The Advocate can trace its beginnings to 1820 when 22-year-old Benjamin Briggs printed the first issue in a wooden stilt shanty over a frog pond on the west side of what is now Newark's downtown square. Few newspapers in the United States can claim such longevity of continuous production - but it wasn't always easy. In the first five months, Briggs struggled to publish three issues. Finally, on Page 2 of the January 1821 edition, Briggs let it be known, in place of the annual subscription fee of $2, "country produce will be taken in payment." In the earliest days The Advocate was a four-page, four-column paper with the first page devoted to foreign news composed mostly of letters from other papers. The newspaper was eventually sold to John A. Caldwell in March 1882. It was then The Advocate became a daily newspaper.

Today, The Advocate occupies a 48,000 square foot state-of-the-art complex with about 200 employees -- a far cry from a wooden shanty over a frog pond.

Founded in 1802, Newark is the county seat of rapidly growing Licking County, located immediately northeast of Columbus. The county's population is projected to grow considerably in the coming years, especially the southwest area closest to Columbus and Interstate 70, which crosses the county. Newark is home to a diverse employment base and the headquarters of the Longaberger Co., the largest basket maker in the United States, and its world-famous basket-shaped home office building.

Population: 194,206
Median family household income: $45,875
Median age: 37.7
Largest employers: State Farm Insurance, Owens-Corning, Longaberger Co., Bear Creek Corp., Holophane Co.
Colleges and universities: Denison University, The Ohio State University at Newark, Central Ohio Technical College