Scioto County, Ohio

Scioto County is a located in the south central region of the  of,  at the confluence of the  and  Rivers. As of the, the population was 79,195. It is for an Indian word referring to deer or deer-hunting, and its  is. The county was formed on, splitting from. It is the home of current Ohio governor,.

County Government


Main article: 

Portsmouth is the county seat for Scioto County with the county courthouse located at the corner of Sixth and Court Streets. It was constructed in.

The county jail, once located in the courthouse, is now located in a new facility in the same location where the rail depot used to stand near. It was constructed in.

The county maintenance garage is located in Lucasville.

Current county officials
Scioto County Commissioners: Mike Crabtree (D), Tom Reiser (D), and Skip Riffe III (D). Auditor: David L. Green (D)

Treasurer: William K. Ogg (D)

Clerk of Courts: Mildred E. Thompson (D)

Sheriff: Marty Donini (R)

Geography
According to the, the county has a total area of 1,596 (616 ). 1,586 km² (612 sq mi) of it is land and 10 km² (4 sq mi) of it (0.62%) is water. Many parts of Scioto County are heavily forested, especially in the western half of the county with.

Adjacent counties

 * (north)
 * (northeast)
 * (east)
 * (south)
 * (southwest)
 * (west)

Major parks and cultural institutions
, the state's largest with over 88,000 acres, covers most of western Scioto County and touches part of northwestern Scioto County. The county also has numerous parks and recreational areas in each of its townships, including Park on, west of Portsmouth.

Within the city limits of Portsmouth, there are fourteen parks for the residents and for communtiy use. These parks include Alexandria Park (Ohio and Scioto River confluence), Allard Park (Bonser Ave. in Sciotoville), Bannon Park (near Farley Square), Branch Rickey Park (on Williams Street near levee), Buckeye Park (near Branch Rickey Park), Cyndee Secrest Park (Sciotoville), Dr. Hartlage Park (Rose Street in Sciotoville), Labold Park (near Spartan Stadium), Larry Hisle Park (23rd Street & Thomas Ave.), Mound Park (17th & Hutchins Streets), York Park (riverfront), Spartan Stadium, Tracy Park (Chillicothe & Gay Streets), and Weghorst Park (Fourth & Jefferson Streets).

The, on the campus of , hosts many local and traveling performances, including plays and  pageants. Scioto County is also home to the (which is on the ), SSU's Clark Planetarium, the renovated , the , , the , ' Memorabilia Exhibit, the , and.

The and its five branches have served the county since 1879. The library has branches in, , , , and.

Notable festivals and parades
Scioto County (Portsmouth) is best-known for its ' activities that include a parade, a pageant associated with the local high schools, boat races on the Ohio River (in the past), musical performances, a carnival, and other festive activities. River Days occurs on (the first Monday of September) weekend with the activities beginning on Thursday evening and the parade and pageant on Saturday.

Scioto County also hosts the Scioto County Fair on the first full week of August of each year. It is one of the largest in the state drawing approximately 75,000 visitors each year (with the single-day record being 17,000). The origins of the first county fair date back to, and located to Lucasville in 1908 when three fairs (Mount Joy, Portsmouth, and Lucasville) merged into one. The ' Homecoming Festival is held each June and the county has numerous fireworks demonstrations on the.

Economy
Scioto County's economy has come and gone with the success and failures of Portsmouth's economy. Until the, such as steel mills and shoe factories drove the county's economy. Since the closure of these, Scioto County has suffered a loss of jobs and revenue. Today, the such as the Southern Ohio Medical Center is the largest employer in the county. Scioto County is also home to the newest state university in Ohio,. Shawnee State enrolls between 3,300 and 4,000 students and grants Associate and Baccalaureate degrees. The school also issues a very limited number of Master’s Degrees. Much of the recent economic growth and change is based on service to SOMC and Shawnee State University.

In of, the Portsmouth  Enrichment Plant in nearby  was recognized as an  Nuclear Historic Landmark by the American Nuclear Society. It had served a military function from until the mid-1960s when the mission changed from enriching uranium for  to one focused on producing fuel for commercial. The Portsmouth Uranium Enrichment Plant ended enriching operations in 2001 and began to support operational and administrative functions and perform external contract work. All uranium enrichment in the area has been taken over by a sister plant located in. Uranium enrichment functions had previously been shared by the two plants. interests in the area remain strong with the under construction in Piketon. This commercial uranium enrichment facility is expected to employ up to 500 people and reach an initial annual production level of 3.5 million by 2010.

Scioto County has also been the benefactor of Suncoke ( production) and  facilities near Franklin Furnace. Mitchellace, Inc., the largest manufacturer of in the world, is also located in the county.

Highways
Scioto County is served by two major highways, the north-south and the east-west. Other routes include, , , , , , , , and.

Rail
offers a railyard for long distance shipping and is currently reopening the repair shops. offers passenger service to the Portsmouth/Scioto County area under the route. The is located in  across the.

Air
Scioto County also offers air services with the located in, which is approximately 14 miles northeast of Portmsouth on SR 335.

