Meigs County is a county in Ohio, United States, about 21 miles south of Athens. It had a
population of 22,210 at the 2020 census, an estimated 21,587 by 2025, and covers 430 square
miles (1,114 km2) of land centred near 39°05′N 82°01′W.
Pomeroy is the county seat; its postal code is 45769. The county holds 5 incorporated
villages and more than a dozen unincorporated communities across 12 townships, and it runs on
Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 39105.
Towns & Villages in Meigs County
Meigs County has no cities under Ohio law — its five largest places are all
incorporated villages, led by Middleport. The rest are unincorporated communities and one
census-designated place with no local government of their own. CDP stands for census
designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities with no formal boundary.
Township is listed only where Wikipedia’s township-level population pages confirm the place;
— means unconfirmed.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleport | Village | Salisbury | 2,208 | 45760 |
| Pomeroy | Village · seat | Salisbury | 1,573 | 45769 |
| Syracuse | Village | Sutton | 781 | 45779 |
| Racine | Village | Sutton | 683 | 45771 |
| Rutland | Village | Rutland | 427 | 45775 |
| Tuppers Plains | CDP | Olive | 438 | 45783 |
| Reedsville | Unincorp. | Olive | — | 45772 |
| Long Bottom | Unincorp. | Olive | — | — |
| Chester | Unincorp. | Chester | — | — |
| Darwin | Unincorp. | Bedford | — | — |
| Portland | Unincorp. | Lebanon | — | — |
| Langsville | Unincorp. | Rutland | — | — |
| Apple Grove | Unincorp. | Letart | — | — |
| Letart Falls | Unincorp. | Letart | — | — |
| Antiquity | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Carletonville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Carpenter | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Harrisonville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kingsbury | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Minersville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Salem Center | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Silver Run | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Spiller | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Success | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Welsh | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
The county’s earlier list on this page ran to 79 names, most of them unverifiable hamlets,
map labels, or outright duplicates — Hobson and Hobson Junction, Oldtown Flats and
Bald Knobs among them. This table keeps only the places confirmed by Census-linked sources;
the rest are dropped rather than guessed at.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Salisbury | 5,512 | Middleport, Pomeroy |
| Sutton | 3,077 | Racine, Syracuse |
| Chester | 2,497 | Chester |
| Rutland | 2,137 | Rutland, Langsville |
| Olive | 1,651 | Long Bottom, Reedsville, Tuppers Plains |
| Bedford | 1,249 | Darwin |
| Columbia | 1,220 | — |
| Scipio | 1,213 | — |
| Orange | 1,085 | Tuppers Plains (shared with Olive) |
| Salem | 939 | — |
| Lebanon | 897 | Portland |
| Letart | 733 | Apple Grove, Letart Falls |
Columbia, Scipio and Salem townships have no incorporated village or documented named
community at their center; their populations are almost entirely rural farmsteads.
ZIP Codes
- 45769 — Pomeroy (county seat)
- 45760 — Middleport
- 45779 — Syracuse
- 45771 — Racine
- 45775 — Rutland
- 45783 — Tuppers Plains
- 45772 — Reedsville
Most of the county’s smaller unincorporated communities — Chester, Darwin, Portland,
Langsville, Apple Grove and Letart Falls among them — share a ZIP with the nearest post
office town rather than carrying one of their own; this page does not guess which one without
a source.
Geography
Meigs County sits in the Appalachian Plateau of southeastern Ohio. The Ohio River forms its
entire eastern and southern boundary, separating it from West Virginia. Of the county’s 433
square miles, 430 are land and 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2) are water, almost all of it the
river itself.
Meigs County borders Athens
County to the north, Wood
County, West Virginia to the northeast, Jackson County, West
Virginia to the east, Mason County, West
Virginia to the southeast, Gallia
County to the southwest and Vinton
County to the west.
Demographics
Meigs County had a population of 22,210 at the 2020 census, down from earlier decades and
estimated at 21,587 by 2025, a continued decline typical of Appalachian Ohio. Middleport
(2,208) and Pomeroy (1,573) are the two largest places; together the five villages hold about
5,672 residents, roughly a quarter of the county’s population, with the rest spread across the
12 townships. Salisbury Township, home to Middleport and Pomeroy, is the most populous
township at 5,512. Countywide density works out to about 52 people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Coal mining shaped Meigs County from the late 19th century until most operations closed by
the 1990s. In 2009, Gatling Ohio LLC invested $75 million in a new underground mine and coal
prep plant near Racine, rated to employ 120 to 150 miners and produce up to 3.5 million tons a
year. Pomeroy’s 19th-century economy also ran on salt production and Ohio River barge
commerce, and the river corridor still carries coal and bulk freight past Middleport, Pomeroy,
Racine and Syracuse today. Three public school districts serve the county: Meigs Local,
Eastern Local and Southern Local.
History
Meigs County was organized April 1, 1819, and named for Return J. Meigs Jr., Ohio’s fourth
governor and later U.S. Postmaster General. Pomeroy, founded in 1804, became the county seat
in 1841; its courthouse is built into a hillside with entrances on all three stories, a design
oddity noted in Ripley’s Believe It or Not!
The county’s defining Civil War event came on July 19, 1863, when Union cavalry and three
gunboats cornered Confederate general John Hunt Morgan’s raiders at the Battle of Buffington
Island, near Portland on the Ohio River. Union forces killed 52 Confederates and captured more
than 750, the largest battle fought on Ohio soil during the war; Pomeroy’s courthouse briefly
held over 200 prisoners taken there. Morgan himself escaped the field but was captured a week
later at Salineville.
Getting There
Ohio State Route 7 runs the length of the county along the Ohio River, linking Middleport,
Pomeroy, Racine and Syracuse. At Pomeroy it meets US Route 33, State Route 124 and State Route
833, the main road connections north and west. No interstate highway crosses Meigs County.
- Athens, Ohio — about 21 miles north
- Parkersburg, West Virginia — across the Ohio River to the northeast
- Charleston, West Virginia — south along the river valley
The nearest commercial airport is Mid-Ohio Valley Regional Airport, in Williamstown, West
Virginia, about seven miles from Parkersburg. No Amtrak service reaches the county; the
nearest Amtrak stop once ran through Athens until it was discontinued in 1981.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Meigs County, Ohio?
It is in southeastern Ohio along the Ohio River, bordering West Virginia, about 21 miles south
of Athens.
What is the population of Meigs County?
Meigs County had a population of 22,210 at the 2020 census, estimated at 21,587 by 2025.
How big is Meigs County?
The county covers 430 square miles (1,114 km2) of land, plus about 2.9 square miles (7.5 km2)
of the Ohio River.
Pomeroy is the county seat of Meigs County, and its postal code is
45769.
How many towns and villages are in Meigs County?
Five incorporated villages — Middleport, Pomeroy, Racine, Rutland and Syracuse —
plus one census-designated place and a number of smaller unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes serve Meigs County?
The main ones are 45769 (Pomeroy), 45760 (Middleport), 45779 (Syracuse), 45771 (Racine),
45775 (Rutland), 45783 (Tuppers Plains) and 45772 (Reedsville).
What happened at the Battle of Buffington Island?
On July 19, 1863, Union forces trapped Confederate raider John Hunt Morgan near Portland,
killing 52 of his men and capturing more than 750 — the largest Civil War battle fought
in Ohio.
More counties in this state: Towns
and villages in Ohio.