Guernsey

Formed March 1, 1810 (39^th county)

Guernsey County (38,434), Cambridge (10,092)

The stone 1883 Second Empire courthouse in Cambridge stands out.  The courthouse is located on Wheeling Street at 8^th Street.  United States Highway 40 is Wheeling Street in the town.  Joseph Warren Yost provided the building designs.  The facility features a dome with a working clock, columns, and Lady Justice on top.  Veteran memorials are on the grounds.  Guernsey County was established on March 1, 1810 from parts of Belmont and Muskingum counties as the 39^th county.  An 1818 facility preceded this one also in Cambridge, the only county seat.  The county is named for the English island of Guernsey.  The county seat was named for Cambridge, Maryland. 

Guernsey County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Two Common Pleas Court Judges serve Guernsey County.  Guernsey County is in eastern Ohio.  Columbus, Ohio is west and Cleveland, Ohio is north of the county.  The county center is 4.7 miles East-Northeast of Cambridge nearer Center.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Tuscarawas, Harrison, Belmont, Noble, Muskingum, and Coshocton counties. 

The area of the county is 521.9 square miles.  It is 22 out of 88 in the state.  It ranks 64 out of 88 in population in the state.  It has a density of 73.6 persons per square mile making it 69 out of 88 in the state.  Guernsey County has 37.9% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 travels through the county east to west from Belmont County to Muskingum County.  Interstate Highway 77 goes north to south from Tuscarawas County to Noble County.  United States Highway 22 enters from the northeast, Harrison County, and exits to the west, Muskingum County.  United States Highway 40 parallels Interstate Highway 70 from Belmont to Muskingum counties.  The county looks like a fat laser gun pointing east.  Cambridge is located in the southwest quarter of the county.  Cambridge is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 26.3% of the county population.  The county is pronounced GURN-SEE.  This county is in the Cambridge Micropolitan Statistical Area.