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Vinton County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. According to the 2010 census, it had a population of 13,435, making Vinton county the least populous county in the state. Its county seat is McArthur. The county is named for Samuel Finley Vinton, a 19th-century United States Congressman from Ohio.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, According to the 2010 census, the county has a total area of 414.98 sqmi, of which 412.36 sqmi (or 99.37%) is land and 2.62 sqmi (or 0.63%) is water.

Waterways
Most of Vinton County is in the Raccoon Creek watershed. Most of the rest of the county, to the west, is in the Salt Creek watershed.

Adjacent counties

 * Hocking County (north)
 * Athens County (northeast)
 * Meigs County (east)
 * Gallia County (southeast)
 * Jackson County (south)
 * Ross County (west)

Demographics
As of the census of 2013, there were an estimated 13,276 people in the county, which is a 1.2% decrease from 2010. Of these, 5.3% are persons under the age of 5, 23.0% are persons under the age of 18, and 15.1% are persons 65 years and older. 50.0% of the population of the county is female persons. There are 961 veterans in the county.

The racial composition of the county includes 97.6% of the persons are white, 0.5% are Black or African American, 0.4% are American Indian and Alaskan Native, 0.2% are Asian, 1.2% are two or more races, and 0.8% are Hispanic or Latino.

In the county, 88.7% of people have lived in the same house for at least one year. There are 0.2% foreign born persons with 1.9% of people that have another language other than English spoken at home.

The education spread of the county of persons who are 25 years of age and over is 76.8% are high school graduates and 7.9% have a Bachelor's degree or higher.

The mean travel time to work for people age 16 years and older is 29.9 minutes. There are 6,172 housing units and the homeownership rate is 75.7%. Of these housing units, 4.9% are housing units in multi-unit structures. The median value of owner- occupied housing units is $77,800. The average amount of persons per household is 2.5. The money income in the last 12 months per capita is $17,308 and the median household income is $34,432. There is an above average amount of persons below the poverty level at 21.4%.

There are 149 private nonfarm establishments that employ 1,532 people and there are 699 non employer establishments. The total number of firms is 853 and 23.6% of them are owned by women. There are 106,494 manufacturers shipments and 43,303 retail sales with $3,241 retail sales per capita. There are 2,836 accommodation and food service sales.

Post Offices
There are post offices in the following Vinton County communities :
 * Hamden
 * McArthur
 * New Plymouth
 * Ray
 * Wilkesville
 * Zaleski
 * Wellston
 * Jackson

Newspaper
Vinton County is served by one local newspaper outlet, the Vinton County Courier, a print newspaper and website.

Government
Vinton County has a 3 member Board of County Commissioners that administer and oversee the various County departments, similar to all but 2 of the 88 Ohio counties. The elected commissioners serve four-year terms. Vinton County's elected commissioners are Michael Bledsoe, Tim Eberts, and Jerry Zinn.

Emergency Services
The following emergency services, with their locations, serve Vinton County :


 * Ohio State Highway Patrol
 * Vinton County Sheriff's Department
 * 106 South Market Street, McArthur
 * McArthur Police Department
 * 124 West Main Street, McArthur
 * Vinton County Emergency Medical Services
 * 31931 State Route 93, McArthur
 * Vinton County Emergency Management Agency
 * 106 South Market Street, McArthur
 * MedFlight 3
 * 110 West Second Street, Wellston, Ohio 45692
 * LifeAir
 * 1843 River Road, Chillicothe, Ohio
 * McArthur Fire Department
 * 303 West High Street, McArthur
 * Hamden Fire Department
 * 100 Wilkesville Street, Hamden
 * Wilkesville Fire Department
 * 161 Main Street, Wilkesville
 * Zaleski Fire Department
 * State Route 278, Zaleski
 * Harrison Township Fire Department
 * 51560 Old Route 50, Londonderry

Utilities
The following utilities serve Vinton County:

Phone, Internet, and Cable

 * Horizon Telephone
 * Ohio Hills
 * Frognet
 * Verizon
 * First Communications
 * Time Warner Cable

Gas and Electric

 * Columbia Gas of Ohio
 * South Central Power Company
 * American Electric Power
 * Buckeye Rural Electric Co-Op

Water and Garbage Disposal

 * Ross County Water Company
 * Jackson County Water Company
 * Leax Water Company
 * McArthur Water Department
 * Rumpke
 * Waste Management
 * Dutcher Sanitation

Villages

 * Hamden
 * McArthur
 * Wilkesville
 * Zaleski

Other communities

 * Allensville
 * Creola
 * Hue
 * New Plymouth
 * Orland
 * Ray
 * Siverly
 * Stella

