Don Corley, Director of Housing and Energy

P.O. Box 590
Fremont, OH 43420

Phone: (419) 334-3332
Fax: (419) 334-4036
Dpcorley@wsos.org www.wsos.org

Incorporated: 1965

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Sandusky County is situated on the banks of the Sandusky River. It was once home to the Seneca, Crawford, Wyandotte, and Ottawa Indians who called the area "jungquendendah" or "place of peace." It 1785 the first white settlers came to live in the area. Today, the county has a population of 61,972, of which only 0.1 percent is American Indian.

Ottawa County has over 100 miles of shoreline. It is known as the "Gateway to the Lake Erie Islands." Its location made it pivotal during the War of 1812 for the defense of the waterways and coasts. Seneca County was named for the Seneca Indian tribe. The county also contains part of the Black Swamp, a huge marshland. Wood County was named for Colonel Eleazor Wood, West Point graduate and soldier, who planned Fort Meigs, the largest wooden walled fortification in North America. This county also contains part of the Black Swamp, which has been transformed into fertile agricultural land.

One in seven households spends more than 35 percent of its income on housing. The average poverty rate is eight percent for the four counties; only 16 percent of the population has a college degree.