Wellston, Ohio Facts for Kids

Wellston was laid out and founded in 1873 on land owned by Harvey Wells. Wells constructed a blast furnace in 1874, and the town was incorporated in 1876. Wellston flourished for several years on the furnace and local mining industry, but most of the resources have now been depleted.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.05 square miles (18.26 km²), of which 6.97 square miles (18.05 km²) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.	%±
1880	952	—
1890	4,377	359.8%
1900	8,045	83.8%
1910	6,875	−14.5%
1920	6,687	−2.7%
1930	5,319	−20.5%
1940	5,537	4.1%
1950	5,691	2.8%
1960	5,728	0.7%
1970	5,410	−5.6%
1980	6,016	11.2%
1990	6,049	0.5%
2000	6,078	0.5%
2010	5,663	−6.8%
2020	5,412	−4.4%
2021 (est.)	5,405	−4.6%
Sources:

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 5,663 people, 2,250 households, and 1,459 families living in the city. The population density was 812.5 inhabitants per square mile (313.7/km²). There were 2,535 housing units at an average density of 363.7 per square mile (140.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 97.7% White, 0.2% African American, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.7% of the population.

There were 2,250 households, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03.

The median age in the city was 36.5 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

Economy

General Mills is Wellston's largest source of employment, with roughly 900 employees. There are a number of small businesses in Wellston, alongside a few chain restaurants and stores.

In 1923, Gem Beverages opened in Wellston, bottling and distributing soda. Despite no longer bottling soda, the brand remains locally famous and distributes to eight nearby counties. The company's citrus soda, Ski, has earned the nickname, "Wellston Water," due to its popularity amongst the community.

Education

The local school district, Wellston City Schools, operates the following schools:

Bundy Elementary School
Wellston High School
Wellston Intermediate School
Wellston Middle School

Private School

St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic School

Wellston is served by the Sylvester Memorial Public Library. In 2005, the library loaned more than 70,000 items to its 10,000 cardholders, and it had total holdings of over 31,000 volumes with over 90 periodical subscriptions.

Notable people

Homer E. Abele, Congressman
Hezekiah S. Bundy, Congressman
John Carey, Ohio House of Representatives (1995–2002) (2011), Ohio Senate (2003–2010)
Timothy S. Hogan (1864–1925), Ohio Attorney General
Timothy S. Hogan (1909–1989), Federal District Judge
Jeff Montgomery, MLB player
John Sylvester, Vice Admiral United States Navy

Wellston, Ohio facts for kids

Contents

History