Highland County, Ohio

Coordinates: 39°11′N 83°36′W / 39.18°N 83.60°W / 39.18; -83.60
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Highland County
Highland County Courthouse
Official seal of Highland County
Map of Ohio highlighting Highland County
Location within the U.S. state of Ohio
Map of the United States highlighting Ohio
Ohio's location within the U.S.
Coordinates: 39°11′N 83°36′W / 39.18°N 83.6°W / 39.18; -83.6
Country United States
State Ohio
FoundedMay 1, 1805[1]
Named forhilly topography which divides the Little Miami and Scioto river watersheds
SeatHillsboro
Largest cityHillsboro
Area
 • Total558 sq mi (1,450 km2)
 • Land553 sq mi (1,430 km2)
 • Water4.7 sq mi (12 km2)  0.8%
Population
 (2020)
 • Total43,317
 • Density78/sq mi (30/km2)
Time zoneUTC−5 (Eastern)
 • Summer (DST)UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional district2nd
Websiteco.highland.oh.us

Highland County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 43,317.[2] Its county seat is Hillsboro.[3] The county is named for the topography which is hilly and divides the watersheds of the Little Miami and Scioto Rivers.[4]

Geography[edit]

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 558 square miles (1,450 km2), of which 553 square miles (1,430 km2) is land and 4.7 square miles (12 km2) (0.8%) is water.[5]

Adjacent counties[edit]

Major highways[edit]

Demographics[edit]

Historical population
CensusPop.Note
18105,766
182012,308113.5%
183016,34532.8%
184022,26936.2%
185025,78115.8%
186027,7737.7%
187029,1334.9%
188030,2813.9%
189029,048−4.1%
190030,9826.7%
191028,711−7.3%
192027,610−3.8%
193025,416−7.9%
194027,0996.6%
195028,1884.0%
196029,7165.4%
197028,996−2.4%
198033,47715.5%
199035,7286.7%
200040,87514.4%
201043,5896.6%
202043,317−0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[6]
1790-1960[7] 1900-1990[8]
1990-2000[9] 2020 [2]

2000 census[edit]

As of the census[10] of 2010, there were 43,589 people living in Highland County. The population density is 78.8 people per square mile. The county is made up of 96.4% White, 1.5% Black or African American, 0.3% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 1.5% from two or more races, and 0.8% Hispanic or Latino.

This county is also made up of 6.2% of people under the age of 5, 24.7% of people under the age of 18, and 16.5% of people over the age of 65. The median age is 39.2. The county is also 51% female.

There are 16,963 households in Highland County as of the 2010 census. The average household size is 2.58 persons, while the average family size is 3.04 persons. According to the 2010 census, 41.9% of the houses in Highland County had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.07% of the houses were married couples living together, 11.09% of the houses had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.91% of the houses were non-families. Individuals made up 24.33% of all households, and 11.02% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

According to the census, 81.5% of people over the age of 25 is at least a high school graduate and 11.1% of people over the age of 25 have earned at least a bachelor's degree. The median household income is $39,641 and 17.6% of people live below the poverty line. The per capita income of Highland County is $19,557.

2010 census[edit]

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 43,589 people, 16,693 households, and 11,819 families residing in the county.[11] The population density was 78.8 inhabitants per square mile (30.4/km2). There were 19,380 housing units at an average density of 35.0 per square mile (13.5/km2).[12] The racial makeup of the county was 96.5% white, 1.4% black or African American, 0.3% American Indian, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 1.5% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 0.7% of the population.[11] In terms of ancestry, 23.8% were German, 14.9% were Irish, 14.3% were American, and 10.7% were English.[13]

Of the 16,693 households, 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 11.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.2% were non-families, and 24.3% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.58 and the average family size was 3.04. The median age was 39.2 years.[11]

The median income for a household in the county was $39,844 and the median income for a family was $48,604. Males had a median income of $38,892 versus $29,167 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,966. About 12.4% of families and 16.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.2% of those under age 18 and 12.7% of those age 65 or over.[14]

Politics[edit]

Highland County is a Republican stronghold county in presidential elections. The last time it voted for the Democratic presidential candidate was for Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.

