Ottawa County, Ohio

County in Ohio, United States

Not to be confused with Ottawa, Ohio.

U.S. county in Ohio

Ottawa County

U.S. county

Ottawa County Courthouse

Ottawa County Courthouse

Flag of Ottawa County

Flag

Official seal of Ottawa County

Seal

Map of Ohio highlighting Ottawa County

Location within the U.S. state of Ohio

Ohio's location within the U.S.

Country|  United States
State|  Ohio
Founded| March 6, 1840[1]
Named for| the Ottawa tribe or a word meaning "trader"
Seat| Port Clinton
Largest city| Port Clinton
Area

• Total| 585 sq mi (1,520 km2)
• Land| 255 sq mi (660 km2)
• Water| 330 sq mi (900 km2)  56%%
Population

(2020)

• Total| 40,364
• Density| 69/sq mi (27/km2)
Time zone| UTC−5 (Eastern)
• Summer (DST)| UTC−4 (EDT)
Congressional districts| 5th, 9th
Website| www.co.ottawa.oh.us

Ottawa County is a county located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,364.[2] Its county seat is Port Clinton.[3] The county is named either for the Ottawa (Odawa) Indigenous peoples who lived there, or for an Indigenous word meaning "trader".[4]

Ottawa County comprises the Port Clinton, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Toledo-Port Clinton, OH Combined Statistical Area.

## Contents

* 1 History
* 2 Geography
* 2.1 Adjacent counties
* 2.2 National protected areas
* 3 Demographics
* 3.1 2000 census
* 3.2 2010 census
* 4 Politics
* 5 Government and politics
* 5.1 County officials
* 6 Transportation
* 6.1 Major highways
* 6.2 Airports
* 7 Communities
* 7.1 City
* 7.2 Villages
* 7.3 Townships
* 7.4 Census-designated places
* 7.5 Unincorporated communities
* 8 Notable residents
* 9 See also
* 10 References
* 11 External links

## History

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On September 10, 1813, during the War of 1812, nine vessels of the United States Navy under Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, decisively defeated six vessels of Great Britain’s Royal Navy in the Battle of Lake Erie near Put-in-Bay. This action was one of the major battles of the war.

Ottawa County was formed on March 6, 1840, from portions of Erie, Lucas and Sandusky counties. It was named after the North American Indigenous tribe of the Ottawa (Odawa).[5]

In 1974, the County Courthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[6]

The county is notable in presidential politics for being a recent bellwether, having continuously voted for the winning candidate for thirteen elections from 1964 to 2016.[7]

## Geography

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According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 585 square miles (1,520 km2), of which 255 square miles (660 km2) is land and 330 square miles (850 km2) (56%) is water.[8] It is the third-smallest county in Ohio by land area. It borders Ontario across Lake Erie.

### Adjacent counties

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* Essex County, Ontario, Canada (northeast)
* Erie County (southeast)
* Sandusky County (south)
* Wood County (west)
* Lucas County (northwest)

### National protected areas

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* Ottawa National Wildlife Refuge (part)
* Perry's Victory and International Peace Memorial

## Demographics

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Historical population

Census | Pop. |  | %±
1840| 2,248| | —
1850| 3,308| | 47.2%
1860| 7,016| | 112.1%
1870| 13,364| | 90.5%
1880| 19,762| | 47.9%
1890| 21,974| | 11.2%
1900| 22,213| | 1.1%
1910| 22,360| | 0.7%
1920| 22,193| | −0.7%
1930| 24,109| | 8.6%
1940| 24,360| | 1.0%
1950| 29,469| | 21.0%
1960| 35,323| | 19.9%
1970| 37,099| | 5.0%
1980| 40,076| | 8.0%
1990| 40,029| | −0.1%
2000| 40,985| | 2.4%
2010| 41,428| | 1.1%
2020| 40,364| | −2.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[9]
1790-1960[10] 1900-1990[11]
1990-2000[12] 2020 [13]

