Pickerington, Ohio
The welcome sign located on Hill Road N. (OH-256)
Seal
Nickname: Violet Capital of Ohio
Location of Pickerington, Ohio
Coordinates: 39°53′32″N 82°45′50″W / 39.89222, -82.76389
Country	United States
State	Ohio
Counties	Fairfield, Franklin
Founded	1815
Government
- Type	Mayor-council-manager
- Mayor	Mitch O'Brian
- Interim City Manager	Tim Hansley
Area
- Total	7.4 sq mi (19.3 km²)
- Land	7.4 sq mi (19.3 km²)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km²)
Elevation [1]	837 ft (255 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	9,792
- Density	1,317.4/sq mi (508.6/km²)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
- Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	43147
Area code(s)	614
FIPS code	39-62498[2]
GNIS feature ID	1061537[1]
Website: ci.pickerington.oh.us

Pickerington is a city situated in Fairfield and Franklin counties in the central region of the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburb of Columbus. The population was 9,792 at the 2000 census. As land annexation and development in and around Columbus continues, the City of Pickerington (like many area suburbs) have generally followed suit. The 2007 population estimate for Pickerington was 14,526^[3].

Law and government

Pickerington uses the strong-mayor version of the mayor-council government, which constitutes an elected executive mayor position, an elected city council, and an appointed city manager position.

Mayor

The current mayor, Mitch O'Brien, was elected in November, 2007. O'Brien served as a city council member in 2004-2005. He ran against current city council member Heidi Riggs and won the popular vote, earning 56% of the total vote^[4].

City council

The Pickerington city council is a seven-member body that is elected by rolling election. There are four standing committees in the council: the finance committee, rules committee, safety committee, and service committee.

Current council members with elected or re-elected year and position:

• Jeff Fix (2005), Vice President of Council, rules committee chair
• Cristie Hammond (2005), President of Council, finance committee chair
• Michael Sabatino (2005)
• Tricia Sanders (2007)
• Brian Sauer (2007)
• Keith Smith (2005), President Pro Tempore of Council, safety committee chair
• Brian Wisniewski (2007), service committee chair

Administration

There are several positions appointed between the mayor and city council to aid in the day-to-day management of the city.

List of some appointed officials in alphabetical order:

• Director, Finance: Linda Fersch
• Director, Income Tax Office: Jan Eichner
• Director, Parks and Recreation: Steve Carr
• Interim City Manager: Tim Hansley
• Planning and Zoning: Lance Schultz

Geography

Pickerington is located at 39°53′32″N, 82°45′50″W (39.892168, -82.763837)^[5].

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 7.4 square miles (19.2 km²). None of the area is covered with water.

Demographics

As of the census^[2] of 2000, there were 9,792 people, 3,468 households, and 2,687 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,317.4 people per square mile (508.8/km²). There were 3,573 housing units at an average density of 480.7/sq mi (185.7/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 93.18% White, 3.72% African American, 0.08% Native American, 1.38% Asian, 0.04% Pacific Islander, 0.41% from other races, and 1.19% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.35% of the population.

There were 3,468 households out of which 48.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.3% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.5% were non-families. 18.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 4.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.82 and the average family size was 3.25.

In the city the population was spread out with 32.7% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 35.6% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 5.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females there were 97.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.6 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $63,664, and the median income for a family was $71,161. Males had a median income of $51,155 versus $31,850 for females. The per capita income for the city was $25,839. About 2.6% of families and 3.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.6% of those under age 18 and 1.8% of those age 65 or over.

Recreation

The Parks and Recreation Department offers a variety of events for the recreation of Pickerington residents and visitors. Various classes can be taken that cover a wide range of hobbies and activities, such as photography, safety, dance, and music. There are two sports programs, the Pickerington Youth Athletic Association and the Adult Sports League, with several sports offered, including baseball, football, lacrosse, soccer, and volleyball. There are two parks that belong to the department: Victory Park and Sycamore Creek Park. Both are located on Columbus Street, just south of Olde Town Pickerington.

On March 14, 2008, the department purchased the Swim Club, a local swimming pool, with non-tax revenue. There is no residency requirement to belong to the pool and there is no price increase for non-residents. The pool is the home of the Tigersharks swim team.

Another park, Pickerington Ponds, exists near Pickerington but is not within the municipality.

Education

The Pickerington Local School District is a two-branch school district enrolling 9,714 students as of the 2005-2006 school year. Enrollment has been expanding at an average of 425 students over the past five years. The Pickerington Local School district is the 19th largest school district in Ohio. In the 2004-2005 school year, the district was rated effective^[6], after six years with an excellent rating. From the district's founding until 2003, the district had one mascot, the tiger. In 2003, the district branched with the opening of Pickerington High School North, which has the panther as a mascot. With the opening of Pickerington High School North, the original Pickerington High School was renamed Pickerington High School Central.

