Belmont County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the eastern end of the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 66,497. Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is St. Clairsville, while its largest city is Martins Ferry. The county was created on September 7, 1801, and organized on November 7, 1801.McKelvey, A. T.. Centennial history of Belmont County, Ohio, and representative citizens. pp. 46–47. Chicago, Biographical Pub. Co. (1903). It takes its

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...

from the French for "beautiful mountain". Belmont County is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area.

History

Belmont County was authorized in September 1801 by the Northwest Territorial legislature, with area partitioned from Jefferson and Washington counties. The county would be organized two months later with St. Clairsville being named as the county seat in 1803. Its area was reduced in 1810 when area was ceded for the formation of Guernsey County and again in 1813 for the formation of Monroe County. It has retained its boundaries unchanged since 1813. ''Belmont'' is the French

toponym Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of ''wikt:toponym, toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage, and types. ''Toponym'' is the general term for ...

meaning "beautiful mountain". Settlers migrating westward followed Zane's Trace through the county. Later, the

National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in the United States built by the federal government. Built between 1811 and 1837, the road connected the Potomac and Ohio Rivers and was a main tran ...

was built through the county.

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

were among the county's first settlers. Many of these people would become outspoken critics of slavery, including famous abolitionist

Benjamin Lundy Benjamin Lundy (January 4, 1789August 22, 1839) was an American Quaker abolitionist from New Jersey of the United States who established several anti-slavery newspapers and traveled widely. He lectured and published seeking to limit slavery's expa ...

. Belmont County is located in the Ohio coal belt.McKelvey, A. T.. Centennial History of Belmont County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens. p. 79. Chicago, Biographical Pub. Co. (1903). At one time, steamships traveling down the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

knew the county's community of Bellaire as the last stop for coal until Cincinnati.Bruno, Holly; and Ehritz, Andrew. Bellaire. p. 7. Charleston, South Carolina, Arcadia Publishing (2009). In 1866, the county had railroad service from the

Baltimore and Ohio Railroad The Baltimore and Ohio Railroad was the oldest railroads in North America, oldest railroad in the United States and the first steam engine, steam-operated common carrier. Construction of the line began in 1828, and it operated as B&O from 1830 ...

and the Toledo & Ohio Railroad. The National Road also ran through Bellaire.McKelvey, A. T.. Centennial History of Belmont County, Ohio, and Representative Citizens. p. 68. Chicago, Biographical Pub. Co. (1903). Given the county's transportation resources, fuel resource, and experienced workforce in nearby Wheeling, West Virginia, the county was an excellent location for a glass manufacturing plant. The county's first glass works was the Excelsior Glass Works, which was organized in 1849. In 1866 Belmont Glass Company became Bellaire's first of many glass plants, and the second in Belmont County.Crammer, Gibson L.; Jepson, Samuel L.; Trainer, John H.S.; Morrison, William; and Taneyhill, R.H.. History of the Upper Ohio Valley.... p.484. Madison, Wisconsin. Brant & Fuller. (1890). Some of the founders of this glass works later started another glass factory in Bellaire: the Bellaire Goblet Company. In 1880, the state of Ohio ranked fourth in the country in glass production, and Belmont County ranked sixth among the nation's counties.Weeks, Joseph Dame; and United States Census Office. Report on the Manufacture of Glass. p.11. Washington. Government Printing Office. (1884) By 1881, Bellaire had 15 glass factories, and was known as "Glass City".Revi, Albert Christian. American Pressed Glass and Figure Bottles. p.69. New York. Nelson. (1964) At the beginning of the next decade, the state of Ohio was ranked second in the nation in glass production based on the value of the product.United States Census Office. Report on Manufacturing Industries in the United States at the Eleventh Census. p.315. Washington. Government Printing Office. (1895) Belmont County was the venue for the world-famous Jamboree in the Hills outdoor country music festival from 1977 to 2018. In 1986, the syndicated

Paul Harvey Paul Harvey Aurandt (September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009) was an American radio broadcaster for ABC News Radio. He broadcast ''News and Comment'' on mornings and mid-days on weekdays and at noon on Saturdays and also his famous ''The Rest o ...

Show featured a special election being held in Belmont County for purposes of selecting a new official county seal and flag, created by then-county resident Michael Massa.

Geography

Belmont County lies on the east side of Ohio. Its east border abuts the west border of

West Virginia West Virginia is a mountainous U.S. state, state in the Southern United States, Southern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States.The United States Census Bureau, Census Bureau and the Association of American ...

