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Ohio County, Kentucky facts for kids

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Ohio County
Ohio County Courthouse in Hartford
Ohio County Courthouse in Hartford
Map of Kentucky highlighting Ohio County
Location within the U.S. state of Kentucky
Map of the United States highlighting Kentucky
Kentucky's location within the U.S.
Country  United States
State  Kentucky
Founded December 17, 1798
Named for The Ohio River
Seat Hartford
Largest city Beaver Dam
Area
 • Total 596 sq mi (1,540 km2)
 • Land 587 sq mi (1,520 km2)
 • Water 9.0 sq mi (23 km2)  1.5%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total 23,772 Decrease
Time zone UTC−6 (Central)
 • Summer (DST) UTC−5 (CDT)
Congressional district 1st

Ohio County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. As of the 2010 census, the population was 23,842. Its county seat is Hartford. The county is named after the Ohio River, which originally formed its northern boundary. It is a moist county, which means that the sale of alcohol is only legal within certain city limits.

History

Ohio County was formed in 1798 from land taken from Hardin County. Ohio was the 35th Kentucky county in order of formation. It was named for the Ohio River, which originally formed its northern boundary, but it lost its northern portions in 1829, when Daviess County and Hancock County were formed. The first settlements in Ohio County were Barnetts Station and Hartford. In January 1865, during the American Civil War, the courthouse in Hartford was burned by Kentucky Confederate cavalry because it was being used to house soldiers of the occupying Union Army. However, the county records were removed first and preserved. Ohio County is famous for its coal mines, which in the 1970s produced much of the nation's coal.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 596 square miles (1,540 km2), of which 587 square miles (1,520 km2) is land and 9.0 square miles (23 km2) (1.5%) is water. It is the fifth-largest county by area in Kentucky.

Ohio County is part of the Western Coal Fields region of Kentucky. Much of Ohio County is farmland and the eastern and northern parts have rolling hills. Of the 120 counties in Kentucky, it is the fifth largest. The county is intersected by the Rough River and the Green River runs along its southwestern border.

Adjacent counties

Demographics

Historical population
Census Pop.
1800 1,223
1810 3,792 210.1%
1820 3,879 2.3%
1830 4,715 21.6%
1840 6,592 39.8%
1850 9,749 47.9%
1860 12,209 25.2%
1870 15,561 27.5%
1880 19,669 26.4%
1890 22,946 16.7%
1900 27,287 18.9%
1910 27,642 1.3%
1920 26,473 −4.2%
1930 24,469 −7.6%
1940 24,421 −0.2%
1950 20,840 −14.7%
1960 17,725 −14.9%
1970 18,790 6.0%
1980 21,765 15.8%
1990 21,105 −3.0%
2000 22,916 8.6%
2010 23,842 4.0%
2020 23,772 −0.3%
2021 (est.) 23,688 −0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census
1790-1960 1900-1990
1990-2000 2010-2021

As of the census of 2000, there were 22,916 people, 8,899 households, and 6,585 families residing in the county. The population density was 39 per square mile (15/km2). There were 9,909 housing units at an average density of 17 per square mile (6.6/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 97.71% White, 0.75% Black or African American, 0.19% Native American, 0.20% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.45% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 1.01% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 8,899 households, out of which 33.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.20% were married couples living together, 9.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.00% were non-families. 23.20% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 24.90% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 24.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 96.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $29,557, and the median income for a family was $34,970. Males had a median income of $29,778 versus $19,233 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,317. About 13.90% of families and 17.30% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.90% of those under age 18 and 15.70% of those age 65 or over.

7.1% of the workforce in the county comes from coal production. In December 2019, more than half of the coal workforce, 3.5% of the counties total workforce, received WARN notices that their coal mine was closing and they would be laid off in February 2020.

Communities

Cities

Census-designated place

Other unincorporated places

Notable residents

  • Ramsey Carpenter, Miss Kentucky 2014, competitor for the title of Miss America 2015
  • James Earp, lawman, soldier, and saloon-keeper, member of the Earp family
  • Newton Earp, Civil War soldier
  • Virgil Earp, lawman and soldier
  • John Givens, first coach of Kentucky Colonels professional basketball team
  • Bill Monroe, known as the father of bluegrass music
  • George H. Tichenor, inventor of Dr. Tichenor's antiseptic
  • Pendleton Vandiver, 'Uncle Pen', who inspired the music of Bill Monroe was a resident of Rosine
  • Ray Chapman, only MLB player ever killed in a game
  • The Crabb Family, a Southern Gospel family group

See also

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

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