Delaware County, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Delaware County
U.S. county
Delaware County Courthouse
Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	February 10, 1808
Named for	the Delaware Indians
Seat	Delaware
Largest city	Delaware
Area
• Total	457 sq mi (1,180 km2)
• Land	443 sq mi (1,150 km2)
• Water	14 sq mi (40 km2)  3.1%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	214,124
• Density	468.5/sq mi (180.91/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	12th
Based on population just within the county.

Delaware County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a frequent placeholder on the List of highest-income counties in the United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 214,124. Its county seat is Delaware. The county was formed in 1808 from Franklin County, Ohio. Both the county and its seat are named after the Delaware Indian tribe. Delaware County was listed as the 35th wealthiest county in the United States in 2020. Delaware County is included in the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area. U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes was born and raised in Delaware County. It is also home to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

History

In 2008, Forbes magazine ranks Delaware County as the fifth best place in the United States to raise a family and the second best in Ohio, behind Geauga County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 457 square miles (1,180 km²), of which 443 square miles (1,150 km²) is land and 14 square miles (36 km²) (3.1%) is water. The county has an even terrain and a fertile soil.

Adjacent counties

• Morrow County (north)
• Knox County (northeast)
• Licking County (east)
• Franklin County (south)
• Union County (west)
• Marion County (northwest)

Lakes and rivers

The major rivers of the county are the Scioto River, Olentangy River, Alum Creek, and the Big Walnut Creek. These waterways run from north to south across the county. The Alum Creek Lake and the Delaware Lake are reservoirs created on Alum Creek and the Olentangy River, respectively.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 174,214 people, 62,760 households, and 47,977 families living in the county. The population density was 393.2 inhabitants per square mile (151.8/km²). There were 66,378 housing units at an average density of 149.8 per square mile (57.8/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% white, 4.3% Asian, 3.4% black or African American, 0.1% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.2% were German, 16.3% were Irish, 14.0% were English, 8.1% were Italian, and 5.7% were American.

Of the 62,760 households, 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.6% were non-families, and 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age was 37.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $87,908 and the median income for a family was $101,698. Males had a median income of $70,949 versus $48,913 for females. The per capita income for the county was $40,682. About 3.4% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Transportation

Major highways

Airports

The area is served by the Delaware Municipal Airport, which serves the rapidly developing southern Delaware County area and the north portion of the Franklin County and Columbus areas. The airport contains a 5,000 foot runway, flight terminal, lounges, and weather briefing areas. It is home to approximately 80 aircraft and an estimated 40,000 operations take place per year. Several smaller airports are located in the county.

Points of interest

Delaware, Ohio is famous for The Little Brown Jug, an internationally famous harness race which is part of the Triple Crown of harness racing.

The Methodist Theological School in Ohio is the Methodist graduate school seminary located between Delaware and Columbus, Ohio. It is often referred to as METHESCO.

Additional notable places include:

• Delaware Municipal Airport Annual Air Fair
• Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
• Zoombezi Bay waterpark
• Safari Golf club
• The Germain Amphitheater, formerly the Polaris Amphitheater, closed at the end of 2007
• Alum Creek State Park and the Delaware State Park bring millions of local, national, and international visitors to the area each year.
• The site of the first Ohio State University football game
• The Hamburger Inn at 16 N. Sandusky
• Historical Marker of Rutherford B. Hayes' home on E. William St.
• The Strand Theater.
• Polaris centers of commerce (Big commercial business area including Americas 2nd largest low rise office building - the chase McCoy center - and the high end Polaris fashion place mall)

Communities

Map of Delaware County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

Cities

• Columbus (partly in Franklin County and Fairfield County)
• Delaware (county seat)
• Dublin (partly in Franklin County and Union County)
• Powell
• Westerville (partly in Franklin County)

Villages

• Ashley
• Galena
• Ostrander
• Shawnee Hills
• Sunbury

Census-designated places

• Kilbourne
• Radnor

Unincorporated communities

• Africa
• Alum Creek
• Bellepoint
• Berkshire
• Center Village
• Cheshire
• Condit
• East Liberty
• Harlem
• Hyatts
• Kingston Center
• Leonardsburg
• Lewis Center
• Norton
• Olive Green
• Orange
• Rome
• Stratford
• Vans Valley
• White Sulphur

Townships

Education

The following school districts are located in Delaware County.

¹ Mainly in Knox County, with portions in Delaware County

² Mainly in Franklin County, with portions in Delaware County and Union County

³ Mainly in Marion County, with portions in Delaware County

⁴ Mainly in Morrow County, with portions in Delaware County

⁵ Mainly in Licking County, with portions in Delaware County

⁶ Mainly in Union County, with portions in Delaware County

⁷ Mainly in Franklin County, with portions in Delaware County

The Ohio Wesleyan University, located in Delaware, Ohio, is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States and one of the Five Colleges of Ohio.

Notable residents

Notable people who have lived in or been associated with the county include:

• Horace Newton Allen, diplomat
• Ben Curtis, professional golfer
• Amos Dolbear, physicist and inventor
• Lou Ferrigno, actor and bodybuilder, two-time Mr. Universe winner
• Arthur Sherwood Flemming, statesman
• Jack Hanna, zookeeper, media personality, Director Emeritus of the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium
• Lucy Webb Hayes, 19th First Lady of the United States
• Rutherford B. Hayes, 19th President of the United States
• Reuben James, U. S. Naval hero
• Clare Kramer, actress
• Vincente Minnelli, Academy Award winning film director, second husband of Judy Garland, father of Liza Minnelli
• Norman Vincent Peale, author
• John Purdue, founding benefactor of Purdue University
• Branch Rickey, MLB executive
• Buck Rodgers, professional baseball player
• William Rosecrans, U. S. Army Major General
• Frank Sherwood Rowland, Nobel laureate
• Ezra Vogel, professor emeritus, Harvard University

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Delaware (Ohio) para niños