Jefferson, Ohio
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Jefferson is a village located in Ashtabula County, Ohio. As of the 2000 census, the village had a total population of 3,572. It is the county seat of Ashtabula CountyTemplate:GR. Modern-day Jefferson sports the world's only perambulator museum and a historical complex including several restored 18th century buildings. Joshua Giddings' law office has also been restored as a museum. Annual village events include the Ashtabula County Fair, the Strawberry Festival, Jefferson Days, and the Covered Bridge Festival.
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History
Jefferson was officially founded by Gideon Granger--Postmaster General during Thomas Jefferson's administration--in 1803. He envisioned the new settlement as a "Philadelphia of the West," and early plans for the village were based upon the layout of that city. A cabin was erected by Granger's agent in 1804, but the settlement's first permanent residents arrived only in 1805: the Samuel Wilson family. Wilson, misled by land agents, moved to Ohio in late autumn expecting to find a thriving city on Granger's land. Instead, he found a wilderness, broken only by trees emblazoned with Philadelphian street names, marking where future streets would be built. Wilson himself died after two weeks of herculean effort to prepare for the winter, but his family stayed on as the first citizens of Jefferson.
Jefferson's two most famous sons were Congressman Joshua Giddings and Senator Benjamin Wade, two prominent Republican abolitionists. In 1931 the two men formed a law practice in Jefferson (which became the county seat of newly-formed Ashtabula County in 1811) and worked together until Giddings was elected to Congress in 1838. Wade successfully ran for the Ohio State Senate in 1837, then won election to the US Senate in 1851. Both were instrumental in the foundation of the Republican Party and defied the "Gag Rule" barring discussion of slavery prior to the American Civil War. Jefferson itself was a hotbed of abolitionism. John Brown spoke in the village, and several of its houses acted as stations on the Underground Railway. During the American Civil War, it trained Union recruits at Fort Giddings, which stood in the village at the current site of the fairgrounds.
E.T. Fetch, the first American to drive an automobile from coast to coast, was also a Jefferson resident.
Geography
Jefferson is located at 41°44'14" North, 80°46'19" West (41.737118, -80.772019)Template:GR.
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²). 5.9 km² (2.3 mi²) of it is land and none of the area is covered with water.
The village's principle watercourse is Mill Creek, an oft-insubstantial trickle which, nevertheless, was significant in the town's industrial development. A dam reigns in this liliputian flood menace, forming a now-redundant village reservoir.
Demographics
As of the censusTemplate:GR of 2000, there are 3,572 people, 1,357 households, and 933 families residing in the village. The population density is 604.9/km² (1,566.5/mi²). There are 1,425 housing units at an average density of 241.3/km² (625.0/mi²). The racial makeup of the village is 97.17% White, 1.43% African American, 0.25% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.00% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races, and 0.78% from two or more races. 0.62% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 1,357 households out of which 34.0% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.1% are married couples living together, 14.2% have a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% are non-families. 27.7% of all households are made up of individuals and 13.1% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.47 and the average family size is 2.99.
In the village the population is spread out with 25.3% under the age of 18, 9.9% from 18 to 24, 26.8% from 25 to 44, 21.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.1% who are 65 years of age or older. The median age is 37 years. For every 100 females there are 85.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 82.4 males.
The median income for a household in the village is $36,883, and the median income for a family is $46,313. Males have a median income of $34,341 versus $25,036 for females. The per capita income for the village is $18,371. 5.8% of the population and 3.9% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 6.4% of those under the age of 18 and 8.0% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.