### 2000 census

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As of the census[14] of 2000, there were 40,985 people, 16,474 households, and 11,729 families living in the county. The population density was 161 people per square mile (62/km2). There were 25,532 housing units at an average density of 100 per square mile (39/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 96.56% White, 0.65% Black or African American, 0.21% Native American, 0.23% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 1.44% from other races, and 0.87% from two or more races. 3.75% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 16,474 households, out of which 29.10% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.90% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.80% were non-families. 25.00% 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 2.45 and the average family size was 2.92.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.30% under the age of 18, 6.70% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 26.80% from 45 to 64, and 16.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females there were 97.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.70 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,224, and the median income for a family was $51,919. Males had a median income of $39,823 versus $24,727 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,973. About 4.20% of families and 5.90% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.40% of those under age 18 and 5.40% of those age 65 or over.

### 2010 census

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As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 41,428 people, 17,503 households, and 11,884 families living in the county.[15] The population density was 162.5 inhabitants per square mile (62.7/km2). There were 27,909 housing units at an average density of 109.5 per square mile (42.3/km2).[16] The racial makeup of the county was 96.5% white, 0.8% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.9% from other races, and 1.3% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.2% of the population.[15] In terms of ancestry, 44.6% were German, 11.9% were Irish, 9.8% were English, 6.3% were American, and 6.1% were Polish.[17]

Of the 17,503 households, 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, 32.1% were non-families, and 27.4% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.34 and the average family size was 2.82. The median age was 46.3 years.[15]

The median income for a household in the county was $53,463 and the median income for a family was $64,258. Males had a median income of $52,736 versus $33,557 for females. The per capita income for the county was $27,809. About 6.3% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.9% of those under age 18 and 6.5% of those age 65 or over.[18]

## Politics

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Prior to 1912, Ottawa County was a Democratic Party stronghold in presidential elections. Starting with the 1912 election, the county was a national bellwether, only backing losing candidates in 1940, 1944, 1960 (Richard Nixon) and 2020 (Donald Trump).

United States presidential election results for Ottawa County, Ohio[19] Year  | Republican | Democratic | Third party

|
|
|

No. | % | No. | % | No. | %
2020 | 14,628  | 60.83% | 9,008  | 37.46%  | 410  | 1.71%
2016 | 12,653  | 56.52% | 8,285  | 37.01%  | 1,447  | 6.46%
2012 | 10,538  | 46.83%  | 11,503  | 51.11% | 464  | 2.06%
2008 | 10,624  | 46.01%  | 12,064  | 52.25% | 402  | 1.74%
2004 | 12,073  | 51.91% | 11,118  | 47.80%  | 68  | 0.29%
2000 | 9,917  | 49.66% | 9,485  | 47.50%  | 566  | 2.83%
1996 | 6,991  | 37.01%  | 9,321  | 49.35% | 2,576  | 13.64%
1992 | 6,782  | 34.26%  | 8,128  | 41.06% | 4,885  | 24.68%
1988 | 9,352  | 53.39% | 8,038  | 45.89%  | 127  | 0.73%
1984 | 10,920  | 60.41% | 7,053  | 39.02%  | 102  | 0.56%
1980 | 8,641  | 51.18% | 6,753  | 40.00%  | 1,489  | 8.82%
1976 | 8,241  | 45.04%  | 9,646  | 52.71% | 412  | 2.25%
1972 | 9,772  | 57.86% | 6,465  | 38.28%  | 652  | 3.86%
1968 | 7,149  | 47.30% | 6,319  | 41.81%  | 1,647  | 10.90%
1964 | 5,639  | 36.96%  | 9,618  | 63.04% | 0  | 0.00%
1960 | 9,260  | 58.34% | 6,612  | 41.66%  | 0  | 0.00%
1956 | 8,806  | 62.98% | 5,176  | 37.02%  | 0  | 0.00%
1952 | 8,708  | 59.99% | 5,808  | 40.01%  | 0  | 0.00%
1948 | 5,591  | 47.45%  | 6,157  | 52.25% | 35  | 0.30%
1944 | 6,922  | 58.35% | 4,941  | 41.65%  | 0  | 0.00%
1940 | 6,872  | 55.29% | 5,556  | 44.71%  | 0  | 0.00%
1936 | 4,006  | 35.96%  | 6,335  | 56.87% | 798  | 7.16%
1932 | 3,600  | 34.18%  | 6,817  | 64.73% | 115  | 1.09%
1928 | 5,772  | 62.54% | 3,435  | 37.22%  | 22  | 0.24%
1924 | 4,137  | 51.77% | 2,571  | 32.17%  | 1,283  | 16.06%
1920 | 4,336  | 59.41% | 2,867  | 39.28%  | 96  | 1.32%
1916 | 1,793  | 34.52%  | 3,347  | 64.44% | 54  | 1.04%
1912 | 791  | 17.15%  | 2,728  | 59.16% | 1,092  | 23.68%
1908 | 2,202  | 39.48%  | 3,329  | 59.69% | 46  | 0.82%
1904 | 2,437  | 46.92%  | 2,706  | 52.10% | 51  | 0.98%
1900 | 2,131  | 39.87%  | 3,185  | 59.59% | 29  | 0.54%
1896 | 2,079  | 38.69%  | 3,260  | 60.67% | 34  | 0.63%
1892 | 1,588  | 34.37%  | 2,943  | 63.70% | 89  | 1.93%
1888 | 1,730  | 35.73%  | 3,065  | 63.30% | 47  | 0.97%
1884 | 1,575  | 36.07%  | 2,742  | 62.80% | 49  | 1.12%
1880 | 1,510  | 36.58%  | 2,559  | 61.99% | 59  | 1.43%
1876 | 1,336  | 37.70%  | 2,208  | 62.30% | 0  | 0.00%
1872 | 1,122  | 43.66%  | 1,439  | 55.99% | 9  | 0.35%
1868 | 963  | 42.48%  | 1,304  | 57.52% | 0  | 0.00%
1864 | 823  | 49.31%  | 846  | 50.69% | 0  | 0.00%
1860 | 571  | 44.37%  | 692  | 53.77% | 24  | 1.86%
1856 | 454  | 48.71%  | 477  | 51.18% | 1  | 0.11%

