Athens County, Ohio
The Athens County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. In the census in 2010, the County had 64 757 inhabitants and a population density of 49.4 inhabitants per square kilometer. The administrative headquarters ( County Seat) is the university town of Athens.
Geography
The County is located in southeastern Ohio, reached its southeastern tip of the Ohio River, which forms the border with West Virginia. The Athens County has an area of 1,317 square kilometers, of which five square kilometers of water surface. It borders the following Nachbarcountys:
Land use
In Athens County are 2.47% of the total area ( 1317 km ² ), built-up settlement areas ( residential areas, traffic areas, commercial areas etc.). As arable land ( 5.62% ) and grassland ( 12.96 %), only small parts of the county to be used. The largest by far parts of the Athens County take a large woods with 77.79 % of the area. Only 0.76 % of the County take a open waters. Less than 0.5 percent of the County are uncovered or taken from mining.
History
The Athens County was formed on February 20, 1805 from parts of Washington County. It was named, as well as the district capital, according to the Greek city of Athens. Reason led here was that at that time the Ohio University was established here.
Demographic data
According to the census in 2010 lived in Athens County 64 757 people in 22 283 households. The population density was 49.4 inhabitants per square kilometer.
The racial the population was composed of 91.8 percent white, 2.7 percent African American, 0.3 percent Native American, 2.7 percent Asian and other ethnic groups; 2.1 percent were descended from two or more races. Regardless of ethnicity were 1.5 percent of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
In the 22 283 households lived statistically 2.44 per person.
15.8 percent of the population were under 18 years old, 74.1 percent were between 18 and 64 and 10.1 percent were 65 years or older. 49.9 percent of the population was female.
The median income for a household was $ 31,559. The per capita income was $ 16,642. 30.3 percent of the population lived below the poverty line.
Places in Athens County
Citys
- Athens
- Nelsonville
Villages
- Albany
- Amesville
- Buchtel
- Chauncey
- Coolville
- Glouster
- Jacksonville
- Trimble
Unincorporated communities
- The Plains
Unincorporated communities other
- Burr Oak
- Canaanville
- Carbondale
- Guys Ville
- Hockingport
- Millfield
- Mineral
- Modoc
- New Marshfield
- Redtown
- Shade
- Sharpsburg
- Stewart
- Torch
- Wrightstown
Structure
The Athens County is divided into 14 townships:
- Alexander Township
- Ames Township
- Athens Township
- Bern Township
- Canaan Township
- Carthage Township
- Dover Township
- Lee Township
- Lodi Township
- Rome Township
- Trimble Township
- Troy Township
- Waterloo Township
- York Township
Economy
The largest employer in the Athens County is the Ohio University. Other significant employers include the Appalachian Behavioral Healthcare, the Hocking College, the health sector (Diagnostic Hybrids, O'Bleness Memorial Hospital ), other services, and the growing number of small businesses in the retail and catering trade.
In the history of Athens County, first saw the production of salt for jobs, followed by mining for coal and timber production. This long played an important role in the economic development of Athens County.
The mining industry has its peak exceeded for some time and has been preserved only to a small, little significant part. Only Buckingham Coal operates coal mining in Trimble Township in the far north of Athens County. With various gravel pits and limestone mines other representatives of the sector of raw material extraction can be found in several places in the county. In Athens County were also oil and gas wells, but small-scale, found and developed.
Both grassland farming and agriculture and horticulture have declined in their share of the social product, but both still play a renewed and increasingly significant role in the regional economy.
Forestry is mainly in the north of the County, where large parts of the land area is forested, still of importance. The headquarters of the Wayne National Forest, one of the state-owned enterprises, is located between the towns of Athens and Nelsonville.
A growing component of the economic structure of tourism. Athens County is known for handicrafts and musicians, and provides appropriate cultural activities. Furthermore, there are opportunities for hunting and fishing. More than 30 km of cycling routes open up the area between the two major sites of Athens County, Athens and Nelsonville. Parks and forest areas round off the range of tourist attractions.
In the service sector, especially the University and other educational and training institutions play a role in the economic structure of the Athens County. More than a quarter of the population of the County is enrolled either as a student or trainee at Hooking college or at Ohio University or employed there as a teacher, administrative or technical staff.