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Monroe County, Ohio
Monroe County Courthouse
Seal
Location in the U.S. state of Ohio
Ohio's location in the U.S.
Founded	March 1, 1815
Named for	James Monroe
Seat	Woodsfield
Largest village	Woodsfield
Area
• Total	457 sq mi (1,184 km2)
• Land	456 sq mi (1,181 km2)
• Water	1.7 sq mi (4 km2), 0.4%
Population
• (2010)	14,642
• Density	32/sq mi (12/km2)
Congressional district	6th
Time zone	Eastern: UTC−5/−4
Website	www.monroecountyohio.net

Monroe County is a county located on the eastern border of the U.S. state of Ohio, across the Ohio River from West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 14,642,^[1] making it the second-least populous county in Ohio. Its county seat is Woodsfield.^[2] The county was created in 1813 and later organized in 1815.^[3]

History

Monroe County was formed on January 28, 1813 from portions of Belmont, Guernsey and Washington counties. It was named after James Monroe, the U.S. Secretary of State when the county was formed, and later fifth President of the United States.^[4] When organized, the county's eastern border was with the state of Virginia. This portion of the state seceded from Virginia during the American Civil War, being admitted to the Union as the state of West Virginia. The largely rural county reached its peak of population in the 19th century, before urbanization drew people into and near cities for work and other opportunities. It is still a center of Amish population and farms.

On or about December 20, 2011, Exxon Mobil Corp., a New Jersey petroleum company, via its subsidiary XTO Energy, acquired 20,056 acres of Monroe County Utica Shale gas leases from Beck Energy.^[5]

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 457 square miles (1,180 km²), of which 456 square miles (1,180 km²) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km²) (0.4%) is water.^[6] It is bordered by the Ohio River to the east. The terrain is hilly in this area, with waterways cutting through some hills of the Appalachian Plateau, which extends from Lake Erie to the Ohio River, which flows southwest to the south of this county.

Adjacent counties

• 
  Belmont County (north)


• 
  Marshall County, West Virginia (northeast)


• 
  Wetzel County, West Virginia (east)


• 
  Tyler County, West Virginia (southeast)


• 
  Washington County (south)


• 
  Noble County (west)

Major highways

National protected area

• 
  Wayne National Forest (part)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census^[12] of 2000, there were 15,180 people, 6,021 households, and 4,413 families residing in the county. The population density was 33 people per square mile (13/km²). There were 7,212 housing units at an average density of 16 per square mile (6/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 98.72% White, 0.26% Black or African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.07% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.67% from two or more races. 0.41% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 6,021 households out of which 29.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.70% were married couples living together, 8.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.70% were non-families. 24.00% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out with 23.60% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 25.90% from 25 to 44, 27.20% from 45 to 64, and 16.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $30,467, and the median income for a family was $36,297. Males had a median income of $33,308 versus $19,628 for females. The per capita income for the county was $15,096. About 11.00% of families and 13.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.30% of those under age 18 and 11.40% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 14,642 people, 6,065 households, and 4,183 families residing in the county.^[13] The population density was 32.1 inhabitants per square mile (12.4/km²). There were 7,567 housing units at an average density of 16.6 per square mile (6.4/km²).^[14] The racial makeup of the county was 98.1% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.1% Asian, 0.1% American Indian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.2% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.4% of the population.^[13] In terms of ancestry, 34.8% were German, 14.5% were Irish, 10.6% were English, and 9.6% were American.^[15]

Of the 6,065 households, 27.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.0% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 31.0% were non-families, and 27.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.39 and the average family size was 2.87. The median age was 44.7 years.^[13]

The median income for a household in the county was $37,030 and the median income for a family was $43,261. Males had a median income of $39,261 versus $24,922 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,738. About 12.3% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.7% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.^[16]

Politics

Monroe County voted Democratic in every election from 1976 until 2008. In 2012, it voted Republican for the first time in 40 years. In 2016, it took a sharp turn to the right, voting for Donald Trump by a large margin. In the 2014 gubernatorial election, Monroe was one of two counties to vote for Democrat Ed FitzGerald over Republican John Kasich (along with Athens County).

Government

Monroe County has three County Commissioners who oversee the various County departments, similar to 85 of the other 88 Ohio counties. Current Commissioners are: Mick Schumacher (R), Tim Price (D), and Carl Davis (D).^[18]

Monroe County is served by the Monroe County District Library from its administrative offices in Woodsfield, Ohio; it also offers a bookmobile service.

In 2005, the library loaned more than 141,000 items to its 6,000 cardholders. Total holding are over 64,000 volumes with over 140 periodical subscriptions.^[19] This library is a member of the SOLO Regional Library System.

Education

Monroe County contains the following schools through the Switzerland of Ohio Local School District:

• Elementary Schools
  
  
  
  • Beallsville Elementary School in Beallsville, Ohio
    
  
  
  • River Elementary School in Hannibal, Ohio
    
  
  
  • Skyvue Elementary School in Graysville, Ohio
    
  
  
  • Woodsfield Elementary School in Woodsfield, Ohio
    
  
  
  • St.Sylvester Central in Woodsfield, Ohio
  
  
  
  


• High Schools
  
  
  
  • 
    Monroe Central High School in Woodsfield, Ohio
  
  
  • 
    River High School in Hannibal, Ohio
  
  
  • Beallsville High School in Beallsville, Ohio
  
  
  
  


• Career Center
  
  • Swiss Hills Career Center in Woodsfield, Ohio
  
  

Communities

Map of Monroe County, Ohio with municipal and township labels

Villages

Townships

https://web.archive.org/web/20160715023447/http://www.ohiotownships.org/township-websites

Census-designated places

• Hannibal


• Sardis

Unincorporated communities

Notable people

• 
  Philip Allen, member of the Wisconsin State Assembly.^[20]
  


• 
  Sam V. Stewart, Montana Supreme Court Justice and the sixth Governor of Montana.^[21]
  

See also

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Monroe County, Ohio

References

Further reading

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

External links

• Monroe County Economic Development and Tourism


• Monroe County Public Library website

Coordinates: 39°44′N 81°05′W / 39.73°N 81.08°W / 39.73; -81.08