Living in Marietta, OH

Washington County

Marietta is real and genuinely Ohio's first permanent American settlement -- founded April 7, 1788, by 48 Revolutionary War veterans and settlers of the Ohio Company of Associates at the confluence of the Ohio and Muskingum Rivers, and named for Marie Antoinette in honor of French aid during the Revolution. This record covers a genuinely distinct Ohio River town identity: Marietta was home to the country's FIRST oil and gas boom (oil discovered 1860, with further real boom periods in 1875 and 1910), a throughline directly connected to Marietta College's real, current, nationally uncommon Petroleum Engineering program (the 10th-largest in the US). A real, honestly disclosed hazard identity distinguishes Marietta from most other Ohio markets in this project: its confluence-river-town flood history dates to 1790, with genuinely catastrophic 20th-century floods in March 1913 (a 58.7-foot crest, 120 homes swept away) and January 1937 (46% of the city covered). Marietta levies its own real, current 1.85% municipal income tax, collected DIRECTLY by the city -- not RITA or CCA -- with a real, dollar-for-dollar resident credit for tax paid elsewhere, verified against the city's own official page. Housing runs genuinely affordable (a Zillow average home value of $183,699, meaningfully below Ohio's own statewide average). Marietta's population carries a real, honestly disclosed, modest ongoing decline (roughly -0.6%/year) alongside a meaningfully elevated senior population (approximately 22.3% aged 65+). Crime runs genuinely, favorably LOW relative to both national and Ohio averages (roughly 26-36% below). Marietta City School District carries a more moderate Niche profile (C+), while Marietta College (founded 1835) remains a real, distinct institutional anchor.

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Housing

Median sale price$183,699

Taxes

Local effective property tax rate1.18%

Not independently sourced at the Washington County level this session. Ohio's top state income tax rate is 2.75%. See the Ohio hub page for the statewide property tax context -- do not treat that figure as Marietta-specific.

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The tradeoffs

Pros

A wholly distinctive, real historic identity as Ohio's first permanent settlement, set at a genuine, scenic Ohio-Muskingum River confluence; genuinely affordable housing and rent, meaningfully below Ohio's own statewide averages; Marietta's own directly-collected, comparatively moderate 1.85% local income tax WITH a real, dollar-for-dollar resident credit for tax paid elsewhere; a real, favorably low crime rate (26-36% below national/state averages); Memorial Health System's real, substantial regional healthcare anchor; and Marietta College's genuinely distinct, nationally uncommon Petroleum Engineering program.

Cons

A real, honestly disclosed, historically severe Ohio/Muskingum River flood risk -- Marietta's worst floods (1913, 1937) were genuinely catastrophic, and any river-adjacent property warrants a direct current flood-zone check; a real, disclosed, ongoing modest population decline (roughly -0.6%/year); Marietta City School District's more moderate Niche profile (C+, 48%/54% state test proficiency); a real, current property-tax-bill increase driven by county-wide reassessment and newly-voted levies; and a genuinely small local job market outside health care, education, retail, and manufacturing.

Who this fits

Best for: Best fits retirees and history-minded movers genuinely drawn to Marietta's wholly distinctive identity as Ohio's first permanent settlement and its real Ohio River confluence setting, buyers prioritizing genuinely affordable housing and a favorably low crime rate, and anyone connected to Memorial Health System, Marietta College, or the region's real oil-and-gas/petroleum-engineering heritage specifically -- provided they confirm a target property's flood-zone status directly given Marietta's real, disclosed river-flood history.

Maybe not for you if: Probably not the right fit for anyone requiring a large, diversified, growing local job market or a strong district-wide school Niche profile, given Marietta's real, disclosed modest population decline and Marietta City School District's more moderate C+ grade; anyone assuming Ohio's usual river-town flood risk is minor, given Marietta's genuinely catastrophic historical flood record; and anyone targeting a riverside property without first confirming its current FEMA flood-zone status and flood-insurance requirements directly.

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Last reviewed: 2026-08-25. Independent research; see individual metric entries above for source attribution. This is not financial, tax, or legal advice -- confirm current figures with a local professional before making a decision.