Warren County, Ohio

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Warren County, Ohio
Seal of Warren County, Ohio
Map
Map of Ohio highlighting Warren County
Location in the state of Ohio
Map of the U.S. highlighting Ohio
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Statistics
Founded May 1, 1803[1]
Seat Lebanon
Largest city Mason
Area
 - Total
 - Land
 - Water
407 sq mi (1,054 km²)
400 sq mi (1,035 km²)
8 sq mi (19 km²), 1.84%
Population
 - (2000)
 - Density
158,383
396/sq mi (153/km²)
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website: www.co.warren.oh.us
Named for: Dr. Joseph Warren
*Based on population just within the county.[2]

Warren County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2000, the population was 158,383. The Census estimate for July 1, 2006 was 201,861 making Warren County the second fastest growing county in Ohio and 80th in the United States[3]. Its county seat is Lebanon[4]. Warren County was erected May 1, 1803 from Hamilton County, and named for Dr. Joseph Warren, a hero of the Revolution who sent Paul Revere on his ride and who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill.[5]

Contents

[edit] Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 407 square miles (1,054 km²). 400 square miles (1,035 km²) of it is land and 8 square miles (19 km²) of it (1.84%) is water. The county is a rough square with the sides roughly 20 miles (30 km) long.

[edit] Adjacent counties

Beginning in the northwest corner and proceeding clockwise, the following counties border Warren County: Montgomery, Greene, Clinton, Clermont, Hamilton, and Butler.

[edit] Boundaries

Warren County was created by the first Ohio General Assembly in the Act of March 24, 1803, which also created Butler and Montgomery Counties. The act defined Warren County as "all that part of the county of Hamilton included within the following bounds, viz.: Beginning at the northeast corner of the county of Clermont, running thence west with the line of said county to the Little Miami; thence up the same with the meanders thereof to the north boundary of the first tier of sections in the second entire range of townships in the Miami Purchase; thence west to the northeast corner of Section No. 7 in the third township of the aforesaid range; thence north to the Great Miami; thence up the same to the middle of the fifth range of townships; thence east to the County line; thence with same south to the place of beginning." Originally this included land now in Clinton County as far east as Wilmington.

Clinton County proved a continuing headache to the legislature. The Ohio Constitution requires that every county have an area of at least four hundred square miles (1,036 km²). Clinton County's boundaries were several times adjusted in an effort to comply with that clause of the constitution. One of them, the Act of January 30, 1815, detached a strip of land from the eastern side to give to Clinton. That would have left Warren under four hundred square miles (1,036 km²), so a portion of Butler County (the part of Franklin Township where Carlisle is now located) was attached to Warren in compensation. The 1815 act was as follows:

  • Section 1--That all that part of the county of Butler lying and being within the first and second fractional townships in the fifth range, and adjoining the south line of Montgomery County, shall be and the same is hereby attached to and made part of the county of Warren.
  • Section 2--That eleven square miles 28 km² of the territory of the county of Warren and extending parallel to the said eastern boundary of Warren County, along the whole length of such eastern boundary from north to south, shall be and the same is hereby attached to and made a part of the county of Clinton."

Except for the sections formed by the Great and Little Miamis, the sides are all straight lines.

[edit] Lakes and rivers

The major rivers of the county are the Great Miami River, which flows through the northwest corner of the county in Franklin Township, and the Little Miami River which zig-zags across the county from north to south. There is one sizable lake, the Caesars Creek Reservoir, created by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam on Caesars Creek in the northeast part of the county in Massie Township.

[edit] Demographics

Warren County
Population by year[1]

2000 158,383
1990 113,909
1980 99,276
1970 84,925
1960 65,711
1950 38,505
1940 29,894
1930 27,348
1920 25,716
1910 24,497
1900 25,584
1890 25,468
1880 28,392
1870 26,689
1860 26,902
1850 25,560
1840 23,141
1830 21,468
1820 17,837
1810 9,925

As of the census[6] of 2000, there were 158,383 people, 55,966 households, and 43,261 families residing in the county. The population density was 396 people per square mile (153/km²). There were 58,692 housing units at an average density of 147 per square mile (57/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.66% White, 2.73% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 55,966 households out of which 39.70% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.20% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.70% were non-families. 18.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.12.

