Muskingum County, Ohio
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Muskingum 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 east-central portion of the U.S. state of
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 86,410.2020 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 ...
is Zanesville. Nearly bisected by the Muskingum River, the county name is based on a
Delaware Delaware ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic and South Atlantic states, South Atlantic regions of the United States. It borders Maryland to its south and west, Pennsylvania to its north, New Jersey ...
American Indian word translated as "town by the river" or "elk's eye". Muskingum County comprises the Zanesville, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Columbus-Marion-Zanesville, OH Combined Statistical Area. The Zanesville Micropolitan Statistical Area is the second-largest statistical area within the Combined Statistical Area, after the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area.


Name

The name ''Muskingum'' may come from the Shawnee word ''mshkikwam'' 'swampy ground'. The name may also be from
Lenape The Lenape (, , ; ), also called the Lenni Lenape and Delaware people, are an Indigenous peoples of the Northeastern Woodlands, Indigenous people of the Northeastern Woodlands, who live in the United States and Canada. The Lenape's historica ...
''"Machkigen,"'' referring to thorns, or a specific species of thorn bush. ''Muskingum'' has also been taken to mean 'elk's eye' (''mus wəshkinkw'') by folk etymology, as in ''mus'' 'elk' + ''wəshkinkw'' 'its eye'. Moravian missionary David Zeisberger wrote that the Muskingum River was called Elk's Eye "because of the numbers of elk that formerly fed on its banks."


Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (1.2%) is water. It is the fourth-largest county in Ohio by land area.


Adjacent counties

* Coshocton County (north) * Guernsey County (east) * Noble County (southeast) * Morgan County (south) * Perry County (southwest) * Licking County (west)


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 84,585 people, 32,518 households, and 22,860 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 35,163 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.91%
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 ...
, 4.01%
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 ...
or
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 ...
, 0.21% Native American, 0.27% Asian, 0.02%
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 1.37% from two or more races. 0.52% 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 32,518 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.30% were married couples living together, 12.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.70% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.90% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.01. In the county, the population was spread out, with 25.90% under the age of 18, 9.40% from 18 to 24, 27.70% from 25 to 44, 22.60% from 45 to 64, and 14.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 92.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.40 males. The median income for a household in the county was $35,185, and the median income for a family was $41,938. Males had a median income of $31,537 versus $22,151 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 $17,533. About 9.90% of families and 12.90% 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 17.90% of those under age 18 and 10.00% of those age 65 or over.


2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 86,074 people, 34,271 households, and 23,125 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 38,074 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 93.0% white, 3.8% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.2% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 25.2% were German, 15.5% were Irish, 11.1% were American, and 10.9% were English. Of the 34,271 households, 32.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.1% were married couples living together, 13.2% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.5% were non-families, and 26.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.95. The median age was 39.5 years. The median income for a household in the county was $39,538 and the median income for a family was $48,425. Males had a median income of $40,183 versus $28,668 for females. The per capita income for the county was $20,561. About 13.0% of families and 16.6% 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 24.6% of those under age 18 and 9.3% of those age 65 or over.


Education

The county is served by 7 high schools: John Glenn High School in New Concord (East Muskingum Local School District), Philo High School confusingly not located in Philo but instead across the river in Duncan Falls (Franklin Local School District), Maysville High School located in South Zanesville (Maysville Local Schools), Bishop Rosecrans (
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
high school in downtown Zanesville), Tri-Valley High School located in
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
(Tri-Valley Local School District), West Muskingum High School located in Zanesville (West Muskingum Local School District), and Zanesville High School which, as the name implies, is in Zanesville (Zanesville City School District). Each high school is the only high school in school districts of the same name, the exception being Roscrans as the district is referred to as Bishop Fenwick. The county is also served by three colleges, Muskingum University, Zane State College, and a branch campus of Ohio University known as Ohio University Zanesville.


Politics

Muskingum County is a Republican stronghold county in presidential elections. The 1964 election is the most recent in which the county voted Democratic, but
Bill Clinton William Jefferson Clinton (né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician and lawyer who was the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, ...
came within 48 votes of carrying it in 1996.