Public Transportation
Public transportation for Scioto County is offered through Access Scioto County (ASC).

Demographics
As of the of 2000, there were 79,195 people, 30,871 households, and 21,362 families residing in the county. The was 50/km² (129/sq mi). There were 34,054 housing units at an average density of 21/km² (56/sq mi). The racial makeup of the county was 94.88%, 2.73% or , 0.63% , 0.24% , 0.02% , 0.18% from , and 1.31% from two or more races. 0.60% of the population were or  of any race.

There were 30,871 households out of which 31.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.30% were living together, 13.10% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.80% were non-families. 26.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96.

In the county, the population was spread out with 24.40% under the age of 18, 9.60% from 18 to 24, 28.30% from 25 to 44, 22.70% from 45 to 64, and 14.90% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 95.30 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.20 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $28,008, and the median income for a family was $34,691. Males had a median income of $32,063 versus $21,562 for females. The for the county was $15,408. About 15.20% of families and 19.30% of the population were below the, including 25.40% of those under age 18 and 12.80% of those age 65 or over.

Colleges and universities
Scioto County used to be home to ; however, it moved to  in the early 1980s. The former Ohio University buildings became home to, which was founded in as Ohio's thirteenth and newest institution, after first becoming Shawnee State Community College. Scioto County is also home to the.

K-12 schools
Scioto County has ten public s, one system, and one  system as well as several. These districts include Bloom-Vernon (South Webster), Clay, Green, Minford, New Boston, Northwest, Notre Dame (Catholic), Portsmouth, Sciotoville Community School/East HS (charter), Valley, Washington-Nile (Ports. West), and Wheelersburg. These school systems are noted not only for their educational endeavors but also their athletic and community endeavors.

See also, , , and 

Media
Scioto County is a dividing line of numerous television markets, which includes the, , and - markets. There is one local television station in Portsmouth. It is, a affiliate. Local radio stations, , , , and serve the radio listeners in the county and surrounding areas.

The county is also served by three s. The Portsmouth Daily Times is the county's only daily newspaper. The Community Common is a free bi-weekly newspaper and the Scioto Voice is a weekly newspaper, which is mailed to subscribers. The University Chronicle is the student-led newspaper at Shawnee State University.

Professional
Scioto County had a series of semi-pro football teams in the 1920s and 1930s, the most notable being the, whose roster included. From 1929 to 1933, Portsmouth was home to a professional football team, The Portsmouth Spartans. This team later became the franchise  in 1934. The also competed in the first professional football night game versus the  in 1930.

On the baseball front, the Portsmouth Explorers were one of the original teams in the, a non-affiliated minor league baseball organization. The Explorers played in the league's first three seasons, from 1993 to 1995. In 1938, Portsmouth was also the home of the, a minor league team owned by the.

Collegiate
Shawnee State University is a member of the (NAIA-Division II). SSU has participated in 24 National Championships in 6 of 11 sponsored sports. The university's women's basketball team has won a NAIA National Title in 1999 and finished in the final four in 1995. The softball team has had national exposure as well, reaching the "Sweet 16" on several occasions. The team finished 10th in 1992, 8th in 1995, 9th in 1996, and 9th in 2001.

Amateur
Of course, the twelve local high schools, the other educational institutions, the adult leagues, and the development leagues (e.g. and club organizations) generate a great deal of participation as either participants or as followers of sports' teams. The teams have made 55 trips to the championships, winning 15 state titles. These have included three softball titles by Clay HS (1980, 1981, & 1983); three baseball titles (East HS in 1973, Valley HS in 1975, & Wheelersburg HS in 1996); three football titles (two by Notre Dame HS in 1967 and 1970 and Wheelersburg HS in 1989); and six boys' basketball titles (1931, 1961, 1978, & 1988 by Portsmouth HS and 2006 by South Webster HS).

Miscellanea
Scioto County is the home of the, which is located in Lucasville. The Southern Ohio Correctional Facility is Ohio's only and the location of Ohio's death house where  inmates are executed.

Notable individuals from Scioto County

 * ''' - basketball coach
 *  (1884-1969) - former  player
 *  (1948-  ) -
 *  - baseball scout and executive,
 *  (1941-  ) -   and
 *  (1957-2005) - American
 *  (1950- ) -  player
 *  (1921- ) - American
 *  (1947- ) - former  player, currently in  Organization
 *  (1924-2006) - former player
 *  (1946-  ) - former  player
 *  - graduate of and former  player with the
 *  (1881-1965) - baseball executive
 * , Jr. (1925-1997) -  (1959-95),  (1975-94)
 * ''' - American
 *  (1911-1998) - famous and
 *  (1941-  ) -   (2007-  )
 *  (1946-  ) - former  player
 * (1982-  ) - current major league pitcher for the

See also 50 Miles of Heroes

External link

 * ExploreSciotoCounty.com - A wonderful resource for the area
 * Scioto County Government's website
 * Clay Local School District
 * Ohio Historical Society
 * 50 Miles of Heroes