Martins Ferry, Ohio

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Martins Ferry is a city in Belmont County, Ohio, United States. It is located on the Ohio River, is the largest city in Belmont County, and is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area of the U.S. Census Bureau. The population was 7,226 at the 2000 census.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Location of Martins Ferry, Ohio

Martins Ferry is located at 40°5′57″N, 80°43′31″W (40.099122, -80.725154)GR1.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 5.6 km² (2.2 mi²), all land.

The town is built on two basic plateaus situated between a hill and the Ohio River. The lower of the plateaus, along the river, is dominated by a large industrial park, the Martins Ferry Football Stadium and by Ohio Route 7, a four lane traffic artery that runs from north to south across eastern Ohio. The higher plateau, which is the larger of the two, is predominantly residential and commercial, and is home to most of the city's residents. It gradually rises to a rather steep hillside in the west that forms a natural wall.

Directly across the river lies the city of Wheeling, West Virginia, and just 11 miles to the east is the Pennsylvania state line. The city of Columbus, Ohio is 125 miles to the west, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is only 38 miles northeast of the city. On the southern end of town, Martins Ferry is directly connected to the village of Bridgeport.

[edit] History

Martins Ferry enjoys the honor of being the oldest permanent settlement in the state of Ohio, having been settled at least as early as 1779. The community was a westward extension of the city of Wheeling, Virginia (now West Virginia), but at that time settlement on the west bank of the Ohio River was not permitted. The town was disbanded a couple of times before finally permanently taking hold in 1785.

Unlike Marietta, Ohio's oldest city, Martins Ferry remained an unincorporated settlement for a relatively long time. It did not officially become a city until 1865, a full 77 years after Marietta. Through the years it has been known as Hoglinstown, Mercertown, Norristown, Jefferson, Martinsville and Martin's Ferry (the apostrophe between "Martin" and "s" is no longer used).

In 1835, Ebenezer Martin, the son of Absalom Martin, one of the city's earliest settlers, redesigned the town with a grid system of streets, much of which survives to this day. It was from this family that Martins Ferry took its name.

The city developed as an important industrial center during the late 1800s and early 1900s. It became an important rail hub and river port, from where products were shipped all over the United States and beyond. Over the past 50 years, the town's population has decreased significantly as industries have closed or moved elsewhere. Today the city's population is less than half of what it once was, and work is relatively scarce.

[edit] Events

The city celebrates Betty Zane Frontier Days annually, in honor of Revolutionary War hero Elizabeth "Betty" Zane.

[edit] Economy

Today, Martins Ferry's largest employers include East Ohio Regional Hospital, a 250 bed hospital that is home to a level three trauma center, a popular birthing unit and a rapidly expanding surgical department. A new surgical building is scheduled for completion this year. Other major employers include Nickles Bakery, one of three modern bakeries in the Nickles family providing fresh baked goods to a 7 state area; United Dairy, a family owned dairy serving nine states; and the Wheeling Pittsburgh Steel Corporation, which operates their galvanizing plant in Martins Ferry, producing some 700,000 tons of SofTite Galvanized Steel each year.

Martins Ferry is also home of the corporate headquarters of United Bancorp, a financial institution operating two banks, The Citizens Savings Bank of Martins Ferry and the Community Bank of Lancaster. These two banks have a total of 15 locations across Eastern and Southern Ohio. The city is also home of The Times Leader, one of East Central Ohio’s largest newspapers serving more than 50,000 people.

[edit] Educational Facilities

The children of Martins Ferry are educated by the Martins Ferry City School District which currently has an enrollment of 1,488 students in 5 separate buildings. The district is in the process of constructing brand new high school, middle school and grade school facilities. In addition to the public school system, Martins Ferry is also served by two religious schools, St Mary's Catholic School and the Martins Ferry Christian School.

[edit] Community

There are 14 churches providing places of worship for Catholics, Baptists, Methodists, Nazarenes, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, Lutherans, Greek Orthodox Christians, Episcopalians and non-denominational Christians. There are also a number of clubs and organizations for veterans, ethnic groups and senior citizens.

The city has multiple cemeteries, including Riverview Cemetery, St. Mary’s Catholic Cemetery and Walnut Grove Pioneer Cemetery. The latter is the burial place of local heroine, Betty Zane, who saved Fort Henry in Wheeling during one of the last battles of the Revolutionary War by hiding gunpowder inside her dress. Her brother, Ebenezer Zane, who cut Zane's Trace from Wheeling to Maysville, Kentucky, opening the west for settlement, is also buried in Walnut Grove Pioneer Cemetery, along with Absalom and Ebenezer Martin and other important early settlers.

[edit] Martins Ferry natives

Famous Martins Ferry natives include:

Famous persons born in the regional hospital located here include:

[edit] Demographics

As of the censusGR2 of 2000, there were 7,226 people, 3,202 households, and 1,959 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,291.7/km² (3,345.1/mi²). There were 3,680 housing units at an average density of 657.8/km² (1,703.6/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.19% White, 5.11% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.04% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.22% from other races, and 1.11% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.64% of the population.

There were 3,202 households out of which 26.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were married couples living together, 15.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 38.8% were non-families. 35.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 19.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the city the population was spread out with 22.4% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 25.9% from 25 to 44, 24.1% from 45 to 64, and 20.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 84.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 78.5 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $23,960, and the median income for a family was $32,365. Males had a median income of $30,486 versus $21,979 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,672. About 16.1% of families and 18.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.6% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

Belmont County, Ohio
St. Clairsville, county seat
Municipalities

Barnesville | Bellaire | Belmont | Bethesda | Bridgeport | Brookside | Fairview | Flushing | Holloway | Martins Ferry | Morristown | Powhatan Point | Shadyside | St. Clairsville | Wilson | Yorkville
Townships

Colerain | Flushing | Goshen | Kirkwood | Mead | Pease | Pultney | Richland | Smith | Somerset | Union | Warren | Washington | Wayne | Wheeling | York
Census-designated place

Neffs
Other localities

Alledonia | Bannock | Barton | Blaine | Colerain | Fairpoint | Glencoe | Jacobsburg | Lafferty | Lansing | Maynard | Piedmont | Warnock
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