Huron County is a county in Ohio, United States, in the north-central part of the state, about
51 miles southwest of Cleveland. It had a population of 58,565 at the 2020 census, an estimated
58,250 by 2025, and covers 494.3 square miles (1,280 km2) centred near 41°09′N 82°36′W.
Norwalk is the county seat and the county’s largest city; its postal code is 44857. The county
holds 3 cities, 7 incorporated villages and 16 smaller communities across 19 townships, and it
runs on Eastern Time. Its FIPS code is 39077.
Towns & Villages in Huron County
Huron County has 26 named places on record: 3 incorporated cities, 7 incorporated villages,
4 census-designated places and 12 unincorporated communities with no local government of their
own. CDP stands for census designated place; Unincorp. covers crossroads and rural communities
with no formal boundary.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwalk | City · seat | Norwalk | 17,068 | 44857 |
| Bellevue | City | — | 8,249 | 44811 |
| Willard | City | — | 6,197 | 44888 |
| New London | Town | New London | 2,416 | 44851 |
| Plymouth | Town | — | 1,707 | 44865 |
| Greenwich | Town | Greenwich | 1,409 | 44837 |
| Milan | Town | — | 1,371 | 44846 |
| Monroeville | Town | Ridgefield | 1,300 | 44847 |
| Wakeman | Town | Wakeman | 990 | 44889 |
| North Fairfield | Town | Fairfield | 465 | 44855 |
| Celeryville | CDP | New Haven | — | — |
| Holiday Lakes | CDP | Greenfield | — | — |
| Collins | CDP | Townsend | — | — |
| New Haven | CDP | New Haven | — | — |
| Clarksfield | Unincorp. | Clarksfield | — | — |
| Fitchville | Unincorp. | Fitchville | — | — |
| Havana | Unincorp. | Norwich | — | — |
| Hunts Corners | Unincorp. | Lyme | — | — |
| Steuben | Unincorp. | Greenfield | — | — |
| East Townsend | Unincorp. | Townsend | — | — |
| North Monroeville | Unincorp. | Ridgefield | — | — |
| Boughtonville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Centerton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Delphi | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Pittsburgh | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Olena | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
Three places on this list are county-line straddlers, so their populations above are citywide,
not exclusively Huron County residents. Bellevue sits mainly in Sandusky County, with the rest of
its territory split across Erie, Seneca and Huron counties. Milan is mostly in Erie County —
only its southern edge, including the Thomas Edison birthplace, reaches into Norwalk Township.
Plymouth is divided by Base Line Road, with the larger share of the village in Richland County and
the rest in Huron County’s New Haven Township.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Norwalk | 3,451 | Surrounds the city of Norwalk |
| New London | 3,226 | Village of New London |
| Wakeman | 2,761 | Village of Wakeman |
| New Haven | 2,409 | Celeryville CDP; borders Willard and Plymouth |
| Ridgefield | 2,197 | Village of Monroeville |
| Bronson | 1,927 | No incorporated places |
| Clarksfield | 1,578 | Unincorporated Clarksfield |
| Townsend | 1,571 | Collins CDP |
| Greenfield | 1,320 | Unincorporated Steuben; part of Holiday Lakes CDP |
| Fairfield | 1,124 | Village of North Fairfield |
| Ripley | 1,116 | No incorporated places |
| Hartland | 1,060 | No incorporated places |
| Peru | 1,054 | No incorporated places |
| Fitchville | 1,046 | Unincorporated Fitchville |
| Norwich | 1,022 | Unincorporated Havana; borders Willard |
| Greenwich | 1,002 | Village of Greenwich |
| Richmond | 985 | Borders Willard and Celeryville |
| Lyme | 873 | Unincorporated Hunts Corners |
| Sherman | 519 | No incorporated places |
ZIP Codes
- 44857 — Norwalk (also serves Bronson and Hartland townships)
- 44811 — Bellevue (shared with Erie, Sandusky and Seneca counties)
- 44888 — Willard (also serves 44890, a Willard PO box ZIP)
- 44851 — New London (also serves Fitchville Township)
- 44865 — Plymouth (shared with Richland County)
- 44837 — Greenwich
- 44846 — Milan (mostly Erie County)
- 44847 — Monroeville
- 44889 — Wakeman (also serves Clarksfield Township)
- 44855 — North Fairfield
Celeryville, Holiday Lakes, Collins, New Haven, Clarksfield, Fitchville, Havana, Hunts Corners,
Steuben, East Townsend, North Monroeville, Boughtonville, Centerton, Delphi, New Pittsburgh and
Olena have no ZIP code of their own; mail there is delivered under the nearest incorporated
town’s code.
