Pickaway County is a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in 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 sover ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. As of the 2020 census, the population was 58,539.2020 census
/ref> Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

is Circleville. Its name derives from the

Pekowi Pekowi was the name of one of the five divisions (or bands) of the Shawnee, a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people, during the 18th century. The other four divisions were the Chalahgawtha, Mekoche, Kispoko, and Hathawekela. ...

band of

Shawnee The Shawnee are an Algonquian-speaking indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands. In the 17th century they lived in Pennsylvania, and in the 18th century they were in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana and Illinois, with some bands in Kentucky a ...

Indians, who inhabited the area. (See

List of Ohio county name etymologies There are 88 counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. Nine of them existed at the time of the Ohio Constitutional Convention in 1802.. Other editions available at anGoogle Books/ref> A tenth county, Wayne, was established on August 15, 1796, and enc ...

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

History

The future state of Ohio was part of the

Northwest Territory The Northwest Territory, also known as the Old Northwest and formally known as the Territory Northwest of the River Ohio, was formed from unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolutionary War. Established in 1 ...

, created in 1787. To begin providing local control of this area, several counties were designated, among them

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

(1788) and Wayne (1796) Counties. Portions of these counties were partitioned off to create

Ross Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sou ...

(1798), Fairfield (1800), and

Franklin Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral d ...

(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 The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...

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.Pickaway County OH - Google Maps (accessed 10 June 2019)
/ref> 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

* Franklin County - north *

Fairfield County Fairfield County is the name of three counties in the United States: * Fairfield County, Connecticut * Fairfield County, Ohio Fairfield County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 158,921. ...

- east * Hocking County - southeast * Ross County - south * Fayette County - southwest * Madison County - northwest

Main highways

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

Protected areas

* A. W. Marion State Park * Deer Creek State Park (part) *

Stage's Pond State Nature Preserve Stage's Pond State Nature Preserve is a nature preserve with ponds in Walnut Township, Pickaway County, Ohio. The State Nature Preserve is located at 4792 Hagerty Road, north of the county seat of Circleville. The preserve was dedicated on Aug ...

Lakes

* Deer Creek Lake (part) * Hargus Lake

Demographics

2010 census

As of the

2010 United States Census The United States census of 2010 was the twenty-third United States national census. National Census Day, the reference day used for the census, was April 1, 2010. The census was taken via mail-in citizen self-reporting, with enumerators servin ...

, 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 German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) ** Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

, 16.3% were

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

, 14.9% were

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

, and 11.1% were

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

. 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 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 t ...

, 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 The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 ce ...

, there were 52,727 people, 17,599 households, and 13,287 families in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

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 White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 6.43%

Black Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have o ...

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.22%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.03%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, 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 the original p ...

, 0.15% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.63% of the population were

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

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 Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

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 Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the county was $17,478. About 7.60% of families and 9.50% of the population were below the

, 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 Manufacturing is the creation or production of goods with the help of equipment, labor, machines, tools, and chemical or biological processing or formulation. It is the essence of secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer to a r ...

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 DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

chemical plant in Ohio. Opened in the 1950s, it produces

Mylar BoPET (biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aro ...

and

Tedlar Polyvinyl fluoride (PVF) or –(CH2CHF)n– is a polymer material mainly used in the flammability-lowering coatings of airplane interiors and photovoltaic module backsheets. It is also used in raincoats and metal sheeting. Polyvinyl fluoride is a ...

plastic films, the latter used extensively in the production of

photovoltaic module Photovoltaics (PV) is the conversion of light into electricity using semiconducting materials that exhibit the photovoltaic effect, a phenomenon studied in physics, photochemistry, and electrochemistry. The photovoltaic effect is commercially us ...

s. Other manufacturing concerns in Circleville or surrounding Pickaway County include

Aleris Aleris Corporation (also Aleris Inc. or Aleris International Inc.) was an American aluminum rolled products producer, based in Beachwood, Ohio. The company had approximately 5,000 employees globally as of mid 2015. On 15 April 2020, Aleris Corpor ...

, a producer of rolled and extruded aluminum products, and Florida Production Engineering (FPE), producing plastic injection molded components for the automotive industry.

Georgia-Pacific Georgia-Pacific LLC is an American pulp and paper company based in Atlanta, Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of tissue, pulp, paper, toilet and paper towel dispensers, packaging, building products and r ...

, a manufacturer of paperboard containers and other paper products, has a plant located south of Circleville. The

PPG Industries PPG Industries, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 company and global supplier of paints, coatings, and specialty materials. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 70 countries around the globe. By revenue it is ...

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 Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

; and

Wal-Mart Walmart Inc. (; formerly Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is an American multinational retail corporation that operates a chain of hypermarkets (also called supercenters), discount department stores, and grocery stores from the United States, headquarter ...

Stores. Businesses that formerly operated include the Jefferson-Smurfit paper mill, a 300-acre site, that is being redeveloped.

American Electric Power American Electric Power (AEP), (railcar reporting mark: AEPX) is a major investor-owned electric utility in the United States, delivering electricity to more than five million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation's largest gen ...

(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 GE Lighting is a division of Savant Systems Inc. headquartered in Nela Park, East Cleveland, Ohio, United States. The company traces its origins to Thomas Edison's work on lighting in the 19th century. History In 1911, General Electric was found ...

