Warren County, Ohio
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Map_of_Ohio_highlighting_Warren_County.png
Image:Map of Ohio highlighting Warren County.png
Warren County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2000, the population is 158,383. The 2003 population estimate [1] (http://www.cincinnatiusa.org/pdf/pop/warren.pdf) for the county is 181,743. Its county seat is Lebanon6. Warren County was erected May 1, 1803 from Hamilton County, and named for Dr. Joseph Warren, a hero of the Revolution who sent Paul Revere on his ride and who died at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
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Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 1,054 km² (407 mi²). 1,035 km² (400 mi²) of it is land and 19 km² (8 mi²) of it is water. The total area is 1.84% water. The county is a rough square with the sides roughly 20 miles (30 km) long.
Adjacent counties
Beginning in the northwest corner and proceeding clockwise, the following counties border Warren County: Montgomery, Greene, Clinton, Clermont, Hamilton, and Butler.
Boundaries
Warren County was created by the first Ohio General Assembly in the Act of March 24, 1803, which also created Butler and Montgomery Counties. The act defined Warren County as "all that part of the county of Hamilton included within the following bounds, viz.: Beginning at the northeast corner of the county of Clermont, running thence west with the line of said county to the Little Miami; thence up the same with the meanders thereof to the north boundary of the first tier of sections in the second entire range of townships in the Miami Purchase; thence west to the northeast corner of Section No. 7 in the third township of the aforesaid range; thence north to the Great Miami; thence up the same to the middle of the fifth range of townships; thence east to the County line; thence with same south to the place of beginning." Originally this included land now in Clinton County as far east as Wilmington.
Clinton County proved a continuing headache to the legislature. The Ohio Constitution requires that every county have an area of at least four hundred square miles (1,036 km²). Clinton County's boundaries were several times adjusted in an effort to comply with that clause of the constitution. One of them, the Act of January 30, 1815, detached a strip of land from the eastern side to give to Clinton. That would have left Warren under four hundred square miles (1,036 km²), so a portion of Butler County (the part of Franklin Township where Carlisle is now located) was attached to Warren in compensation. The 1815 act was as follows:
- Section 1--That all that part of the county of Butler lying and being withing the first and second fractional townships in the fifth range, and adjoining the south line of Montgomery County, shall be and the same is hereby attached to and made part of the county of Warren.
- Section 2--That eleven square miles [28 km²] of the territory of the county of Warren and extending parallel to the said eastern boundary of Warren County, along the whole lenth of such eastern boundary from north to south, shall be and the same is hereby attached to and made a part of the county of Clinton."
Except for the sections formed by the Great and Little Miamis, the sides are all straight lines.
Lakes and rivers
The major rivers of the county are the Great Miami River, which flows through the northwest corner of the county in Franklin Township, and the Little Miami River which zig-zags across the county from north to south. There is one sizeable lake, the Caesars Creek Reservoir, created by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers dam on Caesars Creek in the northeast part of the county in Massie Township.
Demographics
As of the census2 of 2000, there are 158,383 people, 55,966 households, and 43,261 families residing in the county. The population density is 153/km² (396/mi²). There are 58,692 housing units at an average density of 57/km² (147/mi²). The racial makeup of the county is 94.66% White, 2.73% Black or African American, 0.18% Native American, 1.26% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.31% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. 1.03% of the population are Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There are 55,966 households out of which 39.70% have children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.20% are married couples living together, 8.00% have a female householder with no husband present, and 22.70% are non-families. 18.90% of all households are made up of individuals and 6.40% have someone living alone who is 65 years of age or older. The average household size is 2.72 and the average family size is 3.12.
In the county, the population is spread out with 27.70% under the age of 18, 7.10% from 18 to 24, 34.00% from 25 to 44, 21.80% from 45 to 64, and 9.40% who are 66 years of age or older. The median age is 35 years. For every 100 females there are 102.60 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there are 102.40 males.
