Morrow County, Ohio

Not to be confused with Morrow, Ohio.

Morrow County
County
Morrow County Courthouse
Flag Seal
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 40°32′N82°48′W / 40.53°N 82.8°W / 40.53; -82.8
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Founded	March 1, 1848 [1]
Named for	Jeremiah Morrow
Seat	Mount Gilead
Largest village	Mount Gilead
Area
• Total	407 sq mi (1,050 km2)
• Land	406 sq mi (1,050 km2)
• Water	1.1 sq mi (3 km2)  0.3%
Population  (2020)
• Total	34,950
• Density	86/sq mi (33/km2)
Time zone	UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)	UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district	4th
Website	www.morrowcountyohio.gov

Old Morrow County Jail

Morrow County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 34,950. ^[2] Its county seat is Mount Gilead. ^[3] The county was organized in 1848 from parts of four neighboring counties and named for Jeremiah Morrow who was the Governor of Ohio from 1822 to 1826. Shawnee people used the area for hunting purposes before white settlers arrived in the early 19th century. Morrow County is included in the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. In 2010, the center of population of Ohio was located in Morrow County, near the village of Marengo. ^[4] Morrow County's historic World War I Victory Shaft, unique in the United States, is located in the center of downtown Mount Gilead. Other areas interesting to the tourist include: Mount Gilead State Park; Amish farms and businesses near Johnsville and Chesterville; the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course near Steam Corners; the rolling Allegheny foothills of eastern Morrow County; the site of the birthplace of President Warren G. Harding near Blooming Grove; the site of the former Ohio Central College in Iberia; the early 19th-century architecture of buildings in Chesterville, Ohio; the Revolutionary War Soldiers' Memorial in Mount Gilead; the Civil War monument in Cardington; and the mid-19th-century architecture of the Morrow County Courthouse and Old Jail in Mount Gilead.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 407 square miles (1,050 km²), of which 406 square miles (1,050 km²) is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) (0.3%) is water. ^[5] Morrow County is considered to be a part of "Mid Ohio."

Adjacent counties

• Crawford County (north)
• Richland County (northeast)
• Knox County (southeast)
• Delaware County (southwest)
• Marion County (west)

Water features

Ossing Run
Ossing Run is located in Cardington, Ohio
Location
Country	United States
Physical characteristics
Source
• coordinates	40°31′23″N82°57′05″W / 40.52306°N 82.95139°W / 40.52306; -82.95139 (Ossing Run source)
• elevation	968 ft (295 m)
Mouth
• coordinates	40°29′57″N82°56′40″W / 40.49917°N 82.94444°W / 40.49917; -82.94444 (Ossing Run mouth)
Length	1.6 mi (2.6 km)

Ossing Run is a tributary of Shaw Creek that flows through Morrow County, Ohio. ^[6] Shaw Creek flows into Whetstone Creek which is located adjacent to Cardington, Ohio. The United States Geological Survey’s Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) classifies Ossing Run as a stream with an identification number of 2761345. The feature name was entered into the GNIS system in April 2014. ^[7]

Demographics

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1850	20,280		—
1860	20,445		0.8%
1870	18,583		−9.1%
1880	19,072		2.6%
1890	18,120		−5.0%
1900	17,879		−1.3%
1910	16,815		−6.0%
1920	15,570		−7.4%
1930	14,489		−6.9%
1940	15,646		8.0%
1950	17,168		9.7%
1960	19,405		13.0%
1970	21,348		10.0%
1980	26,480		24.0%
1990	27,749		4.8%
2000	31,628		14.0%
2010	34,827		10.1%
2020	34,950		0.4%
U.S. Decennial Census [8] 1790-1960 [9] 1900-1990 [10] 1990-2000 [11] 2020 [2]

2000 census

As of the census ^[12] of 2000, there were 31,628 people, 11,499 households, and 8,854 families living in the county. The population density was 78 inhabitants per square mile (30/km²). There were 12,132 housing units at an average density of 30 units per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.37% White, 0.27% Black or African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.15% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.58% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 11,499 households, out of which 35.60% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.60% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.00% were non-families. 19.00% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.30% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 29.30% from 25 to 44, 24.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 99.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $40,882, and the median income for a family was $45,747. Males had a median income of $33,129 versus $22,454 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,830. About 6.60% of families and 9.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.40% of those under age 18 and 7.10% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 34,827 people, 12,855 households, and 9,578 families living in the county. ^[13] The population density was 85.8 inhabitants per square mile (33.1/km²). There were 14,155 housing units at an average density of 34.9 units per square mile (13.5 units/km²). ^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 97.7% white, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. ^[13] In terms of ancestry, 30.8% were German, 16.1% were American, 14.4% were Irish, and 13.3% were English. ^[15]

Of the 12,855 households, 35.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were married couples living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.5% were non-families, and 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.08. The median age was 39.5 years. ^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $49,891 and the median income for a family was $55,980. Males had a median income of $41,096 versus $32,911 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,795. About 7.5% of families and 10.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.9% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over. ^[16]

Politics

Morrow County is a Republican stronghold county. The last time it voted for a Democratic candidate was in 1964 when it voted for Lyndon B. Johnson.

