Darke County, Ohio | |
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 Flag | |
 Location within the U.S. state ofOhio | |
 Ohio's location within theU.S. | |
| Coordinates:40°08′N84°37′W / 40.13°N 84.62°W /40.13; -84.62 | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Ohio |
| Founded | January 3, 1809 |
| Named after | William Darke |
| Seat | Greenville |
| Largest city | Greenville |
| Area | |
• Total | 600 sq mi (1,600 km2) |
| • Land | 598 sq mi (1,550 km2) |
| • Water | 1.7 sq mi (4.4 km2) 0.3% |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 51,881 |
| • Density | 86/sq mi (33/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−5 (Eastern) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC−4 (EDT) |
| ZIP Codes | 45303, 45304, 45308, 45328, 45331, 45332, 45346, 45348, 45350, 45351, 45352, 45358, 45362, 45380, 45388, 45390 |
| Area code | 937,326 |
| Congressional district | 8th |
| Website | www |
Darke County is acounty in theU.S. state ofOhio. As of the2020 census, the population was 51,881.[1] Itscounty seat and largest city isGreenville.[2] The county was created in 1809 and later organized in 1817.[3] It isnamed forWilliam Darke, an officer in theAmerican Revolutionary War.[4] Darke County comprises the Greenville, OHMicropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in theDayton-Springfield-Sidney, OHCombined Statistical Area.
Human activity in Darke County is believed to have emerged under theAdena culture during theWoodland 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 The Adena were later replaced by a series of Native American trading cultures known as the OhioHopewell, which had been replaced by theFort Ancient culture by 1000 AD.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, theMiami people had settled the region, establishing their principle village at what is nowPiqua in neighboring Miami County.[5]
Europeans nominally owned theLouisiana Territory for centuries, ceding it between several different European countries over the years. Despite this, even as major settlements such asDetroit andSt. Louis were established across the region, Darke County remained unsettled for most that time.
The first major settlement was established atFort Jefferson in 1791, and the base was used as a staging ground during theNorthwest Indian War, although it never saw any action. Another camp was established in 1793 atFort Greenville, where the historicTreaty of Greenville was signed in 1795, ceding control of Southern Ohio from the Native American tribes to the United States.[6]
In 1807, the first American settlers began arriving in Darke County (then part of Miami). 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.[6] 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.[6] 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 ofGerman immigrants at this time, which further contributed to the social engagement of the community.
During theAmerican 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.[7] While the county was never on theUnderground Railroad itself, local volunteers would frequently assist escaped slaves in moving to other free states.[6] It was during this time that famed sharpshooterAnnie Oakley was born here, and she remains one of the county's most famous people.[8]
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 theDayton 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.[9][10] As home to theEldora Speedway, constructed in 1952, the county also hosts one of the largest tourist events in the Dayton metropolitan area.[11]
According to theU.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 600 square miles (1,600 km2), of which 598 square miles (1,550 km2) is land and 1.7 square miles (4.4 km2) (0.3%) is water.[12]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1820 | 3,622 | — | |
| 1830 | 6,204 | 71.3% | |
| 1840 | 13,282 | 114.1% | |
| 1850 | 20,276 | 52.7% | |
| 1860 | 26,009 | 28.3% | |
| 1870 | 32,278 | 24.1% | |
| 1880 | 40,496 | 25.5% | |
| 1890 | 42,961 | 6.1% | |
| 1900 | 42,532 | −1.0% | |
| 1910 | 42,933 | 0.9% | |
| 1920 | 42,911 | −0.1% | |
| 1930 | 38,009 | −11.4% | |
| 1940 | 38,831 | 2.2% | |
| 1950 | 41,799 | 7.6% | |
| 1960 | 45,612 | 9.1% | |
| 1970 | 49,141 | 7.7% | |
| 1980 | 55,096 | 12.1% | |
| 1990 | 53,619 | −2.7% | |
| 2000 | 53,309 | −0.6% | |
| 2010 | 52,959 | −0.7% | |