The median income for a household in the county is $57,952, and the median income for a family is $64,692. Males have a median income of $47,027 versus $30,862 for females. The per capita income for the county is $25,517. 4.20% of the population and 3.00% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total population, 4.40% of those under the age of 18 and 4.70% of those 65 and older are living below the poverty line.
Historic Population Figures
The U.S. Census recorded the following population figures for the county:
- 1990:113,909
- 1980:99,276
- 1970:84,925
- 1960:65,711
- 1950:38,505
- 1940:29,894
- 1930:27,348
- 1920:25,716
- 1910:24,497
- 1900:25,584
- 1890:25,468
- 1880:28,392
- 1870:26,689
- 1860:26,902
- 1850:25,560
- 1840:23,141 (possibly 23,073)
- 1830:21,468 (possibly 21,474)
- 1820:17,837 (possibly 17,838)
- 1810:9,925
Communications
Highways
Interstates 71 and 75 pass through the county as do US Highway 22/Ohio 3 and U.S. Highway 42. Other major highways through the county are State Routes 28, 48, 63, 73, 122, 123, 132, 350, and 741.
Post Offices
The following post offices, with ZIP codes, serve Warren County:
- Blanchester, 45107
- Carlisle, 45005
- Cincinnati (Sharonville branch), 45241
- Cincinnati (Sycamore branch), 45249
- Clarksville, 45113
- Franklin, 45005
- Harveysburg, 45032
- Goshen, 45122
- Kings Mills, 45034
- Lebanon, 45036
- Loveland, 45140
- Maineville, 45039
- Mason, 45040
- Miamisburg, 45342
- Middletown, 45044
- Monroe, 45050
- Morrow, 45150
- Oregonia, 45054
- South Lebanon, 45065
- Springboro,45066
- Waynesville, 45068
Note: This list may be incomplete.
Telephone Service
There are telephone companies serving Warren County: the United Telephone Company of Ohio, a subsidary of Sprint Corporation (Utd); the Germantown Independent Telephone Company (Ger); Cincinnati Bell (Cin); Ohio Bell, a subsidiary of SBC Communications (Oh); the Little Miami Telephone Company, a subsidiary of Telephone and Data Systems (LM); and GTE, a subsidiary of Verizon (GTE). Warren County is in the 513 and 937 area codes.
The following exchange areas serve Warren County, listed with the exchange prefixes used and the area code and company serving that exchange.
- Bellbrook (937-Oh): 310, 661, 848
- Blanchester (937-GTE): 783
- Butlerville (513-LM): 877
- Centerville (937-Oh): 350, 619, 885, 886
- Clarksville (937-GTE): 289, 501, 574, 577
- Franklin (937-Oh): 514, 550, 557, 704, 743, 746, 748, 790, 806, 928
- Germantown (937-Ger): 855
- Lebanon (513-Utd): 228, 282, 331, 695, 696, 836, 850, 932, 933, 934
- Little Miami (513-Cin): 239, 248, 274, 334, 340, 444, 453, 575, 576, 583, 600, 677, 683, 697, 707, 716, 722, 774, 831, 833, 965
- Mason (513-Utd): 336, 339, 398, 459, 492, 573, 622, 754, 229, 234, 701, 770
- Miamisburg-West Carrollton (937-Oh): 247, 353, 384, 388, 530, 560, 847, 859, 865, 866, 914
- Middletown (513-Oh): 217, 222, 224, 261, 267, 292, 306, 318, 320, 355, 392, 420 ,422, 423, 424, 425, 433, 435, 464, 465, 571, 594, 649, 705, 727, 783, 804, 849, 890, 915
- Monroe (513-Oh): 360, 539
- Morrow (513-Utd): 899
- South Lebanon (513-Utd): 268, 480, 494
- Spring Valley (937-Oh): 317, 659, 862
- Waynesville (513-Utd): 897
Media
Despite its large population, there are no daily newspapers published in the county. The Middletown Journal circulates in Franklin, Springboro, Lebanon, and Turtlecreek Township. The Dayton Daily News, which is printed in Franklin, circulates in the northern part of the county. The Cincinnati Enquirer circulates through most of the county while the Cincinnati Post abandoned all distribution in the county in 2004.
