Sandusky 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 northwestern part 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 58,896.2020 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 Fremont. The county was formed on February 12, 1820, from portions of Huron County. The name is derived from the Wyandot word meaning "water" (). The Sandusky River runs diagonally northeast through the county to its mouth on Sandusky Bay, opening into

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( ) is the fourth-largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and also has the shortest avera ...

. Sandusky County compromises the Fremont, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (2.2%) is water.

Adjacent counties

* Ottawa County (north) * Erie County (east) * Huron County (southeast) * Seneca County (south) * Wood 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 61,792 people, 23,717 households, and 16,957 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 25,253 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 92.20%

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 ...

, 2.67%

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 ...

, 0.13% Native American, 0.29% Asian, 0.01%

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 ...

, 3.10% from other races, and 1.61% from two or more races. 6.96% 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 23,717 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.50% 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, 10.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.50% were non-families. 24.10% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.60% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04. In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.20% under the age of 18, 8.10% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 23.00% from 45 to 64, and 14.50% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.90 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.60 males. The median income for a household in the county was $40,584, and the median income for a family was $47,675. Males had a median income of $35,501 versus $23,964 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 $19,239. About 5.70% of families and 7.50% 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 9.10% of those under age 18 and 7.00% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 60,944 people, 24,182 households, and 16,616 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 26,390 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 91.2% white, 2.8% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.8% from other races, and 2.6% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 8.9% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 41.9% were German, 12.1% were Irish, 9.5% were English, and 7.1% were American. Of the 24,182 households, 32.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.3% were married couples living together, 12.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.3% were non-families, and 26.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.97. The median age was 40.4 years. The median income for a household in the county was $48,056 and the median income for a family was $57,500. Males had a median income of $42,582 versus $31,257 for females. The per capita income for the county was $22,286. About 7.2% of families and 10.9% of the population were below the

, including 15.8% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.

Government and politics

Like most of northwestern Ohio, Sandusky County voters have historically supported the Republican Party. It was initially settled by migrants from the Northern Tier of New England and New York, who carried their culture with them. The county has a strong history of supporting Republican presidential candidates as well as local Republican candidates. During the 2008 U.S. presidential election, 51% of the voters from Sandusky County supported Democratic candidate

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

. It was the second time since 1964 that the county had supported a Democrat for president, and the second time since 1932 that it had done so with a majority. Obama narrowly carried the county again in the 2012 U.S. presidential election with just under 50 percent of the vote. ''Time'' magazine listed Sandusky as one of five critical counties in the 2012 election. In 2016 and 2020 the county supported the Republican candidate.

County officials

Transportation

Major highways

* Interstate 80 ( Ohio Turnpike) * Interstate 90 ( Ohio Turnpike) * U.S. Route 6 * U.S. Route 20 * U.S. Route 23

Other highways

* Ohio State Route 12 * Ohio State Route 18 * Ohio State Route 19 * Ohio State Route 51 * Ohio State Route 53 * Ohio State Route 101 * Ohio State Route 105 * Ohio State Route 300 * Ohio State Route 412 * Ohio State Route 510 * Ohio State Route 523 * Ohio State Route 582 * Ohio State Route 590 * Ohio State Route 600 * Ohio State Route 635

Airports

* Fremont Airport * Sandusky County Regional Airport

Communities

Cities

* Bellevue * Clyde * Fremont (county seat)

Villages

* Burgoon * Elmore * Gibsonburg * Green Springs * Helena * Lindsey * Woodville

Townships

* Ballville * Green Creek * Jackson * Madison *

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

* Riley * Sandusky * Scott * Townsend * Washington * Woodville *

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

Census-designated places

* Ballville * Hessville * Stony Prairie * Vickery * Whites Landing * Wightmans Grove

Unincorporated communities

* Colby * Erlin * Galetown * Green Creek * Havens * Hessville * Kingsway * Millersville * Rollersville * Tinney * Whitmore * Winters Station *

Places of interest

* H. J. Heinz Company ketchup factory (the world's largest) * Mineral Springs at Green Springs, Ohio * Rutherford B. Hayes Presidential Center * Spiegel Grove * Fremont Speedway

References

External links

Sandusky County Convention & Visitors Bureau website

Sandusky County Government's website

Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation
{{authority control 1820 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1820