| 2020 | 51,881 | −2.0% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census[13] 1790-1960[14] 1900-1990[15] 1990-2000[16] 2020[1] | |||
| Race / Ethnicity(NH = Non-Hispanic) | Pop 1980[17] | Pop 1990[18] | Pop 2000[19] | Pop 2010[20] | Pop 2020[21] | % 1980 | % 1990 | % 2000 | % 2010 | % 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| White alone (NH) | 54,372 | 52,874 | 52,046 | 51,365 | 48,994 | 98.69% | 98.61% | 97.63% | 96.99% | 94.44% |
| Black or African American alone (NH) | 167 | 183 | 204 | 233 | 302 | 0.30% | 0.34% | 0.38% | 0.44% | 0.58% |
| Native American orAlaska Native alone (NH) | 64 | 90 | 81 | 71 | 92 | 0.12% | 0.17% | 0.15% | 0.13% | 0.18% |
| Asian alone (NH) | 69 | 109 | 132 | 159 | 181 | 0.13% | 0.20% | 0.25% | 0.30% | 0.35% |
| Native Hawaiian orPacific Islander alone (NH) | x[22] | x[23] | 12 | 4 | 26 | x | x | 0.02% | 0.01% | 0.05% |
| Other race alone (NH) | 45 | 20 | 24 | 28 | 122 | 0.08% | 0.04% | 0.05% | 0.05% | 0.24% |
| Mixed race or Multiracial (NH) | x[24] | x[25] | 353 | 453 | 1,305 | x | x | 0.66% | 0.86% | 2.52% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 379 | 343 | 457 | 646 | 859 | 0.69% | 0.64% | 0.86% | 1.22% | 1.66% |
| Total | 55,096 | 53,619 | 53,309 | 52,959 | 51,881 | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% | 100.00% |
As of the2010 United States census, there were 52,959 people, 20,929 households, and 14,673 families living in the county.[26] The population density was 88.5 inhabitants per square mile (34.2/km2). There were 22,730 housing units at an average density of 38.0 units per square mile (14.7 units/km2).[27] 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.[26] In terms of ancestry, 38.9% wereGerman, 11.5% wereAmerican, 10.6% wereIrish, and 9.0% wereEnglish.[28]
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.[26]
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 thepoverty line, including 14.5% of those under age 18 and 8.1% of those age 65 or over.[29]
As of thecensus[30] of 2000, there were 53,309 people, 20,419 households, and 14,905 families living in the county. The population density was 89 inhabitants per square mile (34/km2). There were 21,583 housing units at an average density of 36 units per square mile (14/km2). The racial makeup of the county was 98.09%White, 0.39%Black orAfrican American, 0.17%Native American, 0.25%Asian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 0.34% fromother races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.86% of the population wereHispanic orLatino of any race. 43.1% were ofGerman, 20.1%American, 8.1%English, 6.8%Irish and 5.8%French ancestry according toCensus 2000.
There were 20,419 households, out of which 33.30% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.00% weremarried 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. Theper capita income for the county was $18,670. About 6.00% of families and 8.00% of the population were below thepoverty line, including 10.10% of those under age 18 and 9.20% of those age 65 or over.
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.[7] 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.[6] As neighboringDayton 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 theRust 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.[10]
| Industry name | Percent annual employment |
|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 26.6% |
| Healthcare and Social Services | 14.1% |
| Retail | 9.5% |
| Educational Services | 7.8% |
| Transportation and Logistics | 6.9% |
| Wholesale Trade | 5.5% |
| Construction | 5.2% |
| Accommodation and Food Services | 4.7% |
| Agriculture | 3.4% |
| Finance | 3.4% |
| Other | 3.0% |
| Public Administration | 2.5% |
| Professional Services | 2.5% |
| Administrative Services | 2.1% |
| Arts and Entertainment | 1% |
Despite Darke County's small size, it has a series of events centers and cultural events.
At the federal level, Ohio is represented in theUnited States Senate byBernie Moreno andJon Husted, both Republicans. It is represented in theUnited States House of Representatives as part ofOhio's 8th congressional district by RepublicanWarren Davidson. At the state level, Darke County is inOhio's 5th senatorial district, represented by RepublicanSteve Huffman. It is in theOhio House of Representatives' 80th and 84th district, represented by RepublicansJohnathan Newman andAngela 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.
