Darke County, Ohio


Darke County is a county in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 51,881. Its county seat and largest city is Greenville. The county was created in 1809 and later organized in 1817. It is List of [Ohio county name etymologies|named] for William Darke, an officer in the American Revolutionary War. Darke County comprises the Greenville, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, OH Combined Statistical Area.

History

Early history

Human activity in Darke County is believed to have emerged under the Adena culture during the Woodland period, roughly in the 500 BC to 100 AD range. The Adena were later replaced by a series of Native American trading cultures known as the Ohio Hopewell, which had been replaced by the Fort Ancient culture by 1000 AD. Although Darke County was in the sphere of influence of these various cultures, no major archaeological sites remain in the area. By the 1600s, the Miami people had settled the region, establishing their principle village at what is now Piqua in neighboring Miami County.
Europeans nominally owned the Louisiana Territory for centuries, ceding it between several different European countries over the years. Despite this, even as major settlements such as Detroit and St. Louis were established across the region, Darke County remained unsettled for most that time.
The first major settlement was established at Fort Jefferson in 1791, and the base was used as a staging ground during the Northwest Indian War, although it never saw any action. Another camp was established in 1793 at Fort Greenville, where the historic Treaty of Greenville was signed in 1795, ceding control of Southern Ohio from the Native American tribes to the United States.

Settlement and 19th century

In 1807, the first American settlers began arriving in Darke County. By 1808, initial plans for a settlement at the abandoned Fort Greenville were established, eventually becoming the modern city of Greenville. Darke County was split off from Miami County in 1809, and settlement continued to grow slowly throughout the early 19th century, with major settlement outside of Greenville proper being hampered by unfavorable swampland. By midcentury, the county had roughly 15,000 people.
The railroad arrived in Darke County in 1850, and soon Darke County was a major intersection for three different railroads, drastically spurring its economy. Despite its small size, Darke County at this time had developed a vibrant civil society and had many churches and banking institutions, as well as two newspapers. The county saw a large influx of German immigrants at this time, which further contributed to the social engagement of the community.
During the American Civil War, Darke County was a staunchly Unionist county, and despite its small population it soon raised three full companies of volunteers for the Union Army. While the county was never on the Underground Railroad itself, local volunteers would frequently assist escaped slaves in moving to other free states. It was during this time that famed sharpshooter Annie Oakley was born here, and she remains one of the county's most famous people.

20th century and modern day

Darke County's growth slowed throughout the 20th century, with its economy shifting towards manufacturing and light industry instead of just agriculture. Darke County benefitted from the growth of the Dayton metropolitan area towards the end of the century, but began to see its population decline during the late 20th century as manufacturing as a whole slowed across the country and Dayton began losing people.
Today, Darke County's economy has rebounded, and its population has remained steady, with massive agricultural and industrial investments making it one of the best performing micropolitan areas in the country and a substantial amount of the working population still commuting to Dayton. As home to the Eldora Speedway, constructed in 1952, the county also hosts one of the largest tourist events in the Dayton metropolitan area.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of, of which is land and is water.

Adjacent counties

2020 census

As of the 2020 census, the county had a population of 51,881. The median age was 42.5 years. 23.7% of residents were under the age of 18 and 20.8% of residents were 65 years of age or older. For every 100 females there were 99.2 males, and for every 100 females age 18 and over there were 96.9 males age 18 and over.
The racial makeup of the county was 95.1% White, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, 0.7% from some other race, and 3.1% from two or more races. Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino] residents of any race comprised 1.7% of the population.
28.3% of residents lived in urban areas, while 71.7% lived in rural areas.
There were 20,925 households in the county, of which 28.1% had children under the age of 18 living in them. Of all households, 51.9% were married-couple households, 18.0% were households with a male householder and no spouse or partner present, and 23.0% were households with a female householder and no spouse or partner present. About 28.8% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
There were 22,599 housing units, of which 7.4% were vacant. Among occupied housing units, 73.4% were owner-occupied and 26.6% were renter-occupied. The homeowner vacancy rate was 1.1% and the rental vacancy rate was 5.6%.

Racial and ethnic composition

Race / Ethnicity Pop 1980Pop 1990Pop 2000Pop 2010Pop 2020% 1980% 1990% 2000% 2010% 2020
White alone 54,37252,87452,04651,36548,99498.69%98.61%97.63%96.99%94.44%
Black or African American alone 1671832042333020.30%0.34%0.38%0.44%0.58%
Native American or Alaska Native alone 64908171920.12%0.17%0.15%0.13%0.18%
Asian alone 691091321591810.13%0.20%0.25%0.30%0.35%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander alone xx12426xx0.02%0.01%0.05%
Other race alone 452024281220.08%0.04%0.05%0.05%0.24%
Mixed race or Multiracial xx3534531,305xx0.66%0.86%2.52%
Hispanic or Latino 3793434576468590.69%0.64%0.86%1.22%1.66%
Total55,09653,61953,30952,95951,881 100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%100.00%

