Franklin County, Ohio

History

On March 30, 1803, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Franklin County. The county originally was part of Ross County. Residents named the county in honor of Benjamin Franklin. In 1816, Franklin County's Columbus became Ohio's state capital. Surveyors laid out the city in 1812, and officials incorporated it in 1816. Columbus was not Ohio's original capital, but the state legislature chose to move the state government there after its location for a short time at Chillicothe and at Zanesville. Columbus was chosen as the site for the new capital because of its central location within the state and access by way of major transportation routes (primarily rivers) at that time. The legislature chose it as Ohio's capital over a number of other competitors, including Franklinton, Dublin, Worthington, and Delaware.

On May 5, 1802, a group of prospective settlers founded the Scioto Company at the home of Rev. Eber B. Clark in Granby, Connecticut, for the purpose of forming a settlement between the Muskingum River and Great Miami River in the Ohio Country. James Kilbourne was elected president and Josiah Topping secretary. On August 30, 1802, James Kilbourne and Nathaniel Little arrived at Colonel Thomas Worthington's home in Chillicothe. They tentatively reserved land along the Scioto River on the Pickaway Plains for their new settlement.

On October 5, 1802, the Scioto Company met again in Granby and decided not to purchase the lands along the Scioto River on the Pickaway Plains, but rather to buy land 30 mi farther north from Jonas Stanbery and his partner, an American Revolutionary War general, Jonathan Dayton. 16000 acres were purchased along the Whetstone River (now known as the Olentangy River) at $1.50 per acre. This land was part of the United States Military District surveyed by Israel Ludlow in 1797 and divided into townships 5 mi square.

Before the state legislature's decision in 1812, Columbus did not exist. The city was originally designed as the state's new capital, preparing itself for its role in Ohio's political, economic, and social life. In the years between the first ground-breaking and the actual movement of the capital in 1816, Columbus and Franklin County grew significantly. By 1813, workers had built a penitentiary, and by the following year, residents had established the first church, school, and newspaper in Columbus. Workers completed the Ohio Statehouse in 1861. Columbus and Franklin County grew quickly in population, with the city having 700 people by 1815. Columbus officially became the county seat in 1824. By 1834, the population of Columbus was 4,000 people, officially elevating it to "city" status.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 544 sqmi, of which 532 sqmi is land and 11 sqmi (2.1%) is water. The county is located in the Till Plains and the Appalachian Plateau land regions.

The county is drained by the Olentangy River and the Scioto River. Major creeks in the county include Big Darby Creek, Big Walnut Creek, and Alum Creek. There are two large reservoirs in the county, Hoover Reservoir and Griggs Reservoir.

Adjacent counties

• Delaware County (north)
• Fairfield County (southeast)
• Licking County (east)
• Madison County (west)
• Pickaway County (south)
• Union County (northwest)

Major highways

• (future)

Demographics

|align-fn=center 1790-1960 1900–1990 1990–2000 2010–2020

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 1,323,807 and a population density of 2486.4 PD/sqmi. The median age was 34.2 years; 22.8% of residents were under the age of 18, 6.5% were under the age of 5, and 12.7% were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 95.1 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 92.5 males age 18 and over.

There were 540,369 households in the county, including 309,654 families; 28.9% had children under the age of 18 living in them, 38.1% were married-couple households, 22.1% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 31.4% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 32.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 9.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.

There were 580,903 housing units, of which 7.0% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 51.3% were owner-occupied and 48.7% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.2% and the rental vacancy rate was 7.9%.

98.6% of residents lived in urban areas, while 1.4% lived in rural areas.

The racial makeup of the county was 60.6% White, 22.6% Black or African American, 0.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 5.6% Asian,

Racial and ethnic composition

2010 census

As of the 2010 census, there were 1,163,414 people, 477,235 households, and 278,030 families living in the county. The population density was 2186.1 PD/sqmi. There were 527,186 housing units at an average density of 990.6 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the county was 69.2% white, 21.2% black or African American, 3.9% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.1% Pacific islander, 2.3% from other races, and 3.0% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.8% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 24.2% were German, 14.4% were Irish, 9.1% were English, 5.5% were Italian, and 5.0% were American.

Of the 477,235 households, 31.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.0% were married couples living together, 14.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 41.7% were non-families, and 31.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.38 and the average family size was 3.05. The median age was 33.4 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $49,087 and the median income for a family was $62,372. Males had a median income of $45,920 versus $37,685 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,909. About 12.1% of families and 17.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.0% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Top Employers

According to the County's 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report, the largest employers in the county are:

Politics

For most of the 20th century, Franklin County shared the heavy Republican bent of the rest of central Ohio, and was one of the more conservative urban counties in the nation. From 1896 to 1992, it went Republican all but five times, the last three of which were national Democratic landslides that saw the Democratic candidate win over 400 electoral votes. However, it has gone Democratic in every election since 1996, reflecting the Democratic trend in most other urban counties nationwide. Columbus and most of its northern and western suburbs lean Democratic, while the more blue-collar southern section of the county leans Republican. From 1996 to 2004, Democratic nominees carried the county by single digit margins, but it swung significantly in favor of Barack Obama in 2008. The county swung towards Democrats in every subsequent presidential election until 2024, when Democratic nominee Kamala Harris won the county with 63.0 percent of the vote and a 28.1 percent margin of victory.

