Townships
Irregular in shape and encompassing a total area of 611 square miles or 391,040 acres, its greatest east-west distance is 33 miles and its greatest north-south distance 28 miles.
The elevation ranges from 464 feet above mean sea level at low-water mark along the Ohio River at the Adams County line to slightly more than 1,300 feet southeast of Mount Joy, giving a range in relief of more than 800 feet.
Scioto County is essentially hilly in character. 38% of its area is wooded while more than 77% of Nile Township is forest land. The county was originally heavily forested but no virgin timber remains. The largest unbroken part of which is included in Shawnee and Brush Creek State Forests and the Roosevelt Game Preserve.
The first county seat was established at Alexandria on a site first occupied by an Indian Village known as Lower Shawnee Town, but because of the annual flooding and two severe floods in 1808, the people and the county seat were moved to present day Portsmouth which was platted by Henry Massie on the East Bank of the Scioto River at its confluence with the Ohio.
Since its first settlement in 1803, the county has grown to include approximately 84,684 persons representing a density of 139 persons for each of its 611 square miles.
Shawnee State Park, located in the Appalachian foothills near the banks of the Ohio, is nestled in the 60,000 acre Shawnee State Forest. Once the hunting grounds of the Shawnee Indians, the region is one of the most picturesque in the state, featuring erosion-carved valleys and wooded hills. The rugged beauty of the area has earned it the nickname "The Little Smokies."
The county is rich in history, full of river lore and Native American influences, which is matched only by its natural beauty. The surrounding hills with their myriad of seasonal colors combined with the rivers and lakes make Portsmouth a truly beautiful place to live or visit.
To Portsmouth, Ohio From...
- Cincinnati, OH 94 miles
- Columbus, OH 86 miles
- Lexington, KY 98 miles
- Huntington,W.VA. 60 miles
- Ashland, KY 45 miles