In the county, the population was spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 34.00% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who are 66 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there were 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 102.40 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $57,952, and the median income for a family was $64,692. Males had a median income of $47,027 versus $30,862 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,517. About 3.00% of families and 4.20% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.40% of those under age 18 and 4.70% of those age 65 or over.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Highways

Interstates 71 and 75 pass through the county as do U.S. Highway 22/Ohio 3 and U.S. Highway 42. Other major highways through the county are State Routes 28, 48, 63, 73, 122, 123, 132, 350, and 741. Interstate 71 crosses over the Little Miami River at the Jeremiah Morrow Bridge, the tallest bridge in Ohio.

[edit] Airports

Warren County has one public airport, designated as Lebanon-Warren County Airport (KI68/I68). The runway is a 4502' x 65'paved and lighted North-South runway (01/19), and parallel taxiway. Navigation and communications equipment includes PAPI, AWOS,Pilot Controlled Lighting, and Unicom. The airport runway, taxiway, and navigation equipment is owned by the County. The county leases a public terminal, but other facilities are owned and operated under contract by a private Fixed base operator. The airport serves general and business aviation, but has no commercial airlines.

There are also three privately owned airports in the county; Waynesville airport, also know as Red Stewart Field (K40I/40I), Caesar's Creek Gliderport, and Brownies Lebanon Airport.

[edit] Rail and Bus

Warren County does not currently have passenger train service except for a scenic train that runs between Lebanon and Mason. Freight trains still serve Carlisle, and on a limited basis, Monroe, Mason, and Lebanon. Historically, there have been several trains that ran through the county whose stops became cities and villages. These trains include the Cincinnati, Lebanon and Northern Railway, the Middletown and Cincinnati Railroad, and the Little Miami Railroad whose path is now replaced by the Little Miami Bike Trail. There have been proposals to run commuter trains from Cincinnati to the Kings Island area, but none have ever found sufficient support or funding.[7]

There is no public bus transportation based in Warren County, but there is limited service from Cincinnati to Mason and Kings Island. Middletown also runs bus service to eastern portions of Middletown that are located in Warren County.

[edit] Waterways

There are currently no commercially navigable waterways in Warren County, but the Warren County Canal did operate in the 19th century as a branch of the Miami and Erie Canal,bringing freight to Lebanon by Canal Boat. Recreationally, the Little Miami River can be traveled by canoe or kayak for it's length through the county, and motorized boating can be done at Caesar's Creek Lake.

[edit] Communications

[edit] Post Offices

The following post offices, with ZIP codes, serve Warren County:

Note: This list may be incomplete.

[edit] Telephone service

There are telephone companies serving Warren County: the United Telephone Company of Ohio, a subsidiary of Sprint Corporation (Utd); the Germantown Independent Telephone Company (Ger); Cincinnati Bell (Cin); Ohio Bell, a subsidiary of SBC Communications (Oh); the Little Miami Telephone Company, a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems (LM); and GTE, a subsidiary of Verizon (GTE). Warren County is in the 513 and 937 area codes.

The following exchange areas serve Warren County, listed with the exchange prefixes used and the area code and company serving that exchange.

  • Bellbrook (937-Oh): 310, 661, 848
  • Blanchester (937-GTE): 783
  • Butlerville (513-LM): 877
  • Centerville (937-Oh): 350, 619, 885, 886
  • Clarksville (937-GTE): 289, 501, 574, 577
  • Franklin (937-Oh): 514, 550, 557, 704, 743, 746, 748, 790, 806, 928
  • Germantown (937-Ger): 855
  • Lebanon (513-Utd): 228, 282, 331, 695, 696, 836, 850, 932, 933, 934
  • Little Miami (513-Cin): 239, 248, 274, 334, 340, 444, 453, 575, 576, 583, 600, 677, 683, 697, 707, 716, 722, 774, 831, 833, 965
  • Mason (513-Utd): 336, 339, 398, 459, 492, 573, 622, 754, 229, 234, 701, 770
  • Miamisburg-West Carrollton (937-Oh): 247, 353, 384, 388, 530, 560, 847, 859, 865, 866, 914
  • Middletown (513-Oh): 217, 222, 224, 261, 267, 292, 306, 318, 320, 355, 392, 420 ,422, 423, 424, 425, 433, 435, 464, 465, 571, 594, 649, 705, 727, 783, 804, 849, 890, 915
  • Monroe (513-Oh): 360, 539
  • Morrow (513-Utd): 899
  • South Lebanon (513-Utd): 268, 480, 494
  • Spring Valley (937-Oh): 317, 659, 862
  • Waynesville (513-Utd): 897

