% of families and 12.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.10% of those under age 18 and 10.20% of those age 65 or over.
Government [edit]
Current officials [edit]
County officials are:
- County Auditor Tom Spetnagel Jr. (D)
- County Board of Elections
- Stephen A. Madru (D)
- Beth Neal (D)
- Don Fuller (R)
- Ron Fields (R)
- Clerk of Courts Ty D. Hinton (D)
- Board of Commissioners
- James M. Caldwell (R) (president)
- Doug Corcoran (D)
- Steve Neal (D)
- Ross County Court of Common Pleas:
- Judge William J. "Jhan" Corzine III (D)
- Judge Scott Nusbaum (R)
- Probate and Juvenile Court Judge Richard G. Ward (R)
- Magistrate John Di Cesare
- County Coroner John Gabis (D)
- County Engineer Charles R. Ortman(R)
- County Prosecutor Matthew Schmidt (R)
- County Recorder Kathleen "Kathy" Dunn (D)
- County Treasurer Jerald A. "Jerry" Byers (D)
- County Sheriff George Lavender (R)
Politics [edit]
| Year | GOP | DEM | Others |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | 52.5% 16,759 | 45.3% 14,455 | 2.2% 711 |
| 2004 | 54.4% 17,231 | 44.1% 13,978 | 1.5% 462 |
| 2000 | 52.7% 13,706 | 44.8% 11,662 | 2.5% 648 |
| 1996 | 39.9% 10,286 | 49.0% 12,649 | 11.1% 2,862 |
| 1992 | 39.8% 10,825 | 38.5% 10,452 | 21.7% 5,896 |
| 1988 | 60.4% 14,563 | 38.4% 9,271 | 1.2% 279 |
| 1984 | 66.6% 17,015 | 31.4% 8,020 | 2.0% 513 |
| 1980 | 55.5% 13,251 | 35.1% 8,482 | 5.2% 1,253 |
| 1976 | 50.4% 11,477 | 47.2% 10,743 | 2.3% 531 |
| 1972 | 71.1% 15,573 | 26.9% 5,879 | 2.0% 436 |
| 1968 | 50.7% 11,284 | 30.9% 6,873 | 18.4% 4,089 |
| 1964 | 43.1% 9,623 | 56.9% 12,704 | 0.0% 0 |
| 1960 | 60.9% 14,075 | 39.1% 9,036 | 0.0% 0 |
Ross is a generally Republican county in Presidential and Congressional elections, although Democratic candidates perform fairly well in the county. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, while Bill Clinton won a plurality in Ross in 1996. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 53% of the county's vote.
Ross is part of Ohio's 7th and 18th congressional districts, which are held by Republicans Steve Austria and Bob Gibbs, respectively.
Communities [edit]
City [edit]
Villages [edit]
Townships [edit]
Census-designated place [edit]
Ghost towns [edit]
Other communities [edit]
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Education [edit]
Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center [edit]
Pickaway-Ross lies in the Northern part of the county. Students from the following affiliated Ross and Pickaway county districts at the vocational school.
- Adena Local School District (Ross County)
- Chillicothe City School District (Ross County)
- Huntington Local School District (Ross County)
- Paint Valley Local School District (Ross County)
- Southeastern Local School District (Ross County)
- Unioto Local School District (Ross County)
- Zane Trace Local School District (Ross County)
- Circleville City School District (Pickaway County)
- Logan Elm Local School District (Pickaway County)
- Westfall Local School District (Pickaway County)
Notable residents [edit]
- John Purdue - founding benefactor of Purdue University.
- Frederick Madison Roberts - great-grandson of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson, first African-American elected to office on the West Coast (elected to California Assembly in 1918), and "dean of the assembly" who helped found the University of California at Los Angeles.
- Captain Samuel Teter (1737-1823) - Served under Colonel George Washington (1755), French & Indian War (1757-1759) and Commander of Fort Doddridge and Fort Teter during the Revolutionary War.
See also [edit]
References [edit]
- ^ "Ross County History". Ross County, Ohio. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
- ^ "Ross County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2012-02-16.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
- ^ "Ross 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.
External links [edit]
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Fayette County | Pickaway County | Hocking County | |
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Vinton County | |||
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| Highland County | Pike County | Jackson County |
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