## Government and politics

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See also: Ohio county government

### County officials

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The County elects 9 officeholders.

Office  | Name  | Party

|
|

Commissioner  | Donald A. Douglas  | Republican
Commissioner  | Mark W. Stahl  | Republican
Commissioner  | Mark Coppler  | Republican
Prosecutor  | James VanEerten  | Republican
Sheriff  | Stephen J. Levorchick  | Democrat
Clerk of Courts  | John Klahen  | Republican
Recorder  | Virginia M. Park  | Democrat
Treasurer  | Robert Hille  | Democrat
Engineer  | Ronald Lajti  | Democrat
Coroner  | Daniel Cadigan  | Democrat
Auditor  | Jo E  | Democrat
Common Pleas Court Judge  | Bruce A. Winters  | Independent
Juvenile Court Judge  | Kathleen L. Giesler  | Democrat
Municipal Court Judge  | Louis P. Wargo III  | Republican

[20][21]

## Transportation

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### Major highways

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8 major highways run through Ottawa County, including two interstates, and eight state routes.

* Interstate 80 (Ohio Turnpike)
* Interstate 90 (Ohio Turnpike)
* Ohio State Route 2
* File:OH-19.svg Ohio State Route 19
* File:OH-51.svg Ohio State Route 51
* Ohio State Route 53
* File:OH-105.svg Ohio State Route 105
* File:OH-163.svg Ohio State Route 163
* Ohio State Route 269
* File:OH-590.svg Ohio State Route 590

### Airports

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* Erie-Ottawa Regional Airport
* Middle Bass-East Point Airport
* Middle Bass Island Airport
* North Bass Island Airport
* Put-in-Bay Airport

## Communities

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File:Map of Ottawa County Ohio With Municipal and Township Labels.PNGMap of Ottawa County, Ohio with municipal and township labels

### City

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* Port Clinton (county seat)

### Villages

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* Clay Center
* Elmore
* Genoa
* Marblehead
* Oak Harbor
* Put-in-Bay
* Rocky Ridge

