Fairfield 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

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 census, the population was 158,921. 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 Lancaster. 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 ...

is a reference to the Fairfield area of the original Lancaster. Fairfield County is part of the Columbus, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area.

History

Fairfield County originally encompassed all or parts of Knox, Hocking, Licking, Perry, and Pickaway Counties. Fairfield is a descriptive name referring to the beauty of their fields.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.8%) is water. Fairfield County sits just on the edge of Ohio's

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 region. While the once-glaciated northern portion of the county is fairly flat, as one travels south along U.S. 33 one can easily recognize the foothills of a mountainous region beginning around the village of Carroll. Although not officially part of the state or federal definition of Appalachia, certain areas of Fairfield County—particularly those south of U.S. 22—bear a distinctly Appalachian feel in both physical geography and demographics. The scenic Hocking Hills region lies immediately to the south, mostly in neighboring Hocking County. A large portion of Buckeye Lake is located in northeastern Fairfield County. Mudhouse Mansion, an allegedly

haunted house A haunted house, spook house or ghost house in ghostlore is a house or other building often perceived as being inhabited by disembodied spirits of the deceased who may have been former residents or were otherwise connected with the property ...

, was located in the county.

Adjacent counties

Licking County Licking County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. At the 2020 census, the population was 178,519. Its county seat is Newark. The county was formed on January 30, 1808, from portions of Fairfield County. It ...

(north) * Perry County (east) * Hocking County (south) * Pickaway County (southwest) * Franklin County (northwest)

Major highways

* * *

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 2010, there were 146,156 people, 54,310 households, and 39,846 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 58,678 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.02%

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 ...

, 6.00%

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 ...

, 0.20% Native American, 1.10% Asian, 0.00%

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 ...

, 0.23% from other races, and 1.90% from two or more races. 1.70% 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. There were 54,310 households, out of which 34.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.30% 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 26.60% were non-families. 21.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 8.00% from 18 to 24, 30.20% from 25 to 44, 23.90% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38.2 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.30 males. The median income for a household in the county was $47,962, and the median income for a family was $55,539. Males had a median income of $39,566 versus $27,353 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 $21,671. About 4.50% of families and 5.90% 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 7.40% of those under age 18 and 6.20% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 146,156 people, 54,310 households, and 39,846 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 58,687 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 90.2% white, 6.0% black or African American, 1.1% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.7% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 31.2% 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 ...

, 16.2% were Irish, 11.7% were English, 8.6% were American, and 5.2% 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 ...

. Of the 54,310 households, 37.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.3% were married couples living together, 11.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 26.6% were non-families, and 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07. The median age was 38.2 years. The median income for a household in the county was $56,796 and the median income for a family was $65,835. Males had a median income of $49,314 versus $37,209 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,130. About 7.5% of families and 10.4% of the population were below the

, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Prior to 1944, Fairfield County was Democratic in presidential elections, only voting for Republicans twice from 1856 to 1940. Starting with the 1944 election, the county has become a Republican stronghold in presidential elections, with

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

being the only Democrat to win since then, but

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

came within 96 votes of winning it in 1948.

Government

Roster of County Officials (as of Feb. 2019): * Commissioners: David L. Levacy (R), Steve Davis (R), Jeffrey Fix (R) * Prosecutor: Kyle Witt (R) * Sheriff: Alex Lape (R) * Auditor: Carri Brown, PhD (R) * Treasurer: James Bahnsen, CPA (R) * Recorder: Lisa R. McKenzie (R) * Clerk of Courts: Branden Meyer (R) * Engineer: Jeremiah Upp (R) * Coroner: Dr. L. Brian Varney, M.D. (R) * Judge, Common Pleas Court: David A. Trimmer (R) * Judge, Common Pleas Court: Richard Berens (R) * Judge, Common Pleas Court (General/Domestic Relations): Laura B. Smith (R) * Judge, Common Pleas Court (Juvenile/Probate): Terre L. Vandervoort (R)

Education

School districts and state schools

School districts include: * Amanda-Clearcreek Local School District * Berne Union Local School District * Bloom-Carroll Local School District * Canal Winchester Local School District (Franklin & Fairfield) * Fairfield Union Local School District * Lancaster City School District * Liberty Union-Thurston Local School District * Northern Local School District * Pickerington Local School District * Reynoldsburg City School District * Southwest Licking Local School District * Teays Valley Local School District (Almost entirely Pickaway) * Walnut Township Local School District

Elementary schools

* St. Mary's School * St. Bernadette School * Mount Pleasant Elementary * Medill Elementary (housed at former East Elementary location during reconstruction) * Sanderson Elementary (to be closed upon completion of Medill Elementary reconstruction) * Tallmadge Elementary (housed at former West Elementary location during reconstruction) * Tarhe Trails Elementary * Gorsuch West Elementary * Pleasantville Elementary * Bremen Elementary

High schools

* Amanda-Clearcreek Digital Academy * Amanda-Clearcreek High School * Liberty Union High School * Bloom-Carroll High School * Fairfield Career Center * Fairfield Christian Academy * Fairfield Union High School * Lancaster Fairfield Alternative School * Lancaster High School * Millersport Jr/Sr High School * Walnut Township Academy * Pickerington Alternative School * Pickerington High School Central * Pickerington High School North * Berne Union High School * William V. Fisher Catholic High School

Communities

Cities

* Canal Winchester * Columbus (mostly in Franklin County and partly in Delaware County) * Lancaster (county seat) * Pickerington * Reynoldsburg

Villages

* Amanda *

Baltimore Baltimore is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. With a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 568,271 in 2024, it is the 30th-most populous U.S. city. The Baltimore metropolitan area is the 20th-large ...

Bremen Bremen (Low German also: ''Breem'' or ''Bräm''), officially the City Municipality of Bremen (, ), is the capital of the States of Germany, German state of the Bremen (state), Free Hanseatic City of Bremen (), a two-city-state consisting of the c ...

* Buckeye Lake * Carroll * Lithopolis * Millersport * Pleasantville * Rushville * Stoutsville * Sugar Grove * Tarlton * Thurston * West Rushville

Townships

* Amanda * Berne * Bloom * Clearcreek * Greenfield * Hocking *

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

* Madison * Pleasant * Richland * Rush Creek * Violet *

Walnut A walnut is the edible seed of any tree of the genus '' Juglans'' (family Juglandaceae), particularly the Persian or English walnut, '' Juglans regia''. They are accessory fruit because the outer covering of the fruit is technically an i ...

Census-designated places

* Fairfield Beach * Hide-A-Way Hills

Unincorporated communities

* Cedar Hill * Clearport * Colfax * Delmont * Drinkle * Dumontsville * Geneva * Greencastle * Hamburg * Havensport * Hooker * Horns Mill * Jefferson * Lockville * Marcy * New Salem * North Berne * Oakland * Oakthorpe * Revenge * Royalton * Waterloo Source:

References

External links

Fairfield County Government's website

Fairfield County Visitors & Convention Bureau

Lancaster-Fairfield County Annual July 4 Celebration
{{Coord, 39.75, -82.63, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-OH_source:UScensus1990