Albany, Ohio

Albany, Ohio
Village
A view of Albany with State Route 681 in the background A view of Albany with State Route 681 in the background
Location of Albany, Ohio Location of Albany, Ohio
Location of Albany in Athens County Location of Albany in Athens County
Coordinates:
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Athens
Area
• Total	1.27 sq mi (3.29 km2)
• Land	1.25 sq mi (3.24 km2)
• Water	0.02 sq mi (0.05 km2)
Elevation	758 ft (231 m)
Population (2010)
• Total	828
• Estimate (2012)	865
• Density	662.4/sq mi (255.8/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	45710
Area code(s)	740
FIPS code	39-01042
GNIS feature ID	1060817

Albany is a village in Athens County, Ohio, United States. The population was 828 at the 2010 census.

Geography

Albany is located at (39.228787, -82.200363).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.27 square miles (3.29 km²), of which 1.25 square miles (3.24 km²) is land and 0.02 square miles (0.05 km²) is water.

History

Albany was laid out in about 1832. It was incorporated as a village in 1842.

The small rural village became one of several stops in Athens County for the Underground Railroad, as fugitives could come upriver on the Hocking River from the Ohio River. Free blacks, many of whom had migrated from the Upper South, settled the village in the mid-19th century.

The black population increased during the 1850s from four in the township to 174 by 1860, largely because of the chance for their children to attend the Albany Manual Labor Academy, which was open to both genders and all races. The outbreak of the Civil War caused the academy to lose students and close.

To ensure the education of their children, African Americans from the county and state quickly founded the private Albany Enterprise Academy, the first school in Athens County for African Americans. It operated until 1886. Founders included leaders of the black community, such as Thomas Jefferson Furguson (co-founder of the Ohio Colored Teacher's Association, member of the Albany City Council and the first black to serve on a jury in Athens County); Cornelius Berry (father of Edward Berry of the Berry Hotel); Philip Clay, David Norman, Woodrow Wiley and Jackson Wiley. A two-story building was constructed and the school opened in 1864, with 49 students already enrolled.

In 1864, the board advertised their academy in a broadsheet, saying:

"The School will be owned and managed by colored persons; but this does not in our opinion make an argument against it. "The day has gone by for the colored man to be used as a mere machine. He must now reflect the light of his own intellectual and moral development, must either shine in the effulgence of his own wisdom, or sink to poverty and wretchedness by his own ignorance."

The Enterprise Academy had in "excess of one hundred students" in its early years of operation (for comparison, about the same number then enrolled at Ohio University) at the same time). With the increase in students, a second building for a girl's dormitory was built in 1870. But, by the late 1870s, when many blacks had left the area for work in larger cities, and public integrated schools were available to residents, the Enterprise Academy suffered declining enrollment. It operated until 1886.

Demographics

Historical population
Census	Pop.		%±
1870	480		—
1880	469		−2.3%
1890	471		0.4%
1900	548		16.3%
1910	546		−0.4%
1920	465		−14.8%
1930	471		1.3%
1940	551		17.0%
1950	525		−4.7%
1960	629		19.8%
1970	899		42.9%
1980	905		0.7%
1990	795		−12.2%
2000	808		1.6%
2010	828		2.5%
Est. 2014	896		8.2%
U.S. Decennial Census

2010 census

As of the census of 2010, there were 828 people, 347 households, and 230 families residing in the village. The population density was 662.4 inhabitants per square mile (255.8/km²). There were 400 housing units at an average density of 320.0 per square mile (123.6/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 98.3% White, 0.1% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.7% Asian, 0.4% from other races, and 0.4% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.6% of the population.

There were 347 households of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.0% were married couples living together, 12.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 4.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 33.7% were non-families. 30.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 12.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.32 and the average family size was 2.83.

The median age in the village was 40.8 years. 21.3% of residents were under the age of 18; 6.9% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 26.6% were from 25 to 44; 26.6% were from 45 to 64; and 18.6% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 45.9% male and 54.1% female.

2000 census

As of the census of 2000, there were 808 people, 352 households, and 222 families residing in the village. The population density was 649.6 people per square mile (251.6/km²). There were 400 housing units at an average density of 321.6 per square mile (124.5/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 97.28% White, 1.11% African American, 0.12% Native American, 0.12% Asian, 0.12% Pacific Islander, 0.87% from other races, and 0.37% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.49% of the population.

There were 352 households out of which 26.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.4% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.9% were non-families. 32.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 2.81.

In the village the population was spread out with 20.7% under the age of 18, 8.5% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 24.8% from 45 to 64, and 16.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 94.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 85.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $31,534, and the median income for a family was $42,750. Males had a median income of $30,750 versus $22,083 for females. The per capita income for the village was $16,047. About 8.3% of families and 13.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 22.6% of those under age 18 and 15.0% of those age 65 or over.

Public services

Public Education in the village of Albany is provided by the Alexander Local School District. Campuses serving the village include Alexander Elementary School (Grades PK-5), Alexander Middle School (Grades 6-8), and Alexander High School [1] (Grades 9-12).

They are also served by the Wells Public Library, a branch of the Athens County Public Libraries with branches in Albany, Athens, Chauncey, Coolville, Glouster, Nelsonville, and The Plains.

Festivals

The annual Ohio Pawpaw Festival, dedicated to North America's largest indigenous fruit, the pawpaw, is held each September at Lake Snowden, near Albany. The Albany Independent Fair is held annually at the Albany Riding Club the first week in September as one of few independent fairs in the state of Ohio.

External links

• Athens County Public Library
• Ohio Pawpaw Festival