Newark is located in the central part of the state of Ohio and a city and seat of Licking County that sits in the junction along with the North and South forks along the Licking River and of the Raccoon Creek that is on the eastern part of Columbus. The area where the present-day Newark stands was laid out in 1802, and the community was named after the city in New Jersey, Newark, which is the hometown of the area’s first settlers and led by General William C. Schenk. The area has prospered as an agricultural trading center, and the development of the city started when the first railroad in the area. The city’s present economy was principally based on agriculture and included dairying, livestock, grain, and fruit.