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Ohio Counties

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Ohio Counties

There is eighty-eight counties in the state of Ohio. The Ohio Constitution allows counties to set up a charter government as many cities and villages do, but only Summit County has done so.

Putnam County, Ohio

Putnam County History, Geography, Demographics, Cities and Towns, and Education

County Seat: Ottawa
Year Organized: 1820
Square Miles: 484

Court House:

245 East Main Street
County Courthouse
Ottawa, OH 45875-1971

Etymology - Origin of County Name

Residents named the county in honor of Israel Putnam, a hero of the American Revolution.

Demographics:

County QuickFacts: Census Bureau Quick Facts

County History

On February 12, 1820, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Putnam County. Residents named the county in honor of Israel Putnam, a hero of the American Revolution. Putnam County was originally part of territory set aside for Ohio’s Indian people by the Treaty of Greeneville. After the Ohio government authorized the county’s creation, it remained part of Wood County until 1824, and then it was part of Williams County until 1834.

Putnam County is located in the northwestern part of Ohio. The county seat is Ottawa, which is the largest community in the county with a population of 4,367 people in 2000. Less than one percent of the county’s 484 square miles are deemed to be urban. The county averages seventy-two people living in each square mile. Between 1990 and 2000, the county experienced a 2.7 percent increase in population. This is unusual for Ohio’s more rural counties, as residents usually seek better opportunities in the state’s larger cities. Some of these new people came from Toledo, approximately fifty miles away, to escape this large city’s busyness. In 2000, the county’s residents numbered 34,726 people.

Most of Putnam County’s residents find employment in agricultural positions. Ninety-four percent of the county’s acreage is under cultivation. Farmers are especially well known for growing tomatoes and wheat and raising hogs. A large Mexican migrant population harvests many of the crops. Manufacturing, retail positions, and service industries finish second, third, and fourth respectively. In 1999, the county’s per capita income was 24,643 dollars, with 5.5 percent of the county’s residents living below the poverty level.

Most voters in Putnam County claim to be independents, yet in recent years, they have overwhelmingly supported Republican Party candidates at the national level.

Sources
Putnam County, Ohio History Central, July 24, 2008,
http://www.ohiohistorycentral.org/entry.php?rec=2004&nm=Putnam-County

Neighboring Counties:

Henry County (north)
Hancock County (east)
Allen County (south)
Van Wert County (southwest)
Paulding County (west)
Defiance County (northwest)
Wood County (northeast corner)

Cities and Towns:

- Belmore	village	Incorporated Area
- Blanchard	township
- Cloverdale	village	Incorporated Area
- Columbus Grove	village	Incorporated Area
- Continental	village	Incorporated Area
- Dupont	village	Incorporated Area
- Fort Jennings	village	Incorporated Area
- Gilboa	village	Incorporated Area
- Glandorf	village	Incorporated Area
- Greensburg	township
- Jennings	township
- Kalida	village	Incorporated Area
- Leipsic	village	Incorporated Area
- Liberty	township
- Miller City	village	Incorporated Area
- Monterey	township
- Ottawa (County Seat)	village	Incorporated Area
- Ottoville	village	Incorporated Area
- Palmer	township
- Pandora	village	Incorporated Area
- Pleasant	township
- Riley	township
- Sugar Creek	township
- West Leipsic	village	Incorporated Area

County Resources:

Enter County Resources and Information Here

County Resources

The history of our nation was a prolonged struggle to define the relative roles and powers of our governments: federal, state, and local. And the names given the counties, our most locally based jurisdictions, reflects the "characteristic features of this country!"

But age, size and colorful names of our counties isn't the only reason to explore counties' role in American history, or the history of county government itself. In fact, the story of county government reflects the larger meanings of American history.

Today's counties are the most flexible, locally responsive and creative governments in the US. They are the most diverse, varying in size, population, geography, and governmental structure. In their politics and policies, they express a 1990's political slogan "Think globally, act locally."