Worthington is a city in

Franklin County, Ohio Franklin County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 1,323,807, making it the List of counties in Ohio, most populous county in Ohio. Most of its la ...

, United States, and is a northern suburb of Columbus. The population in the 2020 census was 14,786. The city was founded in 1803 by the Scioto Company led by James Kilbourne, who was later elected to the

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...

, and named in honor of

Thomas Worthington Thomas or Tom Worthington may refer to: *Thomas Worthington (Douai) (1549–1627), English Catholic priest and third President of Douai College *Thomas Worthington (Dominican) (1671–1754), English Dominican friar and writer *Thomas Worthington (g ...

, who later became governor of Ohio.

History

First settlement

On May 5, 1802, a group of prospective settlers founded the Scioto Company at the home of Rev. Eber B. Clark in

Granby, Connecticut Granby is a town in northern Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The town is part of the Capitol Planning Region, Connecticut, Capitol Planning Region. The population was 10,903 at the 2020 United States cen ...

for the purpose of forming a settlement between the

Muskingum River The Muskingum River ( ; ) is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southeastern Ohio in the United States. An important commercial route in the 19th century, it flows generally southward through the eastern hill country of Ohio ...

and

Great Miami River The Great Miami River (also called the Miami River) (Shawnee language, Shawnee: ''Msimiyamithiipi'') is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe Nat ...

in the

Ohio Country The Ohio Country (Ohio Territory, Ohio Valley) was a name used for a loosely defined region of colonial North America west of the Appalachian Mountains and south of Lake Erie. Control of the territory and the region's fur trade was disputed i ...

. James Kilbourne was elected president and Josiah Topping secretary (McCormick 1998:7). On August 30, 1802, James Kilbourne and Nathaniel Little arrived at Colonel

's home in

Chillicothe, Ohio Chillicothe ( ) is a city in Ross County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 22,059 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located along the Scioto River 45 miles (72 km) south of Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, ...

. They tentatively reserved land along 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 ...

on the

Pickaway Plains Pickaway Plains is a wide area of rolling hills beginning about 3 miles south of Circleville, Ohio, and extending several miles to the north and south. This geological area was formed by sand and gravel deposited by melting water from the last glac ...

for their new settlement (McCormick 1998:17). On October 5, 1802, the Scioto Company met in

and decided not to purchase the lands along the

on the

, but rather to buy land farther north from Dr. Jonas Stanbery and his partner, an

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

general,

Jonathan Dayton Jonathan Dayton (October 16, 1760October 9, 1824) was an American Founding Father and politician from New Jersey. At 26, he was the youngest person to sign the Constitution of the United States. He was elected to the United States House of Rep ...

. Sixteen thousand acres (65 km) were purchased along the Whetstone River (now known as the Olentangy River) at $1.50 per acre (McCormick 1998:19-27). This land was part of the United States Military District surveyed by Israel Ludlow in 1797 and divided into townships square.

Organization

On May 7, 1803, James Kilbourne arrived at what is now Worthington to inspect the Scioto Company's purchase. A work party of seven hired laborers, paid $12 per month each, soon began work clearing the forest (McCormick 1998: 29). On August 10, 1803, the Scioto Company voted to name the village for

, one of Ohio's first two senators, and for each member to contribute $2 (about four days wages) to support a library. In September 1803 the first settlers departed Connecticut by horse. Ezra Griswold was the lone settler who traveled by ox-cart. With this he is officially the first settler of Worthington, beating his fellow Company men to the site. By December 1803, Worthington was divided into 160, three quarter acre city lots with a public green in the center of the village. Thirty seven persons bid between $53 and $0.25 to select a lot. Those who bid nothing were given a choice of the remaining lots. Farm lots, ranging from 20 to and averaging , were sold off in the same way. Both the Episcopal Church and Worthington Academy were given an farm lot and wood lot to provide financial support.

Dissolution of the Company

By August 11, 1804, the plat maps were completed, payments or notes promising payments collected and deeds prepared for all sixteen thousand acres (65 km) of the Scioto Company's purchase (McCormick 1998:71). On January 28, 1805, having completed its work of apportioning land and establishing the church, school and library, the Scioto Company was dissolved (McCormick 1998:76).

