Proctorville is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

in Lawrence County,

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, along the

Ohio River The Ohio River () is a river in the United States. It is located at the boundary of the Midwestern and Southern United States, flowing in a southwesterly direction from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to its river mouth, mouth on the Mississippi Riv ...

. The population was 523 at the 2020 census. The East End Bridge connects Proctorville to

Huntington, West Virginia Huntington is a city in Cabell County, West Virginia, Cabell and Wayne County, West Virginia, Wayne counties in the U.S. state of West Virginia. The County seat, seat of Cabell County, the city is located at the confluence of the Ohio River, O ...

across the Ohio River. Proctorville is a part of the Huntington- Ashland, WV- KY- OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA).

History

The land where Proctorville is now situated was originally settled in 1797 and called Quaker Bottom. Situated on the Ohio River, Quaker Bottom grew throughout the 1800s as a trading center. In 1834, Jacob Proctor established a general store next to the wharf, and river boat captains knew the village as "Proctor's Landing". When the village was incorporated in 1878, the name was changed to Proctorville in Jacob's honor. The Rome Beauty apple was developed by Joel Gillette and his son Alanson in Rome Township, near Proctorville, in 1816. The village was decimated by a fire on April 7, 1900, and most of the destroyed businesses were never rebuilt. Major flooding in 1913 and 1937 further damaged the village. The village and surrounding area has experienced growth since the completion of the East End Bridge connecting Proctorville to Huntington in 1985. Proctorville suffered significant damage from a derecho that impacted the area on April 2, 2024.

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 village has a total area of , of which is land and is water. Along the river, it lies between Athalia and Chesapeake.

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 574 people, 251 households, and 150 families living in the village. 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 293 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 97.9%

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 ...

, 0.3%

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 ...

, 0.2% Native American, 0.2% from other races, and 1.4% 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 1.0% of the population. There were 251 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.4% 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, 12.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.4% had a male householder with no wife present, and 40.2% were non-families. 34.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 16.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.29 and the average family size was 3.00. The median age in the village was 40.2 years. 21.4% of residents were under the age of 18; 8.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.9% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 48.3% male and 51.7% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 620 people, 277 households, and 168 families living in the village.. The population density was . There were 318 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.06%

, 0.97%

, 0.16% Native American, 0.16% from other races, and 0.65% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.32% of the population. There were 277 households, out of which 24.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 42.2% were

living together, 13.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.0% were non-families. 34.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.91. In the village, the population was spread out, with 22.6% under the age of 18, 10.5% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 87.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.2 males. The median income for a household in the village was $22,266, and the median income for a family was $23,984. Males had a median income of $25,625 versus $18,438 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 village was $13,027. About 16.8% of families and 18.6% 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 20.0% of those under age 18 and 11.1% of those age 65 or over.

Arts and culture

Proctorville has a public library, a branch of Briggs Lawrence County Public Library.

Government

Proctorville elects a mayor, a fiscal officer and six council members.

Education

In 1949, Proctorville High School merged with that of Rome Township to form the Fairland Local School District. The name "Fairland" was chosen because the school stands next to the site of the Lawrence County Fairgrounds. The district consists of two grade schools, Fairland East (K-2) and Fairland West (3-5), plus Fairland Middle School (6-8) and Fairland High School (9-12). As of the 2022-2023 school year, the district had 1413 enrolled students.

References

External links

History of Quaker Bottom
{{authority control Villages in Lawrence County, Ohio Ohio populated places on the Ohio River Villages in Ohio