| Lawrence County, Ohio | |
| Map | |
 Location in the state of Ohio |
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 Ohio's location in the U.S. |
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| Statistics | |
| Founded | December 21, 1815[1] |
|---|---|
| Seat | Ironton |
| Largest city | Ironton |
| Area - Total - Land - Water |
457 sq mi (1,184 km²) 455 sq mi (1,178 km²) 2 sq mi (6 km²), 0.51% |
| Population - (2000) - Density |
62,319 137/sq mi (53/km²) |
| Named for: James Lawrence | |
Lawrence County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2000, the population was 62,319. Its county seat is Ironton[2] and is named for James Lawrence, the naval officer famous for the line "do not give up the ship".[3]
Lawrence County is a part of the Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH, Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA). As of the 2000 census, the MSA had a population of 288,649.
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History
The earliest settlers, Luke Kelly, his family and May Keyser, settled at Hanging Rock, along the Ohio River 1n 1796.[4] Lawrence County was formed on December 20, 1816 from parts of Gallia and Scioto Counties, with the county seat being at Burlington. .[4] In 1851 the county seat was moved from Burlington to Ironton. A new court House was built at that time but it burned in 1857. The present court house was built in 1908.
Citizens from Lawrence County served in the Mexican-American War with at least one having died during that conflict. According to the Legion of Honor, which appeared in the Ironton Register, October 9, 1862, about 3200 of Lawrence County's men were soldiers in the Union Army by that point in the American Civil War.[5] Surely, more enlisted or were drafted[6][7] in the remaining 2 & 1/2 years of the war. World War I saw 2200 of Lawrence County's men serving the U.S.A. of which 99 died.[8] An unknown number of Lawrence County citizens served in World War II, The Korean Conflict, the Vietnam War, and both Gulf Wars.
When first settled, Lawrence County was rich in natural resources such as iron, timber, coal, natural gas, oil, and salt. By the beginning of the twentieth century, many of these had been depleted.
Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 457 square miles (1,184 km²), of which, 455 square miles (1,178 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (6 km²) of it (0.51%) is water.
Lawrence is the southernmost county in the state of Ohio.
Adjacent counties
- Jackson County (north)
- Gallia County (northeast)
- Cabell County, West Virginia (southeast)
- Wayne County, West Virginia (south)
- Boyd County, Kentucky (southwest)
- Greenup County, Kentucky (southwest)
- Scioto County (northwest)
National protected area
- Wayne National Forest (part)
Demographics
| Lawrence County Population by year[1] |
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2000 62,319 |
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As of the census[9] of 2000, there were 62,319 people, 24,732 households, and 17,807 families residing in the county. The population density was 137 people per square mile (53/km²). There were 27,189 housing units at an average density of 60 per square mile (23/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.55% White, 2.09% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.19% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.11% from other races, and 0.88% from two or more races. 0.57% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 24,732 households out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.00% were married couples living together, 11.90% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.00% were non-families. 24.90% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.20% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.96.
In the county, the population was spread out with 24.50% under the age of 18, 8.60% from 18 to 24, 28.00% from 25 to 44, 24.50% from 45 to 64, and 14.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females there were 92.20 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $29,127, and the median income for a family was $35,308. Males had a median income of $30,622 versus $20,961 for females. The per capita income for the county was $14,678. About 15.10% of families and 18.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 27.30% of those under age 18 and 12.90% of those age 65 or over.
Government
Communities
City
Villages
Townships
Census-designated place
Other communities
References
- ^ a b "Ohio County Profiles: Lawrence County" (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. http://www.odod.state.oh.us/research/FILES/S0/Lawrence.pdf. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. http://www.naco.org/Template.cfm?Section=Find_a_County&Template=/cffiles/counties/usamap.cfm. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
- ^ "Lawrence County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. http://www.osuedc.org/profiles/profile_entrance.php?fips=39087&sid=0. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
- ^ a b Brown, Paul M. (1966), A Story About Lawrence County, Ohio, Huntington, WV: Paul Brown Publishing Co., p. 15 (unnumbered), OCLC 2667859
- ^ "Legion of Honor". http://www.caulleyscorner.com/LawrenceCoOH/legionofhonor.html.
- ^ "Official List of Persons Subject to the Draft in Lawrence Co, Dec. 1863". http://www.caulleyscorner.com/LawrenceCoOH/draftablemen.html.
- ^ "Official List of Men Drafted in Lawrence Co, May & Sept. 1864". http://www.caulleyscorner.com/LawrenceCoOH/draftedmen.html.
- ^ "WW I Stories". http://lawrencecountyohio.com/wars/wars/ww1.htm.
- ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
External links
- Official Lawrence County government sites:
- Greater Lawrence County Area Chamber of Commerce
- The Lawrence Register (Historical & Genealogical Info)
- Lawrence County, OH Genweb Site (Historical & Genealogical Info)
- US Genweb's Archive Site, Lawrence Co., OH (Genealocial & Historical Info)
- Lawrence Co Genealogical & Historical "Clearing House"
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Scioto County | Jackson County | Gallia County | |
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 Lawrence County, Ohio  |
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| Greenup County, Kentucky, Boyd County, Kentucky |
Wayne County, West Virginia | Cabell County, West Virginia |
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