Incorporation

On February 20, 1808, the Worthington Academy was incorporated by the Ohio legislature and a brick building was constructed facing the northeast quadrant of the public square. Its bell now adorns Kilbourne Middle School. That same year James Kilbourne erected a commercial building for a newspaper. This building still stands at 679-681 High Street as the oldest commercial building in continuous use in the state. In 1811, Ezra Griswold built a large south-facing brick tavern on the lot north of the northeast quadrant of the public square. That same year, the Orange Johnson house was constructed north of the Village Green.

War of 1812

During the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 was fought by the United States and its allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom and its allies in North America. It began when the United States United States declaration of war on the Uni ...

, several Worthington militia marched north with General William Hull's army and were surrendered at Detroit on August 12, 1812. Orders issued by General

William Henry Harrison William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773April 4, 1841) was the ninth president of the United States, serving from March 4 to April 4, 1841, the shortest presidency in U.S. history. He was also the first U.S. president to die in office, causin ...

from "Northwest Army Headquarters, Worthington, Ohio" on October 28, 1812, indicate the commander, like his supply wagons, was using the road north from the capital. On September 7, 1814, Zophar Topping died while serving with Indian scouts. He was one of two Worthington casualties during the war along with Luther Palmer. Aurora Buttles House aka Sidney Brown House

Aurora Buttles House aka Sidney Brown House

Growth

On May 24, 1813, James Kilbourne took a seat in the

. On August 25, 1817, President

James Monroe James Monroe ( ; April 28, 1758July 4, 1831) was an American Founding Father of the United States, Founding Father who served as the fifth president of the United States from 1817 to 1825. He was the last Founding Father to serve as presiden ...

visited Worthington. Also in 1817,

Philander Chase Philander Chase (December 14, 1775 – September 20, 1852) was an Episcopal Church bishop, educator, and pioneer of the United States western frontier, especially in Ohio and Illinois. Early life and family Born in Cornish, New Hampshire, t ...

moved to Worthington to become the first rector of St. John's Episcopal Church. He concurrently served as rector of Episcopal churches in Columbus and Delaware and as principal of the Worthington Academy. In June 1818, Rev. Chase was elected Bishop of the newly organized Episcopal Diocese of Ohio. Chase initially founded

Kenyon College Kenyon College ( ) is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Gambier, Ohio, United States. It was founded in 1824 by Episcopal Bishop Philander Chase. It is the oldest private instituti ...

in Worthington. The period from the 1820s to the Civil War was a time of slow growth for the sleepy village. In 1820, Aurora Buttles erected a Masonic hall. In 1826 the Columbus and Sandusky Turnpike was incorporated (now U.S. Route 23) to connect the center of the state to Lake Erie, further cementing the importance of High Street.

Civil War

In September, 1861 Captain William Pinney and 14 members of the "Olentangy Reserves" mustered into Company E of Thomas Worthington Jr.'s 46th Ohio Volunteer Infantry, which trained at Camp Lyon on the old Worthington Manufacturing Co. site southwest of the village. This unit suffered forty percent casualties at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...

in April 1862. On April 29, 1865, at Appx 6:50 AM, President Abraham Lincoln's funeral train passed through Worthington en route to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus.

Post-war growth

In 1866 the Bishop House was converted to the Union Hotel (Worthington Inn) by the Lewis family. In 1873 the Worthington School located at Evening Street and State Route 161 was completed. The first Worthington High School class graduated in 1880 (including 2 girls). In 1931, the only

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

pontifical college outside of Italy, the Pontifical College Josephinum relocated just north of Worthington where it exists today.

Geography

Worthington is located at (40.091513, -83.020905). 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 city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The cities of Worthington and Riverlea form an

enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...

of Columbus. Highways that pass through or adjacent to Worthington include Interstate 270, United States Route 23, Ohio State Route 161, and Ohio State Route 315.

Interstate 71 Interstate 71 (I-71) is a north–south Interstate Highway in the midwestern and Southeastern United States, southeastern regions of the United States. Its southern terminus is at an interchange with Interstate 64, I-64 and Interstate 65, ...

and Ohio State Route 710 pass just to the east of the city. Except for a small border with Perry Township (Brookside Estates) on the west, Worthington is completely surrounded by Columbus. Western Worthington now includes part of what used to be Linworth, and is home to the Linworth Alternative Program school.