In Congress, it is split between two districts. Most of Columbus itself is in the 3rd district, represented by Democrat Joyce Beatty. The southwestern portion is in 15th district, represented by Republican Mike Carey.

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Government

Franklin County Officials

Ohio House of Representatives

Ohio State Senate

United States House of Representatives

United States Senate

Communities

Franklin County is currently made up of 16 cities, 10 villages, and 18 townships.

Cities

• Bexley
• Canal Winchester
• Columbus (state capital) (county seat)
• Dublin
• Gahanna
• Grandview Heights
• Grove City
• Groveport
• Hilliard
• New Albany
• Obetz
• Pickerington
• Reynoldsburg
• Upper Arlington
• Westerville
• Whitehall
• Worthington

Villages

• Brice
• Harrisburg
• Lithopolis
• Lockbourne
• Marble Cliff
• Minerva Park
• Riverlea
• Urbancrest
• Valleyview

Townships

• Blendon
• Brown
• Clinton
• Franklin
• Hamilton
• Jackson
• Jefferson
• Madison
• Mifflin
• Norwich
• Perry
• Plain
• Pleasant
• Prairie
• Sharon
• Truro
• Washington
• Montgomery ("paper" township coextensive with the city of Columbus)
• Valleyview ("paper" township coextensive with the village of Valleyview)

Defunct Townships

• Marion (completely annexed by the city of Columbus)

Census-designated places

• Blacklick Estates
• Darbydale
• Harrisburg
• Huber Ridge
• Lake Darby
• Lincoln Village

Other unincorporated communities

• Amlin
• Blacklick
• Flint
• Galloway
• Georgesville
• New Rome
• Oakland

Education

School districts include:

City school districts:

• Bexley City School District
• Columbus City School District
• Dublin City School District
• Gahanna-Jefferson City School District
• Grandview Heights City School District
• Hilliard City School District
• Reynoldsburg City School District
• South-Western City School District
• Upper Arlington City School District
• Westerville City School District
• Whitehall City School District
• Worthington City School District

Local school districts:

• Canal Winchester Local School District
• Groveport Madison Local School District
• Hamilton Local School District
• Jonathan Alder Local School District
• Licking Heights Local School District
• Madison-Plains Local School District
• New Albany-Plain Local School District
• Olentangy Local School District
• Pickerington Local School District
• Teays Valley Local School District

State-operated schools include:

• Ohio State School for the Blind
• Ohio School for the Deaf

Footnotes

References

1. "Ohio County Profiles: Franklin County". Ohio Department of Development.
2. "Gross Domestic Product by County and Metropolitan Area, 2022". [[Bureau of Economic Analysis]].
3. "State & County QuickFacts". United States Census Bureau.
4. "Find a County". National Association of Counties.
5. "Franklin County data". [[Ohio State University]] Extension Data Center.
6. "Statistical Summary".
7. Gannett, Henry. (1905). "The Origin of Certain Place Names in the United States". Govt. Print. Off..
8. McCormick 1998:7
9. McCormick 1998:17
10. McCormick 1998:19-27
11. "A Century of Lawmaking for a New Nation: U.S. Congressional Documents and Debates, 1774 - 1875".
12. (August 22, 2012). "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau.
13. Query of [https://geonames.usgs.gov/pls/gnispublic/ Geographic Names Information System] {{Webarchive. link. (July 25, 2008)
14. "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Counties: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2023".
15. "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau.
16. "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library.
17. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau.
18. (April 2, 2001). "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000". United States Census Bureau.
19. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic Profile (DP1)".
20. (2021). "2020 Decennial Census Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171)".
21. (2023). "2020 Decennial Census Demographic and Housing Characteristics (DHC)".
22. "1980 Census of Population - General Social and Economic Characteristics - Ohio- Table 59 - Persons by Spanish Origin, Race, and Sex: 1980 AND Table 58 - Race by Sex: 1980".
23. "1990 Census of Population - General Population Characteristics - Ohio: Table 6 - Race and Hispanic Origin".
24. "P004: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2000: DEC Summary File 1 – Franklin County, Ohio".
25. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2010: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Franklin County, Ohio".
26. "P2: Hispanic or Latino, and Not Hispanic or Latino by Race – 2020: DEC Redistricting Data (PL 94-171) – Franklin County, Ohio".
27. included in the Asian category in the 1980 Census
28. included in the Asian category in the 1990 Census
29. not an option in the 1980 Census
30. not an option in the 1990 Census
31. (June 17, 2024). "County of Franklin 2022 Annual Comprehensive Financial Report For the Year Ended December 31, 2022".
32. "Election Archive Franklin County Board of Elections".
33. "Franklin County Board of Elections".
34. Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections".
35. (November 5, 2024). "2024 Senate Election (Official Returns)".
36. "Franklin County Elected Officials".
37. "Archived copy".
38. "Valleyview breaks with Franklin Township after Franklin County Commissioners agree".
39. "2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Franklin County, OH". [[United States Census Bureau]].