Holmes County, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Holmes County
U.S. county
Holmes County Courthouse, with the Grant Memorial Statue
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	January 4, 1825
Named for	Andrew Holmes
Seat	Millersburg
Largest village	Millersburg
Area
• Total	424 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Land	423 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Water	1.4 sq mi (4 km2)  0.3%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	44,223
• Estimate  (2022)	44,390
• Density	104.30/sq mi (40.27/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	7th, 12th

Holmes County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 44,223. Its county seat is Millersburg. The county was formed in 1824 from portions of Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties and organized the following year. It was named after Andrew Holmes, an officer killed in the War of 1812.

Holmes County, which was about 42% Amish in 2010, and 48% in 2020, has the highest concentration of Amish in the world, which draws many visitors to the county. The Holmes Amish settlement, which also includes Amish from neighboring counties, is the second-largest in the world after Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, and numbered 37,770 people in 2021.

History

Amish couple in a horse-drawn buggy in rural Holmes County

Holmes County was formed on January 20, 1824, from portions of Coshocton, Tuscarawas and Wayne counties. It was named after Major Andrew Holmes, who was killed in action at the Battle of Mackinac Island.

In 1863, during the Civil War, numerous small anti-draft riots took place, mainly in the German-speaking areas. Holmes County at the time was a Democratic stronghold, dominated by its Pennsylvania Dutch settlers, along with many recent German immigrants. With the passage of the Conscription Act in March 1863, Holmes County politicians denounced both Congress and President Lincoln as despotic, saying that forced military service was little different from slavery. Conscription had been common in their former German homelands, and it was one of the reasons they had moved to America. Violent protests broke out in June, and they continued until the Union Army marched into the county and declared martial law. Stephen E. Towne in 2019 using archival records argues that many of the resisters belonged to secret organizations that opposed Union tactics to defeat the Confederacy.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 424 square miles (1,100 km²), of which 423 square miles (1,100 km²) is land and 1.4 square miles (3.6 km²) (0.3%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Wayne County (north)
• Stark County (northeast)
• Tuscarawas County (east)
• Coshocton County (south)
• Knox County (southwest)
• Ashland County (northwest)

Demographics

2020 census

As of the 2020 United States Census, the population of Holmes County was 44,223 with 14,580 households. Its racial makeup was 97.43% White, 0.278% Black, 0.145% Asian, 0.081% American Indian and Alaska Native, and 0.308% others alone (including Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander), and 1.755% belonged to two or more races.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 42,366 people, 12,554 households, and 10,035 families living in the county. The population density was 100.3 inhabitants per square mile (38.7/km²). There were 13,666 housing units at an average density of 32.3 units per square mile (12.5 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.7% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 0.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 37.8% were German, 10.8% were American, 6.6% were Irish, and 6.3% were English.

Of the 12,554 households, 42.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.7% were married couples living together, 6.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 20.1% were non-families, and 17.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 3.31 and the average family size was 3.80. The median age was 29.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $43,533 and the median income for a family was $49,133. Males had a median income of $36,644 versus $24,317 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,009. About 10.5% of families and 13.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 6.9% of those age 65 or over.

Amish community

The Amish community in Holmes County established in 1808, had a 17,654 adherents in 2010, or 41.7% of the county's population.

Religion

Religion in Holmes County, according to ARDA (2020)      Anabaptist Churches (Amish and Mennonite) (54.7%)     Others Evangelical Churches (17.4%)     Mainline Protestant Churches (3.8%)     Catholic Church (0.7%)     None (23.4%)

Economy

Amish farmer plowing fields with horses

Tourism is an important part of the economy. In 2017, Holmes County was the second most popular tourist destination in Ohio. Tourism is centered on the Amish community, which makes up almost half the county's population, the highest density in the world.

Communities

Map of Holmes County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

CDP = Census-designated place
UIC = Unincorporated community

Transportation

Holmes County Airport (FAA LID: 10G) located two miles southwest of Millersburg.

Amish community

A large Amish community of about 36,000 exists in Northeast-Central Ohio, centered on Holmes County and extending into surrounding counties. The Holmes Old Order Amish affiliation, with 140 church districts out of 221 in the Holmes County Amish settlement in 2009, is the main and dominant Amish affiliation. Holmes County houses the highest percentage of Amish of any U.S. county, currently 42 percent of the population, and experts speculate that by 2027, Holmes County could become the first county in the US where more than half the residents were Amish. The Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin explains traditional ways of the Amish and provides an illustrated history for visitors in its 10-foot-by-265-foot mural.

The overall Amish population of the area, centered on Holmes County, is the largest Amish community in the world. Called locally "Amish Country", it draws many visitors to the county, thus making tourism an important sector of the local economy.

In Holmes County Amish Settlements there are several Old Order Amish affiliations. The Holmes Old Order Amish affiliation is the main and original affiliation, the Swartzentruber Amish with three subgroups, that originated in 1917 in Holmes County, are the most conservative Amish in Holmes county. There are also Andy Weaver Amish (formed 1952), Stutzman-Troyer Amish, Old Order Tobe Amish and Roman Amish on the conservative side, whereas the New Order Amish (formed in the early 1960s), the New Order Tobe Amish the New Order Amish Christian Fellowship are on the more progressive side. Holmes County is home of more Amish affiliations than any other place in the world.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Holmes (Ohio) para niños