Marblehead is a village in Ottawa County, Ohio, United States. The population was 865 at the 2020 census. It sits at the tip of the Marblehead Peninsula, which divides Lake Erie proper from Sandusky Bay. Marblehead is part of the area that is referred to regionally as Vacationland (which includes nearby Sandusky and the Lake Erie Islands) due to the large number of tourists who flock to the area in the summer months. It remains a popular vacation destination due to its lake frontage, ferry service to the Lake Erie Islands, quality sport fishery, the nearby Lakeside Chautauqua, and the Cedar Point amusement park. Marblehead is also home to the Lakeside Daisy State Nature Preserve, home to the only natural U.S. population of the Lakeside Daisy, an endangered species.
Marblehead is home to the Marblehead Lighthouse, the oldest continuously-operating lighthouse on the American side of the Great Lakes. The lighthouse is a part of the Marblehead Lighthouse State Park located within the village. Marblehead is also home to a United States Coast Guard station. Nearby, in Sandusky Bay, is Johnson's Island, a former Confederate officer prisoner of war camp during the Civil War.
Marblehead is also commercially important as a major limestone producer. The limestone is mined in nearby quarries and transported by conveyor belt to the Marblehead loading dock, where it is loaded on commercial lake freighters. The blocks of stone used to construct the Stannard Rock Light on Lake Superior were cut at Marblehead and hauled to the site from 1877 to 1881.
Geography
thumb|left|Aerial view of the Marblehead Lighthouse and surrounding parts of the village
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of , of which is land and is water.
Climate
Marblehead, as with much of the Great Lakes region, has a humid continental climate (Köppen Dfa), characterized by four distinct seasons. Lake Erie moderates the climate, especially in late spring and fall, when air and water temperature differences are maximal. Fall temperatures tend to be warmer than the inland areas, while spring temperatures tend to be cooler than inland areas. However, this effect is lessened in the winter because Lake Erie (unlike the other Great Lakes) usually freezes over, coupled with prevailing winds that are often westerly.
The warmest month of the year is July, with an average temperature of 73.2 °F (22.9 °C). January has the lowest average temperature of the year of 24.6 °F (-4.1 °C). The driest month is February, with 1.7 inches (44 mm) of precipitation. With an average of 3.7 inches (94 mm), the most precipitation falls in June.<!-- Infobox ends -->
Demographics
2010 census
As of the census of 2010, there were 903 people, 417 households, and 285 families living in the village. The population density was . There were 942 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the village was 98.7% White, 0.2% African American, 0.1% Native American, 0.3% Asian, 0.1% from other races, and 0.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.7% of the population.
There were 417 households, of which 18.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.2% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, 3.6% had a male householder with no wife present, and 31.7% were non-families. 28.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 15.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.57.
The median age in the village was 55.7 years. 15.9% of residents were under the age of 18; 4.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 13.5% were from 25 to 44; 37.3% were from 45 to 64; and 28.8% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the village was 49.7% male and 50.3% female.
2000 census
As of the census