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Ohio Counties

There is eighty-eight counties in the state of Ohio. The Ohio Constitution allows counties to set up a charter government as many cities and villages do, but only Summit County has done so.

Ottawa County, Ohio

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

County Seat: Port Clinton
Year Organized: 1840
Square Miles: 255

Court House:

315 Madison Street, Room 103
County Courthouse
Port Clinton, OH 43452-1943

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Residents took the Indian word for "trader" as the county's name.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

History

On March 6, 1840, the State of Ohio authorized the creation of Ottawa County. Residents took the Indian word for "trader" as the county's name. Ottawa County was originally part of territory set aside for Ohio's Indian people by the Treaty of Greeneville. During the War of 1812, the Battle of Lake Erie occurred off the coastline of Ottawa County. The county's Johnson's Island served as a prisoner of war camp during the American Civil War.

Ottawa County is located in the northwestern portion of Ohio. The county seat is Port Clinton. It is the county's largest population center, with 6,391 residents in 2000. The county experienced a 2.4 percent increase in population between 1990 and 2000. This raised the number of residents to 40,985 people. Many of these new residents had left nearby Toledo. An average of 161 people lives in each of Ottawa County's 255 square miles. The county's average income was 27,370 dollars per person in 1999, with almost seven percent of the population living in poverty.

Ottawa County is primarily rural, with urban areas comprising five percent of the county's land area. Most residents find employment in retail businesses, with manufacturing establishments and service industries coming in second and third respectively. The county is a major tourist destination. Middle Bass Island and other various resorts along Lake Erie attract thousands of visitors each year. The oldest lighthouse in Ohio, Marblehead Lighthouse is located in the county as well. A large number of people visit the county to take part in boating, fishing, and other recreational activities along or on Lake Erie.

Ottawa County is the home of Camp Perry, the Ohio National Guard's primary training base.

Most voters in Ottawa County claim to be independents, yet in recent years, they have supported by slim margins Republican Party candidates at the national level.

Sources

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

http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=1992&nm=Ottawa-County

Neighboring Counties:

Across Lake Erie lies Essex County, Ontario, Canada (north and east)
Erie County (southeast)
Sandusky County (south)
Wood County (west)
Lucas County (northwest)

Cities and Towns:

- Allen	township
- Bay	township
- Catawba Island	township
- Clay	township
- Clay Center	village	Incorporated Area
- Danbury	township
- Elmore	village	Incorporated Area
- Erie	township
- Genoa	village	Incorporated Area
- Harris	township
- Marblehead	village	Incorporated Area
- Oak Harbor	village	Incorporated Area
- Port Clinton (County Seat)	city	Incorporated Area
- Put-in-Bay	village	Incorporated Area
- Rocky Ridge	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."

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