BRYAN, Ohio —
As we approach the presidential election in November, WTOL is hitting the road with sister stations 10TV in Columbus and 3News in Cleveland to take the pulse of every county in the state of Ohio. What keeps you up at night? What issues will you be paying the most attention to as the candidates develop their platforms for this fall?
Before we get on the road, we are giving you a snapshot of each county. Let’s head west to Williams County.
Williams County
- Estimated 2018 population: 36,804
- Median Household Income: $49,491
How the county voted in the last five Presidential elections:
2016: Trump
2012: Romney
2008: McCain
2004: Bush
2000: Bush
Most common industry by employment
Manufacturing (just over 5,900 people)
Retail (1,875 people)
Health Care (about 1,800 people).
Ethnicity
96.6% white alone
1.3% African American
4.6% Hispanic or Latino
Political fact
The last Democrat to win the county was Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964.
Fascinating facts
Williams County is named after David Williams, a captor of British spy Maj. John Andre during the Revolutionary War. Andre, the head of the British Army’s Secret Service in America, was hanged for assisting Benedict Arnold’s attempted surrender of the fort at West Point, N.Y., to the British.
The Spangler Candy Company - home of Dum Dums suckers - is in the county seat of Bryan. Spangler began in 1906 in Defiance and was moved to Bryan. Some other popular Spangler Candies include Marshmallow Circus Peanuts (1940), Saf-T-Pops, Astro Pops, Smarties and now Necco Wafers and Sweethearts.
