Chillicothe (pronounced /ˌtʃɪlɨˈkɒθiː/ CHILL-ə-KOTH-ee)[3] .
Chillicothe was the first and third capital of Ohio, and is located in southern Ohio along the Scioto River. The name comes from the Shawnee name Chalahgawtha, meaning “principal town”, as it was a major settlement of that people. They and their ancestors inhabited the territory for thousands of years prior to European contact. At the time of European-American settlement, the community was plotted by General Nathaniel Massie on his land grant.
The population was 21,796 at the 2000 census. It is the only city in Ross County, and the center of the Chillicothe Micropolitan Statistical Area (as defined by the United States Census Bureau in 2003).
Chillicothe is a designated Tree City USA by the National Arbor Day Foundation.
Parks and recreation
Chillicothe has several public parks, including Yoctangee Park, Poland Park, Strawser Park, Manor Park, Goldie Gunlock Park, Pine Street Park, Veterans Memorial Park, and Western View Park.
Chillicothe’s floodwall, protecting the city from floods of the Scioto River, has a 5.0-mile-long paved bike path. This path connects to the Tri-County Triangle Trail which currently is 17.2 miles long, measured from Bridge St. (SR 159) in Chillicothe, to Frankfort and then to Austin. The Tri-County Triangle Trail’s goal is to connect Chillicothe with Washington Court House and Greenfield. This same former railroad continues to Jamestown and Xenia, but those connections are a long range plan.
Hopewell Culture National Historical Park is found on the north end of the city. The park is administered by the National Park Service and has a large concentration of Native American earthworks.
