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Lawrence County, Ohio facts for kids

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Lawrence County
Lawrence County Courthouse
Lawrence County Courthouse
Official seal of Lawrence County
Seal
Map of Ohio highlighting Lawrence County
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Map of the United States highlighting Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Ohio
Founded March 1, 1817
Named for James Lawrence
Seat Ironton
Largest city Ironton
Area
 • Total 457 sq mi (1,180 km2)
 • Land 453 sq mi (1,170 km2)
 • Water 3.9 sq mi (10 km2)  0.9%%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 58,240
 • Density 127.44/sq mi (49.20/km2)
Time zone UTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district 6th

Lawrence County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,240. Its county seat is Ironton. The county was created in 1815 and later organized in 1817. It is named for James Lawrence, the naval officer famous for the line "do not give up the ship". Lawrence County is part of the Huntington–Ashland metropolitan area.

History

The earliest settlers, Luke Kelly, his family and May Keyser, settled at Hanging Rock, along the Ohio River in 1796. In 1851 the county seat was moved from Burlington to Ironton. A new court House was built at that time but it burned in 1857. The present Lawrence County Courthouse was built in 1908.

Citizens from Lawrence County served in the Mexican-American War with at least one having died during that conflict. About 3200 of Lawrence County's men were soldiers in the Union Army by 1862 in the American Civil War. World War I saw 2200 of Lawrence County's men serving the U.S.A. of which 99 died.

When first settled, Lawrence County was rich in natural resources such as iron, timber, coal, natural gas, oil, and salt. By the beginning of the twentieth century, many of these had been depleted.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 457 square miles (1,180 km2), of which 453 square miles (1,170 km2) is land and 3.9 square miles (10 km2) (0.9%) is water. It is the southernmost county in the state of Ohio.

Adjacent counties

National protected area

  • Wayne National Forest (part)

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1820 3,499
1830 5,367 53.4%
1840 9,738 81.4%
1850 15,246 56.6%
1860 23,249 52.5%
1870 31,380 35.0%
1880 39,068 24.5%
1890 39,556 1.2%
1900 39,534 −0.1%
1910 39,488 −0.1%
1920 39,540 0.1%
1930 44,541 12.6%
1940 46,705 4.9%
1950 49,115 5.2%
1960 55,438 12.9%
1970 56,868 2.6%
1980 63,849 12.3%
1990 61,834 −3.2%
2000 62,319 0.8%
2010 62,450 0.2%
2020 58,240 −6.7%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2020

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 62,450 people, 24,974 households, and 17,405 families living in the county. The population density was 137.7 inhabitants per square mile (53.2/km2). There were 27,603 housing units at an average density of 60.9 per square mile (23.5/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 95.9% white, 2.0% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 18.0% were American, 15.4% were German, 12.9% were Irish, and 10.8% were English. In Lawrence County, less than 1% of people who self-identify as "Irish" are Catholic. Scholars believe this is part of a trend in which people are vaguely aware that at least some of their ancestors come from Ireland, but that population is primarily of "Scots-Irish" or "Ulster Scots" ancestry, and those identifying as "Irish" are simply unaware of the distinction. Those citing "American" ancestry in Lawrence County are of overwhelmingly English extraction, most English Americans identify simply as American because their ancestors have been in North America for centuries—in some cases since the 1600s.

Of the 24,974 households, 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.0% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 30.3% were non-families, and 26.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 40.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $36,461 and the median income for a family was $46,732. Males had a median income of $38,170 versus $28,251 for females. The per capita income for the county was $19,452. About 15.2% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 28.0% of those under age 18 and 11.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities

Map of Lawrence County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels
Map of Lawrence County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

City

Villages

Townships

  • Aid
  • Decatur
  • Elizabeth
  • Fayette
  • Hamilton
  • Lawrence
  • Mason
  • Perry
  • Rome
  • Symmes
  • Union
  • Upper
  • Washington
  • Windsor

Census-designated place

Unincorporated communities

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Condado de Lawrence (Ohio) para niños

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