Scioto County, Ohio facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Scioto County
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Scioto 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 24, 1803 | ||
| Named for | Scioto River | ||
| Seat | Portsmouth | ||
| Largest city | Portsmouth | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 616 sq mi (1,600 km2) | ||
| • Land | 610 sq mi (1,600 km2) | ||
| • Water | 5.9 sq mi (15 km2) 1.0%% | ||
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 74,008  |
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| • Density | 120/sq mi (50/km2) | ||
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) | ||
| Congressional district | 2nd | ||
Scioto County is a place in south-central Ohio, right by the Ohio River. In 2020, about 74,000 people lived here. Its main town, or 'county seat,' is Portsmouth.
The county started on March 24, 1804. Its name comes from a Native American word about deer or hunting deer. Scioto County is part of the Portsmouth area, which is a smaller city region. It's where the Scioto River and Ohio River meet.
Contents
- Exploring Scioto County's Land
- Who Lives in Scioto County?
- Scioto County's Economy
- Learning in Scioto County
- Getting Around Scioto County
- Media in Scioto County
- Sports in Scioto County
- Culture and Fun in Scioto County
- Events in Scioto County
- Communities in Scioto County
- Famous People from Scioto County
Exploring Scioto County's Land
Scioto County covers about 616 square miles. Most of this is land (610 square miles), with a small amount of water (about 5.9 square miles). A big part of the county is covered in forests. This is especially true in the western side, where you'll find Shawnee State Park.
Neighboring Counties
Scioto County shares borders with several other counties:
- Pike County (north)
- Jackson County (northeast)
- Lawrence County (southeast)
- Greenup County, Kentucky (south)
- Lewis County, Kentucky (southwest)
- Adams County (west)
Parks and Forests
A large part of western Scioto County is covered by Shawnee State Forest and Park. It's the biggest state forest in Ohio, with over 63,000 acres. Part of Brush Creek State Forest also touches the northwestern area.
The county has many parks and fun areas in its different townships. This includes Earl Thomas Conley Park, located west of Portsmouth. Public lands also include parts of the Wayne National Forest. This large forest covers almost 12,000 acres in three townships within Scioto County.
Inside the city of Portsmouth, there are 14 parks for people to enjoy. Some of these are Alexandria Park, Labold Park, and Mound Park.
Who Lives in Scioto County?
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 1810 | 3,399 | — | |
| 1820 | 5,750 | 69.2% | |
| 1830 | 8,740 | 52.0% | |
| 1840 | 11,192 | 28.1% | |
| 1850 | 18,428 | 64.7% | |
| 1860 | 24,297 | 31.8% | |
| 1870 | 29,302 | 20.6% | |
| 1880 | 33,511 | 14.4% | |
| 1890 | 35,377 | 5.6% | |
| 1900 | 40,981 | 15.8% | |
| 1910 | 48,463 | 18.3% | |
| 1920 | 62,850 | 29.7% | |
| 1930 | 81,221 | 29.2% | |
| 1940 | 86,565 | 6.6% | |
| 1950 | 82,910 | −4.2% | |
| 1960 | 84,216 | 1.6% | |
| 1970 | 76,951 | −8.6% | |
| 1980 | 84,545 | 9.9% | |
| 1990 | 80,327 | −5.0% | |
| 2000 | 79,195 | −1.4% | |
| 2010 | 79,499 | 0.4% | |
| 2020 | 74,008 | −6.9% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2020 |
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In 2010, about 79,499 people lived in Scioto County. Most people (94.4%) were white, 2.7% were black, and other groups made up smaller percentages. About 1.1% of the people were of Hispanic or Latino background.
The average age of people in the county was about 38.8 years old. About 32% of homes had children under 18 living there. The average household had 2.46 people.
Scioto County's Economy
For a long time, Scioto County's economy depended on heavy industries like steel mills and shoe factories in Portsmouth. But many of these factories closed in the 1970s.
Today, the biggest employers are in the service industry and healthcare. Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC) is a major employer. Scioto County is also home to Shawnee State University, a state university with thousands of students. Much of the recent growth in the county is connected to SOMC and Shawnee State University.
There's also a new steel shipping and making site being built in New Boston, Ohio. It will be able to use both river barges and trains to move products.
The Portsmouth Uranium Enrichment Plant in nearby Piketon used to enrich uranium for power plants. It stopped enriching operations in 2001. Now, it mainly supports other functions and does contract work.
Other businesses in the county include Sole Choice, Inc., which is the world's largest maker of shoelaces. Graf Brothers Flooring and Lumber, a big producer of oak wood products, also has locations here.