### Townships

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* Allen
* Bay
* Benton
* Carroll
* Catawba Island
* Clay
* Danbury
* Erie
* Harris
* Portage
* Put-in-Bay
* Salem

https://web.archive.org/web/20160715023447/http://www.ohiotownships.org/township-websites

### Census-designated places

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* Curtice
* Lakeside
* Williston

### Unincorporated communities

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* Catawba Island
* Danbury
* Elliston[22]
* Forest Park
* Graytown
* Gypsum
* Isle St. George
* Lacarne
* Lakeside Marblehead
* Martin
* Middle Bass

## Notable residents

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* Louis C. Shepard \- American Civil War Medal of Honor recipient from Ashtabula County, buried in Lakeview cemetery, Port Clinton, Ohio.
* Crystal Bowersox, singer-songwriter, runner up on American Idol

## See also

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* National Register of Historic Places listings in Ottawa County, Ohio

## References

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1. ^ "Ohio County Profiles: Ottawa County" (PDF). Ohio Department of Development. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 21, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
2. ^ 2020 census
3. ^ "Find a County". National Association of Counties. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
4. ^ "Ottawa County data". Ohio State University Extension Data Center. Archived from the original on December 3, 2007. Retrieved April 28, 2007.
5. ^ "Ottawa County". www.co.ottawa.oh.us. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
6. ^ "AssetDetail". focus.nps.gov. Retrieved March 15, 2016.
7. ^ "The Ohio county that picks presidents is leaning Trump". BBC. July 23, 2016. Retrieved July 23, 2016.
8. ^ "2010 Census Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. August 22, 2012. Archived from the original on May 4, 2014. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
9. ^ "U.S. Decennial Census". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
10. ^ "Historical Census Browser". University of Virginia Library. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
11. ^ Forstall, Richard L., ed. (March 27, 1995). "Population of Counties by Decennial Census: 1900 to 1990". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
12. ^ "Census 2000 PHC-T-4. Ranking Tables for Counties: 1990 and 2000" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. April 2, 2001. Retrieved February 9, 2015.
13. ^ 2020 census
14. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
15. ^ a b c "DP-1 Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2010 Demographic Profile Data". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
16. ^ "Population, Housing Units, Area, and Density: 2010 - County". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
17. ^ "DP02 SELECTED SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS IN THE UNITED STATES – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
18. ^ "DP03 SELECTED ECONOMIC CHARACTERISTICS – 2006-2010 American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
19. ^ Leip, David. "Dave Leip's Atlas of U.S. Presidential Elections". uselectionatlas.org. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
20. ^ Ottawa County Elected Officials
21. ^ "Tim Ryan turned his race into a surprise Senate battleground. Now comes the hard part". POLITICO. Retrieved August 6, 2022.
22. ^ "Trinity United Church of Christ (Elliston, Ohio)". Bowling Green State University. Retrieved March 9, 2010.

## External links

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* Ottawa County Government's website

Places adjacent to Ottawa County, Ohio

| Lucas County |  | Lake Erie
Essex County, Ontario

|
|

|  |
Wood County |

Ottawa County, Ohio

|  |
| Sandusky County | Erie County

* v
* t
* e

Municipalities and communities of Ottawa County, Ohio, United States

County seat: Port Clinton

City|

* Port Clinton

File:Map of Ohio highlighting Ottawa County.svgMap of Ohio highlighting Ottawa County

Villages|

* Clay Center
* Elmore‡
* Genoa
* Marblehead
* Oak Harbor
* Put-in-Bay
* Rocky Ridge

Townships|

* Allen
* Bay
* Benton
* Carroll
* Catawba Island
* Clay
* Danbury
* Erie
* Harris
* Portage
* Put-in-Bay
* Salem

CDPs|

* Curtice‡
* Lakeside
* Williston

Unincorporated
communities|

* Forest Park
* Graytown
* Gypsum
* Isle St. George
* Lacarne
* Martin
* Middle Bass

Footnotes|

‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties

* United States portal

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* e

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Columbus (capital)

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Coordinates: 41°35′N 83°04′W﻿ / ﻿41.59°N 83.06°W﻿ / 41.59; -83.06
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