Pataskala ( ) is a city in
Licking County, Ohio
Licking County is a County (United States), county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 178,519. Its county seat is Newark, Ohio, Newark. The county was form ...
, United States, approximately east of
Columbus. The population was 17,886 at the
2020 census. Pataskala was a small community until 1996, when what was then the village of Pataskala merged with Lima Township, vastly increasing its population and geographic area.
History
Pataskala was laid out in 1851 when the railroad was extended to that point. "Pataskala" is a name derived from the
Delaware language
The Delaware languages, also known as the Lenape languages (), are Munsee and Unami, two closely related languages of the Eastern Algonquian subgroup of the Algonquian language family. Munsee and Unami were spoken aboriginally by the Lenape pe ...
. A post office has been in operation at Pataskala since 1852.
Pataskala was originally called Conine Town,
after an early settler of the area, Richard Conine, and his wife Sarah (Van Dorn) Conine.
Born in New Jersey, the Conines purchased over 2000 acres in Lima Township, permanently settling in the area in 1821.
Conine had sold most of his land by 1850, and in 1851 he laid out plots for Conine Town.
Another early settler, Jess Stoneman Green, who had purchased much of Conine's property, likewise laid out and sold lots in 1852.
The name was changed to Pataskala in 1852.
Geography
Pataskala is located along the South Fork of the
Licking River in southwestern Licking County. Pataskala is the home of two school districts, Southwest Licking Local Schools and Licking Heights Local Schools. The Licking Heights district also serves parts of
Reynoldsburg,
Jefferson Township, and the census designated place of
Blacklick.
According to the
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...
, Pataskala has a total area of , of which are land and are water.
Demographics
2010 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2010, there were 14,962 people, 5,588 households, and 4,132 families living in the city. 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 5,960 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 90.0%
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 ...
, 6.0%
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 ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.7%
Asian, 0.6% from
other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.
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 were 2.0% of the population.
There were 5,588 households, of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.3% 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, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.9% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.1% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.07.
The median age in the city was 35.8 years. 27.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 29.9% were from 25 to 44; 25.2% were from 45 to 64; and 10.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 49.1% male and 50.9% female.
2000 census
As of the
census
A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...
of 2000, there were 10,249 people, 3,922 households, and 2,914 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 4,132 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 94.6%
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 ...
, 3.0%
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 ...
, 0.3%
Native American, 0.5%
Asian, <0.1%
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 ...
, 0.6% from
other races, and 1.0% from two or more races.
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 were 1.0% of the population.
There were 3,922 households, out of which 38.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% 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, 10.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.7% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.00.
In the city, the population was spread out, with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 9.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.7 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $51,684, and the median income for a family was $58,021. Males had a median income of $39,322 versus $30,628 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 city was $23,099. About 5.0% of families and 5.4% 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 4.5% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.
Education
Primary and secondary schools
The Southwest Licking Local School District has one high school (Watkins Memorial High School), one middle school (Watkins middle school), one intermediate school (Watkins Intermediate School) and three elementary schools (Etna, Kirkersville, Pataskala).
Licking Heights Local School District has one high school, one middle school, one intermediate school, and two elementary schools.
Private schools in the area are Liberty Christian Academy.
Post-secondary education
Central Ohio Technical College has a branch located within the city.
Public libraries
The Pataskala Public Library serves the area. The current building was dedicated in 1969 at a cost of $119,314.54. The library has over 12,000 cardholders. The library has over 70,000 items, with annual circulation topping 250,000.
Parks and recreation
Pataskala features 127 acres (0.51 km
2) of parkland spread across 7 parks with wooded natural areas and river frontage. Multiple parks are located alongside the South Fork of the Licking River. The parks are spread across the city and feature athletic fields at many of the parks.
The Thomas J. Evans Foundation Park is the largest park in the city at 78 acres (0.32 km
2), 22 of which are wooded. A 1.4 mile (2.2 km) trail runs throughout the park.
Municipal Park is a 15-acre (61,000 m
2) park boasting the city's pool (leased to the Pataskala Recreation Association), athletic fields, and wooded areas.
Golf courses
Pataskala has 2 golf courses within its boundaries: Broadview Golf Course and Willow Run Golf Course Inc. There are an additional 47 golf courses within 20 miles (32 km) of Pataskala, including Cumberland Trail Golf Club, which borders Pataskala to the south in Etna Township.
National Register of Historic Places listings
Eleven buildings in Pataskala are listed on the National Register of Historic Places, selected by the U.S. Department of Interior in 1983.
File:Bethel Baptist Church Pataskala Ohio.jpg, Bethel Baptist Church
#83001990
File:Casterton House.jpg, Casterton House
#83001992
File:Elliot House Pataskala Ohio.jpg, Elliot House
#83004315
File:Warren F. Kauber Funeral Home.jpg, Warren F. Kauber Funeral Home
#83001993
File:Mead House Pataskala Ohio.jpg, Mead House
#83001994
File:Pataskala Banking Company.jpg, Pataskala Banking Company
#83001996
File:Pataskala Elementary School.jpg, Pataskala Elementary School
#83001995
File:Pataskala Jail.jpg, Pataskala Jail
#83001997
File:Pataskala Presbyterian Church.jpg, Pataskala Presbyterian Church
#83004323
File:Pataskala Town Hall.jpg, Pataskala Town Hall
#83001998
File:Pataskala United Methodist Church.jpg, Pataskala United Methodist Church
#83001999
Notable people
*
Jeaniene Frost, ''New York Times''-bestselling author
*
John Holmes, better known as Johnny Wadd, porn star
*
John Reuben
John Reuben (born John Reuben Zappin; January 14, 1979) is an American Christian hip hop artist signed to Gotee Records until late 2010. Reuben has sold over 200,000 copies of his first four albums.Breimeier, Russ (May 2002)"John Reuben - ''Hinds ...
, Christian rap artist and raised here
*
Robert Smith, professional
ten-pin bowler
*
Chalmers Wylie, thirteen-term
congressman
A member of congress (MOC), also known as a congressman or congresswoman, is a person who has been appointed or elected and inducted into an official body called a congress, typically to represent a particular constituency in a legislature. The t ...
*
Eleanor Youmans, children's author, winner of an Ohioana Award for juvenile fiction in 1945
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Cities in Licking County, Ohio
Populated places established in 1851
1851 establishments in Ohio
Cities in Ohio