Mount Vernon

Mount Vernon, Ohio
—  City  —
Location of Mount Vernon, Ohio
Coordinates: 40°23′34″N 82°28′52″W / 40.39278°N 82.48111°W / 40.39278; -82.48111
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Knox
Government
- Mayor	Richard K. Mavis
Area
- Total	8.4 sq mi (21.9 km2)
- Land	8.4 sq mi (21.8 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation [1]	1,001 ft (305 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	14,375
- Density	1,710.4/sq mi (660.4/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	43050
Area code(s)	740
FIPS code	39-53102[2]
GNIS feature ID	1056436[1]
Website	http://www.mountvernonohio.org/

Mount Vernon is a city in Knox County, Ohio, United States. The population was 14,375 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Knox County^[3]. The city is named after Mount Vernon, the plantation owned by George Washington.

History

The community was founded in 1805 by Joseph Walker, Thomas B. Patterson and Benjamin Butler.

By 1840, 2,363 people lived in Mount Vernon.

Mount Vernon was a stop along the Pittsburgh, Cincinnati, Chicago and St. Louis Railroad that connected Pittsburgh to Chicago and St. Louis.

Local History

The Woodward Opera House, the oldest opera theater of its kind in the United States, is located downtown. The theater is currently under major renovation and will, upon its completion, be transformed into a local cultural and performing-arts center.

The Knox County Historical Society, with a building and extensive exhibits, makes its headquarters on Harcourt Road in Mount Vernon. Exhibits feature information about Daniel Decatur Emmett, Paul Lynde, The Cooper Company and other subjects.

At 4:30 PM local time on August 3, 2006, an F0 tornado touched down on the west side of town.[1] It demolished a barn at the local 84 Lumber, and the resulting debris blew across the road to the DeCosky GM car dealership. It caused at least $150,000 of damage.

Geography

Mount Vernon is located at 40°23′34″N 82°28′52″W / 40.39278°N 82.48111°W / 40.39278; -82.48111 (40.392738, -82.481151)^[4].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 8.4 square miles (21.9 km²), of which, 8.4 square miles (21.8 km²) of it is land and 0.04 square miles (0.1 km²) of it (0.47%) is water. The city lies in the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau and is surrounded by rolling hills and valleys.

The Kokosing River in Mount Vernon in 2006.

The Kokosing River and U.S. Route 36 pass through the city.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 14,375 people, 6,187 households, and 3,730 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,710.4 people per square mile (660.7/km²). There were 6,713 housing units at an average density of 798.7/sq mi (308.6/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 96.66% White, 1.15% African American, 0.31% Native American, 0.54% Asian, 0.29% from other races, and 1.04% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.87% of the population.

There were 6,187 households out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 43.8% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 39.7% were non-families. 34.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 16.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.25 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.7% under the age of 18, 10.1% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 20.7% from 45 to 64, and 18.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 81.3 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $29,801, and the median income for a family was $38,217. Males had a median income of $31,900 versus $21,969 for females. The per capita income for the city was $16,471. About 12.7% of families and 15.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 9.2% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

Mount Vernon was the birthplace of Cooper Industries. There is a large industrial complex in the western part of the city that manufactures and repairs products for the gas and oil power generation industries. It is now Rolls-Royce Energy Systems, Inc., a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce North America, which is in turn, a subsidiary of Rolls-Royce plc.

Ariel Corporation, a major manufacturer^[5] of reciprocating natural gas (and other gasses) compressors, is also located in Mount Vernon. Its history is tied to that of Cooper Industries in that Jim Doane, one of the founders of Ariel, was a former engineer for Cooper Industries Mount Vernon. Ariel's website can be found at arielcorp.com.

Two universities in Mount Vernon and Gambier, Ohio provide thousands of jobs to the local residents. Mount Vernon is home to Mount Vernon Nazarene University and Gambier, Ohio is home to Kenyon College.

Education

Colleges and Universities

• Kenyon College (located in nearby Gambier, Ohio)
• Mount Vernon Nazarene University

Notable residents

• Chris Allen - third line right-winger for the Dallas Stars
• Columbus Delano - Whig and Republican politician and lawyer.
• Daniel Decatur Emmett - author of "Dixie"
• Lansford Hastings - noted California pioneer.
• Paul Lynde - comedian and actor
• Ralph W. Sockman - noted clergyman, author, and radio speaker.
• Jim Stillwagon - American football player
• Jesse B. Thomas - first senator of Illinois and the proposer of the Missouri Compromise
• Wild Men of Borneo (Hiram and Barney Davis) - two dwarf brothers and side-show performers
• Thom Collier (Republican) - Ex-State Representative of Ohio
• Fred Dailey (Republican) - Former State of Ohio Agriculture Director, Former US Congressional Candidate

References

External links

• City of Mount Vernon Web Site
• Mount Vernon News, a newspaper based in Mt. Vernon

• Mount Vernon, Ohio is at coordinates 40°23′34″N 82°28′52″W / 40.392738°N 82.481151°W / 40.392738; -82.481151 (Mount Vernon, Ohio)Coordinates: 40°23′34″N 82°28′52″W / 40.392738°N 82.481151°W / 40.392738; -82.481151 (Mount Vernon, Ohio)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Knox County, Ohio County seat: Mount Vernon City Mount Vernon Villages Centerburg | Danville | Fredericktown | Gambier | Gann | Martinsburg | Utica‡ Townships Berlin | Brown | Butler | Clay | Clinton | College | Harrison | Hilliar | Howard | Jackson | Jefferson | Liberty | Middlebury | Milford | Miller | Monroe | Morgan | Morris | Pike | Pleasant | Union | Wayne Unincorporated communities Bladensburg | Howard | Mt. Liberty Footnotes ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties