Vinton

Formed March 23, 1850 (86^th county)

Vinton County (12,804), McArthur (1,788)

The tan brick Art Deco courthouse was built in 1939 to replace the 1855 version.  It is located at Main and Market streets.  United States Highway 50 is Main Street in the town.  E. C. Landberg and G. T. Landberg are the architects.  Veteran memorials and a gazebo are on the courthouse grounds.  Vinton County was organized on March 23, 1850 from parts of Athens, Gallia, Hocking, Jackson, and Ross counties as the 86^th county.  McArthur has always been the county seat.  The county is named for Congressman Samuel Finley Vinton.  The county seat is named for Governor Duncan McArthur. 

Vinton County government consists of an auditor, a sheriff, an attorney, and a coroner (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Three Common Pleas Court Judges and a court clerk serve Vinton County (judicial.)  Vinton County is in southern Ohio.  Columbus, Ohio is northwest and Cincinnati, Ohio is southwest of the county.  The county center is 4.7 miles Southwest of McArthur nearer Dundas.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Hocking, Athens, Meigs, Gallia, Jackson, and Ross counties. 

The area of the county is 414.1 square miles.  It is 61 out of 88 in the state.  It ranks 88 out of 88 in population in the state.  It has a density of 30.9 persons per square mile making it 87 out of 88 in the state.  Vinton County has 23.5% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 50 crosses through the county from east to west from Athens County to Ross County.  The county is shaped like a coffee pitcher lying on its nose.  McArthur is located east of the center of the county.  McArthur is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 14.0% of the county population.

Zaleski