Dover, Ohio

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dover is a city in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, United States. The population was 12,210 at the 2000 census.

1 Geography
2 Demographics
3 History and features
4 Famous residents
5 External links

[edit] Geography

Dover is located at 40°31′36″N, 81°28′40″W (40.526545, -81.477769)^GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 13.8 km² (5.3 mi²). 13.6 km² (5.3 mi²) of it is land and 0.2 km² (0.1 mi²) of it (1.31%) is water.

[edit] Demographics

As of the census^GR2 of 2000, there were 12,210 people, 4,996 households, and 3,362 families residing in the city. The population density was 896.3/km² (2,319.6/mi²). There were 5,233 housing units at an average density of 384.1/km² (994.2/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.09% White, 1.27% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.51% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.20% from other races, and 0.66% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.60% of the population.

There were 4,996 households out of which 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.4% were married couples living together, 10.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.7% were non-families. 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.1% under the age of 18, 6.7% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 22.5% from 45 to 64, and 19.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 86.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.1 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,665, and the median income for a family was $44,604. Males had a median income of $34,579 versus $22,397 for females. The per capita income for the city was $18,928. About 7.5% of families and 9.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.1% of those under age 18 and 9.7% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] History and features

Dover, Ohio was originally part of a grant to Col. James Morrison of Kentucky, who had received it from the federal government for Revolutionary War services. In 1802, two brothers-in-law from Baltimore, Maryland, Christian Deardorff and Jesse Slingluff traveled through the area and so admired the potential quality of the land along the confluence of the Tuscarawas River and Sugarcreek that they bought 2000 acres (8 km²) of land there in 1806 for just over $4,600. The brothers-in-law settled there and laid out the what they hoped would become a prosperous town the following year.

It took a while; by 1818, there were only five buildings in Dover, including three taverns. The founders had hoped Dover would become the county seat, but that honor went to the neighboring town of New Philadelphia.

The county grew, even if Dover did not. The region around Tuscarawas country was settled in large part by ethnic German and Moravian families migrating westward from Pennsylvania. Even today, the local telephone book features many German last names.

Dover's fortunes changed dramatically when the Tuscarawas River was incorporated into the Ohio Canal system in 1825. This canal complex linked the Ohio River to the Great Lakes and eventually, the Erie Canal. Dover became the only tolling station on the Tuscarawas and the population grew from 46 in 1820 to almost 600 in 1840. The town was known as Canal Dover for many years, partly to distinguish it from other Ohio settlements that had adopted the same name.

A series of mills were built along the Tuscarawas. This began the transition of Dover from an agricultural and trade center to a thriving industrial community. Although the canal system declined with the coming of the railroad, the entire region stretching from Pittsburgh to Cleveland and on to Detroit became a center of heavy industry. By the mid 1850's Dover already had its first blast furnace for making steel and had established a steel rolling mill in 1867. In the middle of the 20th century, Dover featured a variety of heavy industries including a clay pipe works, various machinery and chemical manufacturers, and a pair of specialty steel companies.

Dover was formally incorporated as a city in 1901.

Despite its industrial base, Dover remained heavily influenced by the nearby agricultural communities, particularly the Amish and Mennonite communities in Sugarcreek and the along countryside extending out to Amish dominated Holmes County. Today, however, agriculutre plays a much less prominent role in Dover than in years past.

In recent years Dover has been affected by the decline in heavy industry in the midwest, but continues to grow and diversify its economic base. Dover remains proud of its traditions and midwestern roots. Nowhere is that more evident than each year when its residents comes to see the "Tornadoes" of Dover High School take on the archrival "Quakers" of New Philadelphia in a football game that has been played every year for over a century.