| Year | Republican | Democratic | Third party(ies) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | % | No. | % | No. | % | |
| 2024 | 22,234 | 82.01% | 4,583 | 16.90% | 295 | 1.09% |
| 2020 | 22,004 | 81.01% | 4,731 | 17.42% | 426 | 1.57% |
| 2016 | 20,012 | 78.17% | 4,470 | 17.46% | 1,119 | 4.37% |
| 2012 | 18,108 | 71.21% | 6,826 | 26.84% | 496 | 1.95% |
| 2008 | 17,290 | 66.92% | 7,964 | 30.82% | 584 | 2.26% |
| 2004 | 18,306 | 69.57% | 7,846 | 29.82% | 161 | 0.61% |
| 2000 | 14,817 | 63.68% | 7,741 | 33.27% | 709 | 3.05% |
| 1996 | 10,798 | 46.88% | 8,871 | 38.52% | 3,363 | 14.60% |
| 1992 | 11,098 | 45.44% | 7,016 | 28.72% | 6,312 | 25.84% |
| 1988 | 14,914 | 67.93% | 6,851 | 31.21% | 189 | 0.86% |
| 1984 | 16,379 | 72.81% | 5,904 | 26.25% | 211 | 0.94% |
| 1980 | 12,773 | 58.17% | 7,635 | 34.77% | 1,550 | 7.06% |
| 1976 | 11,580 | 52.75% | 9,901 | 45.10% | 472 | 2.15% |
| 1972 | 13,862 | 65.71% | 6,534 | 30.97% | 700 | 3.32% |
| 1968 | 10,926 | 53.78% | 7,371 | 36.28% | 2,018 | 9.93% |
| 1964 | 8,581 | 40.83% | 12,433 | 59.17% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1960 | 14,048 | 64.55% | 7,715 | 35.45% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1956 | 13,447 | 65.32% | 7,138 | 34.68% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1952 | 13,670 | 64.28% | 7,597 | 35.72% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1948 | 8,956 | 50.28% | 8,770 | 49.23% | 87 | 0.49% |
| 1944 | 11,135 | 58.08% | 8,036 | 41.92% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1940 | 11,147 | 53.60% | 9,651 | 46.40% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1936 | 8,375 | 41.29% | 11,114 | 54.79% | 794 | 3.91% |
| 1932 | 8,284 | 41.65% | 11,122 | 55.92% | 483 | 2.43% |
| 1928 | 11,765 | 66.34% | 5,822 | 32.83% | 147 | 0.83% |
| 1924 | 9,166 | 52.92% | 7,316 | 42.24% | 839 | 4.84% |
| 1920 | 9,552 | 52.59% | 8,459 | 46.58% | 151 | 0.83% |
| 1916 | 4,322 | 39.78% | 6,186 | 56.94% | 357 | 3.29% |
| 1912 | 3,107 | 30.43% | 5,027 | 49.24% | 2,075 | 20.33% |
| 1908 | 4,951 | 42.60% | 6,391 | 54.99% | 281 | 2.42% |
| 1904 | 5,203 | 49.26% | 5,030 | 47.62% | 329 | 3.11% |
| 1900 | 4,834 | 43.79% | 6,003 | 54.38% | 201 | 1.82% |
| 1896 | 4,384 | 41.28% | 6,151 | 57.92% | 84 | 0.79% |
| 1892 | 3,737 | 39.99% | 4,916 | 52.61% | 691 | 7.40% |
| 1888 | 4,267 | 41.84% | 5,495 | 53.88% | 437 | 4.28% |
| 1884 | 4,390 | 44.29% | 5,442 | 54.91% | 79 | 0.80% |
| 1880 | 4,046 | 43.46% | 5,167 | 55.51% | 96 | 1.03% |
| 1876 | 3,577 | 43.38% | 4,667 | 56.60% | 1 | 0.01% |
| 1872 | 3,069 | 52.35% | 2,760 | 47.07% | 34 | 0.58% |
| 1868 | 2,989 | 48.73% | 3,145 | 51.27% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1864 | 2,584 | 48.90% | 2,700 | 51.10% | 0 | 0.00% |
| 1860 | 2,460 | 49.23% | 2,479 | 49.61% | 58 | 1.16% |
| 1856 | 2,086 | 48.70% | 1,988 | 46.42% | 209 | 4.88% |
| Office | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commissioner | Matthew Aultman | Republican | |
| Commissioner | Marshall Combs | Republican | |
| Commissioner | Aaron Flatter | Republican | |
| Office | Name | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Prosecutor | James Bennett | Republican | |
| Auditor | Carol Ginn | Republican | |
| Clerk of Courts | Cindy Pike | Republican | |
| Sheriff | Mark Whittaker | Republican | |
| Recorder | Hillary Holzapfel | Republican | |
| Treasurer | Scott Zumbrink | Democratic | |
| Coroner | Susan Brown | Republican | |
| Engineer | Jim Surber | Democratic | |
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 theDemocratic Party, and the heavily German American population was at the time predominantly Democratic, splitting to vote for Republicans only twice between 1860 and 1916 (although the Democratic margin of victory was never especially large). 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 (aside fromLyndon B. Johnson's 1964 landslide). 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.[36] Darke County has voted decisively against liberal causes on nearly every issue, includinglegalizing same-sex marriage,easing abortion restrictions, andmarijuana 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.
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.[37]
A branch ofEdison State Community College is located in Greenville.
School districts (this includes any school district with portions of the county, no matter how slight, even if the schools and/or administrative offices are in another county)[38]
Darke County has 25 places listed on theNational Register of Historic Places, including theDarke County Courthouse, Sheriff's House, and Jail, and theVersailles Town Hall and Wayne Township House.
Darke County is home to theEldora Speedway located nearNew Weston, which hosts many big events throughout the year.
Places adjacent to Darke County, Ohio | |
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Municipalities and communities ofDarke County, Ohio,United States | ||
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| Unincorporated communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |
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