Mercer County, Ohio

Mercer County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Celina
Year Organized: 1820
Square Miles: 463

Court House:

220 W. Livingston Street, Room A201
County Courthouse
Celina, OH 45822-1673

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Residents named the county in honor of General Hugh Mercer, a hero of the American Revolution.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

On February 12, 1820, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Mercer County. Residents named the county in honor of General Hugh Mercer, a hero of the American Revolution. In 1791, Indians defeated General Arthur St. Clair’s army along the Wabash River. Once whites began to migrate to the area and canal construction began, the Miami and Erie Canal flowed through the county. To provide the canal with a water source, workers constructed Lake St. Marys in 1837. It was the largest man-made lake in the world at this time. Today, the lake is a major tourist attraction.

Mercer County is located in the northwestern part of Ohio. Its western border helps form the boundary between Ohio and Indiana. The county seat is Celina, which is the largest city in the county with a population of 10,303 people in 2000. Approximately eighty-eight percent of Mercer County’s 463 square miles are covered in farms. Only 1.4 percent of the county is deemed to be urban. The county averages eighty-eight people living in each square mile. Between 1995 and 2000, the county experienced a 3.8 percent increase in population. This is unusual for Ohio’s more rural counties, as residents seek better opportunities in the state’s larger cities. In 2000, the county’s residents numbered 40,924 people.

Most of Mercer County’s residents find employment in agricultural positions. In the state, the county ranks first in hog raising, second in corn production, and third in cattle raising. Retail, manufacturing, and government positions finish second, third, and fourth respectively. In 1999, the county’s per capita income was 23,376 dollars, with 6.5 percent of the county’s residents living below the poverty level.

Most voters in Mercer County claim to be independents, yet in recent years, they have overwhelmingly supported Republican Party candidates at the national level

Sources

Mercer County, Ohio History Central, July 24, 2008,

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1977&nm=Mercer-County

Neighboring Counties:

Van Wert County (north)
Auglaize County (east)
Shelby County (mathematical point in the southeast)
Darke County (south)
Jay County, Indiana (southwest)
Adams County, Indiana (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Black Creek	township
- Burkettsville	village	Incorporated Area
- Celina (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Center	township
- Chickasaw	village	Incorporated Area
- Coldwater	village	Incorporated Area
- Fort Recovery	village	Incorporated Area
- Gibson	township
- Liberty	township
- Mendon	village	Incorporated Area
- Montezuma	village	Incorporated Area
- Recovery	township
- Rockford	village	Incorporated Area
- St. Henry	village	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resource Guide

Counties: US Map

The history of our nation can be seen as a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names we've given our counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of our country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."

Penn Foster High School

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