Heath, Ohio

Heath, Ohio
City
Entrance to the Great Circle Earthworks
Motto: "City of Progress——Citizens With Pride"
Location of Heath, Ohio in Licking County
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Licking
Area
• Total	11.00 sq mi (28.49 km2)
• Land	10.92 sq mi (28.28 km2)
• Water	0.08 sq mi (0.21 km2)
Elevation	860 ft (262 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	10,310
• Estimate (2012)	10,389
• Density	944.1/sq mi (364.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	43056
Area code(s)	740&220
FIPS code	39-34748
GNIS feature ID	1056322
Website	http://www.heathohio.gov/

Heath is a city in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 10,310 at the 2010 census.

History

Heath was incorporated as a village in 1952, with Direnth Morth being named the first mayor. Over the next decade Heath grew quickly, going from a population of 2,426 in 1960 to 6,066 in 1965, when it was chartered as the 196th city in Ohio. In 1986 it became the home of the first and only indoor shopping mall in Licking County, Indian Mound Mall. By this time population growth had slowed, to a total of 7,231 by 1990. Despite the large population growth on the western edge of Licking County, Heath remains the third largest municipality in the county, and one of only three cities. Heath was host to Newark Air Force Base, the seat of United States Air Force metrology. Currently, this function is served by AFMETCAL and the contractor-driven Air Force Primary Standards Lab.

Mayors

Terms	Name
1952–1959	Richard Bert Hoback
1959–1968	Edward Hitchcock
1968–1974	Glen Porter
1974–1997	John Chet Geller
1997–2007	Daniel L. Dupps
2007-2009	Richard Waugh
2009–Present	Mark Johns

Information

The history of Heath can be traced back to the 20th century when the region was populated by the Hopewell Indians. Their presence can be found at ancient burial mounds at Moundbuilders State Memorial on the north side of the city.

It was home to the U.S. Air Force’s Aerospace Guidance and Metrology Center for 35 years and achieved recognition during its 35 years. It was acclaimed by the highest form of government for its service.

The City of Heath contains seven members of city council, with four at-large and three from each designated ward of the city. The council members include; Deb Cole, At-Large; Jeff Crabill, At-Large; Tim Kelley, President At-Large; Brian Johnson, Ward 1; Dick Morrow, Ward 2; Doug Heffley, Ward 3; and Cledys Henry, President Pro Tem. At-Large.

Heath recently celebrated 50 years of the town’s existence. The city is having its first Oktoberfest celebration on Saturday, September 26th. Geller Park hosts an Independence Day celebration on the second of July that includes food, games, live bands, and a fireworks show starting at dark.

There are 10 parks and recreation areas in the city of Heath that are maintained by the Parks and Recreation Department. These parks include Heath City Waterpark, Geller park, Beryl Dean Penick Park, Canal Lock Park, Davis Shai House, Dorsey Mill Park, Forry Preserve, Hitchcock Park and Hoback Park and the Bike Trail System that throughout the city.

Major employers in the City of Heath include: • American Electric Power, offer electric power services. • Arvin Meritor, offer automotive, commercial and military axle systems service. • Bayer Material Science, offer compounded plastics services. • Bionetics, offers metrology calibration and measurement services. • Boeing Guidance Repair Center, offer guidance and navigation system repair services. • Central Ohio Aerospace and Technology Center (COATC) Base Campus. • Englefield Oil Co., Inc. company headquarters. • Gummer Wholesale, warehouse. • Heath City School District, Education. • Heath Nursing Care Center, skilled nursing facility. • Kaiser Aluminum, manufacturing service. • Licco Inc., sheltered workshop. • Lowe’s Home Improvements.

From July 2011 to fall of 2012, the city underwent a major construction project on Route 79. The shoulders of the street were widened to accommodate the project. The city added medians to the middle of the road that included mulch with trees and flowers. Left turns and U-turns were added to southbound traffic at the intersection of Andover Road and Oberlin Drive, and Northbound and Southbound traffic at the intersection of Putnam Road and Radian Drive.

Heath has its own fire department with Mark Huggins as Chief of City of Heath Fire Department and responds to about 2,400 calls for service annually.

Heath also has its own law enforcement as John Mason as Chief of Heath Police Department and responds to around 16,000 calls for service annually.

The city is near other residential areas including Newark, Granville, and Hebron.

The city has a municipal income tax of 1.5%.

Heath offers numerous service clubs and organizations for those interested, including 211 Pathways, American Legion (Post 771), Boy Scouts troop (#9), Civil Air Patrol, Cub Scouts Pack (#9), Heath Girl Scouts, Heath Kiwanis, LaSertoma, Heath Lions, Marine Corps League, Mental Health America, Prevent Assault and Violence Education (P.A.V.E.), Newark-Heath Rotary, and Heath Sertoma.

Schooling

Heath has four schools in their school district; Heath City Schools. Heath City Schools has also had one former middle school.

• Heath High School (9-12)
• Heath Middle School (6-8)
• Stevenson Elementary School (3-5)
• Garfield Elementary School (K-2)
• Fulton Middle School (Closed, later demolished)

Heath also has two private schools. They are not affiliated with the Heath City Schools.

• Licking County Christian Academy (K-12)
• Newark Seventh Day Adventist (K-7)

Geography

Heath is located at (40.032047, -82.435652).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 11.00 square miles (28.49 km²), of which 10.92 square miles (28.28 km²) is land and 0.08 square miles (0.21 km²) is water.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1960	2,426		—
1970	6,768		179.0%
1980	6,969		3.0%
1990	7,231		3.8%
2000	8,527		17.9%
2010	10,310		20.9%
Est. 2014	10,456		1.4%
Sources:

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 10,310 people, 4,131 households, and 2,772 families residing in the city. The population density was 944.1 inhabitants per square mile (364.5/km²). There were 4,426 housing units at an average density of 405.3 per square mile (156.5/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.7% White, 2.6% African American, 0.2% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.6% from other races, and 2.2% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.5% of the population.

There were 4,131 households of which 32.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 13.1% had a female householder with no husband present, 5.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 32.9% were non-families. 27.6% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.45 and the average family size was 2.96.

The median age in the city was 40.1 years. 24.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 7.8% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.7% were from 25 to 44; 26.2% were from 45 to 64; and 16.9% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the city was 47.9% male and 52.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 8,527 people, 3,403 households, and 2,375 families residing in the city. The population density was 816.6 people per square mile (315.4/km²). There were 3,593 housing units at an average density of 344.1 per square mile (132.9/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 95.59% White, 1.98% African American, 0.33% Native American, 0.82% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.32% from other races, and 0.95% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.01% of the population.

There were 3,403 households out of which 32.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 10.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.2% were non-families. 25.5% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.46 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.9% under the age of 18, 8.1% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 22.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 87.0 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $40,120, and the median income for a family was $50,156. Males had a median income of $35,781 versus $25,143 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,890. About 4.2% of families and 8.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.2% of those under age 18 and 11.4% of those age 65 or over.