Cultural Report #3
Amish

Geographical Features of the General Area Berlin, Ohio is a part of Holmes County. Holmes County consists of very hilly terrain. Holmes County consists of steep hills and narrow valleys. Holmes County and surrounding areas are rural because of the lack of major highway access. Rural country roads, rolling hills and groomed farmsteads make up the scenery in Holmes County.
Issues related to the Geography The only potential geography risk for Holmes County and Berlin would be Tornado and Earthquake risks. A Tornado risk is calculated from the destruction path that has occurred within 30 miles of the location. The local counties that have seen the least amount of twisters since 1950 include Seneca, Holmes and Coshocton counties all with less than 10 occurrences (http://www.newsnet5.com/weather/weather-news/does-northern-ohio-have-a-tornado-alley). According to records, the largest Tornado in Holmes County was in the Berlin area. It was an F4 in 1953 that caused 379 injuries and 17 deaths. There have been only 9 tornadoes in Holmes County since 1969 with no fatalities and 11 injuries http://www.tornadohistoryproject.com/tornado/Ohio/Holmes/map)
. Although, Berlin experienced a tornado in 1953 with fatalities, Holmes County is considered a low risk area. In addition, “Holmes County-area historical earthquake activity is significantly below Ohio state average. It is 94% smaller than the overall U.S. average”(http://www.city-data.com/county/Holmes_County-OH.html). For the reasons stated above, Holmes County is considered a low risk area for tornadoes and earthquakes.
Population Density of the Area For Holmes County, the most recent survey revealed that the estimated population was 43,025 for 2012. The population density in Holmes County is 101 people per square mile (http://www.city-data.com/county/Holmes_County-OH.html). In Berlin, the estimated population was 705 in 2012. The population density is 451 people per square mile in Berlin, Ohio.( http://www.city-data.com/city/Berlin-Heights-Ohio.html.
The Racial Mix of the Region Holmes County has the highest percentage of Amish of any U.S. county, currently 42 percent of the population are Amish. The population in Holmes County was 43,025 in 2012. The racial mix consists of: White Non-Hispanic Alone (98.2%), Hispanic or Latino (0.8%) and two or more races (0.5%) (http://www.city-data.com/county/Holmes_County-OH.html). The population in Berlin, Ohio was 705 people in 2012. The racial mix consists of: White alone - 681 (95.4%), two or more races - 16 (2.2%), Hispanic - 10 (1.4%), Black alone - 5 (0.7%), American Indian alone - 1 (0.1%), and Asian alone - 1 (0.1%). http://www.city-data.com/city/Berlin-Heights-Ohio.html
Life Span In Holmes County, the life expectancy age for men is 73.3. The life expectancy age for women is 78.3 (http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/usa/ohio-life-expectancy-by-county-female). Berlin’s life expectancy data was not available. It has been included in the data for Holmes County.
Salary
In Holmes County, the median household income was $43,533. In Berlin, the median household income was $48,837.
Educational Level In Holmes County, the number of people with no high school diploma was 10,284. The number of high school graduates was 7,715. There are 2,323 people with some college but no degree. Additionally, there are 1,066 people with an Associate’s Degree, 1,272 with a Bachelor’s Degree and 918 people with a Master’s Degree or higher in Holmes County ( ). At the time of the last survey in 2010, 359 people in Berlin had a high school degree, or 83.3 of the population.86 people in Berlin also had a Bachelor’s degree or higher, which represented 20 of the total population ( ).
Types of Industry and Jobs In Holmes County, the industries that provide employment opportunities include: construction (18%), agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting (11%), wood products (9%), metal and metal products (6%),