[edit] Media

The Middletown Journal circulates in Franklin, Springboro, Lebanon, and Turtlecreek Township. The Dayton Daily News, which is printed in Franklin, circulates in the northern part of the county. The Cincinnati Enquirer circulates through most of the county while the Cincinnati Post abandoned all distribution in the county in 2004.

Among its weekly papers are The Western Star, the oldest weekly in the state and the oldest newspaper west of the Appalachians published under its original name. It, like the Pulse-Journal in Mason and the Star-Press in Springboro, are owned by the parent of the Middletown Journal and the Dayton Daily News, Cox Communications. Other weeklies include the Franklin Chronicle.

For a time in the mid-1990s, Lebanon was the home of a commercial radio station, WMMA-FM, 97.3, but its owners sold out and the new owners moved the station to Hamilton County. The only radio station in the county is WLMH-FM, a student-run station at Little Miami High School in Hamilton Township.

Warren County is assigned to the Cincinnati television market, but Dayton television stations treat it as part of their market as well.

[edit] Public libraries

  • Franklin-Springboro Public Library
  • Lebanon Public Library
  • Mary L. Cook Public Library - Waynesville
  • Mason Public Library
  • Salem Township Public Library

[edit] Local government

Former Warren County Courthouse
Former Warren County Courthouse
Map of Warren County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels
Map of Warren County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

[edit] Cities and villages

[edit] Townships

The following eleven townships make up Warren County:

[edit] Census-designated places

[edit] Other places

  • Scottsville
  • Snidercrest
  • Socialville
  • Stubbs Mill
  • Twenty Mile Stand
  • Union Village
  • Unity
  • Utica
  • West Woodville
  • Windsor
  • Zoar

[edit] School districts

There are seventeen school districts having territory in Warren County. Those listed in bold are primarily in Warren, those in italics are primarily in other counties. The county each district is chiefly located in is bolded.

  1. Blanchester City School District (also in Brown, Clermont, and Clinton)
  2. Carlisle Local School District (also in Montgomery)
  3. Clinton-Massie Local School District (also in Clinton)
  4. Franklin City School District
  5. Goshen Local School District (also in Clermont)
  6. Kings Local School District
  7. Lebanon City School District
  8. Little Miami Local School District (also in Clermont)
  9. Loveland City School District (also in Clermont and Hamilton)
  10. Mason City School District
  11. Middletown City School District (also in Butler)
  12. Monroe Local School District (also in Butler)
  13. Princeton City School District (also in Butler and Hamilton)
  14. Spring Valley Local School District (also in Greene)
  15. Springboro Community City School District (also in Montgomery)
  16. Wayne Local School District
  17. Xenia City School District (also in Greene and Clinton)

[edit] Government

Main article: Ohio county government

[edit] Politics

Warren County is staunchly Republican and has been since the party was established in the 1850s. Since the first presidential election after its founding, 1856, Warren County has supported the Republican candidate for president all but once, the exception being 1964 when Warren County voted for Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson over Barry M. Goldwater. Before the Republican party was formed, Warren County supported the Whigs. Since 1869, Warren County has almost always supported the Republican candidate for Governor of Ohio, the exceptions being in 1924 when it supported Vic Donahey, 1932 (George White), 1952 (Frank Lausche), and 1958 (Michael V. DiSalle). However, excepting DiSalle, each of these four Democrats, who were all victorious statewide, was a conservative Democrat.