Among its weekly papers are The Western Star, the oldest weekly in the state and the oldest newspaper west of the Appalachians published under its original name. It, like the Pulse-Journal in Mason and the Star-Press in Springboro, are owned by the parent of the Middletown Journal and the Dayton Daily News, Cox Communications. Other weeklies include the Franklin Chronicle.
For a time in the mid-1990s, Lebanon was the home of a commercial radio station, WMMA-FM, 97.3, but its owners sold out and the new owners moved the station to Hamilton County. The only radio station in the county is WLMH-FM, a student-run station at Little Miami High School in Hamilton Township.
Warren County is assigned to the Cincinnati television market, but Dayton television stations treat it as part of their market as well.
Local Government
Cities and villages
The following cities and villages are in Warren County. Those primarily in Warren are in bold, the others in italic.
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Townships
The following eleven townships make up Warren County:
School districts
There are seventeen school districts having territory in Warren County. Those listed in bold are primarily in Warren, those in italics are primarily in other counties. The county each district is chiefly located in is bolded.
- Blanchester City School District (also in Brown, Clermont, and Clinton)
- Carlisle Local School District (also in Montgomery)
- Clinton-Massie Local School District (also in Clinton)
- Franklin City School District
- Goshen Local School District (also in Clermont)
- Kings Local School District
- Lebanon City School District
- Little Miami Local School District (also in Clermont)
- Loveland City School District (also in Clermont and Hamilton)
- Mason City School District (also in Butler)
- Middletown City School District (also in Butler)
- Monroe Local School District (also in Butler)
- Princeton City School District (also in Butler and Hamilton)
- Spring Valley Local School District (also in Greene)
- Springboro Community City School District
- Wayne Local School District
- Xenia City School District (also in Greene and Clinton)
Other places of Warren County
These are all unincorporated places in the county.
Government
Counties in Ohio do not possess home rule powers but can do only what has been expressly authorized by the Ohio General Assembly. Like eighty-six other counties (the exception is Summit), the county has the following elected officials, as provided by statute:
- Three county commissioners (the Board of Commissioners): Control budget; approve zoning; approve annexations to cities and villages; set overall policy; oversee departments under their control
- County auditor: Values property for taxation; issues dog, kennel, and cigarette licenses; issues licenses for retailers for sales tax purposes; inspects scales, pumps, etc., used in commerce to see that they are accurate
- County clerk of court of common pleas: Keeps filings of lawsuits and orders of the county court of common pleas; records titles for motor vehicles
- County coroner: Determines causes of death in certain cases; is the only person with the power to arrest the sheriff.
- County engineer: Maintains county roads and land maps
- Prosecuting attorney: Prosecutes felonies and is the legal advisor to all other county officials and departments
- County recorder: Keeps all land records, including deeds, surveys, mortgages, easements, and liens
- County treasurer: Collects taxes, invests county money, provide financial oversight to municipalities and school districts in the county
- County sheriff: Chief law enforcement officer, polices areas without local police; runs the county jail; acts as officer of the local courts (transporting prisoners, serving subpoenas, acting as bailiff, etc.)
All of these officials are elected to four-year terms in November of even-numbered years after being nominated in partisan primary elections. One commissioner and the auditor are elected in the same year as the governor in one cycle; the other two commissioners and the other officials are elected in the same year as the president of the United States. The clerk, coroner, prosecutor, recorder, and sheriff begin their terms on the first Monday in January. The auditor's term begins on the second Monday in March. The treasurer's term begins on the first monday in September. The commissioner who is elected with the governor begins his term on January 1. Of the other two seats, one term begins on January 2 and the second on January 3.
