Belle Valley, Ohio
Location of Belle Valley, Ohio
Coordinates: 39°47′21″N 81°33′17″W / 39.78917, -81.55472
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Noble
Area
- Total	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km²)
- Land	0.4 sq mi (1.1 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation [1]	745 ft (227 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	263
- Density	632.6/sq mi (244.3/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	43717
Area code(s)	740
FIPS code	39-05158[2]
GNIS feature ID	1064405[1]

Belle Valley is a village in Noble County, Ohio, United States. The population was 263 at the 2000 census.

History

The Village of Belle Valley was incorporated in 1905, but was actually beginning to form around the mid 1800's. Belle Valley has a history rich in mining.

In 2004 the Belle Valley Action Committee built a new community playground, ball field, and pavilion, and the village is currently building a new community center.

World War II

During World War II, Belle Valley soldier Harry Torhan received the Silver Star and Purple Heart for evacuating four wounded soldiers while under mortar and small arms fire during the Battle of the Bulge.^[3]

Geography

Belle Valley is located at 39°47′21″N, 81°33′17″W (39.789241, -81.554833),^[4] along the West Fork of Duck Creek in Noble Township. Belle Valley is located within a short driving distance of Cambridge, Marietta, and Zanesville, not far from Interstate 77.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 0.4 square miles (1.1 km²), all of it land.

The Village of Belle Valley is also part of the Ohio Buckeye Trail, a hiking trail that has a circles the entire state of Ohio. The Belle Valley section is a mostly hilly, completely rural portion of the Buckeye Trail that runs through Guernsey and Noble Counties in southeast Ohio. The section runs from Winterset to the America Electric Power Recreation Lands. The trail here is mostly on rarely traveled dirt roads, with off-road portions located at Salt Fork Wildlife Area, Seneca Lake (the southernmost of the Muskingum Watershed Conservancy District Lakes), Wolf Run State Park and America Electric Power Recreation Lands. The trail passes through the villages of Old Washington, where the trail crosses I-70, and Belle Valley, where it crosses I-77, and Hoskinsville.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 263 people, 104 households, and 71 families residing in the village. The population density was 632.6 people per square mile (241.8/km²). There were 117 housing units at an average density of 281.4/sq mi (107.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.34% White, 0.76% African American, 0.76% Native American, and 1.14% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.76% of the population.

There were 104 households out of which 30.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.9% were married couples living together, 9.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.8% were non-families. 27.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 18.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.53 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the village the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.5% from 25 to 44, 24.3% from 45 to 64, and 15.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 90.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.9 males. The median income for a household in the village was $30,536, and the median income for a family was $34,375. Males had a median income of $26,000 versus $18,125 for females. The per capita income for the village was $13,659. About 11.0% of families and 19.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under the age of eighteen and 33.3% of those sixty five or over.

Government

Mayor, Michelle Crow

• President Pro Tempore, Sheila Baker: Parks Committee, Member of the Belle Valley Action Committee
• Councilman Shawn Crow,Parks Committee, Member of the Belle Valley Action Committee
• Councilman Jamie Reeves, Member of the Belle Valley Action Committee
• Councilman Larry Schoeppner
• Councilman Donnie Appold
• Councilwoman Jane Perez, Member of the Belle Valley Action Committee

References

1. ^ ^{a b} US Board on Geographic Names. United States Geological Survey (2007-10-25). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
2. ^ ^{a b} American FactFinder. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
3. ^ A History Of Noble County, Ohio, 1887-1987, Gateway, p. 275.
4. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links

• Belle Valley, Ohio is at coordinates 39°47′21″N 81°33′17″W / 39.789241, -81.554833 (Belle Valley, Ohio)Coordinates: 39°47′21″N 81°33′17″W / 39.789241, -81.554833 (Belle Valley, Ohio)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Noble County, Ohio County seat: Caldwell Villages Batesville | Belle Valley | Caldwell | Dexter City | Sarahsville | Summerfield Townships Beaver | Brookfield | Buffalo | Center | Elk | Enoch | Jackson | Jefferson | Marion | Noble | Olive | Seneca | Sharon | Stock | Wayne Unincorporated communities Ava | East Union | Harriettsville