Putnam County is a county in Ohio, United States, along the Blanchard River in the northwest part of the state. It had a population of 34,451 at the 2020 census and covers 484 square miles (1,250 km2), centred near 41°01′N 84°08′W.
Ottawa is the county seat, and its postal code is 45875. The county has 15 incorporated villages, one census-designated place, and 15 civil townships, plus a number of unincorporated communities and crossroads. It observes Eastern Time and its FIPS code is 39137.
Towns & Villages in Putnam County
Putnam County has no incorporated cities — every one of its municipalities is a village, the largest being the county seat. Vaughnsville is the county’s only census-designated place. The rest of the entries below are unincorporated communities, crossroads and rural hamlets with no municipal government of their own.
| Place | Type | Township | Pop. | ZIP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | Village · seat | Ottawa | — | 45875 |
| Kalida | Village | Jackson | — | 45853 |
| Columbus Grove | Village | Riley | — | 45830 |
| Continental | Village | Monroe | — | 45831 |
| Leipsic | Village | Jackson | — | 45856 |
| Pandora | Village | Riley | — | 45877 |
| Glandorf | Village | Ottawa | — | 45848 |
| Fort Jennings | Village | Jennings | — | 45844 |
| Ottoville | Village | Union | — | 45876 |
| Cloverdale | Village | Palmer | — | 45827 |
| Gilboa | Village | Blanchard | — | — |
| Miller City | Village | Monterey | — | 45864 |
| Belmore | Village | — | — | 45815 |
| Dupont | Village | — | — | 45837 |
| West Leipsic | Village | Jackson | — | — |
| Vaughnsville | CDP | Greensburg | — | 45893 |
| Avis | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cascade | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Croswell | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Cuba | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Dorninton | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Douglas | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| East Mandale | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Elm Center | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hartsburg | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Hector | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Jones City | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Kieferville | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Leipsic Junction | Unincorp. | Jackson | — | — |
| Muntanna | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| New Cleveland | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| North Creek | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Prentiss | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rice | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Rimer | Unincorp. | Sugar Creek | — | — |
| Rushmore | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Seitz | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Townwood | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
| Wisterman | Unincorp. | — | — | — |
West Leipsic and Leipsic Junction are separate crossroads communities from the village of Leipsic itself, all three clustered along the Jackson Township rail corridor — not to be confused with one another when giving directions locally.
Townships
| Township | Pop. (2020) | Main settlements |
|---|---|---|
| Ottawa | — | Ottawa (seat), Glandorf |
| Jackson | — | Kalida, Leipsic, West Leipsic, Leipsic Junction |
| Riley | — | Columbus Grove, Pandora |
| Monroe | — | Continental |
| Jennings | — | Fort Jennings |
| Union | — | Ottoville |
| Palmer | — | Cloverdale |
| Blanchard | — | Gilboa |
| Monterey | — | Miller City |
| Greensburg | — | Vaughnsville |
| Sugar Creek | — | Rimer |
| Liberty | — | rural, no village |
| Perry | — | rural, no village |
| Pleasant | — | rural, no village |
| Van Buren | — | rural, no village |
ZIP Codes
- 45875 — Ottawa
- 45853 — Kalida
- 45830 — Columbus Grove
- 45856 — Leipsic
- 45877 — Pandora
- 45848 — Glandorf
- 45844 — Fort Jennings
- 45876 — Ottoville
- 45827 — Cloverdale
- 45864 — Miller City
- 45815 — Belmore
- 45837 — Dupont
- 45893 — Vaughnsville
Gilboa, West Leipsic and the county’s smaller crossroads use the ZIP code of their nearest post-office village rather than one of their own.
Geography
Putnam County sits on flat, glaciated farmland typical of northwest Ohio’s former Great Black Swamp, drained by an extensive network of ditches into the Blanchard River, which crosses the county roughly west to east through Ottawa and Gilboa. The Auglaize River briefly touches the county’s southeastern corner. Land use is overwhelmingly agricultural — corn and soybeans on the flat till plain, with only a thin band of woodland along the river corridors.
The county borders Henry County to the north, Hancock County to the east, Allen County to the south, Van Wert County to the southwest, Paulding County to the west, and Defiance County to the northwest, with Wood County touching its northeastern corner.
Demographics
The 2020 census counted 34,451 residents, giving the county a density of about 71 people per square mile. Ottawa and Kalida are its two largest communities. Median household income runs below the Ohio median of $67,769, reflecting the county’s heavily agricultural, small-village economic base rather than a metro labor market.
Economy & Local Life
Agriculture anchors the county’s economy — corn, soybeans, and hog and dairy operations dominate the flat farmland, supported by grain elevators and farm-supply businesses in each village. Manufacturing and food processing, much of it tied to the region’s German Catholic farming communities, provide the other main source of local jobs. Ottawa, Kalida, Glandorf, Fort Jennings and Ottoville were all founded by 19th-century German Catholic settlers, and each still centers on a large parish church that anchors its village square.
History
Putnam County was created by the Ohio legislature in 1820 and formally organized in 1834, once settlement had progressed enough to support county government. It was named for Israel Putnam, a colonial militia officer and Revolutionary War general. Much of the county lay within the Great Black Swamp, and its farmland was made viable only after extensive 19th-century ditching and drainage work converted the wet forest into cropland. Waves of German Catholic immigrants settled the Ottawa, Kalida, Glandorf, Fort Jennings and Ottoville areas from the 1830s onward, giving the county the strong Catholic parish network still visible in its village layouts today.
Getting There
Ottawa sits at the junction of State Routes 65, 224 and 12, the county’s main highway corridors; Ohio 15 crosses the northeast corner through Leipsic.
- Lima — 20 miles south
- Findlay — 25 miles east
- Defiance — 25 miles west
- Toledo — 45 miles northeast
The nearest commercial airport is Toledo Express Airport; Allen County Regional Airport at Lima is closer but has limited commercial service.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is Putnam County, Ohio?
It is in the northwest part of Ohio, along the Blanchard River, between Lima and Toledo.
What is the population of Putnam County?
34,451 people, per the 2020 census.
How big is Putnam County?
484 square miles (1,250 km2), of which about 483 square miles is land.
What is the county seat of Putnam County?
Ottawa is the county seat.
How many towns are in Putnam County?
The county has 15 incorporated villages and one census-designated place, Vaughnsville, plus numerous unincorporated communities.
What ZIP codes are in Putnam County?
ZIP codes include 45875 (Ottawa), 45853 (Kalida), 45830 (Columbus Grove), 45856 (Leipsic), 45877 (Pandora), 45848 (Glandorf), 45844 (Fort Jennings), 45876 (Ottoville), 45827 (Cloverdale) and 45864 (Miller City), among others.
Why does Putnam County have so many German Catholic village names?
German Catholic immigrants settled the county’s western villages — Glandorf, Fort Jennings, Kalida and Ottoville among them — from the 1830s on, and each village still centers on the parish church its founders built.
More counties in this state: Towns and villages in Ohio.