Any citizen of Ohio and the United States who is eighteen years of age or older and lives in the county may run for commissioner, auditor, treasurer, clerk of courts, or recorder. The other offices have specific additional requirements: candidates for prosecutor must be licensed to practice law; candidates for coroner must be licensed to practice medicine for two years; candidates for engineer must be both licensed surveyors and engineers; and candidates for sheriff must have certain education and supervisory experience in law enforcement.
If a vacancy arises, it is filled by the county central committee of the political party to which the former official belonged, i.e., the Republicans appoint someone to an office held by a Republican and the Democrats to an office held by a Democrat. If an office becomes vacant before the November election in the even-numbered year midway through the term, the appointee must run in a special election for the remainder of the term. If the office becomes vacant after then, the appointment is for the remainder of the term.
The Board of County Commissioners is the combined executive and legislative branch of county government but as their control over the independently elected officials is limited, there is effectively no real executive. However, one of the members of the board is named president of the board. The commissioners receive a full-time salary, but commissioners often have full-time occupations on the side. The board also employs a clerk to record its proceedings.
The board of commissioners often create numerous subordinate departments to handle specific services. These vary from county to county; among the most common are departments for building and zoning, health, economic development, water and sewer service, and emergency management.
There is also a county educational service center (previously known as the county board of education) presided over by a board of education, typically numbering five members, elected to staggered four-year terms in non-partisan elections in odd-numbered years. The center supplies services to the individual school districts in the county and exercises some limited control over the class of school districts known as "local school districts." ("City school districts" and "exempted village school districts" are free from any oversight by the county board.) Counties also have a board of mental retardation and developmental disabilities to educate disabled children. The members of this board are appointed.
Elections are administered in each county by a four-member board of elections which consists of two Republicans and two Democrats appointed by the Ohio Secretary of State at the recommendation of each county party. The board employs a director, who must be of the opposing political party of the chairman of the board of elections, and a deputy director, who must be of the political party of the chairman of the board.
The county has a court of common pleas, which is the court of first instance for felonies and certain high-value civil cases. All judges in Ohio are elected to six-year terms in non-partisan elections after being nominated in partisan primaries.
See also Ohio county government.
Politics
Warren County is staunchly Republican and has been since the party was established in the 1850s. Since the first presidential election after its founding, 1856, Warren County has supported the Republican candidate for president all but once, the exception being 1964 when Warren County voted for Democrat Lyndon B. Johnson over Barry M. Goldwater. Before the Republican party was formed, Warren County supported the Whigs. Since 1869, Warren County has almost always supported the Republican candidate for Governor of Ohio, the exceptions being in 1924 when it supported Vic Donahey, 1932 (George White), 1952 (Frank Lausche), and 1958 (Michael V. DiSalle). However, excepting DiSalle, each of these four Democrats, who were all victorious statewide, was a conservative Democrat.
In local races, Warren County occasionally elected Democrats. In 1976, two of the three county commission seats were won by Democrats. Until the mid-1990s, Democrats regularly ran for county offices and, while almost always losing, did not do so badly. However, with the massive expansion in population in the 1990s, the county became extremely Republican, so much so the Democrats fail to field any candidates. In the 1996, 2000, and 2004 elections, in which eight county offices were on the ballot, there were no Democratic candidates for any of them. The lone Democrat in county office in recent years, one of the judges of the Court of Common Pleas, ran as a Republican in his last election. The Democratic Party in Warren County is so disorganized, that at least half the precincts have no committeeman and the party has no office or telephone listing.
