Licking

Formed March 1, 1808 (29^th county)

Licking County (178,509), Newark (49,936)                

The classic stone Second Empire courthouse was constructed in 1879 on the square at Main between 2^nd and 3^rd streets.  Ohio State Highway 13 is one block west of the site.  The designer is Henry E. Myer.  The building features a tower and the grounds have veteran memorials and a fountain.  There was an 1832 version earlier also in Newark the only county seat.  Licking County was organized on March 1, 1808 from Fairfield County as the 29^th county.  It is named for local salt licks.  The county seat is named for Newark, New Jersey.  Licking County is the birthplace of 1 Ohio Governor, Myers Y. Cooper. 

Licking County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Five Common Pleas Court Judges serve Licking County.  The county is in central Ohio.  Columbus is directly west and Cleveland is northeast of the county.  The county center is 4.3 miles West of Newark in Granville.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Knox, Coshocton, Muskingum, Perry, Fairfield, Franklin, and Delaware counties. 

The area of the county is 686.5 square miles.  It is 3 out of 88 in the state.  It ranks 17 out of 88 in population in the state.  It has a density of 260.0 persons per square mile making it 23 out of 88 in the state.  Licking County has 61.4% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 70 crosses the county from east to west from Muskingum County to Fairfield County.  United States Highway 40 parallels Interstate Highway 70 from Muskingum to Franklin County.  United States Highway 62 enters from the north, Knox County, and exits to the west, Franklin County.  The overall shape is rectangular.  Newark is located in the eastern third of the county.  Newark is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 28.0% of the county population.  This county is in the Columbus Metropolitan Statistical Area.

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