Pickaway 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 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 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 parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

is Circleville. Its name derives from the Pekowi band of

Shawnee The Shawnee ( ) are a Native American people of the Northeastern Woodlands. Their language, Shawnee, is an Algonquian language. Their precontact homeland was likely centered in southern Ohio. In the 17th century, they dispersed through Ohi ...

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 ...

.) 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 part of the unorganized western territory of the United States after the American Revolution. Established ...

, created in 1787. To begin providing local control of this area, several counties were designated, among them Washington (1788) and Wayne (1796) Counties. Portions of these counties were partitioned off to create Ross (1798), Fairfield (1800), and Franklin (1803) Counties. An act of the General Assembly of Ohio (January 12, 1810) directed that portions of Fairfield, Franklin, and Ross counties were to be partitioned off to create Pickaway County effective March 1, 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, Ohio, Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olent ...

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, 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 – 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

Lakes

* Deer Creek Lake (part) * Hargus Lake

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 55,698 people, 19,624 households, and 14,286 families in the county. The population density was . 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, 16.3% were American, 14.9% were Irish, and 11.1% were English. 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 ...

, 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, there were 52,727 people, 17,599 households, and 13,287 families in the county. 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 18,596 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.95%

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 ...

, 6.43%

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 ...

, 0.28% Native American, 0.22% 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 ...

, 0.15% from other races, and 0.93% from two or more races. 0.63% 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 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 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, 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 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 $17,478. 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 the secondary sector of the economy. The term may refer ...

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, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

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 stability, dimensional stability, transparency reflectivity, an ...

and Tedlar 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 commerciall ...

s. Other manufacturing concerns in Circleville or surrounding Pickaway County include Aleris, 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 (U.S. state), Georgia, and is one of the world's largest manufacturers and distributors of Tissue paper, tissue, Pulp (paper), pulp, paper, toilet and paper towe ...

, 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, ''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 ...

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; 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 in the United States and 23 other ...

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

plant opened in 1948. The plant closed in 2017. RCA/Thomson Glass operated from 1970 until its closing around 2006.

Government

Education

A list of all school districts covering portions of the county, no matter how slight (even if the schools and administration buildings are in other counties): * Adena Local School District * Circleville City School District * Logan Elm Local School District * Miami Trace Local School District * South-Western City School District * Teays Valley Local School District * Westfall Local School District

Teays Valley Local School District

Teays Valley is in the northern part of the county. Schools in this district include: * Teays Valley High School – 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 (government funded), public school located near Circleville, Ohio, Circleville, Ohio, United States, near the site of the Logan Elm. It serves the Logan Elm School District, which straddles Pickaway Count ...

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

Pickaway-Ross Career and 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 * Commercial Point * Darbyville * Lockbourne *

Harrisburg Harrisburg ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat, seat of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, Dauphin County. With a population of 50, ...

* New Holland *

Orient The Orient is a term referring to the East in relation to Europe, traditionally comprising anything belonging to the Eastern world. It is the antonym of the term ''Occident'', which refers to the Western world. In English, it is largely a meto ...

(disincorporated 2013) * South Bloomfield * Tarlton * Williamsport

Census-designated places

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

* Logan Elm Village *

Unincorporated communities

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Georgia (U.S. state), most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. It is the county seat, seat of Fulton County, Georg ...

* Duvall * East Ringgold * Elmwood * Era * Five Points * Fox * Grange Hall * Hayesville * Kinderhook * Leistville * Little Chicago * Little Walnut * Matville * Meade * Millport * Pherson * Robtown *

Saint Paul Paul, also named Saul of Tarsus, commonly known as Paul the Apostle and Saint Paul, was a Christian apostle ( AD) who spread the teachings of Jesus in the first-century world. For his contributions towards the New Testament, he is generally ...

* Southern Point * Stringtown * Thacher *

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 ...

* Westfall * Whisler * Woodlyn

Townships

* Circleville * Darby * Deer Creek * Harrison * Jackson * Madison * Monroe * Muhlenberg *

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 ...

* Pickaway * Salt Creek * Scioto *

* Washington * 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, the , which is common ...

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 German dictator

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (20 April 1889 – 30 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was the dictator of Nazi Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his suicide in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the lea ...

, but rather they were named 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, 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