In local races, Warren County occasionally elected Democrats. In 1976, two of the three county commission seats were won by Democrats. Until the mid-1990s, Democrats regularly ran for county offices and, while almost always losing, did not do so badly. However, with the massive expansion in population in the 1990s, the county became extremely Republican, so much so the Democrats fail to field any candidates. In the 1996, 2000, and 2004 elections, in which eight county offices were on the ballot, there were no Democratic candidates for any of them. In November 1999, the last Democrat to hold office in Warren County, a member of the Educational Service Center (county school board), lost her seat to a Republican.

[edit] Notable natives and residents

Among the famous who have inhabited the county are:

[edit] Recreation and attractions

[edit] Education

[edit] Public School Districts

  • Carlisle Local Schools
  • Franklin City Schools
  • Kings Local School District
    • Kings High School, Kings Mills (the Knights)
  • Lebanon City Schools
  • Little Miami Local Schools
    • Little Miami High School, Morrow (the Panthers)
  • Mason City School District
  • Springboro Community City School District
  • Wayne Local School District
    • Waynesville High School, Waynesville (the Spartans)

[edit] Vocational Schools

  • Warren County Career Center

[edit] Colleges and Universities

Warren County has no native colleges or universities, but was the original site selected for Miami University which instead located in Oxford, Ohio in 1809. National Normal University, a teachers college, was located in Lebanon from 1855 until 1917 when it closed. Several colleges currently offer classes in Warren County at various locations, including Sinclair Community College of Dayton, the University of Cincinnati, and Wilmington College. Sinclair opened a branch in the Mason area in 2007. The University of Cincinnati owns 398 acres of land[8] at the intersections of I-71 and Wilmington road, but no plans for development on the site have been announced.

[edit] Hospitals in Warren County

  • Atrium Medical Center - Middletown (Opens December 2007, formerly Middletown Regional Hospital)
  • Bethesda Medical Center at Arrow Springs - Lebanon (Branch of Bethesda North Hospital)

[edit] See also

[edit] Historical articles about Warren County

[edit] State facilities in Warren County

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Ohio County Profiles: Warren County (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  2. ^ Warren County data (population). Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Retrieved on 2007-05-11.
  3. ^ http://www.census.gov/popest/counties/CO-EST2006-08.html| U.S. Census Bureau - 100 Fastest Growing U.S. Counties with 10,000 or More Population in 2006: April 1, 2000 to July 1, 2006
  4. ^ Find a County. National Association of Counties. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  5. ^ Warren County data. Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Retrieved on 2007-04-28.
  6. ^ American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  7. ^ Cincinnati's Rail + Bus Plan
  8. ^ http://www.co.warren.oh.us/auditor/property_search/summary.asp?account_nbr=7202334 Warren county property record
  • Elva R. Adams. Warren County Revisited. Lebanon, Ohio: Warren County Historical Society, 1989.
  • Robert Brenner. Maineville, Ohio, History: 100 Years as an Incorporated Town, 1850-1950. Cincinnati: John S. Swift, 1950.
  • The Centennial Atlas of Warren County, Ohio. Lebanon, Ohio: The Centennial Atlas Association, 1903.
  • Mabel Eldridge and Dudley Bryant. Franklin in the Great Miami Valley. Edited by Harriet E. Foley. Franklin, Ohio: Franklin Area Historical Society, 1982.
  • Harriet E. Foley, editor. Carlisle: The Jersey Settlement in Ohio, 1800-1990. 2nd ed. Carlisle, Ohio: The Editor, 1990.
  • Josiah Morrow. The History of Warren County, Ohio. Chicago: W.H. Beers, 1883. (Reprinted several times)
  • Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 6th ed. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme, 2001. ISBN 0-89933-281-1
  • Thomas D. Schiffer. Peters & King: The Birth & Evolution of the Peters Cartridge Co. & the King Powder Co. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 2002. ISBN 0-87349-363-X
  • William E. Smith. History of Southwestern Ohio: The Miami Valleys. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1964. 3 vols.
  • Rose Marie Springman. Around Mason, Ohio: A Story. Mason, Ohio: The Author, 1982.
  • Warren County Engineer's Office. Official Highway Map 2003. Lebanon, Ohio: The Office, 2003.
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Municipalities and communities of
Warren County, Ohio
County seat: Lebanon
Cities
Map of Ohio highlighting Warren County
Villages
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Coordinates: 39°26′N 84°10′W / 39.43, -84.17