Johnstown, Ohio is located in Licking County. Whether you may be an Ohio resident or not, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with Licking County, Ohio. With a population of just about 180,000, Licking County is located in the center of Ohio. If you’re wondering where the name of this county came from, it would be the Licking river. Continue reading to find out more about what Licking County is most well known for. 

High School Sports

In terms of high school sports, there have been some very strong teams throughout the years in Licking County. 

The high schools apart of the athletic community in Licking County include:

• Granville High School
• Heath High School
• Johnstown-Monroe High School
• Lakewood High School
• Licking Valley High School
• Licking Heights High School
• Newark Catholic High School
• Newark High School
• Northridge High School
• Utica High School
• Watkins Memorial High School

Baseball is one of the most successful sports among all Licking County high school sports teams. A state title has been won by a Licking County high school team every year since 2022, when three different teams won state titles. Newark Catholic High School and Heath High School are among the most talented baseball teams because they have won nearly ten state titles in a six year span. 

New Business

In the next coming months/years, Licking County will be undergoing some pretty big changes. A $20 billion semiconductor plant will be built that has the capability of employing up to 3,000 workers. The company in charge of this mass plan, Intel, plans to open a new factory every couple years to have Licking County become one of the world’s largest semiconductor operations. 

‍

‍

Cities apart of Licking County

In total, there are six cities that are a part of Licking County. These cities are:

• Johnstown
• Heath
• New Albany
• Newark 
• Pataskala
• Reynoldsburg

Johnstown

Johnstown is one of the smallest towns in Ohio, with a population at just a little over 5,000. Just like many places across Ohio, Johnstown is known for their variety of parks.

The six parks in Johnstown include:

• Bigelow park
• Hannahs park
• Johnston Trailhead park
• Mastodon Preserve 
• Raccoon Creek park 
• Rolling Meadows park

Heath

Heath is a city in Ohio located about 35 miles east of Columbus. Heath is also considered the third largest municipality in all of Ohio.There’s some pretty interesting information regarding the history of this town and how it came to be. In the first century CE, Hopewell Indians had populated this exact area. Earthworks and ancient burial mounds were created all over the area, which became preserved within the Moundbuilders State Memorial. 

Heath is a great place for those who love the outdoors, and you can visit various parks and picnic areas pretty much wherever you go. Lastly, if you enjoy shopping and getting new souvenirs you should check out the Finders Keepers Village. The market first opened in 1999, and has more than 200 shops selling items from clothes, to necklaces, to even candles.

New Albany

New Albany, Ohio is located just 20 minutes away from Columbus with a population of about 11,000. Something you might find intriguing about this town is that they are actually one of the best suburbs in the entire country. New Albany was founded in 1837, and started off as a farming village. The village was also named by Noble Landon who was one of the original founders of the village.

 In 1856, New Albany got their first mayor and the population of the two stayed very small for many years at the beginning. In the 1990s, the town began to grow rapidly due in part to Lex Wexner and their brand “L brands.” L brands is a multi million dollar fashion empire. The reason why New Albany became so popular during this time was because people in the surrounding areas were looking for jobs with this brand!

Newark

Newark is a town approximately 40 miles east of Columbus with a population of about 50,000.

What is there to do while visiting Newark?:

• Watch a performance at the Midland Theater, a gorgeous theater that was originally built all the way back in 1928. 
• Visit Dawes Arboretum. Dawes Arboretum is an outdoor museum for trees that provides multi-sensory experience year round to over 2,000 acres. With twelve miles of trails, it’s a better thing to like hiking than not. 

Newark is also currently classified as the 15th largest city in all of Ohio.

Pataskala

Pataskala is a name derived from the “Delaware language” and exists as a town in Ohio with a population of about 15,000. Pataskala is also home of two different schools, Southwest Licking Local Schools and Licking Heights Local Schools. Patskala features many wooded areas and parts of the river. The parks are also very evenly spread out through the entire city. The Thomas J. Evans Foundation Park is the largest park in the entire city, among the many others. 

Another fact about Pataskala is that there are a couple notable people who are from there!:

• Jeaniene Frost: New York Times bestselling author.
• John Holmes
• John Reuben: Christian rap artist. 
• Robert Smith
• Chalmers Wylie
• Eleanor Youmans: Children’s author.

Like to play golf? Pataskala has three different golf courses within its region. Check out Broadview Golf Course, Cumberland Trail Golf Club, and Willow Run Golf Course. 

Reynoldsburg

  Reynoldsburg is iconic for something in particular… but you may be surprised to find out what exactly it is that got the town some recognition. Tomatoes! Yes, that’s right, to be even more particular, the celebration of tomatoes being grown. The first commercial variety of tomato was claimed to be bred in Reynoldsburg during the nineteenth century. Because of this, there is a “tomato festival” that takes place every August. Other than this fun information, Reynoldsburg has a population at just over 40,000. Reynoldsburg also has a motto which is “the city of respect.”

All in All

See more of the beauty Ohio has to offer and come visit Licking county. You will get a great look at a variety of parks, scenery, wildlife, and history.

‍