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 52,959 people, 20,929 households, and 14,673 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 22,730 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 97.8% white, 0.4% black or African American, 0.3% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 1.2% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 38.9% were German, 11.5% were American, 10.6% were Irish, and 9.0% were English.
Of the 20,929 households, 31.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.7% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 29.9% were non-families, and 25.9% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.50, and the average family size was 3.00. The median age was 40.8 years.
The median income for a household in the county was $44,280, and the median income for a family was $53,454. Males had a median income of $40,402 versus $28,310 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,483. About 7.5% of families and 10.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 53,309 people, 20,419 households, and 14,905 families living in the county. The population density was. There were 21,583 housing units at an average density of. The racial makeup of the county was 98.09% White, 0.39% Black or African American, 0.17% Native American, 0.25% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.34% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 43.1% were of German, 20.1% American, 8.1% English, 6.8% Irish and 5.8% French ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 20,419 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% were married couples living together, 8.00% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.00% were non-families. 23.50% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56, and the average family size was 3.03.
In the county, the population was spread out, with 26.30% under the age of 18, 7.80% from 18 to 24, 27.50% from 25 to 44, 23.20% from 45 to 64, and 15.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.10 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.30 males.
The median income for a household in the county was $39,307, and the median income for a family was $45,735. Males had a median income of $32,933 versus $23,339 for females. The per capita income for the county was $18,670. About 6.00% of families and 8.00% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.

Economy

At founding, Darke County's economy was primarily agricultural, although it never took off to the extent of the rest of the Midwest due to unfavorable soil. The arrival of the railroad heavily boosted the county's economy, which was at the junction of three different railroads and thus was briefly an important hub for the rail industry. As neighboring Dayton grew during the manufacturing boom of the early 20th century, Darke County was able to diversify its economy, gaining both light manufacturing of its own and to a lesser extent becoming a suburb of Dayton. As Dayton became part of the Rust Belt and manufacturing decline nationally, Darke County was also affected, entering a prolonged downturn. Today, large investments from manufacturing companies have rebounded the county's economy, and Darke County has become the second most successful micropolitan area in the state.
Industry namePercent annual employment
Manufacturing26.6%
Healthcare and Social Services14.1%
Retail9.5%
Educational Services7.8%
Transportation and Logistics6.9%
Wholesale Trade5.5%
Construction5.2%
Accommodation and Food Services4.7%
Agriculture3.4%
Finance3.4%
Other3.0%
Public Administration2.5%
Professional Services2.5%
Administrative Services2.1%
Arts and Entertainment1%

Culture and media

Culture

Despite Darke County's small size, it has a series of events centers and cultural events.

Newspapers

Government

At the federal level, Ohio is represented in the United States Senate by Bernie Moreno and Jon Husted, both Republicans. It is represented in the United States House of Representatives as part of Ohio's 8th congressional district by Republican Warren Davidson. At the state level, Darke County is in Ohio's 5th senatorial district, represented by Republican Steve Huffman. It is in the Ohio House of Representatives' 80th and 84th district, represented by Republicans Johnathan Newman and Angela King, respectively. Judicially, Darke County is in Ohio's 2nd courts of appeals district.
Like most Ohio counties, Darke County has a three-member Board of County Commissioners elected at-large who oversee the various county departments. It also has several elected county officials.

County commissioners

County officials

Politics

Despite its Unionist sympathies, Darke County originally was a Democratic-leaning swing county for most of the 19th century. Primarily agricultural, the county was frequently more sympathetic to the Democratic Party, and the heavily German American population was at the time predominantly Democratic, splitting to vote for Republicans only twice between 1860 and 1916. Darke County became one of the first counties in the region to shift towards Republicans in 1940, and has continued to deliver Republicans massive margins since then. Since the beginning of the 21st century, the political realignment of rural voters has proved especially powerful in Darke County, where a large majority of voters cite the national Democratic Party's shift to the left socially on issues such as abortion and gun control as the impetus for their shift to Republicans. Darke County has voted decisively against liberal causes on nearly every issue, including legalizing same-sex marriage, easing abortion restrictions, and marijuana legalization. Republicans have set a new statewide record in every single election since 2008, breaking 70% in 2012 and 80% in 2020. While Darke County does have Democrats elected at the local level, the rightward shift of the county is so strong that it has not voted for a Democrat for any state office since 1986, even during Democratic landslides.

Transportation

Airports

The county contains one airport, Darke County Airport. The primary use is civilian, although there is an air taxi service based at the airport as well.

Roads

Education

Community colleges

A branch of Edison State Community College is located in Greenville.

Public school districts

School districts

City

Darke County has 25 places listed on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Darke County Courthouse, Sheriff's House, and Jail, and the Wayne Township House">Wayne Township, Darke County, Ohio">Wayne Township House.
Darke County is home to the Eldora Speedway located near New Weston, which hosts many big events throughout the year.

Notable residents