United States presidential election results for Highland County, Ohio[15]
Year Republican Democratic Third party
No.  % No.  % No.  %
2020 15,678 79.68% 3,799 19.31% 199 1.01%
2016 14,020 75.43% 3,773 20.30% 795 4.28%
2012 11,413 63.83% 6,054 33.86% 412 2.30%
2008 11,907 61.92% 6,856 35.65% 468 2.43%
2004 12,211 66.07% 6,194 33.52% 76 0.41%
2000 9,728 62.98% 5,328 34.49% 391 2.53%
1996 7,102 48.40% 5,837 39.78% 1,735 11.82%
1992 7,020 46.06% 4,866 31.92% 3,356 22.02%
1988 8,776 66.60% 4,278 32.46% 124 0.94%
1984 9,000 69.90% 3,784 29.39% 91 0.71%
1980 7,359 59.35% 4,363 35.19% 678 5.47%
1976 6,853 51.41% 6,327 47.46% 151 1.13%
1972 8,524 69.72% 3,464 28.33% 238 1.95%
1968 6,489 51.81% 3,828 30.56% 2,208 17.63%
1964 5,985 45.12% 7,281 54.88% 0 0.00%
1960 8,948 62.26% 5,423 37.74% 0 0.00%
1956 8,397 63.50% 4,826 36.50% 0 0.00%
1952 8,568 62.15% 5,219 37.85% 0 0.00%
1948 6,849 54.62% 5,675 45.26% 16 0.13%
1944 7,963 59.88% 5,336 40.12% 0 0.00%
1940 8,530 55.21% 6,921 44.79% 0 0.00%
1936 7,392 47.84% 8,011 51.85% 48 0.31%
1932 6,924 48.98% 7,079 50.07% 134 0.95%
1928 8,325 68.12% 3,836 31.39% 60 0.49%
1924 6,845 57.16% 4,583 38.27% 548 4.58%
1920 7,570 57.06% 5,654 42.62% 43 0.32%
1916 3,727 47.81% 3,964 50.85% 105 1.35%
1912 2,757 36.96% 3,314 44.43% 1,388 18.61%
1908 4,149 51.23% 3,823 47.21% 126 1.56%
1904 4,205 54.00% 3,321 42.65% 261 3.35%
1900 4,078 49.53% 3,938 47.83% 218 2.65%
1896 4,106 50.32% 3,909 47.91% 144 1.76%
1892 3,496 49.14% 3,153 44.32% 465 6.54%
1888 3,576 48.61% 3,489 47.42% 292 3.97%
1884 3,683 50.84% 3,438 47.45% 124 1.71%
1880 3,648 50.91% 3,490 48.71% 27 0.38%
1876 3,341 50.06% 3,323 49.79% 10 0.15%
1872 3,171 51.91% 2,933 48.01% 5 0.08%
1868 3,038 51.60% 2,850 48.40% 0 0.00%
1864 3,120 54.61% 2,593 45.39% 0 0.00%
1860 2,409 45.34% 2,272 42.76% 632 11.90%
1856 1,810 37.37% 2,140 44.18% 894 18.46%

Education[edit]

School districts[edit]

Highland County is home to five school districts: Greenfield Exempted Village Schools in Greenfield,[16] Hillsboro City Schools in Hillsboro,[17] Fairfield Local School District in Leesburg,[18] Bright Local School District in Mowrystown,[19] and Lynchburg-Clay Local School District in Lynchburg.[20]

Libraries[edit]

The Highland County District Library[21] is the public library system serving Highland County, Ohio. The main library is in Hillsboro, with four branches located in Greenfield, Leesburg, Lynchburg, and Rocky Fork. The library is a member of the SEO Consortium which allows patrons access to over 6.9 million items owned by member libraries.

Recreation[edit]

There are currently several recreational areas in Highland County. There is Rocky Fork State Park[22] which is located 5 miles east of Hillsboro. It provides opportunities to go camping, fishing, boating, swimming, hunting, putt-putt, and disc golf amongst other activities.

There is also Paint Creek State Park[23] located 13 miles east of Hillsboro. Paint Creek offers many of the same activities as Rocky Fork but also offers horse riding, mountain biking, and winter recreational activities.

Fort Hill State Memorial is a memorial built by the Hopewell people that is located 10 miles southeast of Hillsboro[24] and is believed to be around 2000 years old.

Fallsville Wildlife Area[25] is located 4 miles north of Hillsboro. It offers fishing, hunting, hiking, and wildlife watching.

Non-profits[edit]

Habitat for Humanity of Highland County[26] was established in 2000, and has since built three homes: one on Johnson St. in Hillsboro and two on 2nd St. in Greenfield. Highland County Habitat is a locally run affiliate of Habitat for Humanity International, a nonprofit, ecumenical Christian housing organization. Habitat for Humanity works in partnership with people in need to build and renovate decent, affordable housing. The houses then are sold to those in need at no profit and with no interest charged.

Highlands Sanctuary is a chain of nature preserves centered in Highland County and owned by an organization of the same name.

Communities[edit]

Map of Highland County, Ohio with Municipal and Township Labels

City[edit]

Villages[edit]

Townships[edit]

Census-designated places[edit]

Unincorporated communities[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Ohio County Profiles: Highland County" (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Bureau, US Census. "2020 Population and Housing State Data". Census.gov.
  3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Archived from the original on May 31, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  4. ^ "Highland County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Retrieved April 28, 2007.[dead link]
  5. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  6. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  7. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  8. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  9. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Archived (PDF) from the original on March 27, 2010. Retrieved February 8, 2015.
  10. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  11. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  12. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  13. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  14. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
  15. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 2, 2018.
  16. ^ "Greenfield Exempted Village Schools". Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  17. ^ "Hillsboro City Schools". Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  18. ^ "Leesburg Fairfield School District". Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  19. ^ "Bight Local School District". Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  20. ^ "Lynchburg-Clay School District". Retrieved July 24, 2014.
  21. ^ "Home Page | Highland County District Library". www.highlandco.org.
  22. ^ "Rocky Fork State Park".
  23. ^ "Paint Creek State Park".
  24. ^ "Arc of Appalachia Preserve System". Archived from the original on August 11, 2014.
  25. ^ "Fallsville Wildlife Area".
  26. ^ Highland County, Ohio[permanent dead link]

External links[edit]

39°11′N 83°36′W / 39.18°N 83.60°W / 39.18; -83.60