Currently the district has eleven schools. Schools are listed alphabetically and with attendant grade levels.

• Diley Middle School (5-6)
• Fairfield Elementary (K-4)
• Harmon Middle School (5-6)
• Heritage Elementary School (K-4)
• Lakeview Junior High School (7-8)
• Pickerington Elementary (K-4)
• Pickerington High School Central (9-12)
• Pickerington High School North (9-12)
• Ridgeview Junior High School (7-8)
• Tussing Elementary (K-4)
• Violet Elementary (K-4)

The district has a policy of equity between schools. Almost every course or service that is offered at Pickerington High School Central is also offered at Pickerington High School North, and the equity extends down to the junior high, middle, and elementary schools.

Various awards have been given to the district and to individual teachers. In 2006, the district was rated as one of the top school districts in the United States by Expansion Management magazine^[7].

There is also a part of a branch of Ohio University in Pickerington. The Pickerington Center is affiliated with Ohio University Lancaster in Lancaster, Ohio. High school students may elect to take university-level courses in substitution for high school courses. These are taken through Ohio University Lancaster or the Pickerington Center. University-level courses taught in the high school setting are also available through the Advanced Placement Program. The option of vocational school is offered as well, through the Eastland-Fairfield Career and Technical Schools, a branch of the Educational Service Center of Franklin County.

Notable natives

• Earl Moore, pitcher for the Cleveland Indians who pitched the American League's first no-hitter in 1901.
• Arthur Raymond Robinson, U.S. Senator from Indiana, presidential candidate in 1932, and rumored member of the Ku Klux Klan.
• Jenny Morris, a member of the now-disbanded pop group innosense.
• Dan and Tom Ryan, professional Halo 2 players, and the 2005 Halo 2 world champion team "Team 3D"^[8]. Both are currently members of Team Final Boss.
• Lindsay Hollister, character actor who has appeared on Scrubs, Desperate Housewives, and Big Love.
• Basil Sands, thriller writer and voice actor.
• Kristin Huffman, Miss Ohio 1989 and 4th Runner-up & Talent Award Winner at Miss America.
• Greg Cole, Mister Ohio 2001.

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. ^ Demographic Information. City of Pickerington. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
4. ^ Official Results Summary (PDF) 4,14. Fairfield County Board of Elections. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.
5. ^ US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990. United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
6. ^ 2004-2005 PLSD Report Card (PDF). Ohio Department of Education. Archived from the original on 2006-02-14. Retrieved on 2006-04-02.
7. ^ Award Certificate from Expansion Management Magazine (JPG). Expansion Management Magazine. Archived from the original on 2006-05-24. Retrieved on 2006-04-02.
8. ^ Grand Final Tournament Results. World Cyber Games. Retrieved on 2008-04-25.

External links

• Official site
• Pickerington Chamber of Commerce
• Pickerington Local School District
• Fairfield County Visitors & Convention Bureau

• Pickerington, Ohio is at coordinates 39°53′32″N 82°45′50″W / 39.892168, -82.763837 (Pickerington, Ohio)Coordinates: 39°53′32″N 82°45′50″W / 39.892168, -82.763837 (Pickerington, Ohio)

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Fairfield County, Ohio County seat: Lancaster Cities Columbus | Lancaster | Pickerington | Reynoldsburg Villages Amanda | Baltimore | Bremen | Buckeye Lake | Canal Winchester | Carroll | Lithopolis | Millersport | Pleasantville | Rushville | Stoutsville | Sugar Grove | Thurston | West Rushville Townships Amanda | Berne | Bloom | Clearcreek | Greenfield | Hocking | Liberty | Madison | Pleasant | Richland | Rush Creek | Violet | Walnut CDP Fairfield Beach Unincorporated community Royalton

v â€¢ d â€¢ e Municipalities and communities of Franklin County, Ohio County seat: Columbus Cities Bexley | Columbus | Dublin | Gahanna | Grandview Heights | Grove City | Hilliard | Pickerington | Reynoldsburg | Upper Arlington | Westerville | Whitehall | Worthington Villages Brice | Canal Winchester | Groveport | Harrisburg | Lockbourne | Marble Cliff | Minerva Park | New Albany | Obetz | Riverlea | Urbancrest | Valleyview Townships Blendon | Brown | Clinton | Franklin | Hamilton | Jackson | Jefferson | Madison | Mifflin | Norwich | Perry | Plain | Pleasant | Prairie | Sharon | Truro | Washington CDPs Blacklick Estates | Huber Ridge | Lake Darby | Lincoln Village Unincorporated communities Amlin | Blacklick | Darbydale | Galloway | Georgesville | New Rome