Mount Gilead, Ohio

Mount Gilead, Ohio
Village
Location of Mount Gilead, Ohio
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Morrow
Government
• Mayor	Tom Whiston
Area
• Total	3.2 sq mi (8.3 km2)
• Land	3.2 sq mi (8.2 km2)
• Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation Template:GR	1,135 ft (346 m)
Population  (2000)
• Total	3,290
• Density	1,035.7/sq mi (399.9/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code	43338
Area code	419
FIPS code	39-52738Template:GR
GNIS feature ID	1065069Template:GR
Website	http://www.mountgilead.net/

Morrow County Courthouse.

Mount Gilead is a village in Morrow County, Ohio, United States.

Mount Gilead's population was 3,290 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Morrow County and the center of population of OhioTemplate:GR.[1] The village was established in 1832, eight years after white settlers arrived in the region. Before their arrival, the forest was a hunting area for the Shawnee tribe.

Located in the center of the village is Morrow County's historic World War I Victory Memorial Shaft, unique in the United States, and Mount Gilead State Park is nearby on State Route 95. Other areas drawing tourism include the Amish farms, shops and stores east of Mount Gilead, near Chesterville and Johnsville. Mount Gilead is also home to the Morrow County Hospital.

Geography

Mount Gilead is located at 40°33′8″N 82°49′54″W (40.552090, -82.831587)Template:GR. Its elevation is 1,081 feet above sea level.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 8.3 km² (3.2 mi²). 8.2 km² (3.2 mi²) of it is land and 0.31% is water.

Mount Gilead is considered to be a part of "Central Ohio."

Demographics

As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there were 3,290 people, 1,291 households, and 843 families residing in the village. The population density was 399.5/km² (1,035.7/mi²). There were 1,354 housing units at an average density of 164.4/km² (426.3/mi²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.78% White, 1.06% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.24% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.03% of the population.

Mount Gilead State Park.

There were 1,291 households out of which 31.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.8% were married couples living together, 10.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.7% were non-families. 31.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.91.

In the village the population was spread out with 24.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 28.3% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 18.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 90.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.0 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $31,894, and the median income for a family was $42,529. Males had a median income of $35,714 versus $22,425 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,064. About 10.1% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 16.4% of those age 65 or over, including Bill and Loretta Curts.

Old Morrow County Jail.

Notable Natives

Warren G. Harding, the 29th President of the United States, was born near Blooming Grove, Ohio, northeast of Mount Gilead. As an Ohio Central College student, Harding began to seriously learn the newspaper and printing trade in Mount Gilead by working at the downtown Union Register.

Satirical author Dawn Powell was born and raised in the village.

Other notable persons that resided in Mount Gilead were social reformer Victoria Woodhull, actor Tom Poston, and former Major League Baseball pitcher Tim Belcher.

Victory Memorial Shaft.

Victory Shaft

The Victory Shaft was erected in Mount Gilead's town square in December 1919, following World War I. It was presented as a gift from the federal government to Morrow County citizens to thank them for purchasing more war bonds per capita than any other county. Warren G. Harding, a Senator at the time, was the keynote speaker at the dedication.

External links

• Village website
• Mount Gilead web site