Chillicothe

Sister cities

• Azov

History

The region around Chillicothe was the center of the ancient Hopewell tradition, which flourished from 200 BC until 500 AD. This Amerindian culture had trade routes extending to the Rocky Mountains. They built earthen mounds for ceremonial and burial purposes throughout the Scioto and Ohio River valleys. Later Native Americans who inhabited the area through the time of European contact included Shawnees. Present-day Chillicothe is the most recent of seven locations in Ohio that bore the name, because it was applied to the main town wherever the Chalakatha settled. Other population centers named Chillicothe in Ohio at one time include: one located at present-day Piqua, in Miami County; one located south of present-day Circleville, Pickaway County, on the Scioto River; a third about north of Xenia in Greene County, Ohio; a fourth at present-day Frankfort, Ross County, on Paint Creek; and a fifth also located in Ross County, at Hopetown, three miles north of modern Chillicothe. In 1758 a settlement was established at this site by Shawnee Indians who had abandoned their village of Lower Shawneetown in November of that year. A group of Shawnees from Logstown also joined them. After the Treaty of Greenville in 1795 forced the Native Americans from most of Ohio, European settlers came to the area. Migrants from Virginia and Kentucky moved west along the Ohio River in search of land. The community Chillicothe was founded in 1796 by a party led by General Nathaniel Massie on his land grant. The town's name comes from the Shawnee Chala·ka·tha (Chillicothe in English), meaning "principal town", because it was the chief settlement of that division (one of five major divisions) of the Shawnee people. In 1798, Ross County became incorporated with Chillicothe as the county seat.…

Geography

Chillicothe lies within the ecoregion of the Western Allegheny Plateau. It lies between the Scioto River and Paint Creek near their confluence. According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which is land and is water. The city is surrounded by farming communities, and Chillicothe residents describe the area as the foothills of the Appalachians. Chilicothe has a humid subtropical environment, right on the border with humid continental.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• American Robin

  Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766 · Aves
  794
• Northern Cardinal

  Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  766
• Turkey Vulture

  Cathartes aura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  627
• American Crow

  Corvus brachyrhynchos C.L.Brehm, 1822 · Aves
  611
• Mourning Dove

  Zenaida macroura (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  603
• Red-bellied Woodpecker

  Melanerpes carolinus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  583
• Blue Jay

  Cyanocitta cristata (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  560
• American Goldfinch

  Spinus tristis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  524

Most recent

• M 2.5 — 2026-02-22
  2 km NE of Hillsboro, Ohio
• M 3.1 — 2025-02-03
  2 km NNW of Oak Hill, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2023-03-20
  13 km SSW of Rio Grande, Ohio
• M 2.5 — 2023-02-17
  6 km ESE of Cheshire, Ohio
• M 3.04 — 2021-12-12
  2 km E of Manchester, Ohio
• M 2.93 — 2020-04-25
  2 km SE of South Shore, Kentucky