| Belmont County, Ohio | |
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| Map | |
 Location in the state of Ohio |
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 Ohio's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | September 7, 1801[1] |
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| Seat | St. Clairsville |
| Largest city | Martins Ferry |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
541 sq mi (1,402 km²) 537 sq mi (1,391 km²) 4 sq mi (10 km²), 0.75% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
70,226 131/sq mi (50/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern: UTC-5/-4 |
| Website: www.belmontcountyohio.org | |
| Named for: "beautiful mountain" in French | |
Belmont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2000, the population was 70,226. Its county seat is St. Clairsville[2]. The county takes its name from the French for "beautiful mountain".[3]
Contents |
History
In 1976, Belmont County became the first American county to elect a female sheriff, Katherine Crumbly.[1]
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 541 square miles (1,402 km²), of which, 537 square miles (1,392 km²) of it is land and 4 square miles (10 km²) of it (0.75%) is water.
Adjacent counties
- Harrison County (north)
- Jefferson County (northeast)
- Ohio County, West Virginia (east)
- Marshall County, West Virginia (southeast)
- Monroe County (south)
- Noble County (southwest)
- Guernsey County (west)
Demographics
As of the census[4] of 2000, there were 70,226 people, 28,309 households, and 19,250 families residing in the county. The population density was 131 people per square mile (50/km²). There were 31,236 housing units at an average density of 58 per square mile (22/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 94.98% White, 3.64% Black or African American, 0.14% Native American, 0.30% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.16% from other races, and 0.77% from two or more races. 0.39% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 20.2% were of German, 12.5% Irish, 12.0% American, 10.3% English, 10.2% Italian and 9.0% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 28,309 households out of which 28.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.10% were married couples living together, 11.20% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.00% were non-families. 28.70% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.90.
In the county the population was spread out with 21.80% under the age of 18, 7.70% from 18 to 24, 27.40% from 25 to 44, 24.90% from 45 to 64, and 18.20% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 96.40 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.60 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,714, and the median income for a family was $37,538. Males had a median income of $31,211 versus $19,890 for females. The per capita income for the county was $16,221. About 11.70% of families and 14.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Almost all of the county's government offices are located in the Belmont County Courthouse.[5]
Belmont County's county flag was designed by local state official Michael Massa. Local citizens voted in a nationally-covered election to choose it from a group of three designs by Massa. The seal (minus a Latin phrase) is featured on the county's flag.[6]
Corrections
Belmont County is serviced by several detentional centers located around St. Clairsville. The Belmont Correctional Institution is located on 158 acres between St. Clairsville and Warnock on State Route 331. The facility currently houses 2,698 inmates.[7] The Belmont County Jail is located in St. Clairsville and is located near Belmont Technical College and Ohio University Eastern Campus. The facility contains 72 beds and also houses the county sheriff's offices.[8] The county is also serviced by Sargus Juvenile Detention Center, a 17 bed facility that also services surrounding counties.[9] Sargus Center is located next door to the county jail.
Communities
Cities
Villages
Townships
Census-designated place
Unincorporated communities
Education
K-12
Belmont County is served by the following local school districts
- Barnesville Exempted Village School District
- Bellaire Local
- Belmont County Educational Service Center
- Bridgeport Exempted Village
- Martins Ferry City
- Olney Friends School
- Shadyside Local
- St. Clairsville-Richland City
- Union Local High School
A small part of the county is served by the following schools of the multicounty Switzerland of Ohio Local School District:
- Hannibal Elementary School in Hannibal
- Powhatan Elementary School in Powhatan Point
- River High School in Hannibal
=Colleges & Universities
- Belmont Technical College
- Ohio University Eastern Campus
References
- ^ "Ohio County Profiles: Belmont County" (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. http://www.odod.state.oh.us/research/FILES/S0/Belmont.pdf. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Belmont County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. http://www.osuedc.org/profiles/profile_entrance.php?fips=39013&sid=0. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "[http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/ElectionsVoter/results2006.aspx Ohio Secretary of State 2006 Unofficial Election Statistics]". http://www.sos.state.oh.us/SOS/ElectionsVoter/results2006.aspx. Retrieved 2007-04-05.
- ^ Ohio County Flags: Belmont County, The Ohio Channel, 2007. Accessed 2007-09-11.
- ^ http://www.drc.state.oh.us/Public/BECI.htm
- ^ http://www.belmontsheriff.com
- ^ http://www.belmontcountyjuvenilecourt.com/index2.php?topic=sargusdetention.php
External links
- Belmont County Government's Web site
- Belmont County Economic Development
- Belmont County Port Authority
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Harrison County | Jefferson County | |
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| Guernsey County |  |
Ohio County, West Virginia | ||
 Belmont County, Ohio  |
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| Noble County | Monroe County | Marshall County, West Virginia |
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