United States presidential election results for Morrow County, Ohio ^[17]

Year	Republican		Democratic		Third party(ies)
	No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
2024	14,609	77.17%	4,100	21.66%	223	1.18%
2020	14,077	76.22%	4,048	21.92%	343	1.86%
2016	11,948	71.60%	3,761	22.54%	979	5.87%
2012	9,865	60.83%	5,933	36.59%	419	2.58%
2008	10,067	60.36%	6,177	37.03%	435	2.61%
2004	10,474	64.15%	5,775	35.37%	79	0.48%
2000	7,842	61.08%	4,529	35.28%	468	3.65%
1996	5,655	46.07%	4,627	37.69%	1,993	16.24%
1992	5,208	40.72%	3,907	30.54%	3,676	28.74%
1988	7,130	66.26%	3,515	32.67%	115	1.07%
1984	8,116	73.50%	2,839	25.71%	87	0.79%
1980	6,179	61.96%	3,239	32.48%	554	5.56%
1976	5,814	53.28%	4,870	44.63%	228	2.09%
1972	6,886	70.56%	2,527	25.89%	346	3.55%
1968	4,898	55.58%	2,405	27.29%	1,509	17.12%
1964	4,194	47.84%	4,572	52.16%	0	0.00%
1960	6,357	69.91%	2,736	30.09%	0	0.00%
1956	5,885	71.56%	2,339	28.44%	0	0.00%
1952	6,106	71.96%	2,379	28.04%	0	0.00%
1948	4,327	62.21%	2,616	37.61%	12	0.17%
1944	5,439	69.78%	2,356	30.22%	0	0.00%
1940	5,457	62.93%	3,215	37.07%	0	0.00%
1936	4,086	49.52%	3,947	47.83%	219	2.65%
1932	3,811	48.82%	3,849	49.31%	146	1.87%
1928	4,801	71.67%	1,818	27.14%	80	1.19%
1924	3,790	57.39%	2,379	36.02%	435	6.59%
1920	4,484	60.78%	2,858	38.74%	36	0.49%
1916	2,062	45.41%	2,345	51.64%	134	2.95%
1912	1,240	27.65%	1,880	41.92%	1,365	30.43%
1908	2,500	51.06%	2,239	45.73%	157	3.21%
1904	2,563	55.18%	1,827	39.33%	255	5.49%
1900	2,605	51.58%	2,278	45.11%	167	3.31%
1896	2,506	48.79%	2,517	49.01%	113	2.20%
1892	2,297	49.07%	1,958	41.83%	426	9.10%
1888	2,514	51.02%	2,068	41.97%	345	7.00%
1884	2,612	52.39%	2,160	43.32%	214	4.29%
1880	2,581	52.92%	2,143	43.94%	153	3.14%
1876	2,450	53.45%	2,046	44.63%	88	1.92%
1872	2,197	55.85%	1,689	42.93%	48	1.22%
1868	2,469	58.24%	1,770	41.76%	0	0.00%
1864	2,366	58.83%	1,656	41.17%	0	0.00%
1860	2,260	53.18%	1,928	45.36%	62	1.46%
1856	2,031	53.46%	1,667	43.88%	101	2.66%

Government

Main article: Ohio county government

Communities

Cities

• Galion (part)

Villages

• Cardington
• Chesterville
• Edison
• Fulton
• Marengo
• Mount Gilead (county seat)
• Sparta

Townships

• Bennington
• Canaan
• Cardington
• Chester
• Congress
• Franklin
• Gilead
• Harmony
• Lincoln
• North Bloomfield
• Perry
• Peru
• South Bloomfield
• Troy
• Washington
• Westfield

Census-designated places

• Candlewood Lake
• Hidden Lakes
• Iberia

Unincorporated communities

• Bloomfield
• Blooming Grove
• Climax
• Denmark
• Fargo
• Johnsville
• North Woodbury
• Pagetown
• Pulaskiville
• Saint James
• Shawtown
• Shauck
• South Woodbury
• Steam Corners
• Vails Corners
• West Liberty
• West Point
• Westfield
• Williamsport

Notable residents

• Chilton C. Baker, politician
• Tim Belcher, former Major League Baseball pitcher
• Richard Dillingham, Quaker abolitionist
• Frank W. Gunsaulus, pastor
• Warren G. Harding, U.S. President
• Dawn Powell, author
• Esther Tuttle Pritchard (1840–1900), minister, editor
• Samuel Newitt Wood, politician and women's rights advocate

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Morrow County, Ohio

References

1. "Ohio County Profiles: Morrow County" (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
2. 2020 census
3. "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. "Centers of Population by State: 2010". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved April 18, 2014.
5. "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
6. "14-R-046" (PDF). Commissioners' Journal. January 22, 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on April 2, 2015. Retrieved February 10, 2015.
7. "GNIS". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved December 9, 2014.
8. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
9. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
10. Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
11. "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 9, 2015.
12. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
13. "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.
14. "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
15. "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.
16. "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.
17. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 2, 2018.

External links

• Morrow County Government's website

40°32′N82°48′W / 40.53°N 82.80°W / 40.53; -82.80