(across the

). The Ohio flows southward along the county's east line. Captina Creek flows eastward through the lower part of the county, discharging into the Ohio at Powhatan Point, and McMahon Creek also flows eastward through the center of the county, discharging into the Ohio at Bellaire. The county terrain consists of low rolling hills, etched with drainages. All available area is devoted to agriculture. The terrain slopes to the east, with its highest point, Galloway Knob (1,396' or 426m ASL) at southeast of Lamira. The county has a total area of 541.27 sqmi (1492 km²), of which 532.13 sqmi (1378 km²) is land and 9.14 sqmi (23.69 km²) (1.7%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Harrison County – north * Jefferson County – northeast *

Ohio County, West Virginia Ohio County is a county located in the Northern Panhandle of the U.S. state of West Virginia, and forms part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. As of the 2020 census, the population was 42,425. Its county seat is Wheeling. The county was f ...

– east *

Marshall County, West Virginia Marshall County is a county in the U.S. state of West Virginia. At the 2020 census, the population was 30,591. Its county seat is Moundsville. With its southern border at what would be a continuation of the Mason-Dixon line to the Ohio River ...

– southeast * Monroe County – south * Noble County – southwest * Guernsey County – west

Major highways

* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Protected areas

* Barkcamp State Park * Dysart Woods Natural Monument * Egypt Valley Wildlife Area

Lakes

* Barnesville Lake * Barnesville Reservoir #3 * Belmont Lake * Piedmont Lake (part)

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 70,400 people, 28,679 households, and 18,761 families in the county. The population density was . There were 32,452 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.0% white, 4.0% black or African American, 0.4% 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 0.6% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 26.0% were

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

, 17.9% were Irish, 12.4% were English, 10.1% were

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

, 9.0% were Polish, and 6.2% were American. Of the 28,679 households, 27.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.2% were married couples living together, 11.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 34.6% were non-families, and 29.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.85. The median age was 43.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $38,320 and the median income for a family was $47,214. Males had a median income of $42,022 versus $26,926 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,266. About 12.1% of families and 15.2% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 24.4% of those under age 18 and 9.1% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 70,226 people, 28,309 households, and 19,250 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 31,236 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 94.98%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 3.64%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.14% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.16% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.39% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. 20.2% were of

, 12.5% Irish, 12.0% American, 10.3% English, 10.2%

and 9.0% Polish ancestry according to the 2000 census. There were 28,309 households, out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90. The county population contained 21.80% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $29,714, and the median income for a family was $37,538. Males had a median income of $31,211 versus $19,890 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $16,221. About 11.70% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the

, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Belmont County is an

Appalachia Appalachia ( ) is a geographic region located in the Appalachian Mountains#Regions, central and southern sections of the Appalachian Mountains in the east of North America. In the north, its boundaries stretch from the western Catskill Mountai ...

n county in Southern Ohio, and as with many counties in this region was solidly Democratic from the

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...

administration through the 1990s. Back in the 19th century, the county frequently voted Republican, including voting for

Abraham Lincoln Abraham Lincoln (February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was the 16th president of the United States, serving from 1861 until Assassination of Abraham Lincoln, his assassination in 1865. He led the United States through the American Civil War ...

in the 1860 election. Similar to counties in neighboring

and

Kentucky Kentucky (, ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north, West Virginia to the ...

, in Appalachia, the Democratic margins began to shrink in the 2000s, and the county became reliably Republican by 2012.

Government

Most of the county's government offices are located in the Belmont County Courthouse. Belmont County has a three-member board of county commissioners who administer and oversee the various county departments, similar to all but two of the 88 Ohio counties. The elected commissioners serve staggered four-year terms. As of 2019, Belmont County's elected commissioners are: Jerry Echemann (R), J. P. Dutton (R), and Josh Meyer (R).

Corrections

Belmont County is served by several detention centers located around St. Clairsville. The Belmont Correctional Institution is located on between St. Clairsville and Bannock on State Route 331. The facility houses 2,698 inmates as of 2009. The Belmont County Jail in St. Clairsville is located near Belmont College and Ohio University Eastern Campus. The facility contains 144 beds and also houses the county sheriff's offices. The county is also served by Sargus Juvenile Detention Center, a 17-bed facility that also serves surrounding counties. Sargus Center is located next to the county jail.

