Wood County, Ohio facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wood County
U.S. county
Wood County Courthouse and Jail in Bowling Green, Ohio
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	April 1, 1820
Named for	Captain Eleazer D. Wood
Seat	Bowling Green
Largest city	Bowling Green
Area
• Total	620 sq mi (1,600 km2)
• Land	617 sq mi (1,600 km2)
• Water	3.3 sq mi (9 km2)  0.5%%
Population  (2020)
• Total	132,248
• Density	210/sq mi (80/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts	5th, 9th

Wood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 132,248. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harrison's army, who built Fort Meigs in the War of 1812. Wood County is part of the Toledo, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its diagonal northwest border is formed by the Maumee River, which has its mouth at Maumee Bay on Lake Erie.

History

Wood County was established on February 12, 1820, following a treaty and land purchase from local Indian tribes. Perrysburg was the first county seat, and remained the county seat until 1870, when it was moved to Bowling Green.

Wood County established its first health department in 1920.

During the Great Depression in 1933 Wood County was the site of an early penny auction.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 620 square miles (1,600 km²), of which 617 square miles (1,600 km²) is land and 3.3 square miles (8.5 km²) (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

• Lucas County (north)
• Ottawa County (northeast)
• Sandusky County (east)
• Seneca County (southeast)
• Hancock County (south)
• Putnam County (southwest)
• Henry County (west)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 125,488 people, 49,043 households, and 30,923 families living in the county. The population density was 203.3 inhabitants per square mile (78.5/km²). There were 53,376 housing units at an average density of 86.5 per square mile (33.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% white, 2.4% black or African American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 40.8% were German, 14.4% were Irish, 10.4% were English, 6.7% were Polish, and 5.2% were American.

Of the 49,043 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.9% were non-families, and 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 35.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,298 and the median income for a family was $69,768. Males had a median income of $51,038 versus $35,472 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,671. About 6.4% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Libraries

The main branch of the Wood County District Public Library

Way Public Library, 1892

While there is no countywide library entity, the Wood County District Public Library serves Bowling Green and other portions of the county, not otherwise served by another library entity, from its main location in Bowling Green and a branch in Walbridge. In 2019, the library had a total circulation of 783,166 items and provided 1,473 programs to its patrons. Total holdings in 2019 were 158,861 print materials, 21,469 video recordings, 12,967 audio recordings, and 171 periodical subscriptions.

Additional libraries include:

• North Baltimore Public Library
• Pemberville Public Library, and branches in Luckey and Stony Ridge
• Rossford Public Library
• Way Public Library in Perrysburg
• Wayne Public Library
• Weston Public Library, and Grand Rapids branch

A small portion of the county located in the Fostoria city limits is served by the Kaubisch Memorial Public Library, located in the Seneca County portion of the city.

All Wood County and Fostoria library locations participate in Woodlink, a joint catalog system.

Communities

Map of Wood County, Ohio with municipal and township labels

Cities

• Bowling Green (county seat)
• Fostoria
• Northwood
• Perrysburg
• Rossford

Villages

Townships

Census-designated places

• Rudolph
• Stony Ridge

Unincorporated communities

Economy

According to the 2019 Wood County Comprehensive annual report, these were the largest employers in the county.

Community Resources

The Cocoon

..... Beyond providing housing for survivors and their families, The Cocoon provides medical counsel, legal counsel, and support in finding permanent employment and residence. Organizing for the shelter began in 2000 with Bowling Green State University's Women's Center and Transformation Project in response to a rise in domestic violence homicides in Wood County. The Cocoon began operation in June 2005, and by 2012 all of its services were being conducted from its undisclosed location. .....

Like many community organizations, The Cocoon faced sharp budget cuts during the COVID-19 Pandemic. ..... In 2019, At the same time, the Victims of Crime Act’s fund, which provides The Cocoon with approximately half of its funding (approximately $300,000), was cut by thirty-nine percent in October 2020. Although this did not halt operations, it significantly impacted The Cocoon’s ability to provide comprehensive support for survivors.

In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act granted Woods County $25 million in pandemic relief funds, of which Director Mulls requested $800,000. The Wood County Commissioners approved the request in March 2022. Commissioner Andrew Kalmar noted, “They’ve had a substantial reduction in revenue in the past few years, primarily because they’ve lost grant money from the federal government.”

See also

In Spanish: Condado de Wood (Ohio) para niños