Learning in Scioto County
Colleges and Universities
Shawnee State University is Ohio's newest state university. It started in 1986 and offers two-year, four-year, and master's degrees.
Schools for Kids
Scioto County has ten public school districts. It also has a career technical center, a private school system, a charter school system, and several Christian schools. Some of the school districts include Clay, Minford, Portsmouth, and Wheelersburg.
Libraries
The Portsmouth Public Library opened in 1906. It now has four branches and a bookmobile to serve the whole county. You can find branches in Lucasville, New Boston, South Webster, and Wheelersburg.
Getting Around Scioto County
Major Roads
Two main highways run through Scioto County: U.S. 23 (north-south) and U.S. 52 (east-west). Many other state routes also serve the area.
Trains
Norfolk Southern has a railyard for shipping goods long distances. Amtrak offers passenger train service to the Portsmouth area on its Cardinal route. The train station is just across the Ohio River in South Shore, Kentucky.
Air Travel
Scioto County has the Greater Portsmouth Regional Airport near Minford, Ohio. For scheduled passenger flights, the closest airport is Huntington/Tri-State Airport in West Virginia, about 60 miles east of Portsmouth.
Public Transportation
Access Scioto County provides public transportation services for people living in the county.
Media in Scioto County
Scioto County is where different television markets meet, including those from Columbus, Cincinnati, and Huntington-Charleston. Local TV stations include WSAZ-NBC and WOWK-CBS. There are also local radio stations like WIOI and WNXT.
The county has three newspapers. The Portsmouth Daily Times is the only daily newspaper. The Community Common is a free newspaper that comes out twice a month. The Scioto Voice is a weekly newspaper. Shawnee State University also has its own student newspaper, the University Chronicle.
Sports in Scioto County
Professional Sports History
In the 1920s and 1930s, Scioto County had semi-pro football teams. The Portsmouth Shoe-Steels even had famous player Jim Thorpe. From 1929 to 1933, Portsmouth was home to the Portsmouth Spartans, a professional football team. This team later became the NFL team, the Detroit Lions, in 1934. The Portsmouth Spartans also played in the very first professional football night game in 1930.
In baseball, the Portsmouth Explorers were one of the first teams in the Frontier League, a minor league. They played from 1993 to 1995. In 1938, Portsmouth also had the Portsmouth Red Birds, a minor league team connected to the St. Louis Cardinals.
College Sports
Shawnee State University (SSU) is part of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Their teams have competed in many national championships. The university's women's basketball team won an NAIA National Title in 1999. The softball team has also done well, reaching the "Sweet 16" several times.
High School Sports
The 12 local high schools have strong sports programs. Teams from Scioto County have made 60 trips to the Ohio High School Athletic Association championships, winning 19 state titles! These include titles in softball, baseball, football, and boys' basketball.
Culture and Fun in Scioto County
The Vern Riffe Arts Center at Shawnee State University hosts many shows, including Broadway plays. Scioto County is home to the Boneyfiddle Historical District, which is a special historic area. You can also visit SSU's Clark Planetarium, the 1810 House, and the Southern Ohio Museum.
Events in Scioto County
Scioto County is famous for Portsmouth's "River Days" celebration. This event happens on Labor Day weekend (the first Monday in September). It includes a parade, a pageant, music, and a carnival.
The Scioto County Fair takes place in the first full week of August each year. It's one of the biggest fairs in Ohio, bringing in about 75,000 visitors annually. The first county fair was held in 1828. The Roy Rogers' Homecoming Festival is also held every June.
Communities in Scioto County
City
- Portsmouth (the county seat)
Villages
Townships
- Bloom
- Brush Creek
- Clay
- Green
- Harrison
- Jefferson
- Madison
- Morgan
- Nile
- Porter
- Rarden
- Rush
- Union
- Valley
- Vernon
- Washington
Census-Designated Places
These are areas that are like towns but not officially incorporated as cities or villages.
Other Communities
These are smaller, unincorporated places within the county.
Famous People from Scioto County
Many notable people have come from Scioto County:
- Kathleen Battle – a famous opera singer.
- Earl Thomas Conley – a country music singer and writer.
- Steve Free – a folk singer who won an Ohio Governor's Award.
- Larry Hisle – a former Major League Baseball (MLB) player.
- Al Oliver – another former MLB player.
- Branch Rickey – a very important person in baseball history.
- Roy Rogers – a famous singer and cowboy movie star.
- Ted Strickland – a former U.S. Representative and governor of Ohio.
- Gene Tenace – a former MLB player.
