Delaware County, Ohio


Delaware County is a county located in the central portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 174,214. Its county seat is Delaware. The county was formed in 1808 from Franklin County, Ohio. Both the county and its seat are named after the Delaware Indian tribe.
Delaware County is included in the Columbus, Ohio Metropolitan Area.
U. S. President Rutherford B. Hayes was born and raised in Delaware County. It is also home to the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium.

History

In 2008, Forbes magazine ranks Delaware County as the fifth best place in the United States to raise a family and the second best in Ohio, behind Geauga County.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water. The county has an even terrain and a fertile soil.

Adjacent counties

The major rivers of the county are the Scioto River, Olentangy River, Alum Creek, and the Big Walnut Creek. These waterways run from north to south across the county. The Alum Creek Lake and the Delaware Lake are reservoirs created on Alum Creek and the Olentangy River, respectively.

Demographics

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 109,989 people, 39,674 households, and 30,668 families living in the county. The population density is 249 people per square mile. There were 42,374 housing units at an average density of 96 per square mile. The racial makeup of the county was 94.25% White, 2.52% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 1.54% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.38% from other races, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population. 26.8% were of German, 11.7% Irish, 11.3% English, 10.7% American and 6.9% Italian ancestry according to 2000 census.
There were 39,674 households out of which 40.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.70% were married couples living together, 6.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.70% were non-families. 18.10% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.30% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.70 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the county, the population was spread out with 28.20% under the age of 18, 7.60% from 18 to 24, 32.60% from 25 to 44, 23.30% from 45 to 64, and 8.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.00 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.90 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $67,258, and the median income for a family was $76,453. Males had a median income of $51,428 versus $33,041 for females. The per capita income for the county was $31,600. About 2.90% of families and 3.80% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.40% of those under the age of 18 and 4.80% of those 65 and older.
By 2007, the median income for a household and for a family had risen to $80,526 and $94,099 respectively.
According to the United States Census Bureau, Delaware County is the 21st fastest growing county in the United States.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 174,214 people, 62,760 households, and 47,977 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 66,378 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 89.7% white, 4.3% Asian, 3.4% black or African American, 0.1% American Indian, 0.6% from other races, and 1.8% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 2.1% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 34.2% were German, 16.3% were Irish, 14.0% were English, 8.1% were Italian, and 5.7% were American.
Of the 62,760 households, 41.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.8% were married couples living together, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, 23.6% were non-families, and 19.0% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.16. The median age was 37.4 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $87,908 and the median income for a family was $101,698. Males had a median income of $70,949 versus $48,913 for females. The per capita income for the county was $40,682. About 3.4% of families and 4.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 4.8% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Delaware County is a Republican Party stronghold. The solitary Democratic Party candidate to win the county from 1856 to the present day was Woodrow Wilson in his 1912 & 1916 electoral victories.

Education

The following school districts are located in Delaware County.
The Ohio Wesleyan University, located in Delaware, Ohio, is one of the top liberal arts colleges in the United States and one of the Five Colleges of Ohio.

Transportation

Major Highways

Airports

The area is served by the Delaware Municipal Airport, which is strategically located to serve the rapidly developing southern Delaware County area and the north portion of the Franklin County and Columbus areas. The airport contains a 5,000 foot runway, flight terminal, lounges, and weather briefing areas. It is home to approximately 80 aircraft and an estimated 40,000 operations take place per year. Several smaller airports are located in the county.

Media

The Delaware Gazette, a morning daily founded in 1885, is the dominant local newspaper in Delaware County, while the Sunbury News, a weekly community newspaper, serves eastern Delaware County and residents of the Big Walnut Local School District. Both publications are owned by Brown Publishing Company.
Additional local print publications include ThisWeek Delaware News, which covers the city of Delaware and the villages of Galena and Sunbury; and ThisWeek Olentangy Valley News, which covers Powell and the Olentangy Local School District. Both weekly papers are among 21 published by ThisWeek Community News, headquartered in southern Delaware County. ThisWeek is owned by GateHouse Media, which also owns the Columbus Dispatch. The Village of Shawnee Hills in southwestern Delaware County is served by a monthly newspaper - The Village Gazette. The Village Gazette is independent.
Other local publications include the Transcript, the student paper at Ohio Wesleyan University.

Points of interest

Delaware, Ohio is famous for The Little Brown Jug, an internationally famous harness race which is part of the Triple Crown of harness racing.
The Methodist Theological School in Ohio is the Methodist graduate school seminary located between Delaware and Columbus, Ohio. It is often referred to as METHESCO.
Additional notable places include:

Cities

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

Unincorporated communities

Notable people who have lived in or been associated with the county include: