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. Its county seat is Chillicothe, the first and third capital of Ohio. Established on August 20, 1798, the county is named for Federalist Senator James Ross of Pennsylvania.
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" by Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis in their book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. They describe the Indian-built earthworks as ranging from five to 30 feet in size, and enclosures of one to 50 acres large.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 693 square miles (1,790Â km2), of which 689 square miles (1,780Â km2) is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8Â km2) (0.6%) is water. 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
- 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
2000 census
As of the census 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.
2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 78,064Â people, 28,919Â households, and 19,782Â families residing in the county. The population density was 113.3 inhabitants per square mile (43.7/km2). There were 32,148 housing units at an average density of 46.6 per square mile (18.0/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 90.7% white, 6.2% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 2.1% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.0% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 15.2% were Irish, 12.5% were American, and 10.5% were English.
Of the 28,919Â households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.2% were married couples living together, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.6% were non-families, and 26.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 39.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $42,626 and the median income for a family was $50,081. Males had a median income of $42,721 versus $32,374 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,595. About 13.1% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 24.7% of those under age 18 and 8.2% of those age 65 or over.
Government
County officials
County officials are:
- County Auditor Tom Spetnagel Jr. (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)
- Steve Neal (D)
- 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 Matthew Schmidt (R)
- County Recorder Kathleen "Kathy" Dunn (D)
- County Treasurer Jerald A. "Jerry" Byers (D)
- County Sheriff George Lavender (R)
Politics
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 2nd and 15th congressional districts, which are held by Republicans Brad Wenstrup and Steve Stivers, 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.
- Adena Local School District (Ross County)
- Chillicothe City School District (Ross County)
- Huntington Local School District (Ross County)
- Paint Valley Local School District (Ross County)
- Southeastern Local School District (Ross County)
- Unioto Local School District (Ross County)
- Zane Trace Local School District (Ross County)
- Circleville City School District (Pickaway County)
- Logan Elm Local School District (Pickaway County)
- Westfall Local School District (Pickaway County)
Communities
City
- Chillicothe (county seat)
Villages
Townships
Census-designated places
- Andersonville
- Bourneville
- Richmond Dale (also known as "Richmondale")
Other unincorporated communities
Ghost town
- Knockemstiff
Notable people
- 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.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Ross County, Ohio
References
External links
- Official website
- Ross County Government's website
- Ross County Commissioners