Geography
Huron County lies on the glaciated till plains of north-central Ohio, part of the Firelands
— land the Connecticut Land Company surveyed after 1795 to compensate Connecticut residents
whose property was burned by British forces during the Revolutionary War. Of its 494.3 square
miles, 491 are land and 3.3 are water, about 0.7 percent, mostly ponds and reservoirs rather than
a single large lake. The Vermilion River rises in the county’s northeastern townships, Wakeman and
Clarksfield, and Norwalk sits astride the East Branch of the Huron River.
Erie County lies to the north, Lorain County to the northeast, Ashland County to the east,
Richland County to the south, Crawford County to the southwest, Seneca County to the west and
Sandusky County to the northwest. Erie
County, Lorain County, Ashland County, Richland County, Crawford County, Seneca County and Sandusky County all border Huron
directly.
Demographics
Huron County had a population of 58,565 at the 2020 census, and the latest estimate places the
county near 58,250 residents. Norwalk and Willard are the two largest communities wholly inside
the county; Bellevue, the county’s other city, has most of its residents in neighboring Sandusky,
Erie and Seneca counties. Median household income runs about $67,878, close to Ohio’s statewide
2019–2023 ACS five-year figure of $67,769. Population density works out to roughly 119
people per square mile of land.
Economy & Local Life
Manufacturing employs the most workers in the county, about 6,261 people, followed by health
care and social assistance at 3,432 and construction at 2,988. Willard is a rail and
manufacturing town: CSX Transportation runs a rail yard there, and Stanley Black & Decker, LSC
Communications and Star of the West Milling all operate plants in the city. Pepperidge Farm bakes
Goldfish crackers at a Willard-area plant, one of the county’s larger single-site employers.
Bellevue built its economy the same way, growing up as a Nickel Plate Road rail hub and still
hosting a Norfolk Southern Railway yard today. Farmland around Willard and New Haven Township —
including the muck-soil ground at Celeryville, named for the crop — grows soybeans, wheat,
onions, radishes, lettuce and sweet corn.
History
The Ohio legislature created Huron County in 1809 out of the Firelands, but organized county
government did not begin until April 1, 1815, once settlement resumed after the War of 1812. It
is named for the Huron people, more properly called the Wyandot, who lived in the region before
Connecticut settlers arrived. Norwalk, platted by Connecticut native Platt Benedict in 1817 and
incorporated as a city in 1881, became the county seat.
Two events give the county unusual name recognition. Thomas Edison was born in Milan on
February 11, 1847, and lived there until his family moved to Michigan when he was seven; his
birthplace is now a museum. In 1968, an outbreak of acute gastroenteritis at a Norwalk elementary
school produced the stool sample that researchers used in 1972 to identify a previously unknown
virus under electron microscopy — it was named the Norwalk virus, now known worldwide as
norovirus.
Getting There
No interstate crosses Huron County directly; the Ohio Turnpike (I-80/90) runs through Erie
County a few miles north of Norwalk. US Route 20, US Route 224 and US Route 250 cross the county,
along with State Routes 13, 18, 61, 99, 113 and 547.
- Sandusky — about 15 miles north
- Elyria — about 28 miles northeast
- Mansfield — about 33 miles south
- Cleveland — about 51 miles northeast
Norwalk-Huron County Airport, about 3.5 miles east of Norwalk, handles general aviation.
Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, roughly 51 miles northeast, is the nearest major
commercial airport. The nearest Amtrak station is in Elyria, Lorain County, served by the Lake
Shore Limited and the Floridian.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Huron County located?
It sits in north-central Ohio, about 51 miles southwest of Cleveland, bordered by Erie, Lorain,
Ashland, Richland, Crawford, Seneca and Sandusky counties.
What is the population of Huron County?
58,565 at the 2020 census, with a 2025 estimate near 58,250.
How big is Huron County?
494.3 square miles (1,280 km2), of which 491 square miles are land.
What is the county seat of Huron County?
Norwalk, platted in 1817 and incorporated in 1881, is the county seat and largest city.
How many towns and villages are in Huron County?
Three cities — Norwalk, Bellevue and Willard — plus seven villages: New London,
Plymouth, Greenwich, Milan, Monroeville, Wakeman and North Fairfield.
What ZIP codes does Huron County use?
44857 for Norwalk, 44811 for Bellevue, 44888 for Willard, and separate codes for each village,
listed above.
What is Huron County known for?
Milan is Thomas Edison’s birthplace, and Norwalk gave its name to norovirus after a 1968 school
outbreak there led to the virus’s 1972 identification.
More counties in this state: Towns and
villages in Ohio.