Culture

The Ohio Anti-Slavery Society was originally created as an auxiliary of the American Anti-Slavery Society and held its first meeting Putnam, Ohio, in April 1835. In 1872, Zanesville annexed the town of Putnam. It is now the Putnam Historic District of Zanesville. The ''Muskingum County Library System'' serves the communities of Muskingum County from its administrative offices in Zanesville, Ohio. This includes service to
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
, Duncan Falls, New Concord, and Roseville. In 2005, the library loaned more than 918,000 items to its 73,000 cardholders. Total holding are over 328,000 volumes with over 190 periodical subscriptions. The Wilds is a wildlife preserve open to visitation for a fee.


Communities


City

* Zanesville (county seat)


Villages

* Adamsville *
Dresden Dresden (; ; Upper Saxon German, Upper Saxon: ''Dräsdn''; , ) is the capital city of the States of Germany, German state of Saxony and its second most populous city after Leipzig. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, 12th most p ...
* Frazeysburg * Fultonham * Gratiot * New Concord *
Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of the county of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. It lies by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. The population of the Norwich ...
* Philo * Roseville * South Zanesville


Townships

* Adams * Blue Rock * Brush Creek * Cass *
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 ...
* Falls * Harrison *
Highland Highlands or uplands are areas of high elevation such as a mountainous region, elevated mountainous plateau or high hills. Generally, ''upland'' refers to a range of hills, typically from up to , while ''highland'' is usually reserved for range ...
* Hopewell * Jackson * Jefferson *
Licking Licking is the action (philosophy), action of passing the tongue over a surface, typically either to deposit saliva onto the surface, or to collect liquid, food or minerals onto the tongue for ingestion, or to animal communication, communicate w ...
* Madison * Meigs *
Monroe Monroe or Monroes may refer to: People and fictional characters * Monroe (surname) * Monroe (given name) * James Monroe, 5th President of the United States * Marilyn Monroe, actress and model Places United States * Monroe, Arkansas, an unincorp ...
* Muskingum * Newton *
Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...
* Rich Hill * Salem * Salt Creek * Springfield * Union *
Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...
* Wayne


Census-designated places

* Duncan Falls * East Fultonham * North Zanesville * Pleasant Grove * Trinway


Other unincorporated communities

* Adams Mills * Bloomfield * Blue Rock * Bridgeville * Chandlersville * Coal Hill *
Darlington Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
* Dillon Falls * Duncan Falls * Ellis * Freeland * Gaysport * Gilbert * High Hill * Hopewell * Irville * Licking View * Mattingly Settlement * Meadow Farm * Mount Sterling * Museville * Nashport * Otsego * Rix Mills * Ruraldale *
Sonora Sonora (), officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Sonora (), is one of the 31 states which, along with Mexico City, comprise the Administrative divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The state is divided into Municipalities of Sonora, 72 ...
* Stovertown * Sundale * White Cottage * Young Hickory *
Zeno Zeno may refer to: People * Zeno (name), including a list of people and characters with the given name * Zeno (surname) Philosophers * Zeno of Elea (), philosopher, follower of Parmenides, known for his paradoxes * Zeno of Citium (333 – 264 B ...


Historical places

* Irville - Former populated place in Licking Township, removed for the creation of Dillon Lake. * Mattingly Settlement - Named for the many members of the Mattingly family who settled in Muskingum Township.


See also

* National Register of Historic Places listings in Muskingum County, Ohio


References


Further reading

* * Thomas, William Lewis. (1928). ''History of Southeastern Ohio and the Muskingum Valley, 1788-1928.'' In Three Volumes. Chicago: S.J. Clarke Publishing Co.


External links


Muskingum County Library System website

Muskingum County Sheriff's Office
{{Coord, 39.97, -81.95, display=title, type:adm2nd_region:US-OH_source:UScensus1990 1804 establishments in Ohio Appalachian Ohio Populated places established in 1804