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 13,575 people, 5,691 households, and 3,874 families living in the city. 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 5,940 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.0%

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 ...

, 2.2%

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 ...

, 2.3% Asian, 0.5% from other races, and 2.0% 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 1.7% of the population. There were 5,691 households, of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 2.7% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.9% were non-families. 28.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.88. The median age in the city was 44.9 years. 23.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.5% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 22.6% were from 25 to 44; 30.7% were from 45 to 64; and 19.1% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.

2000 census

As of the

of 2000, there were 14,125 people, 5,692 households, and 4,052 families living in the city. The population density was . There were 5,845 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the city was 93.97%

, 1.71%

, 0.12% Native American, 2.77% 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 ...

, 0.22% from other races, and 1.21% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 0.98% of the population. There were 5,692 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.0% were

living together, 7.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 25.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.42 and the average family size was 2.92. In the city the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 4.9% from 18 to 24, 23.1% from 25 to 44, 29.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 44 years. For every 100 females, there were 88.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.6 males. The median income for a household in the city was $68,568, and the median income for a family was $83,074. Males had a median income of $59,258 versus $39,424 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 city was $34,495. About 1.4% of families and 2.5% 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 2.4% of those under age 18 and 4.5% of those age 65 or over.

Library

The Worthington Public Library serves the community with three branches. In 2015, the library loaned more than 3.2 million items to its 79,500 cardholders, making it one of the busiest libraries in

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 ...

. Total printed materials held are over 473,000 volumes with 20,000 print subscriptions. It is also the first unionized library in central Ohio, currently represented by The Ohio Federation of Teachers.

Transportation

Worthington's downtown centers around the intersection of Ohio State Route 161 and U.S. Route 23. In addition, the 315 expressway and

flank Worthington's west and east ends respectively, and Worthington is accessible by Interstate 270, a ring road surrounding Columbus which itself cuts through the northern end of Worthington. Public transport is minimal in Worthington, though the Central Ohio Transit Authority operates bus line 102 along High Street. The only rail transport near Worthington is a

Norfolk Southern Railway The Norfolk Southern Railway is a Class I freight railroad operating in the Eastern United States. Headquartered in Atlanta, the company was formed in 1982 with the merger of the Norfolk and Western Railway and Southern Railway. The comp ...

line parallel to I-71. The Ohio State University Airport is the nearest

general aviation General aviation (GA) is defined by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as all civil aviation aircraft operations except for commercial air transport or aerial work, which is defined as specialized aviation services for other ...

airport to the city, and passengers are served by Columbus's two airports: John Glenn Columbus International Airport and

Rickenbacker International Airport Rickenbacker International Airport is a civil-military public airport south of downtown Columbus, Ohio, Columbus, near Lockbourne, Ohio, Lockbourne in southern Franklin County, Ohio, Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The south end of the ...

Education

Worthington Schools operates public schools.

Thomas Worthington High School Thomas Worthington High School (TWHS) is a public school in Worthington, Ohio. The school was named Worthington High School until 1991, when sister school, Worthington Kilbourne High School, opened. With approximately 1700 students, TWHS is the ...

and

Worthington Kilbourne High School Worthington Kilbourne High School (WKHS) is a public school located in Columbus, Ohio, United States, and is part of the Worthington City School District. Kilbourne was named after James Kilbourne, the founder of the city of Worthington. The s ...

are the high schools of the city. The

Linworth Alternative Program Linworth Experiential Program (formerly Linworth Alternative Program) is located in Worthington, Ohio, in the Linworth area and is part of the Worthington City School District. History The Linworth Experiential Program opened in the fall of 197 ...

also operates within the city. The office of the Columbus Japanese Language School, a weekend supplementary Japanese school, is located in Worthington. The classes are held in Marysville. Previously classes were held at Worthington school district facilities. The Ohio Contemporary Chinese School (OCCS, ) is located in the area, holding classes at Worthington Kilbourne. It serves the

Chinese American Chinese Americans are Americans of Chinese ancestry. Chinese Americans constitute a subgroup of East Asian Americans which also constitute a subgroup of Asian Americans. Many Chinese Americans have ancestors from mainland China, Hong Kong ...

community. St. Michael's, a private Roman Catholic school, was founded in Worthington in 1954.

