athens county, ohio

Athens County is a county located in the state of Ohio, in the southeasternmost part of the state. As of 2000, the population is 62,223. Its county seat is Athens ⁶. Because the state university (Ohio University) was located there, the town and the county were named for the ancient center of learning, Athens, Greece.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,317 km² (509 mi²). 1,312 km² (507 mi²) of it is land and 5 km² (2 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 0.35% water. Athens County is located in the Unglaciated Allegheny Plateau region of Ohio. It features steep, rugged hills, with typical relief of 150 to 400 feet, deeply dissected by stream valleys, many of them remnant from the ancient Teays River drainage system. Most of Athens County is within the Hocking River watershed, with smaller areas in the Shade River and Raccoon Creek watersheds.

Adjacent counties

Perry County (north)
Morgan County (northeast)
Washington County (east)
Wood County, West Virginia (southeast)
Meigs County (south)
Vinton County (west)
Hocking County (northwest)

Demographics

As of the census ² of 2000, there are 62,223 people, 22,501 households, and 12,713 families residing in the county. The population density is 47/km² (123/mi²). There are 24,901 housing units at an average density of 19/km² (49/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 93.48% White, 2.39% Black or African American, 0.28% Native American, 1.90% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.36% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race. There are 22,501 households out of which 26.40% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.50% are married couples living together, 9.20% have a female householder with no husband present, and 43.50% are non-families. 28.30% of all households are made up of individuals and 8.30% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.40 and the average family size is 2.92. In the county the population is spread out with 18.30% under the age of 18, 30.70% from 18 to 24, 23.70% from 25 to 44, 18.00% from 45 to 64, and 9.30% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 26 years. For every 100 females there are 95.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 93.30 males. The median income for a household in the county is $27,322, and the median income for a family is $39,785. Males have a median income of $30,776 versus $23,905 for females. The per capita income for the county is $14,171. 27.40% of the population and 14.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 21.20% of those under the age of 18 and 12.90% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.

Cities, Villages, and Townships

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

Incorporated Cities

Incorporated Villages

Unincorporated communities

Carbondale, Ohio
Doanville, Ohio
Enterprise, Ohio
Frost, Ohio
Guysville, Ohio
Hebbardsville, Ohio
Hockingport, Ohio
Imperial, Ohio
Mineral, Ohio
New England, Ohio
New Floodwood, Ohio
Redtown, Ohio
Sharpsburg, Ohio
Stewart, Ohio
The Plains

Institutions of Higher Learning

Economy

The largest employer in Athens County is Ohio University. Other significant employers include McBee Industries and Hocking College. Historically, the first industry was salt production, and coal and timber followed soon thereafter. However, the accessible portions of the number 6 coal have been largely mined out, and current mining operations are only a very few small stripmines and longwall operations.

Media

Athens County is served by three principal news publications:

The Athens Messenger, a daily paper published by Brown Publishing, which also publishes a weekly tabloid names the Athens Insider
The Athens News, a free semi-weekly tabloid published by Bruce Mitchell
The Post, the student newspaper of Ohio University

In addition, The Spire, the student newspaper of Hocking College, is published on an occasional basis. In addition, Ohio University's telecommunications center provides public radio and television. The FM radio system covers all of southeastern Ohio.