Highland County, Ohio

Highland County
County
Highland County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°11′N83°36′W / 39.18°N 83.6°W / 39.18; -83.6
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	May 1, 1805 [1]
Named for	hilly topography which divides the Little Miami and Scioto river watersheds
Seat	Hillsboro
Largest city	Hillsboro
Area
• Total	558 sq mi (1,450 km2)
• Land	553 sq mi (1,430 km2)
• Water	4.7 sq mi (12 km2)  0.8%
Population  (2020)
• Total	43,317
• Density	78/sq mi (30/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	2nd
Website	co.highland.oh.us

Highland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,317. ^[2] Its county seat is Hillsboro. ^[3] The county is named for the topography which is hilly and divides the watersheds of the Little Miami and Scioto Rivers. ^[4] Highland County was created on May 1, 1805, from land taken from Ross, Adams, and Clermont counties. ^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 558 square miles (1,450 km²), of which 553 square miles (1,430 km²) is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km²) (0.8%) is water. ^[6]

Adjacent counties

• Fayette County (north)
• Ross County (northeast)
• Pike County (east)
• Adams County (southeast)
• Brown County (southwest)
• Clinton County (northwest)

Major highways

• US 50
• US 62
• SR 28
• SR 32
• SR 41
• SR 72
• SR 73
• SR 124
• SR 131
• SR 134
• SR 135
• SR 136
• SR 138
• SR 247
• SR 286
• SR 321
• SR 506
• SR 753
• SR 771
• SR 785

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1810	5,766		—
1820	12,308		113.5%
1830	16,345		32.8%
1840	22,269		36.2%
1850	25,781		15.8%
1860	27,773		7.7%
1870	29,133		4.9%
1880	30,281		3.9%
1890	29,048		−4.1%
1900	30,982		6.7%
1910	28,711		−7.3%
1920	27,610		−3.8%
1930	25,416		−7.9%
1940	27,099		6.6%
1950	28,188		4.0%
1960	29,716		5.4%
1970	28,996		−2.4%
1980	33,477		15.5%
1990	35,728		6.7%
2000	40,875		14.4%
2010	43,589		6.6%
2020	43,317		−0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census [7] 1790-1960 [8] 1900-1990 [9] 1990-2000 [10] 2020 [2]

2000 census

As of the census ^[11] of 2010, there were 43,589 people living in Highland County. The population density is 78.8 people per square mile. The county is made up of 96.4% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.5% from two or more races, and 0.8% Hispanic or Latino.

This county is also made up of 6.2% of people under the age of 5, 24.7% of people under the age of 18, and 16.5% of people over the age of 65. The median age is 39.2. The county is also 51% female.

There are 16,963 households in Highland County as of the 2010 census. The average household size is 2.58 persons, while the average family size is 3.04 persons. According to the 2010 census, 41.9% of the houses in Highland County had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.07% of the houses were married couples living together, 11.09% of the houses had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.91% of the houses were non-families. Individuals made up 24.33% of all households, and 11.02% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

According to the census, 81.5% of people over the age of 25 is at least a high school graduate and 11.1% of people over the age of 25 have earned at least a bachelor's degree. The median household income is $39,641 and 17.6% of people live below the poverty line. The per capita income of Highland County is $19,557.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 43,589 people, 16,693 households, and 11,819 families residing in the county. ^[12] The population density was 78.8 inhabitants per square mile (30.4/km²). There were 19,380 housing units at an average density of 35.0 per square mile (13.5/km²). ^[13] The racial makeup of the county was 96.5% white, 1.4% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population. ^[12] In terms of ancestry, 23.8% were German, 14.9% were Irish, 14.3% were American, and 10.7% were English. ^[14]

Of the 16,693 households, 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.2% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 39.2 years. ^[12]

The median income for a household in the county was $39,844 and the median income for a family was $48,604. Males had a median income of $38,892 versus $29,167 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,966. About 12.4% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over. ^[15]

Politics

Highland County is a Republican stronghold county in presidential elections. The last time it voted for the Democratic presidential candidate was for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

United States presidential election results for Highland County, Ohio ^[16]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	16,269	81.32%	3,609	18.04%	127	0.63%
2020	15,678	79.68%	3,799	19.31%	199	1.01%
2016	14,020	75.43%	3,773	20.30%	795	4.28%
2012	11,413	63.83%	6,054	33.86%	412	2.30%
2008	11,907	61.92%	6,856	35.65%	468	2.43%
2004	12,211	66.07%	6,194	33.52%	76	0.41%
2000	9,728	62.98%	5,328	34.49%	391	2.53%
1996	7,102	48.40%	5,837	39.78%	1,735	11.82%
1992	7,020	46.06%	4,866	31.92%	3,356	22.02%
1988	8,776	66.60%	4,278	32.46%	124	0.94%
1984	9,000	69.90%	3,784	29.39%	91	0.71%
1980	7,359	59.35%	4,363	35.19%	678	5.47%
1976	6,853	51.41%	6,327	47.46%	151	1.13%
1972	8,524	69.72%	3,464	28.33%	238	1.95%
1968	6,489	51.81%	3,828	30.56%	2,208	17.63%
1964	5,985	45.12%	7,281	54.88%	0	0.00%
1960	8,948	62.26%	5,423	37.74%	0	0.00%
1956	8,397	63.50%	4,826	36.50%	0	0.00%
1952	8,568	62.15%	5,219	37.85%	0	0.00%
1948	6,849	54.62%	5,675	45.26%	16	0.13%
1944	7,963	59.88%	5,336	40.12%	0	0.00%
1940	8,530	55.21%	6,921	44.79%	0	0.00%
1936	7,392	47.84%	8,011	51.85%	48	0.31%
1932	6,924	48.98%	7,079	50.07%	134	0.95%
1928	8,325	68.12%	3,836	31.39%	60	0.49%
1924	6,845	57.16%	4,583	38.27%	548	4.58%
1920	7,570	57.06%	5,654	42.62%	43	0.32%
1916	3,727	47.81%	3,964	50.85%	105	1.35%
1912	2,757	36.96%	3,314	44.43%	1,388	18.61%
1908	4,149	51.23%	3,823	47.21%	126	1.56%
1904	4,205	54.00%	3,321	42.65%	261	3.35%
1900	4,078	49.53%	3,938	47.83%	218	2.65%
1896	4,106	50.32%	3,909	47.91%	144	1.76%
1892	3,496	49.14%	3,153	44.32%	465	6.54%
1888	3,576	48.61%	3,489	47.42%	292	3.97%
1884	3,683	50.84%	3,438	47.45%	124	1.71%
1880	3,648	50.91%	3,490	48.71%	27	0.38%
1876	3,341	50.06%	3,323	49.79%	10	0.15%
1872	3,171	51.91%	2,933	48.01%	5	0.08%
1868	3,038	51.60%	2,850	48.40%	0	0.00%
1864	3,120	54.61%	2,593	45.39%	0	0.00%
1860	2,409	45.34%	2,272	42.76%	632	11.90%
1856	1,810	37.37%	2,140	44.18%	894	18.46%

