Ross County, Ohio

Ross County, Ohio
Seal
Location in the state of Ohio
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Founded	August 20, 1798[1]
Named for	James Ross
Seat	Chillicothe
Largest city	Chillicothe
Area  - Total  - Land  - Water	693 sq mi (1,795 km²) 688 sq mi (1,783 km²) 5 sq mi (12 km²), 0.66%
Population  - (2000)  - Density	73,345 106/sq mi (41/km²)
Time zone	Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website	www.co.ross.oh.us

Ross County is a county located in the Appalachian region of the state of Ohio, United States established on August 20, 1798. As of the 2010 census, the population was 78,064. [1] Its county seat is Chillicothe^[2], the first and third capital of Ohio. The county is named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania.^[3]

The Chillicothe Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of Ross County, and is part of the Columbus-Marion-Chillicothe, OH CSA (Combined Statistical Area).

Geography

Countryside northeast of Chillicothe on State Route 180

Ross County is the second largest county by land area in Ohio, after Ashtabula County. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 693 square miles (1,790 km²). 688 square miles (1,780 km²) of it is land and 5 square miles (13 km²) of it (0.66%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Pickaway County (north)
• Hocking County (northeast)
• Vinton County (east)
• Jackson County (southeast)
• Pike County (south)
• Highland County (southwest)
• Fayette County (northwest)

National protected area

• Hopewell Culture National Historical Park

Demographics

Historical populations
Census	Pop.		%±
1800	8,540		—
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%

As of the census^[4] 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

Main article: Ohio county government

The Ross County Courthouse in Chillicothe

Current officials

County officials are:

• County Auditor Stephen A. Neal (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)
  • Francis "Frank" Hirsch (D) (vice president)
• 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 Michael Ater (R)
• County Recorder Kathleen "Kathy" Dunn (D)
• County Treasurer Jerald A. "Jerry" Byers (D)
• County Sheriff George Lavender (R)

Communities

Map of Ross County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

City

• Chillicothe

Villages

Adelphi Bainbridge Clarksburg

Frankfort Greenfield

Kingston South Salem

Townships

Buckskin Colerain Concord Deerfield Franklin Green

Harrison Huntington Jefferson Liberty Paint

Paxton Scioto Springfield Twin Union

Census-designated place

• North Fork Village

Other communities

Alma Andersonville Anderson Station Austin Bourneville Brownsville Denver Fruitdale Greenland Hallsville Hopetown Humbolt Kinnikinnick Lattaville Lickskillet

Londonderry Lyndon Massieville Mooresville Nipgen Pinhook Pleasant Valley Richmond Dale (also known as "Richmondale") Roxabell Slate Mills Spaugarsville Summithill Vigo Yellowbud

Ghost towns

• Knockemstiff

Notable residents

• 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

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

References

1. ^ "Ross County History". Ross County, Ohio. http://www.co.ross.oh.us/history.html. Retrieved 2008-05-21. 
2. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Counties/Pages/FindACounty.aspx. Retrieved 2011-06-07. 
3. ^ "Ross County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. http://www.osuedc.org/profiles/profile_entrance.php?fips=39141&sid=0. Retrieved 2007-04-28. ^{[dead link]}
4. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 

External links

• Ross County Government's website
• Ross County Commissioners

Coordinates: 39°20′N 83°04′W / 39.33°N 83.06°W / 39.33; -83.06