Notable people

Andrew Anglin Andrew Barret Anglin (born July 27, 1984) is an American neo-Nazi, conspiracy theorist, and editor of the website '' The Daily Stormer''. Through his website, Anglin combines Nazi ideology with Internet memes originating primarily from 4chan ...

, founder of white-supremacist website

The Daily Stormer ''The Daily Stormer'' is an American neo-Nazi commentary and message board website that advocates for a Second Holocaust, second genocide of Jews. It is part of the alt-right movement. Its editor, Andrew Anglin, founded the outlet on July 4, ...

. * Gary Berry,

Green Bay Packer The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. They are the third ...

defensive back * Earle Bruce,

Ohio State University The Ohio State University (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

football coach * Casey Close,

Sports agent A sports agent is a legal representative (hence agent (law), agent) for professional sports figures such as athletes and coaches. They procure and negotiate employment and Testimonial, endorsement contracts for the principal (commercial law), at ...

* Dieter Cunz and

Oskar Seidlin Oskar Seidlin (February 17, 1911 – December 11, 1984) was a Jewish emigre from Nazi Germany first to Switzerland and then to the U.S. He taught German language and literature as a professor at Smith College, Middlebury College, Ohio State Un ...

, professors, openly gay couple 1957-1969 *

Susan Diol Susan Vanita Diol is an American actress who has played supporting roles in over forty television series, including '' Quantum Leap'' (1989–1993; 2022–2024), '' Night Court, One Life to Live'', '' Wings'', '' Star Trek: The Next Generation'' ...

, actress * Colin Gawel, lead singer and guitarist of Watershed *

Maggie Grace Margaret Grace Denig (born September 21, 1983) is an American actress. She is known for playing Shannon Rutherford on the ABC television series '' Lost'' (2004–2006; 2010), Kim Mills in the '' Taken'' trilogy (2008–2014), Irina in ''The T ...

, actress * Rachael Harris, actress and comedian * John Wesley Hoyt, third Governor of

Wyoming Territory The Territory of Wyoming was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from July 25, 1868, until July 10, 1890, when it was admitted to the Union as the State of Wyoming. Cheyenne was the territorial capital. The ...

Pat McCrory Patrick Lloyd McCrory (born October 17, 1956) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd mayor of Charlotte ...

, longest-serving mayor of

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

Eldon Miller Eldon Miller (born June 19, 1939) is an American former college basketball coach. The Gnadenhutten, Ohio native has led four different programs in 36 years of coaching: at Wittenberg University (1962–70), Western Michigan University (1971–7 ...

, OSU basketball coach * Betty Montgomery, Former Ohio

Attorney General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general (: attorneys general) or attorney-general (AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have executive responsibility for law enf ...

and Auditor * J. R. Niklos, NFL fullback * Danny O'Rourke,

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a professional soccer league in North America and the highest level of the United States soccer league system. It comprises 30 teams, with 27 in the United States and 3 in Canada, and is sanctioned by the United ...

soccer player * Christopher Paul,

al Qaeda , image = Flag of Jihad.svg , caption = Jihadist flag, Flag used by various al-Qaeda factions , founder = Osama bin Laden{{Assassinated, Killing of Osama bin Laden , leaders = {{Plainlist, * Osama bin Lad ...

terrorist * Troy Perkins, former professional soccer goalkeeper and 2006 Major League Soccer, MLS Goalkeeper of the Year * Michael R. Perry, Emmy Award-winning television and film writer * Jack Plotnick, actor * Roswell S. Ripley, Confederate States Army, Confederate brigadier general who fought in the American Civil War, Civil War * Claire Shipman, American Broadcasting Company, ABC news correspondent * J. K. Simmons, Academy Award-winning actor * Jeff Smith (cartoonist), Jeff Smith, Cartoonist, writer and illustrator of Bone comics * Nick Swisher, former MLB baseball player * Dana Tyler, New York City's CBS news anchor

References

External links

Healthy Worthington Coalition

Worthington Public Library website

Worthington Historical Society

Worthington Memory Project
{{Authority control Worthington, Ohio, Cities in Ohio Cities in Franklin County, Ohio Populated places established in 1803 1803 establishments in Ohio