Education

K–12

Belmont County is served by these local schools: * Barnesville Exempted Village School District * Bellaire High School * Belmont County Educational Service Center * Bridgeport High School * Buckeye Local High School * East Richland Christian School * Harrison Central High School * Martins Ferry High School * Olney Friends School * Saint Clairsville High School * Shadyside High School * Union Local High School * Powhatan Elementary School in Powhatan Point

Higher education

* Belmont College * Ohio University Eastern Campus

Communities

Cities

* Martins Ferry * St. Clairsville (county seat)

Villages

* Barnesville * Bellaire * Belmont * Bethesda *

Bridgeport Bridgeport is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Connecticut and the fifth-most populous city in New England, with a population of 148,654 in 2020. Located in eastern Fairfield County at the mouth of the Pequonnock River on Long Is ...

* Brookside * Fairview * Flushing * Holloway * Morristown * Powhatan Point * Shadyside * Wilson * Yorkville

Census-designated places

* Bannock * Glencoe * Lafferty *

Lansing Lansing () is the capital city of the U.S. state of Michigan. The most populous city in Ingham County, parts of the city extend into Eaton County and north into Clinton County. It is the sixth-most populous city in Michigan with a popul ...

* Neffs * Wolfhurst

Unincorporated communities

* Alledonia *

Anvil An anvil is a metalworking tool consisting of a large block of metal (usually Forging, forged or Steel casting, cast steel), with a flattened top surface, upon which another object is struck (or "worked"). Anvils are massive because the hi ...

* Armstrongs Mills * Badgertown * Barton * Blaine *

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

* Businessburg * Captina * Centerville * Colerain *

Crescent A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself. In Hindu iconography, Hind ...

* Dilles Bottom *

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

* Fairpoint * Farmington * Hendrysburg *

Hunter Hunting is the human practice of seeking, pursuing, capturing, and killing wildlife or feral animals. The most common reasons for humans to hunt are to obtain the animal's body for meat and useful animal products ( fur/ hide, bone/tusks, ...

* Jacobsburg * Key * Lamira * Lloydsville * Maynard * McClainville * Pleasant Grove * Riverview * Sewellsville * Somerton * Steinersville * Stewartsville * Tacoma * Temperanceville * Uniontown * Warnock

Townships

* Colerain * Flushing * Goshen * Kirkwood *

Mead Mead (), also called honey wine, and hydromel (particularly when low in alcohol content), is an alcoholic beverage made by fermenting honey mixed with water, and sometimes with added ingredients such as fruits, spices, grains, or hops. The alco ...

* Pease * Pultney * Richland * Smith *

Somerset Somerset ( , ), Archaism, archaically Somersetshire ( , , ) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel, Gloucestershire, and Bristol to the north, Wiltshire to the east ...

* Union * Warren * Washington * Wayne * Wheeling *

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

Notable people

* James E. Boyd (1834–1906),

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

of Omaha and the seventh governor of Nebraska * William Boyd (1895–1972), film and radio actor, portrayed Western character Hopalong Cassidy from 1935 to 1954 * Don Fleming (1937–1963), a graduate of Shadyside High School, played football for the University of Florida and the Cleveland Browns. * Joey Galloway (1971), a graduate of Bellaire High School, played football for Ohio State and in the NFL for 15 years. *

John Havlicek John Joseph Havlicek (often nicknamed Hondo) ( ; April 8, 1940 – April 25, 2019) was an American professional basketball player who spent his entire career with the Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A swingman, Hav ...

(1940–2019), a graduate of Bridgeport High School, played basketball for Ohio State and the Boston Celtics in the NBA. Elected to

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

. * Bushrod Johnson (1817–1880), one of the few

Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), also known as the Confederate States (C.S.), the Confederacy, or Dixieland, was an List of historical unrecognized states and dependencies, unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United State ...

generals born in the North, was born in Belmont County. * Lance Mehl (born 1958), born in Bellaire. NFL football player * Stan Olejniczak (1912–1979), born in Neffs. NFL football player * Wilson Shannon (1802–1877), first native-born governor of Ohio * Drusilla Wilson (1815–1908), temperance leader and Quaker preacher

References

External links

Belmont County Government's website

Belmont County Economic Development

Belmont County Port Authority
{{Coord, 40.02, -80.99, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-OH_source:UScensus1990 Ohio counties on the Ohio River Appalachian Ohio 1815 establishments in Ohio