Education

School districts

Highland County is home to five school districts: Greenfield Exempted Village Schools in Greenfield, ^[17] Hillsboro City Schools in Hillsboro, ^[18] Fairfield Local School District in Leesburg, ^[19] Bright Local School District in Mowrystown, ^[20] and Lynchburg-Clay Local School District in Lynchburg. ^[21]

Additionally, these districts have territory in the county: Eastern Local School District, East Clinton Local School District, and Adams County/Ohio Valley Local School District. ^[22]

Libraries

The Highland County District Library ^[23] is the public library system serving Highland County, Ohio. The main library is in Hillsboro, with four branches located in Greenfield, Leesburg, Lynchburg, and Rocky Fork. The library is a member of the SEO Consortium which allows patrons access to over 6.9 million items owned by member libraries.

• 
  Hillsboro Library
• 
  Greenfield Library
• 
  Leesburg Library
• 
  Lynchburg Library

Recreation

There are currently several recreational areas in Highland County. There is Rocky Fork State Park ^[24] which is located 5 miles east of Hillsboro. It provides opportunities to go camping, fishing, boating, swimming, hunting, putt-putt, and disc golf amongst other activities.

There is also Paint Creek State Park ^[25] located 13 miles east of Hillsboro. Paint Creek offers many of the same activities as Rocky Fork but also offers horse riding, mountain biking, and winter recreational activities.

Fort Hill State Memorial is a memorial built by the Hopewell people that is located 10 miles southeast of Hillsboro ^[26] and is believed to be around 2000 years old.

Fallsville Wildlife Area ^[27] is located 4 miles north of Hillsboro. It offers fishing, hunting, hiking, and wildlife watching.

Non-profits

Habitat for Humanity of Highland County ^[28] was established in 2000, and has since built three homes: one on Johnson St. in Hillsboro and two on 2nd St. in Greenfield. Highland County Habitat is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.

Highlands Sanctuary is a chain of nature preserves centered in Highland County and owned by an organization of the same name.

Communities

Map of Highland County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

City

• Hillsboro (county seat)

Villages

• Greenfield
• Highland
• Leesburg
• Lynchburg
• Mowrystown
• Sardinia
• Sinking Spring

Townships

• Brushcreek
• Clay
• Concord
• Dodson
• Fairfield
• Hamer
• Jackson
• Liberty
• Madison
• Marshall
• New Market
• Paint
• Penn
• Salem
• Union
• Washington
• Whiteoak

Census-designated places

• Buford
• Highland Holiday
• Rocky Fork Point

Unincorporated communities

• Allensburg
• Belfast
• Berrysville
• Boston
• Bridges
• Carmel
• Dodsonville
• East Danville
• Elmville
• Fairfax
• Folsom
• Hoagland
• Hollowtown
• Marshall
• New Market
• New Petersburg
• Pricetown
• Rainsboro
• Samantha
• Sugar Tree Ridge
• Taylorsville

See also

• Fort Hill State Memorial
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Highland County, Ohio
• Highland County Airport
• Highland County Courthouse
• Rocky Fork State Park
• Paint Creek State Park

References

1. "Ohio County Profiles: Highland County" (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
2. "2020 Population and Housing State Data". Census.gov.
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "Highland County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Retrieved April 28, 2007.^{[ dead link ‍]}
5. "OH: Individual County Chronologies".
6. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
7. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
8. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
9. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
10. "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
11. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
12. "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
13. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
14. "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
15. "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
16. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
17. "Greenfield Exempted Village Schools" . Retrieved July 24, 2014.
18. "Hillsboro City Schools" . Retrieved July 24, 2014.
19. "Leesburg Fairfield School District" . Retrieved July 24, 2014.
20. "Bight Local School District" . Retrieved July 24, 2014.
21. "Lynchburg-Clay School District" . Retrieved July 24, 2014.
22. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Highland County, OH" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau . Retrieved October 22, 2024. - Text list
23. "Home Page | Highland County District Library". www.highlandco.org.
24. "Rocky Fork State Park".
25. "Paint Creek State Park".
26. "Arc of Appalachia Preserve System". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014.
27. "Fallsville Wildlife Area".
28. Highland County, Ohio ^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}

39°11′N83°36′W / 39.18°N 83.60°W / 39.18; -83.60