PICKAWAY County, OH

Pickaway County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,539. Its county seat is Circleville. Its name derives from the Pekowi band of Shawnee Indians, who inhabited the area. (See List of Ohio county name etymologies.)

Pickaway County is part of the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

The future state of Ohio was part of the Northwest Territory, created in 1787. To begin providing local control of this area, several counties were designated, among them Washington (1788) and Wayne (1796) Counties. Portions of these counties were partitioned off to create Ross (1798), Fairfield (1800), and Franklin (1803) Counties. An act of the General Assembly of Ohio (12 January 1810) directed that portions of Fairfield, Franklin, and Ross counties were to be partitioned off to create Pickaway County effective 1 March 1810, with Circleville named as county seat later that year (see History of Circleville).

Geography

The Scioto River flows southward through the center of Pickaway County. Big Darby Creek drains the upper western part of the county, discharging into the Scioto at Circleville, and Deer Creek drains the lower western part of the county, flowing southward into Ross County. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills carved with drainages; all available areas (87%) are devoted to agriculture. The terrain's highest point (1,090' or 332 m ASL) lies on the county's east border, 2.4 miles (3.9 km) east-northeast of Hargus Lake. The county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.0%) is water.

Adjacent counties

Main highways

Protected areas

Lakes

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 55,698 people, 19,624 households, and 14,286 families in the county. The population density was 111.1/sqmi (42.9/km²)42.4/sqmi (16.4/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.5% white, 3.4% black or African American, 0.4% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 27.0% were German, 16.3% were American, 14.9% were Irish, and 11.1% were English.

Of the 19,624 households, 35.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 27.2% were non-families, and 22.2% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.61 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age was 38.5 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,262 and the median income for a family was $58,811. Males had a median income of $44,224 versus $35,077 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,432. About 9.5% of families and 12.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 19.3% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States Census, there were 52,727 people, 17,599 households, and 13,287 families in the county. The population density was 105.2/sqmi (40.6/km²). There were 18,596 housing units at an average density of 37.1/sqmi (14.3/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 91.95% White, 6.43% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.15% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 17,599 households, out of which 35.40% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.50% were married couples living together, 9.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.50% were non-families. 20.60% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.63 and the average family size was 3.02.

The county population contained 24.30% under the age of 18, 9.00% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 23.40% from 45 to 64, and 10.80% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 122.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 125.00 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $42,832, and the median income for a family was $49,259. Males had a median income of $36,265 versus $26,086 for females. The per capita income for the county was $17,478. About 7.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.40% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Prior to 1952, Pickaway County was strongly Democratic in presidential elections, only backing two Republican candidates for president from 1856 to 1948. Starting with the 1952 election, it has become a Republican Party stronghold, with the sole Democrat to win the county in a presidential election since then being Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964 in the midst of his statewide & national landslide victory.

Economy

Manufacturing makes up a significant proportion of area industry and employment; in the 2010 census, 3075 county residents (13.4%) were employed in manufacturing.

Circleville is home to the largest DuPont chemical plant in Ohio. Opened in the 1950s, it produces Mylar and Tedlar plastic films, the latter used extensively in the production of photovoltaic modules.

Other manufacturing concerns in Circleville or surrounding Pickaway County include Aleris, a producer of rolled and extruded aluminum products, and Florida Production Engineering (FPE), producing plastic injection molded components for the automotive industry. Georgia-Pacific, a manufacturer of paperboard containers and other paper products, has a plant located south of Circleville. The PPG Industries Circleville plant is the company's center for polymer resin production, primarily for automotive applications.

Other major employers include Berger Health System; Circleville City, Teays Valley Local and Logan Elm Local School districts; Circle Plastics/TriMold LLC; the State of Ohio; and Wal-Mart Stores.

Businesses that formerly operated include the Jefferson-Smurfit paper mill, a 300-acre site, that is being redeveloped. American Electric Power (AEP) owned the Picway Power Plant in the northern part of Pickaway County. The coal-fired power plant operated from 1926 to 2015. A GE Lighting plant opened in 1948. The plant closed in 2017. RCA/Thomson Glass operated from 1970 until its closing around 2006.

Government

Education

Teays Valley Local School District

Teays Valley is in the northern part of the county. Schools in this district include:

Teays Valley has the largest number of students in the county.

Circleville City Schools

Logan Elm Local Schools

Logan Elm consists of the area in Southeastern Pickaway County.

Westfall Local Schools

Westfall lies in the Western part of the county.

Pickaway-Ross Career & Technology Center

Pickaway-Ross lies just below the county line in Ross County. Students from the following affiliated Pickaway and Ross county districts attend the vocational school:

Communities

City

Villages

Census-designated places

Unincorporated communities

Townships

Notable residents

Other notable aspects

Pickaway County is also known for its various places with the name "Hitler", including Hitler Road, Hitler-Ludwig Road, Hitler-Ludwig Cemetery, and Hitler Park. They are not named after Adolf Hitler but a local historical family named the Hitlers, described by a local paper in 2011 as "fine, upstanding citizens". The family included George Washington Hitler and his son, Dr. Gay Hitler, who worked as a local dentist between 1922 and 1946.