Ross County, Ohio

Ross County, Ohio
Ross County Courthouse

Seal
Map of Ohio highlighting Ross County
Location in the state of Ohio
Map of the United States highlighting Ohio
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Founded August 20, 1798[1]
Named for James Ross
Seat Chillicothe
Largest city Chillicothe
Area
 • Total 693 sq mi (1,795 km2)
 • Land 689 sq mi (1,785 km2)
 • Water 3.8 sq mi (10 km2), 0.6%
Population
 • (2010) 78,064
 • Density 113/sq mi (44/km²)
Congressional districts 2nd, 15th
Time zone Eastern: UTC-5/-4
Website www.co.ross.oh.us

Ross County is a county located in the Appalachian region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 78,064.[2] Its county seat is Chillicothe,[3] the first and third capital of Ohio. Established on August 20, 1798, the county is named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania.[4]

Ross County comprises the Chillicothe, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area.

History

As of 1848, Ross County was described as having almost "one hundred enclosures of various sizes, and five hundred mounds," as well as numerous tumuli created by Indigenous peoples of the Americas by Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis in their book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. They describe the earthworks as ranging from five to 30 feet in size, and enclosures of one to 50 acres large.[5]

Geography

Countryside northeast of Chillicothe on State Route 180

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 693 square miles (1,790 km2), of which 689 square miles (1,780 km2) is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 km2) (0.6%) is water.[6] Ross County is the second-largest county by land area in Ohio, after Ashtabula County, as well as the fifth-largest by total area.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop. %±
18008,540—
181015,51481.7%
182020,61932.9%
183024,06816.7%
184027,46014.1%
185032,07416.8%
186035,0719.3%
187037,0975.8%
188040,3078.7%
189039,454−2.1%
190040,9403.8%
191040,069−2.1%
192041,5563.7%
193045,1818.7%
194052,14715.4%
195054,4244.4%
196061,21512.5%
197061,2110.0%
198065,0046.2%
199069,3306.7%
200073,3455.8%
201078,0646.4%
Est. 201377,910−0.2%
U.S. Decennial Census[7]
1790-1960[8] 1900-1990[9]
1990-2000[10] 2010-2013[2]

As of the census[11] 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

County officials

County officials are:

Politics

Presidential election results
Year GOP DEM Others
2012 49.8% 15,008 48.3% 14,569 1.9% 583
2008 52.5% 16,759 45.3% 14,455 2.2% 711
2004 54.4% 17,231 44.1% 13,978 1.5% 462
2000 52.7% 13,706 44.8% 11,662 2.5% 648
1996 39.9% 10,286 49.0% 12,649 11.1% 2,862
1992 39.8% 10,825 38.5% 10,452 21.7% 5,896
1988 60.4% 14,563 38.4% 9,271 1.2% 279
1984 66.6% 17,015 31.4% 8,020 2.0% 513
1980 55.5% 13,251 35.1% 8,482 5.2% 1,253
1976 50.4% 11,477 47.2% 10,743 2.3% 531
1972 71.1% 15,573 26.9% 5,879 2.0% 436
1968 50.7% 11,284 30.9% 6,873 18.4% 4,089
1964 43.1% 9,623 56.9% 12,704 0.0% 0
1960 60.9% 14,075 39.1% 9,036 0.0% 0

Ross is a generally Republican county in Presidential and Congressional elections, although Democratic candidates perform fairly well in the county. The last Democrat to win a majority in the county was Lyndon Johnson in 1964, while Bill Clinton won a plurality in Ross in 1996. In 2008, Republican John McCain won 53% of the county's vote.

Ross is part of Ohio's 7th and 18th congressional districts, which are held by Republicans Steve Austria and Bob Gibbs, respectively.

Education

Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center

Pickaway-Ross lies in the Northern part of the county. Students from the following affiliated Ross and Pickaway county districts at the vocational school.

Communities

Map of Ross County, Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

City

Villages

Townships

Census-designated place

Other communities

Ghost town

Notable residents

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Ross County History". Ross County, Ohio. Retrieved 2008-05-21.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved 2011-06-07.
  4. ↑ "Ross County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
  5. ↑ Squier, E.G. (1848). Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p. 57.
  6. ↑ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  7. ↑ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  9. ↑ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  10. ↑ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
  11. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.

External links

 Fayette County Pickaway County Hocking County
Vinton County
   Ross County, Ohio  
Highland County Pike County Jackson County

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