Wood County, Ohio

Wood County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 132,248. Its county seat is Bowling Green. The county was named for Captain Eleazer D. Wood, the engineer for General William Henry Harrison's army, who built Fort Meigs in the War of 1812. Wood County is part of the Toledo, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. Its diagonal northwest border is formed by the Maumee River, which has its mouth at Maumee Bay on Lake Erie.

History
Wood County was established on February 12, 1820, following a treaty and land purchase from local Indian tribes. Perrysburg was the first county seat, and remained the county seat until 1870, when it was moved to Bowling Green.

Wood County established its first health department in 1920.

During the Great Depression in 1933 Wood County was the site of an early penny auction.

Geography
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 620 sqmi, of which 617 sqmi is land and 3.3 sqmi (0.5%) is water.

Adjacent counties

 * Lucas County (north)
 * Ottawa County (northeast)
 * Sandusky County (east)
 * Seneca County (southeast)
 * Hancock County (south)
 * Putnam County (southwest)
 * Henry County (west)

2000 census
As of the census of 2000, there were 121,065 people, 45,172 households, and 29,678 families living in the county. The population density was 196 /mi2. There were 47,468 housing units at an average density of 77 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 94.83% White, 1.27% Black or African American, 0.23% Native American, 1.03% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 1.45% from other races, and 1.18% from two or more races. 3.33% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. 36.3% were of German, 9.9% American, 8.2% English, 8.0% Irish and 5.8% Polish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 45,172 households, out of which 32.00% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.90% were married couples living together, 8.50% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.30% were non-families. 25.80% of all households were made up of individuals, and 9.10% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.51 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the county, the population was spread out, with 23.70% under the age of 18, 17.20% from 18 to 24, 26.80% from 25 to 44, 21.30% from 45 to 64, and 11.00% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 93.80 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.10 males.

The median income for a household in the county was $44,442, and the median income for a family was $56,468. Males had a median income of $40,419 versus $26,640 for females. The per capita income for the county was $21,284. About 4.70% of families and 9.60% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.40% of those under age 18 and 5.80% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census
As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 125,488 people, 49,043 households, and 30,923 families living in the county. The population density was 203.3 /mi2. There were 53,376 housing units at an average density of 86.5 /mi2. The racial makeup of the county was 92.8% white, 2.4% black or African American, 1.5% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 1.3% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 4.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 40.8% were German, 14.4% were Irish, 10.4% were English, 6.7% were Polish, and 5.2% were American.

Of the 49,043 households, 29.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 50.1% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, 36.9% were non-families, and 27.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.98. The median age was 35.3 years.

The median income for a household in the county was $53,298 and the median income for a family was $69,768. Males had a median income of $51,038 versus $35,472 for females. The per capita income for the county was $26,671. About 6.4% of families and 12.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.5% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Politics
Wood County formerly was a Republican stronghold county, but since 1964 the county has become a bellwether. Wood County has voted for the losing candidate twice since then, Gerald Ford in 1976 and Donald Trump in 2020.


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County officials
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Libraries
While there is no countywide library entity, the Wood County District Public Library serves Bowling Green and other portions of the county, not otherwise served by another library entity, from its main location in Bowling Green and a branch in Walbridge. In 2019, the library had a total circulation of 783,166 items and provided 1,473 programs to its patrons. Total holdings in 2019 were 158,861 print materials, 21,469 video recordings, 12,967 audio recordings, and 171 periodical subscriptions.

Additional libraries include:
 * North Baltimore Public Library
 * Pemberville Public Library, and branches in Luckey and Stony Ridge
 * Rossford Public Library
 * Way Public Library in Perrysburg
 * Wayne Public Library
 * Weston Public Library, and Grand Rapids branch

A small portion of the county located in the Fostoria city limits is served by the Kaubisch Memorial Public Library, located in the Seneca County portion of the city.

All Wood County and Fostoria library locations participate in Woodlink, a joint catalog system.

Cities

 * Bowling Green (county seat)
 * Fostoria (a small portion)
 * Northwood
 * Perrysburg
 * Rossford

Villages

 * Bairdstown
 * Bloomdale
 * Bradner
 * Custar
 * Cygnet
 * Grand Rapids
 * Haskins
 * Hoytville
 * Jerry City
 * Luckey
 * Millbury
 * Milton Center
 * North Baltimore
 * Pemberville
 * Portage
 * Risingsun
 * Tontogany
 * Walbridge
 * Wayne
 * West Millgrove
 * Weston

Townships

 * Bloom
 * Center
 * Freedom
 * Grand Rapids
 * Henry
 * Jackson
 * Lake
 * Liberty
 * Middleton
 * Milton
 * Montgomery
 * Perry
 * Perrysburg
 * Plain
 * Portage
 * Troy
 * Washington
 * Webster
 * Weston

Census-designated places

 * Rudolph
 * Stony Ridge

Unincorporated communities

 * Bays
 * Bloom Center
 * Cloverdale
 * Denver
 * Digby
 * Dowling
 * Ducat
 * Dunbridge
 * Eagleville
 * Galatea
 * Hammansburg
 * Hatton
 * Hull Prairie
 * Lemoyne
 * Lime City
 * Mermill
 * Moline
 * Mungen
 * New Rochester
 * Otsego
 * Scotch Ridge
 * Six Points
 * Sugar Ridge
 * Trombley
 * Wingston
 * Woodside

Economy
According to the 2019 Wood County Comprehensive annual report, these were the largest employers in the county.

The Cocoon
The Cocoon is a protective shelter for sexual and domestic violence victims in Wood County, Ohio. Beyond providing housing for survivors and their families, The Cocoon provides medical counsel, legal counsel, and support in finding permanent employment and residence. Organizing for the shelter began in 2000 with Bowling Green State University's Women's Center and Transformation Project in response to a rise in domestic violence homicides in Wood County. The Cocoon began operation in June 2005, and by 2012 all of its services were being conducted from its undisclosed location. By October 2015, The Cocoon had integrated sexual violence recovery and support as part of its programs.

Like many community organizations, The Cocoon faced sharp budget cuts during the COVID-19 Pandemic. When the United States began lock downs in March 2020, The Cocoon witnessed a forty percent increase in calls from survivors and a fifty percent increase in sexual violence reports. In 2019, At the same time, the Victims of Crime Act’s fund, which provides The Cocoon with approximately half of its funding (approximately $300,000), was cut by thirty-nine percent in October 2020. Although this did not halt operations, it significantly impacted The Cocoon’s ability to provide comprehensive support for survivors.

In 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act granted Woods County $25 million in pandemic relief funds, of which Director Mulls requested $800,000. The Wood County Commissioners approved the request in March 2022. Commissioner Andrew Kalmar noted, “They’ve had a substantial reduction in revenue in the past few years, primarily because they’ve lost grant money from the federal government.”