Putnam County is a

county A county () is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesL. Brookes (ed.) '' Chambers Dictionary''. Edinburgh: Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, 2005. in some nations. The term is derived from the Old French denoti ...

located in the northwestern part of the U.S. state of

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 34,451.2020 census
/ref> Its

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

. The county was created in 1820 and later organized in 1834. Its

name A name is a term used for identification by an external observer. They can identify a class or category of things, or a single thing, either uniquely, or within a given context. The entity identified by a name is called its referent. A person ...

is in honor of Israel Putnam, a colonial officer in the

French and Indian War The French and Indian War, 1754 to 1763, was a colonial conflict in North America between Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain and Kingdom of France, France, along with their respective Native Americans in the United States, Native American ...

, who served as a general in the

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was the armed conflict that comprised the final eight years of the broader American Revolution, in which Am ...

. The Blanchard River, which passes through the county, was a key transportation route for early European-American settlers.

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.4%) is water. The Blanchard River passes through the county.

Adjacent counties

* Henry County (north) * Hancock County (east) * Allen County (south) * Van Wert County (southwest) * Paulding County (west) * Defiance County (northwest) * Wood County (northeast, at a single point)

Demographics

2000 census

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 34,726 people, 12,200 households, and 9,308 families living in the county. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 12,753 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 96.26%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.17%

Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.15% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 2.51% from other races, and 0.73% from two or more races. 4.38% of the population were

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race. There were 12,200 households, out of which 39.20% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.90% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 7.40% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.70% were non-families. 21.30% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.50% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.29. In the county, the population was spread out, with 29.70% under the age of 18, 8.30% from 18 to 24, 28.10% from 25 to 44, 20.60% from 45 to 64, and 13.30% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 98.50 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.00 males. The median income for a household in the county was $46,426, and the median income for a family was $52,859. Males had a median income of $36,548 versus $23,963 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the county was $18,680. About 4.00% of families and 5.60% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 6.40% of those under age 18 and 9.80% of those age 65 or over.

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 34,499 people, 12,872 households, and 9,556 families living in the county. The population density was . There were 13,731 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the county was 95.7% white, 0.3% black or African American, 0.2% Asian, 0.2% American Indian, 2.7% from other races, and 0.9% from two or more races. Those of Hispanic or Latino origin made up 5.5% of the population. In terms of ancestry, 65.6% identified as German, 7.8% were Irish, 7.3% were American, 4.7% were English, 2.4% were French, 1.8% were

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

, 1.7% were Dutch, 1.6% were Italian, 1.4% were Scottish, 1.0% were Welsh, 0.8% were Hungarian and 0.8% were Polish. Of the 12,872 households, 35.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.9% were married couples living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, 25.8% were non-families, and 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals. The average household size was 2.66 and the average family size was 3.13. The median age was 39.0 years. The median income for a household in the county was $56,573 and the median income for a family was $65,882. Males had a median income of $44,417 versus $33,200 for females. The per capita income for the county was $24,023. About 5.8% of families and 7.1% of the population were below the

, including 9.8% of those under age 18 and 7.0% of those age 65 or over.

Politics

Prior to 1940, Putnam County was a Democratic Party county stronghold presidential elections, with James M. Cox in 1920 being the only Democrat to lose it before that year. But starting with the 1940 election, it has become a Republican stronghold. The only 2 Democrats to win the county since then are

Harry S. Truman Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. As the 34th vice president in 1945, he assumed the presidency upon the death of Franklin D. Roosevelt that year. Subsequen ...

in 1948 and

Lyndon B. Johnson Lyndon Baines Johnson (; August 27, 1908January 22, 1973), also known as LBJ, was the 36th president of the United States, serving from 1963 to 1969. He became president after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, under whom he had served a ...

in 1964. Putnam County is known for its strong

social conservatism Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on Tradition#In political and religious discourse, traditional social structures over Cultural pluralism, social pluralism. Social conservatives ...

. In November 2023, it gave only 17% of the vote to Ohio Issue 1, which legalized

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

, and 31% to Ohio Issue 2, which legalized recreational marijuana. In both referendums, this was the lowest percentage for any county in Ohio.

Education

The Putnam County Board of Education operates nine separate school districts county-wide. * Columbus Grove Local School, Putnam County, Ohio ** St. Anthony's Elementary * Continental Local School, Putnam County, Ohio * Fort Jennings Local School District, Putnam County, Ohio * Kalida Local School District, Putnam County, Ohio * Leipsic Local School District, Putnam County, Ohio ** Leipsic St. Mary's Elementary * McComb Local School District, Hancock County, Ohio (mostly in Hancock County) * Miller City-New Cleveland Local School District, Putnam County, Ohio * Ottawa-Glandorf Local School District, Putnam County, Ohio ** St. Peter and Paul Elementary ** Ottawa Elementary ** Glandorf Elementary * Ottoville Local School District, Putnam County, Ohio * Pandora-Gilboa Local School, Putnam County, Ohio Other villages across the county are served by one or more of these districts above in the district's zone area.

Communities

Villages

* Belmore * Cloverdale * Columbus Grove * Continental *

Dupont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

* Fort Jennings * Gilboa * Glandorf * Kalida * Leipsic * Miller City *

(county seat) * Ottoville *

Pandora In Greek mythology, Pandora was the first human woman created by Hephaestus on the instructions of Zeus. As Hesiod related it, each god cooperated by giving her unique gifts. Her other name—inscribed against her figure on a white-ground '' ky ...

* West Leipsic

Townships

* Blanchard * Greensburg * Jackson *

Jennings Jennings is a surname of early medieval English origin (also the Anglicised version of the Irish surnames Mac Sheóinín or MacJonin). Notable people with the surname include: *Jennings (Swedish noble family) A–G *Adam Jennings (born 1982), A ...

Liberty Liberty is the state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions imposed by authority on one's way of life, behavior, or political views. The concept of liberty can vary depending on perspective and context. In the Constitutional ...

* Monroe * Monterey *

* Palmer *

Perry Perry or pear cider is an alcoholic beverage made from fermented pears, traditionally in England (particularly Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Worcestershire), parts of South Wales, France (especially Normandy and Anjou), Canada, Austral ...

* Pleasant * Riley * Sugar Creek * Union * Van Buren

Census-designated place

* Vaughnsville

Unincorporated communities

* Avis *

Cascade Cascade, or Cascading may refer to: Science and technology Science * Air shower (physics), a cascade (particle shower) of subatomic particles and ionized nuclei ** Particle shower, a cascade of secondary particles produced as the result of a high ...

* Crosswell *

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

* Dorninton * Douglas * Elm Center * Hartsburg *

Hector In Greek mythology, Hector (; , ) was a Trojan prince, a hero and the greatest warrior for Troy during the Trojan War. He is a major character in Homer's ''Iliad'', where he leads the Trojans and their allies in the defense of Troy, killing c ...

* Jones City * Kieferville * Muntanna * New Cleveland * North Creek * Prentiss *

Rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

* Rimer * Rushmore * Townwood * Wisterman

Footnotes

External links

Official Putnam County website
{{Authority control 1834 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1834