Auglaize 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 ...

in Northwestern

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 ...

, United States of America . As of the 2020 census, the population was 46,442.2020 census
/ref> 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 ...

and largest city is Wapakoneta. Auglaize County comprises the Wapakoneta Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the

Lima Lima ( ; ), founded in 1535 as the Ciudad de los Reyes (, Spanish for "City of Biblical Magi, Kings"), is the capital and largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rive ...

- Van Wert- Celina Combined Statistical Area.

Etymology

The county is named for the

Auglaize River The Auglaize River ( Shawnee: ''Kathinakithiipi'') is a tributary of the Maumee River in northwestern Ohio in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Erie. The name of the river was derived from the ...

. Some sources say it is a corruption of the French description of the clay (''glaise'') water (''eau''); others say it comes from a Native American word for fallen timbers. Another remote possibility is that it derives from the French ''glace'' ''aux glaces''? meaning "mirror" or "ice" at the ices'?

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has an area of , of which is land and (0.1%) is water. It is Ohio's second-smallest county by area. The county is crossed by the

and the

Miami and Erie Canal The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that ran from Cincinnati, Ohio, Cincinnati to Toledo, Ohio, Toledo, Ohio, creating a water route between the Ohio River and Lake Erie. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845 at a co ...

. The

headwaters The headwater of a river or stream is the geographical point of its beginning, specifically where surface runoff water begins to accumulate into a flowing channel of water. A river or stream into which one or many tributary rivers or streams flo ...

of the Saint Marys River, the Great Miami River and the

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

as well as parts of Grand Lake St. Marys and Lake Loramie are in the county.

Adjacent counties

* Allen County - north * Darke County - southwest * Hardin County - east * Logan County - southeast * Shelby County - south * Mercer County - west * Van Wert County - northwest

Demographics

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 46,611 people, 17,376 households, and 12,771 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 18,470 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 98.12%

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 ...

, 0.24%

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 ...

, 0.18% Native American, 0.41% Asian, 0.03%

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 ...

, 0.20% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. 0.67% 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. 59.5% were of German, 10.9% American, 6.9% Irish and 6.3% English ancestry according to Census 2000. 97.9% spoke English and 1.2% Spanish as their first language. There were 17,376 households, out of which 35.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.10% 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, 7.80% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.50% were non-families. 23.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.62 and the average family size was 3.11. In the county, the population was spread out, with 27.60% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 28.20% from 25 to 44, 22.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.10 males. The median income for a household in the county was $43,367, and the median income for a family was $50,024. Males had a median income of $37,024 versus $23,809 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 $19,593. About 4.90% of families and 6.20% 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 7.20% of those under age 18 and 6.40% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 45,949 people, 17,972 households, and 12,749 families residing in the county. The population density was . There were 19,585 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 0.4% Asian, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% American Indian, 0.3% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 53.0% were German, 12.6% were Irish, 8.9% were American, and 8.0% were English. Of the 17,972 households, 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.9% were married couples living together, 8.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.1% were non-families, and 25.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.02. The median age was 40.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $52,018 and the median income for a family was $60,318. Males had a median income of $44,267 versus $30,591 for females. The per capita income for the county was $25,290. About 5.8% of families and 7.2% of the population were below the

, including 9.5% of those under age 18 and 4.6% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Prior to 1920, Auglaize County consistently voted for Democratic candidates in presidential elections. Since 1920, Democrats have won the county three times in presidential elections, all in years where the party won nationally by a landslide.

Government

Auglaize County is governed by an elected Board of Commissioners.

Courthouse

The county's first courthouse, built in 1851 for $11,499, was in use until 1894, when the current courthouse opened. Occupying an entire city block, the courthouse and its adjacent powerhouse cost $259,481. Some 85 men took 18 months to construct it, starting on July 2, 1893. Built of Berea sandstone with tile floors, the courthouse was highly fire-resistant. The boilers for heating and power generation, a significant cause of fire at the time, were in a separate powerhouse. Steam-driven

dynamo "Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, ) A dynamo is an electrical generator that creates direct current using a commutator. Dynamos employed electromagnets for self-starting by using residual magnetic field left in the iron cores ...

s produced the electricity that, along with steam for heating and hot water, was fed to the building via an underground conduit. The courthouse marked its centennial in 1994, and remains the seat of the county's courts, along with the much newer West Municipal Court in St. Marys.Auglaize County
official site.

Economy

Auglaize County's economy is based on manufacturing. Employers with more than 400 employees are Crown Equipment Corporation, Joint Township District Memorial Hospital, the Minster Machine Company, Setex, Inc, AAP-St. Mary's Corporation (a division of Hitachi Metals), Veyance Technologies, Inc (

Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company The Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company is an American multinational tire manufacturer headquartered in Akron, Ohio. Goodyear manufactures tires for passenger vehicles, aviation, commercial trucks, military and police vehicles, motorcycles, recreati ...

), and the Dannon Company.Ohio County Profiles

Communities

Cities

* Saint Marys * Wapakoneta (county seat)

Villages

* Buckland * Cridersville * Minster (part) * New Bremen * New Knoxville * Waynesfield

Townships

Clay Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolinite, ). Most pure clay minerals are white or light-coloured, but natural clays show a variety of colours from impuriti ...

* Duchouquet * German * Goshen * Jackson * Logan * Moulton * Noble * Pusheta * Saint Marys * Salem * Union * Washington * Wayne

Census-designated places

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

* Saint Johns * Uniopolis

Unincorporated communities

* Bulkhead *

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 ...

* Fryburg * Geyer * Glynwood * Gutman *

Holden Holden, formerly known as General Motors-Holden, was an Australian subsidiary company of General Motors. Founded in Adelaide, it was an automobile manufacturer, importer, and exporter that sold cars under its own marque in Australia. It was ...

* Kossuth * Lock Two * Moulton * Santa Fe * Slater * Villa Nova

References

*Auglaize County Engineer's Office. ''Official Highway Map 2004''. Wapakoneta, Ohio: The Office, 2004.

External links

Official Auglaize County websiteAuglaize County Historical SocietyAuglaize and Mercer County Convention and Visitor's Bureau
{{coord, 40.56, -84.22, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-OH_source:UScensus1990 1848 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1848 Micropolitan areas of Ohio