Ross County, Ohio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ross County
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Ross County Courthouse
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Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
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 Ohio's location within the U.S. |
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| Country |  United States |
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| State |  Ohio |
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| Founded | 20 August 1798 | |
| Named for | James Ross | |
| Seat | Chillicothe | |
| Largest city | Chillicothe | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 693.03 sq mi (1,794.9 km2) | |
| • Land | 689.19 sq mi (1,785.0 km2) | |
| • Water | 3.84 sq mi (9.9 km2) 0.6%% | |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 77,093 | |
| • Density | 111.2405/sq mi (42.9502/km2) | |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | |
| Congressional districts | 2nd, 15th | |
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Ross County is a county in the Appalachian region of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States Census, the population was 77,093. 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.
Contents
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 (1,790 km2), of which 689 square miles (1,780 km2) is land and 3.8 square miles (9.8 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
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 8,540 | — | |
| 1810 | 15,514 | 81.7% | |
| 1820 | 20,619 | 32.9% | |
| 1830 | 24,068 | 16.7% | |
| 1840 | 27,460 | 14.1% | |
| 1850 | 32,074 | 16.8% | |
| 1860 | 35,071 | 9.3% | |
| 1870 | 37,097 | 5.8% | |
| 1880 | 40,307 | 8.7% | |
| 1890 | 39,454 | −2.1% | |
| 1900 | 40,940 | 3.8% | |
| 1910 | 40,069 | −2.1% | |
| 1920 | 41,556 | 3.7% | |
| 1930 | 45,181 | 8.7% | |
| 1940 | 52,147 | 15.4% | |
| 1950 | 54,424 | 4.4% | |
| 1960 | 61,215 | 12.5% | |
| 1970 | 61,211 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 65,004 | 6.2% | |
| 1990 | 69,330 | 6.7% | |
| 2000 | 73,345 | 5.8% | |
| 2010 | 78,064 | 6.4% | |
| 2020 | 77,093 | −1.2% | |
| US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2020 |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 78,064 people, 28,919 households, and 19,782 families in the county. The population density was 113/sqmi (43.7/km2). There were 32,148 housing units at an average density of 46.6/sqmi (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 28,919 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.
Communities
City
- Chillicothe (county seat)
Villages
Townships
- Buckskin
- Colerain
- Concord
- Deerfield
- Franklin
- Green
- Harrison
- Huntington
- Jefferson
- Liberty
- Paint
- Paxton
- Scioto
- Springfield
- Twin
- Union
Census-designated places
- Andersonville
- Bourneville
- Richmond Dale (also known as "Richmondale")
Other unincorporated communities
- Alma
- Anderson
- Austin
- Bainbridge
- Bourneville
- Brownsville
- Deadman Crossing
- Denver
- Frenchtown
- Fruitdale
- Greenland
- Hallsville
- Harper
- Higby
- Hopetown
- Humboldt
- Kinnikinnick
- Lattaville
- Lickskillet
- Londonderry
- Lyndon
- Massieville
- Metzger
- Mooresville
- Musselman
- Nipgen
- North Fork Village
- Pinhook
- Pleasant Grove
- Pleasant Valley
- Pride
- Roxabell
- Schooley
- Slate Mills
- Spargursville
- Storms
- Summithill
- Tucson
- Vigo
- Yellowbud
Ghost town
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 attend 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)
Ohio University Chillicothe
Ohio University established a regional campus in Chillicothe in 1966. The university has over 2,500 students enrolled as of 2010, ranging from traditional-aged students and non-traditional learners.
Notable people
- Clyde Beatty (1903-1965) - lion tamer and animal trainer
- Blue Jacket (1743-1810) - Shawnee War Chief
- William Granville Cochran (1844-1932) - Illinois state judge and legislator
- Esther Housh (1840–1898) - social reformer, author, editor
- Donald Ray Pollock (1954) - author
- John Purdue (1802-1876) - founding benefactor of Purdue University
- Frederick Madison Roberts (1879-1952) - 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
In Spanish: Condado de Ross para niños
