Stark County, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Stark County
U.S. county
Stark 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	January 1, 1809
Named for	John Stark
Seat	Canton
Largest city	Canton
Area
• Total	581 sq mi (1,500 km2)
• Land	575 sq mi (1,490 km2)
• Water	5.3 sq mi (14 km2)  0.9%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	374,853
• Estimate  (2021)	373,834
• Density	645.2/sq mi (249.11/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	6th, 13th

Stark County is a county located in the northeastern part of U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 374,853. Its county seat is Canton. The county was created in 1808 and organized the next year. It is named for John Stark, an officer in the American Revolutionary War.

Stark County is included in the Canton-Massillon, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH Combined Statistical Area.

History

Stark County was named in honor of American Revolutionary War General John Stark. John Stark (August 28, 1728 – May 8, 1822) was a general who served in the American Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He became widely known as the "Hero of Bennington" for his exemplary service at the Battle of Bennington in 1777.

In the 1760s and 1770s Moravian missionaries from Pennsylvania came to preach the gospel to the native people, and also to lead and resettle already converted native people migrating away from whites encroaching on their land in Pennsylvania. The earliest of these were Christian Frederick Post and John Heckewelder. See also the history of neighboring Tuscarawas County, Ohio

The first permanent settlements were established in 1805, beginning with Canton. Possibly 80% of the early settlers were German-speakers from Pennsylvania, although others came from Virginia, New York, and New England. Lumbering and sawmills were important early industries, to cater to the enormous demand for lumber from the incoming settlers. Stark County was originally part of Columbiana County, but was split off in 1807.

At the start of the Civil War the men of Stark County were quick to volunteer to preserve the Union. As of 1862 over 1,100 had enlisted.

During the early 20th century, Stark County was an important location in the early development of professional football. The rivalry between the Massillon Tigers and Canton Bulldogs helped bring the Ohio League to prominence in the mid-1900s (decade) and again in the late 1910s. The Bulldogs ended up a charter member of the National Football League, where it played for several years. (The role Stark County had in developing the game is part of the reason the Pro Football Hall of Fame is located in Canton.) Two relatively large football stadiums, Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton and Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, are still in use (albeit now mostly for high school football), with Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium hosting the NFL's annual Pro Football Hall of Fame Game each year.

In the later 20th century, Stark County's voting record swung from one party to another, closely tracking the winner of the U.S. Presidential election. Even within the swing state of Ohio, Stark County is regarded as a quintessential bellwether, and thus presidential candidates have typically made multiple visits to the region. Major media outlets typically pay close attention to the election results in the county. The New York Times in particular has covered the county's citizens and their voting concerns in a series of features each election cycle for over a decade.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 581 square miles (1,500 km²), of which 575 square miles (1,490 km²) is land and 5.3 square miles (14 km²) (0.9%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Major highways

National protected area

• First Ladies National Historic Site

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 375,586 people, 151,089 households, and 100,417 families living in the county. The population density was 652.9 inhabitants per square mile (252.1/km²). There were 165,215 housing units at an average density of 287.2 units per square mile (110.9 units/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 88.7% white, 7.6% black or African American, 0.7% Asian, 0.3% American Indian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 33.6% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 10.1% were English, 10.1% were Italian, and 7.7% were American.

Of the 151,089 households, 30.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 33.5% were non-families, and 28.1% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.96. The median age was 41.1 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,941 and the median income for a family was $55,976. Males had a median income of $44,238 versus $31,896 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,015. About 9.5% of families and 12.7% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Colleges and universities

• Kent State University at Stark
• Malone University
• Stark State College
• University of Mount Union
• Walsh University

Technical/Career centers

• R. G. Drage Career Technical Center
• Sours Adult Career & Technical Center

Public school districts

Private school districts

• Stark County Catholic Schools

High schools

Communities

Map of Stark County, Ohio with municipal and township labels

Cities

Villages

Townships

Prior to 1815, Stark County consisted of only eight large townships. After a number of partitions and a few transfers between counties, the townships are:

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Stark (Ohio) para niños