Famous inhabitants
Among the famous who have inhabited the county are: astronaut Neil Armstrong (Turtlecreek Township), state legislator John Bigger, Ohio House Speaker Alexander Boxwell, Congressman Clarence Brown, Jr. (Franklin), Civil War officer John Chivington, actor George Clooney (Mason), Ohio Supreme Court justice Joshua Collett, Ohio House Speaker Matthias Corwin (Lebanon), Governor Thomas Corwin (Lebanon), newspaper publisher William Denny (Lebanon), legislator Francis Dunlavy, Ohio Grange founder Seth Ellis, businessman Seth Haines (Waynesville), Ohio House Speaker Arthur Hamilton, philanthropist William Elmer Harmon (Lebanon), aviator Clifford Harmon (Lebanon), actor Woody Harrelson (Lebanon), Miami and Erie Canal engineer Augustus F. Hinsch, educator and politician Alfred Holbrook (Lebanon), Secretary of State Cordell Hull (attended school in Lebanon), state legislator Michael H. Johnson, California politician Thomas J. Keys, surveyor Ephraim Kibby, game-show contestant Michael Larson (Lebanon), Congressman Donald Lukens (Harveysburg), Lieutenant Governor Andrew G. McBurney (Lebanon), newspaper publisher William C. McClintock (Lebanon), U.S. Supreme Court justice John McLean (Lebanon), decorator Gerald Miller (Lebanon), Governor Jeremiah Morrow (Fosters), historian Josiah Morrow (Lebanon), football player Anthony Munoz (Deerfield Township), state legislator Corwin Nixon (Lebanon), Masonic leader J. Kelly O'Neall, sports broadcaster Dan Patrick (Mason), state legislator John Probasco (Lebanon), musician Marty Roe (Lebanon), Congressman Thomas Ross, politician Charles Sanders (Waynesville), Admiral James F. Schenck (Franklin), state legislator William C. Schenck (Franklin), General William C. Schenck (Franklin), Washington Territorial secretary James Scott, Ohio Senate President George J. Smith, doctor J. L. Stephens, doctor E. B. Stevens, Spanish-American war soldier Wilson E. Terry (Kings Mills), Shaker poet William H. Venable (Union Village), Civil War general Durbin Ward (Lebanon), Ohio state treasurer Joseph Whitehill, Congressman Jeremiah Wilson
External links
- Series of articles on local history written by Dallas Bogen (http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohwarren/Bogan/index.htm#Index)
- Official county site (http://www.co.warren.oh.us)
- 2003 Population estimates (http://www.cincinnatiusa.org/pdf/pop/warren.pdf)
References
- Elva R. Adams. Warren County Revisited. [Lebanon, Ohio]: Warren County Historical Society, 1989.
- Robert Brenner. Maineville, Ohio, History: 100 Years as an Incorporated Town, 1850-1950. Cincinnati: John S. Swift, 1950.
- The Centennial Atlas of Warren County, Ohio. Lebanon, Ohio: The Centennial Atlas Association, 1903.
- Mabel Eldridge and Dudley Bryant. Franklin in the Great Miami Valley. Edited by Harriet E. Foley. Franklin, Ohio: Franklin Area Historical Society, 1982.
- Harriet E. Foley, editor. Carlisle: The Jersey Settlement in Ohio, 1800-1990. 2nd ed. [Carlisle, Ohio?]: The Editor, 1990.
- Josiah Morrow. The History of Warren County, Ohio. Chicago: W.H. Beers, 1883. (Reprinted several times)
- Ohio Atlas & Gazetteer. 6th ed. Yarmouth, Maine: DeLorme, 2001. ISBN 0899332811
- Thomas D. Schiffer. Peters & King: The Birth & Evolution of the Peters Cartridge Co. & the King Powder Co. Iola, Wisconsin: Krause Publications, 2002. ISBN 087349363X
- William E. Smith. History of Southwestern Ohio: The Miami Valleys. New York: Lewis Historical Publishing, 1964. 3 vols.
- Rose Marie Springman. Around Mason, Ohio: A Story. [Mason, Ohio?]: The Author, 1982.
- Warren County Engineer's Office. Official Highway Map 2003. Lebanon, Ohio: The Office, 2003.
