Ross County, Ohio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ross County
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Ross 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 | August 20, 1798 | ||
| Named for | James Ross | ||
| Seat | Chillicothe | ||
| Largest city | Chillicothe | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 693.03 sq mi (1,794.9 km2) | ||
| • Land | 689.19 sq mi (1,785.0 km2) | ||
| • Water | 3.84 sq mi (9.9 km2) 0.6%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 77,093  |
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| • Density | 110/sq mi (40/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 2nd | ||
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Ross County is a place in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is located in the Appalachian region. In 2020, about 77,093 people lived here.
The main city and government center is Chillicothe. This city was even the capital of Ohio two times! Ross County was created on August 20, 1798. It is named after James Ross, who was a Senator from Pennsylvania.
Ross County is part of the Chillicothe, OH area. It is also included in the larger Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area.
Contents
History of Ross County
Ross County was officially formed on August 20, 1798. This happened by an order from Governor St. Clair. It was the sixth county created in the Northwest Territory. The Northwest Territory was a large area of land in the early United States.
Long ago, this area was home to many Native American groups. Two researchers, Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis, wrote about Ross County in 1848. They found many ancient earthworks built by Native Americans. These earthworks were like large mounds and enclosures made from earth.
They described nearly "one hundred enclosures" and "five hundred mounds." These structures varied in size. Some mounds were 5 to 30 feet tall. Some enclosures covered 1 to 50 acres. Important sites include Serpent Mound, Fort Ancient, and Mound City. Mound City and Seip Earthworks are now part of Hopewell Culture National Historical Park.
Geography of Ross County
The Scioto River flows south through the middle-eastern part of Ross County. Paint Creek flows east and joins the Scioto River near Chillicothe. The county has many wooded hills. The flatter areas are used for farming.
The highest point in the county is Farrell Hill. It is about 6 miles (10 km) northeast of Bainbridge. Ross County covers about 693 square miles (1,795 km²). Most of this is land, with a small amount of water. It is the second-largest county in Ohio by land area.
Neighboring Counties
Ross County shares borders with several other counties:
- Pickaway County - to the north
- Hocking County - to the northeast
- Vinton County - to the east
- Jackson County - to the southeast
- Pike County - to the south
- Highland County - to the southwest
- Fayette County - to the northwest
Parks and Protected Areas
Ross County has several beautiful parks and protected areas where you can explore nature:
- Adena State Memorial
- Great Seal State Park
- Hopewell Culture National Historical Park
- Paint Creek State Park (part of it)
- Pleasant Valley Wildlife Area
- Ross Lake Wilderness Area
- Scioto Trail State Forest
- Scioto Trail State Park (part of the American Discovery Trail)
- Tar Hollow State Forest (part of it)
Population Changes
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1800 | 8,540 | — | |
| 1810 | 15,514 | 81.7% | |
| 1820 | 20,619 | 32.9% | |
| 1830 | 24,068 | 16.7% | |
| 1840 | 27,460 | 14.1% | |
| 1850 | 32,074 | 16.8% | |
| 1860 | 35,071 | 9.3% | |
| 1870 | 37,097 | 5.8% | |
| 1880 | 40,307 | 8.7% | |
| 1890 | 39,454 | −2.1% | |
| 1900 | 40,940 | 3.8% | |
| 1910 | 40,069 | −2.1% | |
| 1920 | 41,556 | 3.7% | |
| 1930 | 45,181 | 8.7% | |
| 1940 | 52,147 | 15.4% | |
| 1950 | 54,424 | 4.4% | |
| 1960 | 61,215 | 12.5% | |
| 1970 | 61,211 | 0.0% | |
| 1980 | 65,004 | 6.2% | |
| 1990 | 69,330 | 6.7% | |
| 2000 | 73,345 | 5.8% | |
| 2010 | 78,064 | 6.4% | |
| 2020 | 77,093 | −1.2% | |
| US Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2020 |
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In 2010, there were 78,064 people living in Ross County. There were about 28,919 households. The population density was about 113 people per square mile. Most people in the county were white (90.7%). About 6.2% were black or African American.
The average age of people in Ross County was 39.8 years. The average income for a household was about $42,626.
Education in Ross County
There are many school districts that serve students in Ross County.
School Districts
- Adena Local School District
- Chillicothe City School District
- Greenfield Exempted Village School District
- Huntington Local School District
- Logan Elm Local School District
- Miami Trace Local School District
- Paint Valley Local School District
- Southeastern Local School District
- Union-Scioto Local School District
- Waverly City School District
- Zane Trace Local School District
Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center
This school helps students learn job skills. It is located in the northern part of Ross County. Students from several local school districts can attend:
- Adena Local School District (Ross County)
- Chillicothe City School District (Ross County)
- Huntington Local School District (Ross County)
- Paint Valley Local School District (Ross County)
- Southeastern Local School District (Ross County)
- Unioto Local School District (Ross County)
- Zane Trace Local School District (Ross County)
- Circleville City School District (Pickaway County)
- Logan Elm Local School District (Pickaway County)
- Westfall Local School District (Pickaway County)
Ohio University Chillicothe
Ohio University opened a campus in Chillicothe in 1966. In 2010, over 2,500 students were studying there. Students of all ages attend this university.
Communities in Ross County
City
- Chillicothe (This is the county seat, where the main government offices are.)
Villages
Census-Designated Places (CDPs)
These are areas that are like villages but are not officially incorporated.
Unincorporated Communities
These are smaller places that do not have their own local government.
- Alma
- Anderson
- Austin
- Brownsville
- Denver
- Fruitdale
- Greenland
- Hallsville
- Harper
- Higby
- Hopetown
- Humboldt
- Kinnikinnick
- Knockemstiff
- Lattaville
- Lickskillet
- Londonderry
- Lyndon
- Massieville
- Metzger
- Mooresville
- Musselman
- Nipgen
- North Fork Village
- Pleasant Grove
- Pleasant Valley
- Pride
- Roxabell
- Schooley
- Slate Mills
- Spargursville
- Storms
- Summithill
- Tucson
- Vigo
- Yellowbud
Townships
Townships are smaller local government areas within the county.
- Buckskin
- Colerain
- Concord
- Deerfield
- Franklin
- Green
- Harrison
- Huntington
- Jefferson
- Liberty
- Paint
- Paxton
- Scioto
- Springfield
- Twin
- Union
Famous People from Ross County
Many interesting people have come from Ross County:
- Clyde Beatty (1903-1965) - A famous lion tamer and animal trainer.
- Blue Jacket (1743-1810) - A brave Shawnee War Chief.
- William Granville Cochran (1844-1932) - An Illinois state judge and lawmaker.
- Esther Housh (1840–1898) - A social reformer, writer, and editor.
- Donald Ray Pollock (1954) - A well-known author.
- John Purdue (1802-1876) - He helped start Purdue University.
- Frederick Madison Roberts (1879-1952) - The first African-American elected to office on the West Coast. He was a great-grandson of Sally Hemings and Thomas Jefferson.
- Tecumseh (1768-1813) - A very important Native American Shawnee Leader.