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 High School Teays Valley High School is a public high school located at 3887 State Route 752 in Ashville, Ohio. It is the only high school in the Teays Valley Local School District. The school mascot is the Viking. ''The mission of Teays Valley High School i ...

- 1,262 students * Teays Valley East Middle School (grades 6–8) - 523 * Teays Valley West Middle School (grades 6–8) - 534 * Ashville Elementary (grades PK-5) - 464 * Walnut Elementary (grades PK-5) - 507 * Scioto Elementary (grades PK-5) - 626 * South Bloomfield Elementary (grades PK-5) - 458 Teays Valley has the largest number of students in the county at 4,374 total students.

Circleville City Schools

* Circleville High School - 559 students * Circleville Middle School (grades 6–8) - 487 * Circleville Elementary (grades K-5) - 1,029

Logan Elm Local Schools

Logan Elm consists of the area in Southeastern Pickaway County. *

Logan Elm High School Logan Elm High School is a public school located near Circleville, Ohio, United States, near the site of the Logan Elm. It serves the Logan Elm School District, which straddles Pickaway and Hocking counties. History In 1957, the Pickaway, ...

- 559 students * George McDowell-Exchange Middle School (grades 7–8) - 299 * Salt Creek Intermediate School (grades 5–6) - 262 * Washington Elementary (grades K-4) - 212 * Pickaway Elementary (grades K-4) - 188

Westfall Local Schools

Westfall lies in the Western part of the county. *

Westfall High School Westfall High School is a public high school near Williamsport, Ohio, United States. It is the only high school in the Westfall Local School District. The Westfall Local School District coverage area is mostly rural, and includes all or portion ...

- 422 students * Westfall Middle School (grades 6–8) - 335 * Westfall Elementary (grades K-5) - 588

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: * Circleville City School District (Pickaway County) * Logan Elm Local School District (Pickaway County) * Westfall Local School District (Pickaway County) * Adena Local School District (Ross County) * Chillicothe City School District (Ross County) * Huntington Local School District (Ross County) * Paint Valley Local School District (Ross County) * Southeastern Local School District (Ross County) * Unioto Local School District (Ross County) * Zane Trace Local School District (Ross County)

Communities

Map of Pickaway County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels

City

* Circleville (county seat)

Villages

Ashville Ashville or Asheville may refer to: Places United States * Ashville, Alabama * Ashville, Louisville, Kentucky * Ashville, New York * Asheville, North Carolina ** Asheville metropolitan area ** Asheville School ** Asheville High School ** Ashe ...

* Commercial Point * Darbyville * Lockbourne *

Harrisburg Harrisburg is the capital city of the Pennsylvania, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50,135 as of the 2021 census, Harrisburg is the List of c ...

* New Holland *

Orient The Orient is a term for the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of ''Occident'', the Western World. In English, it is largely a metonym for, and coterminous with, the c ...

(disincorporated 2013) * South Bloomfield * Tarlton * Williamsport

Census-designated places

Derby Derby ( ) is a city and unitary authority area in Derbyshire, England. It lies on the banks of the River Derwent in the south of Derbyshire, which is in the East Midlands Region. It was traditionally the county town of Derbyshire. Derby gai ...

* Logan Elm Village *

Unincorporated communities

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

* Duvall * East Ringgold * Elmwood *

Era An era is a span of time defined for the purposes of chronology or historiography, as in the regnal eras in the history of a given monarchy, a calendar era used for a given calendar, or the geological eras defined for the history of Earth. Comp ...

* Five Points *

Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...

Grange Hall The Grange, officially named The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry, is a social organization in the United States that encourages families to band together to promote the economic and political well-being of the community and ...

* Hayesville * Kinderhook * Leistville * Little Chicago * Little Walnut * Matville * Meade * Millport * Pherson * Robtown *

Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...

* Southern Point * Stringtown * Thacher *

Walnut A walnut is the edible seed of a drupe of any tree of the genus ''Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. Although culinarily considered a "nut" and used as such, it is not a true ...

* Westfall * Whisler * Woodlyn

Townships

* Circleville * Darby * Deer Creek *

Harrison Harrison may refer to: People * Harrison (name) * Harrison family of Virginia, United States Places In Australia: * Harrison, Australian Capital Territory, suburb in the Canberra district of Gungahlin In Canada: * Inukjuak, Quebec, or " ...

Jackson Jackson may refer to: People and fictional characters * Jackson (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the surname or given name Places Australia * Jackson, Queensland, a town in the Maranoa Region * Jackson North, Qu ...

Madison Madison may refer to: People * Madison (name), a given name and a surname * James Madison (1751–1836), fourth president of the United States Place names * Madison, Wisconsin, the state capital of Wisconsin and the largest city known by this ...

* Monroe * Muhlenberg *

Perry Perry, also known as pear cider, is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally the perry pear. It has been common for centuries in England, particularly in Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire. It is also made ...

Pickaway 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 ...

* Salt Creek * Scioto *

* Wayne * Yamarick ("paper" township coextensive with the city of Circleville)

Notable residents

* Dorothy Adkins (1912–1975), psychologist, grew up in Atlanta, Pickaway County * Dwight Radcliff, the longest serving

Sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland that is commonly transla ...

of Pickaway County

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 the infamous German dictator, but instead after a local historical family named the Hitlers, who have been 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.

References

External links

*
Pickaway Chamber of Commerce and visitor info

Pickaway County Local Government Links

Pickaway County Sheriff's Office
{{authority control 1810 establishments in Ohio