Monroe County, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Monroe County
U.S. county
Monroe 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, 1815
Named for	James Monroe
Seat	Woodsfield
Largest village	Woodsfield
Area
• Total	457 sq mi (1,180 km2)
• Land	456 sq mi (1,180 km2)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4 km2)  0.4%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	13,385
• Estimate  (2021)	13,329
• Density	29.29/sq mi (11.308/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	6th

Monroe County is a county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Ohio, across the Ohio River from West Virginia. As of the 2020 census, the population was 13,385, making it the second-least populous county in Ohio. Its county seat is Woodsfield. The county was created in 1813 and later organized in 1815.

History

Hill farms in Monroe County, 1923

Monroe County was formed on January 28, 1813, from portions of Belmont, Guernsey and Washington counties. It was named after James Monroe, the U.S. Secretary of State when the county was formed, and later fifth President of the United States. When organized, the county's eastern border was with the state of Virginia. This portion of the state seceded from Virginia during the American Civil War, being admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia. The largely rural county reached its peak of population in the 19th century, before urbanization drew people into and near cities for work and other opportunities. It is still a center of Amish population and farms.

In 1891, West Virginia's Sistersville Field was discovered to extend into Monroe County. By 1901, 300 wells near Woodsfield, Ohio, were producing 55,000 barrels of oil a month.

On or about December 20, 2011, ExxonMobil, a New Jersey petroleum company, via its subsidiary XTO Energy, acquired 20,056 acres of Monroe County Utica Shale gas leases from Beck Energy.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 457 square miles (1,180 km²), of which 456 square miles (1,180 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.4%) is water. It is bordered by the Ohio River to the east. The terrain is hilly in this area, with waterways cutting through some hills of the Appalachian Plateau, which extends from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, which flows southwest to the south of this county.

Adjacent counties

• Belmont County (north)
• Marshall County, West Virginia (northeast)
• Wetzel County, West Virginia (east)
• Tyler County, West Virginia (southeast)
• Washington County (south)
• Noble County (west)

Major highways

National protected area

• Wayne National Forest (part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,642 people, 6,065 households, and 4,183 families living in the county. The population density was 32.1 inhabitants per square mile (12.4/km²). There were 7,567 housing units at an average density of 16.6 units per square mile (6.4 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.4% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.8% were German, 14.5% were Irish, 10.6% were English, and 9.6% were American.

Of the 6,065 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 44.7 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $37,030 and the median income for a family was $43,261. Males had a median income of $39,261 versus $24,922 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,738. About 12.3% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Monroe County contains the following schools through the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District:

• Elementary Schools
  • Beallsville Elementary School in Beallsville, Ohio
  • River Elementary School in Hannibal, Ohio
  • Skyvue Elementary School in Graysville, Ohio
  • Woodsfield Elementary School in Woodsfield, Ohio
  • St. Sylvester Central in Woodsfield, Ohio
• High Schools
  • Monroe Central High School in Woodsfield, Ohio
  • River High School in Hannibal, Ohio
  • Beallsville High School in Beallsville, Ohio
• Career Center
  • Swiss Hills Career Center in Woodsfield, Ohio

Communities

Map of Monroe County, Ohio with municipal and township labels

Villages

Townships

Census-designated places

• Hannibal
• Sardis

Unincorporated communities

• Cameron
• Duffy
• Fly
• Laings
• Malaga
• Rinard Mills
• Sardis
• Sycamore Valley

Ghost town

• Quarry

Notable people

• Philip Allen, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
• William C. Chynoweth, member of the Illinois House of Representatives
• Sam V. Stewart, Montana Supreme Court Justice and the sixth Governor of Montana

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Monroe (Ohio) para niños