Wellston is a city in Jackson County, Ohio, United States, in the southeastern part of the state. The population was 5,412 at the 2020 census.

History

Wellston was laid out and founded in 1873 on land owned by Harvey Wells. Wells constructed a

blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...

in 1874, and the town was incorporated in 1876. Wellston flourished for several years on the furnace and local mining industry, but most of the resources have now been depleted.

Geography

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 ...

, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is 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 5,663 people, 2,250 households, and 1,459 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 2,535 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 97.7%

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 ...

, 0.2%

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 ...

, 0.4% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.3% 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 0.7% of the population. There were 2,250 households, of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% 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, 16.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 6.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 35.2% were non-families. 29.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.47 and the average family size was 3.03. The median age in the city was 36.5 years. 25.6% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.4% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.8% were from 25 to 44; 25.3% were from 45 to 64; and 14.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 46.8% male and 53.2% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 6,078 people, 2,359 households, and 1,644 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 2,615 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 98.08%

, 0.36%

, 0.28% Native American, 0.16% Asian, 0.21% from other races, and 0.90% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.61% of the population. There were 2,359 households, out of which 34.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.6% were

living together, 15.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.3% were non-families. 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.02. In the city the population was spread out, with 26.9% under the age of 18, 9.5% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 83.8 males. The median income for a household in the city was $30,021, and the median income for a family was $34,488. Males had a median income of $28,514 versus $20,967 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 $13,476. About 15.8% of families and 18.8% 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 24.7% of those under age 18 and 14.6% of those age 65 or over.

Government

In October 2009, the Ohio state government declared the City of Wellston to be in a state of fiscal emergency "as defined by Section 118.03(A)(6) and 118.03(B) of the

Ohio Revised Code The ''Ohio Revised Code'' (ORC) contains all current statutes of the Ohio General Assembly of a permanent and general nature, consolidated into provisions, titles, chapters and sections. However, the only official publication of the enactments o ...

" on the basis of a "treasury deficiency".

Economy

General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...

is Wellston's largest source of employment, with roughly 900 employees. There are a number of small businesses in Wellston, alongside a few chain restaurants and stores. In 1923, Gem Beverages opened in Wellston, bottling and distributing soda. Despite no longer bottling soda, the brand remains locally famous and distributes to eight nearby counties. The company's citrus soda, Ski, has earned the nickname, "Wellston Water," due to its popularity amongst the community.

Education

The local school district, Wellston City Schools, operates the following schools: *Bundy Elementary School * Wellston High School *Wellston Intermediate School *Wellston Middle School Private School * St. Peter and St. Paul Catholic School Wellston is served by the Sylvester Memorial Public Library. In 2005, the library loaned more than 70,000 items to its 10,000 cardholders, and it had total holdings of over 31,000 volumes with over 90 periodical subscriptions.

Notable people

* Homer E. Abele, Congressman * Hezekiah S. Bundy, Congressman * John Carey, Ohio House of Representatives (1995–2002) (2011), Ohio Senate (2003–2010) * Timothy S. Hogan (1864–1925), Ohio Attorney General * Timothy S. Hogan (1909–1989), Federal District Judge * Jeff Montgomery,

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

player * John Sylvester, Vice Admiral United States Navy

References

External links

City of Wellston

Wellston Information

Wellston City Schools

Sylvester Memorial Public Library
{{Authority control Cities in Ohio Cities in Jackson County, Ohio 1873 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1873