Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Jackson County, Ohio, United States about 27 miles (43 km) southeast of Chillicothe. Its population was 6,252 at the 2020 census.
At a Glance
- County: Jackson County
- County seat of Jackson County
- State: Ohio
History of Jackson
Established in 1817, residents named the town after Andrew Jackson, a hero of the War of 1812, and an eventual president of the United States. The community grew slowly, having only 297 inhabitants in 1840. In 1846, Jackson had four churches, about seven stores, and a single newspaper office. Over the next 40 years, the town grew quickly, attaining a population of 3,021 people in 1880. By 1880, two railroad lines passed through the community, helping to spur economic and population growth. In 1886, two newspaper offices, eight churches, and two banks existed in Jackson. The largest businesses in the town were the Star Furnace Company and the Globe Iron Company, with 30 employees apiece. Both firms used local coal and iron ore deposits to make iron products.
Jackson continued to grow during the 20th century; it was the county’s largest community in 2000, with a population of 6,184 people. This number comprised roughly 20% of the county’s entire population. Today, many locals find employment in a General Mills plant in nearby Wellston, Ohio, which employs more than 1000 people.
Text adapted from the Wikipedia article Jackson, Ohio, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license.