Jackson County, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jackson County
U.S. county
Jackson County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	March 1, 1816
Named for	Andrew Jackson
Seat	Jackson
Largest city	Jackson
Area
• Total	422 sq mi (1,090 km2)
• Land	420 sq mi (1,100 km2)
• Water	1.2 sq mi (3 km2)  0.3%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	32,653
• Density	77/sq mi (30/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd

Jackson County is a place in the state of Ohio, USA. In 2020, about 32,653 people lived there. The main town and government center is Jackson.

The county is named after Andrew Jackson. He was a brave hero in the War of 1812. Later, he became a U.S. President. Jackson County is also called "The Little Wales of Ohio."

History of Jackson County

Jackson County is in eastern Ohio, north of the Ohio River. Long ago, different groups of Native Americans lived here. You can still find signs of them, like large burial mounds and rock carvings called petroglyphs. One famous example is the Leo Petroglyph.

During the time when Europeans first came to America, tribes like the Mingo, Lenape, and Shawnee lived in this area. Later, American settlers moved west. This meant that the Indigenous People were forced to leave their homes. Many were moved to new lands far away.

The new settlers cleared the land to start farming. They also built towns and developed industries. This helped the area grow.

Iron and Coal Industries

In the mid-1800s, people found iron ore in southern Ohio. There were also many large forests. These forests provided charcoal to heat the furnaces. This made the Hanging Rock Iron Region perfect for making iron.

The Jefferson Iron Furnace was built in 1854. It made iron for the growing United States. The iron furnaces became very important during the American Civil War. Iron from Jackson County was sold as "Anchor" brand. This iron was used to build the USS Monitor. This was a famous iron warship that fought against the Confederate ship, the CSS Virginia, in a big battle.

After the Civil War, the iron industry in Jackson County slowly ended. There wasn't enough iron ore left, and most of the forests had been cut down for charcoal. Today, you can still see parts of the Jefferson Iron Furnaces at Jackson Lake State Park.

Other important industries were coal mining and salt mining. In 1888, over a million tons of coal were mined. Jackson County was the second-biggest coal producer in Ohio back then. Salt mines along Salt Creek were also very important. Native American tribes traveled long distances to get salt from this area.

Geography

Jackson County covers about 422 square miles. Most of this area, about 420 square miles, is land. Only a small part, about 1.2 square miles, is water.

Neighboring Counties

Jackson County shares borders with these other counties:

• Vinton County (to the north)
• Gallia County (to the east)
• Lawrence County (to the south)
• Scioto County (to the southwest)
• Pike County (to the west)
• Ross County (to the northwest)

Protected Natural Areas

Part of the Wayne National Forest is located in Jackson County. This is a large protected area.

Population Over Time

In 2010, there were 33,225 people living in Jackson County. About 97% of the people were white. Other groups included Black or African American, American Indian, and Asian people. About 1.4% of the people were from two or more races.

The average age of people in the county was 39 years old. About 34% of households had children under 18 living with them.

Communities

Map of Jackson County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

Cities

• Jackson (This is the main town and county seat)
• Wellston

Villages

• Coalton
• Oak Hill

Townships

Unincorporated Communities

These are smaller places that are not officially cities or villages.

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Jackson (Ohio) para niños