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ABOUT

DARKE

COUNTY

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Darke County Parks

GEOGRAPHY

According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 599.76 square miles (1,553.4 km2), of which 598.10 square miles (1,549.1 km2) (or 99.72%) is land and 1.66 square miles (4.3 km2) (or 0.28%) is water.

ADJACENT COUNTIES

PUBLIC SCHOOLS

DARKE COUNTY

Darke County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. According to the 2010 census, it has a population of 52,959, which is a decrease of 0.7% from 53,309 in 2000. Its county seat is Greenville, and it is named for William Darke, an officer in the Revolution.

Darke County comprises the Greenville, OH Micropolitan Statistical Area, which is also included in the Dayton-Springfield-Sidney, OH Combined Statistical Area.

 

Notable natives included Annie Oakley, famed 19th-century markswoman who performed with Buffalo Bill’s Wild Westshow, who was born in Darke County; and Lucullus Virgil McWhorter, a farmer and frontiersman who studied and wrote about the historical American Indian tribes of West Virginia and Ohio.

Darke County, Ohio, is one of the few counties in the United States to border eight other counties.

As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 52,959 people, 20,929 households, and 14,673 families residing in the county. 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 per square mile (14.7/km2). 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.

2010 CENSUS STATISTICS

Darke County is located in western Ohio, along the Indiana border. It’s strategic location, within 1½ hours of Indianapolis, Toledo, Cincinnati and Columbus puts Darke County in a unique position to have something for everyone.

The county has a population just short of 53,000 people, and over 600 square miles of land, makes it the 7th largest county in Ohio.  Resources, plentiful clean water and land and good clean “country air”, makes it a desirable place to live.

With more road miles of any county in Ohio, maintained by one of the best county engineering departments in the state.

County seat, Greenville, is known for having the largest wooden fort ever constructed here, encompassing 55 acres, by General “Mad” Anthony Wayne.

Greenville is well known as being the home of the “Treaty of Greenville,” which was signed on August 3, 1795, bringing peace with the Native American tribes and opening up the northwest territory for expansion. 

Darke County is home to “Little Sure Shot” Annie Oakley, radio personality, traveler and adventurer Lowell Thomas and Colonel Zachary Landsdowne, the pilot of america’s first airship, the “Shenandoah”. 

Darke County also is home to the “fastest ½ mile dirt track in the world”, Eldora Speedway, owned by NASCAR great Tony Stewart and created by the legendary Earl Baltes.

Eldora hosts many races and racing series at the track, including the NASCAR world truck series, the only race NASCAR runs on dirt.

Darke County is home to fortune 500 companies, and smaller businesses continuing to grow. 

It is the #1 agricultural county in the state in corn and soybean production and leads the nation in egg production.  The historic agricultural background provides Darke County residents with old fashioned work ethic. 

Darke County Ohio is the perfect place to raise a family, start a business and become part of the small town feel which makes America special.

WHY
DARKE
COUNTY?
Darke County Visitors Bureau Logo
Treaty of Greenville Painting
VISIT DC

Whether you are planning a visit, a move or you are already a resident of Darke County...our friends at the DCVB offer a great website packed with tons of info about our amazing attractions, events, historic sites and communities. 

Darke County Visitors Bureau Logo
Why DC
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