Ghost towns

 * Ingham
 * Moonville
 * Oreton

Education
The entire county is served by the Vinton County Local School District which operates the following schools :
 * West Elementary
 * 57750 US Highway 50, Allensville, Ohio 45651
 * South Elementary
 * 38234 State Route 93, Hamden, Ohio 45634
 * Central Elementary
 * 507 Jefferson Avenue, McArthur, Ohio 45651
 * Vinton County Middle School
 * 63780 Locker Plant Road, McArthur, Ohio 45651
 * Vinton County High School
 * 63910 US Highway 50, McArthur, Ohio 45651

Highways

 * [[Image:US 50.svg|20px]] U.S. Route 50
 * [[Image:OH-32.svg|20px]] State Route 32
 * [[Image:OH-56.svg|20px]] State Route 56
 * [[Image:OH-93.svg|20px]] State Route 93
 * [[Image:OH-124.svg|20px]] State Route 124
 * [[Image:OH-160.svg|20px]] State Route 160
 * [[Image:OH-278.svg|20px]] State Route 278
 * [[Image:OH-324.svg|20px]] State Route 324
 * [[Image:OH-327.svg|20px]] State Route 327
 * [[Image:OH-328.svg|20px]] State Route 328
 * [[Image:OH-356.svg|20px]] State Route 356
 * [[Image:OH-671.svg|20px]] State Route 671
 * [[Image:OH-677.svg|20px]] State Route 677
 * [[Image:OH-683.svg|20px]] State Route 683

Airports
Vinton County is home to one public airport, the Vinton County Airport (K22I/22I). The runway is a 3725' x 75' asphalt, east-west (09/27) runway with a single intersecting taxiway. Navigation equipment includes a two-light PAPI for runway 27, Pilot Controlled Lighting, and UNICOM. The airport is leased to the Vinton County Pilots Booster Association by the County, who raise funds to maintain the airport. The airport is equipped to service piston-engined general aviation aircraft.

Covered Bridges
There are 4 covered bridges located around Vinton County. The most famous bridge was the Ponn Bridge, also known as the Humpback Bridge. It was built in 1874 and was the longest one in the county. The bridge's name came from the shape of the bridge and there are only a few 'humpback' bridges left around the world. This bridge was burned down in June, 2013 by arsonists. In 1875, the Mt. Olive Bridge was built by a Civil War veteran named George Washington Pilcher. This bridge is open to foot traffic and goes over the Middle Fork Salt Creek. The Bay Bridge is located on the Vinton County Fairgrounds. It was moved to the fairgrounds in 1967 and is still open to foot traffic. The Cox Bridge was built in 1884. The bridge is open to foot traffic and has a picnic area near it. The Arbaugh Bridge was built in 1871, making it the oldest covered bridge in the county. The bridge is the only one open to vehicles thanks to a grant that allowed for renovations.

State Parks and Recreation Areas
There are eight different recreation areas in Vinton County. The state parks consist of Lake Alma State Park located in Wellston, Ohio and Lake Hope State Park located in McArthur, Ohio. There are also three state forests consisting of Richland Furnace State Forest, Tar Hollow State Forest, and Zaleski State Forest. Along with these, there is the Wayne National Forest, which covers many other counties in Ohio besides Vinton County, Raccoon Ecological Management Area located on State Route 160, and the Wellston Wildlife Area and Lake Rupert located on State Route 683. There are also many more public areas within a short distance of Vinton County.

Lake Hope Bike Trails
Lake Hope State Park is located in Vinton and Athens Counties. There are 5 loop trails in the park ranging from 4.5 miles to 16 miles. The Hope Furnace Trail loop is the shortest of the trails at 4.5 miles. The Sidewinder Loop is 5.5 miles, the Copperhead Loop is 10 miles, and the New Big Loop is 15 miles. The longest of the trails in the Old Big Loop at 16 miles.

Zaleski Backpack Trails
There are two different trails in Zaleski State Forest. A trail of 23.5 miles and a day trail of 10 miles.

Quilt Barns
Throughout Vinton County, 27 quilt barns are scattered by the roadways. These quilt barns are located on Vinton County's Quilt Trail.

Wild Turkey Festival
The Wild Turkey Festival is a music festival held in McArthur, Ohio on the first weekend of May, beginning on the Thursday evening and concluding on the Sunday afternoon. A parade always runs through the town on the Saturday night.

Ridgetop Music Festival
Every August, the Ridgetop Music Festival is held at the Vinton County Airport which offers music and airplane rides throughout the fest.

Vinton County Air Show
The air show is held on the third Sunday in September. The show is the biggest free air show in Ohio and includes food and aerial acts.