Your Guide to Planning a Move to Chillicothe, Ohio

There are many reasons to consider a move to Chillicothe, Ohio. This historic city wraps up affordability and rural city charm in a beautiful setting along the Scioto River in Southern Ohio. About 22,000 people make their home in Chillicothe, which is the only city and county seat for Ross County, Ohio. According to Sperling’s Best Places, the cost of living is 13.9 percent below the national average.

Chillicothe is a little over an hour from Columbus or Dayton and two hours from Cincinnati.  It’s a popular destination for history buffs, outdoor enthusiasts and people drawn to a medium-sized city in a rural area of the state.

Chillicothe takes its name from the Shawnee Chala·ka·tha, one of the five major clans of the Shawnee people. The area around modern Chillicothe was once the chief settlement of this tribal group. Centuries earlier, the region was the center of the ancient Hopewell culture, which built earthen mounds for ceremonial and burial purposes throughout the Scioto and Ohio River valleys.

As one of Ohio’s oldest moving companies, Herlihy Moving & Storage has decades of experience in moving families and businesses in and around Ross County, Chillicothe and nearby communities, including Adelphi, Andersonville, Bainbridge, Bourneville, Clarksburg, Frankfort, Kingston, Richmond Dale, and South Salem.

To help you plan your move, we have put together a guide to finding a home in Chillicothe as well as schools and services.

Choosing a Home in Chillicothe, Ohio

Most European settlers began arriving in the Chillicothe area after the American Revolution. Nathaniel Massie laid out the town on the Scioto River in 1796. Two years later, the settlers incorporated Ross County, with Chillicothe as the county seat. The city became the capital of the Northwest Territory in 1800 and the first capital of the State of Ohio in 1803.

Because of its long history, Chillicothe features a wide variety of historic, traditional and contemporary architectural styles. This interactive map can be useful in navigating Chillicothe’s neighborhoods and streets. Some of the more expensive homes can be found in the Belleview Heights neighborhood near Ohio University’s Chillicothe campus as well as in Andersonville.

Begin your search for a new home at the Scioto Valley Association of Realtors or on sites such as Realtor.com and Zillow.com.

Public Elementary and Secondary Schools Serving Chillicothe County, Ohio

Ross County is home to eight different public school districts serving children from pre-Kindergarten through 12^th grade. They operate 28 public schools serving 11,596 students.

• Headquartered in Frankfort, Ohio, the Adena Local School District operates an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.
• The Chillicothe City School District operates four elementary schools, one middle school and one high school. It serves more than 2,950 students.
• Huntington Local Schools, based in Chillicothe, operates an elementary school, a middle school and a high school.
• Greenfield Exempted Village Schools, located at 200 N 5th St. in Greenfield, operates two elementary schools, a middle school and a high school.
• Paint Valley Local Schools are headquartered in Bainbridge, Ohio. The district operates a high school, middle school and elementary school.
• The Southeastern Local School District operates an elementary school, a middle school and a high school at 2300 Lancaster Road in Chillicothe.
• The Union Scioto Local School District, headquartered at 1565 Egypt Pike in Chillicothe, operates a high school, a middle school and an elementary school.
• Zane Trace Local Schools operate a high school, middle school and elementary school at 946 State Route 180 in Chillicothe.

Ross County is also home to private schools including Bishop Flaget Catholic School, Landmark Christian Academy and Ross County Christian Academy.

Higher Education in Ross County

Part of the public University System of Ohio, Ohio University Chillicothe is a branch of Ohio University in Athens. This non-residential regional campus has an enrollment of over 2,500 students.

Pickaway-Ross Career and Technology Center has two divisions – one for juniors and seniors in high school, and another to provide adults with specialized courses to help them obtain and retain jobs. Students have a choice of more than 20 different career tracks, while adults can choose from courses such as welding, electrical, HVAC and maintenance.

Chillicothe, Ohio Utilities

Moving into a new home or apartment can be an exciting but chaotic time. Make sure to contact utility services including electric, natural gas, water, sewer, cable and internet well in advance of your move.  Available services may vary depending on whether you choose a home in the city of Chillicothe or in a smaller community or rural area in Ross County. Please note that Herlihy does not endorse any of these services and provides contact information for your convenience only.

Don’t forget to set up services to start 24 hours before you move in!

Water and Sewer Services

The Chillicothe City Utilities Department provides water and sewer services to residents.

The Ross County Water Company provides quality residential and commercial water service to approximately 14,000 customers in areas of Ross, Pike, Pickaway, Vinton, Hocking, and Jackson counties in Ohio.

Electrical Service

• American Electric Power provides electrical power generation, transmission, distribution and retail energy sales to more than 5 million customers. Click here for information about starting or stopping services.
• South Central Power Company is a member-owned electric cooperative serving over 110,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers in 24 Ohio counties. Click here for information about starting services.
• Buckeye Rural Electric Cooperative provides electricity to over 18,821 consumers in parts of nine counties: Athens, Gallia, Jackson, Lawrence, Meigs, Pike, Ross, Scioto, and Vinton. Contact the cooperative about two weeks before you plan to need service. Click here for information about starting services.

Natural Gas Services

• Columbia Gas of Ohio provides natural gas to about 1.4 million customers throughout the state. Call 1-800-344-4077 to discuss starting or stopping services.
• The Pike Natural Gas Company has more than 7,100 customers on two main systems – one in Hillsboro, Ohio and the other in Waverly, Ohio; however their service territory reaches across Clinton, Highland, Ross, Pike, and Jackson counties

Telephone and Internet Providers

• Agile Networks offers high-speed internet services.
• AT&T Ohio offers home and cellular telephone service, DirectTV and high-speed internet. Its Chillicothe website describes available services.
• Exede offers satellite internet services.
• HughesNet offers satellite internet services.
• Horizon provides high-speed internet, telephone, digital television and security services.
• Spectrum offers high-speed internet, telephone and cable television services.

Chillicothe, Ohio Police and Fire Services

The Chillicothe Police Department offers law enforcement services within the city of Chillicothe.

The Chillicothe Fire Department protects the lives and property of Chillicothe residents from fires, natural disasters, and hazardous materials and provides emergency medical services.

The Ross County Sherriff’s Office provides law enforcement services throughout the county.

More than a dozen local fire departments serve Ross County communities. You can find their telephone numbers on the Ohio Firefighters website.

Chillicothe, Ohio News Media

Ohio’s oldest newspaper, the Chillicothe Gazette is a daily newspaper and multimedia news source serving Chillicothe and Ross County. It has a paid daily circulation of about 15,500.

Looking for professional, reliable Chillicothe, Ohio movers? Contact us today to experience the Herlihy Moving & Storage difference. Since 1920, we have moved thousands of Ohio families and businesses around Ohio, across the United States, and around the world. We’re BBB accredited and Angie’s List approved. And, as a locally owned and top-rated agent of Mayflower Moving serving Chillicothe, Athens, and Columbus, Ohio, we have the resources to move you, no matter where you need to go.