Ottawa County, Ohio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ottawa County
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Ottawa 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 | March 6, 1840 | ||
| Named for | the Ottawa tribe or a word meaning "trader" | ||
| Seat | Port Clinton | ||
| Largest city | Port Clinton | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 585 sq mi (1,520 km2) | ||
| • Land | 255 sq mi (660 km2) | ||
| • Water | 330 sq mi (900 km2) 56%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 40,364  |
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| • Density | 158/sq mi (61/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 9th | ||
Ottawa County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,364. Its county seat is Port Clinton. The county is named either for the Ottawa (Odawa) Indigenous peoples who lived there, or for an Indigenous word meaning "trader".
Ottawa County comprises the Port Clinton, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Toledo-Port Clinton, OH Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History
On September 10, 1813, during the War of 1812, nine vessels of the United States Navy under Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, decisively defeated six vessels of Great Britain’s Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie near Put-in-Bay. This action was one of the major battles of the war.
Ottawa County was formed on March 6, 1840, from portions of Erie, Lucas and Sandusky counties. It was named after the North American Indigenous tribe of the Ottawa (Odawa).
In 1974, the County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The county is notable in presidential politics for being a recent bellwether, having continuously voted for the winning candidate for thirteen elections from 1964 to 2016.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 585 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 255 square miles (660 km2) is land and 330 square miles (850 km2) (56%) is water. It is the third-smallest county in Ohio by land area. It borders Ontario across Lake Erie.
Adjacent counties
- Essex County, Ontario, Canada (northeast)
- Erie County (southeast)
- Sandusky County (south)
- Wood County (west)
- Lucas County (northwest)
National protected areas
Demographics
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1840 | 2,248 | — | |
| 1850 | 3,308 | 47.2% | |
| 1860 | 7,016 | 112.1% | |
| 1870 | 13,364 | 90.5% | |
| 1880 | 19,762 | 47.9% | |
| 1890 | 21,974 | 11.2% | |
| 1900 | 22,213 | 1.1% | |
| 1910 | 22,360 | 0.7% | |
| 1920 | 22,193 | −0.7% | |
| 1930 | 24,109 | 8.6% | |
| 1940 | 24,360 | 1.0% | |
| 1950 | 29,469 | 21.0% | |
| 1960 | 35,323 | 19.9% | |
| 1970 | 37,099 | 5.0% | |
| 1980 | 40,076 | 8.0% | |
| 1990 | 40,029 | −0.1% | |
| 2000 | 40,985 | 2.4% | |
| 2010 | 41,428 | 1.1% | |
| 2020 | 40,364 | −2.6% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2020 |
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2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 41,428 people, 17,503 households, and 11,884 families living in the county. The population density was 162.5 inhabitants per square mile (62.7/km2). There were 27,909 housing units at an average density of 109.5 per square mile (42.3/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.5% white, 0.8% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 44.6% were German, 11.9% were Irish, 9.8% were English, 6.3% were American, and 6.1% were Polish.
Of the 17,503 households, 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.1% were non-families, and 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 46.3 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $53,463 and the median income for a family was $64,258. Males had a median income of $52,736 versus $33,557 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,809. About 6.3% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.
Transportation
Major highways
8 major highways run through Ottawa County, including two interstates, and eight state routes.
Interstate 80 (Ohio Turnpike)
Interstate 90 (Ohio Turnpike)
Ohio State Route 2
Ohio State Route 19
Ohio State Route 51
Ohio State Route 53
Ohio State Route 105
Ohio State Route 163
Ohio State Route 269
Ohio State Route 590
Airports
- Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport
- Middle Bass-East Point Airport
- Middle Bass Island Airport
- North Bass Island Airport
- Put-in-Bay Airport
Communities
City
- Port Clinton (county seat)
Villages
Townships
- Allen
- Bay
- Benton
- Carroll
- Catawba Island
- Clay
- Danbury
- Erie
- Harris
- Portage
- Put-in-Bay
- Salem
Census-designated places
Unincorporated communities
- Catawba Island
- Danbury
- Elliston
- Forest Park
- Graytown
- Gypsum
- Isle St. George
- Lacarne
- Limestone
- Martin
- Middle Bass
Notable residents
- Louis C. Shepard - American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient from Ashtabula County, buried in Lakeview cemetery, Port Clinton, Ohio.
- Crystal Bowersox, singer-songwriter, runner up on American Idol
See also
In Spanish: Condado de Ottawa (Ohio) para niños
