Ashland

Formed February 24, 1846 (82^nd county)

Ashland County (52,443), Ashland (19,227)

A masonry Classical Revival courthouse was constructed in 1928 in Ashland.  It is located on a square at Cottage, 2^nd, Church, and 3^rd streets.  United States Highway 250 turns at the courthouse.  Vernon Redding is the building designer.  An 1853 facility preceded the current one also in Ashland.  Norwalk was the first county seat until 1846 when Ashland took over.  The grounds feature a canon and veteran memorials.  The county was created on February 24, 1846 from parts of Wayne, Richland, Huron, and Lorain counties as the 82^nd county.  The county and county seat are named for the home of United States Statesman Henry Clay. 

Ashland County government consists of an auditor, a sheriff, an attorney, and a coroner (executive).  It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.)  Two Common Pleas Court Judges and a court clerk serve Ashland County (judicial.)  The county is in the northern part of the state.  Cleveland, Ohio is northeast and Columbus, Ohio is southwest of the county.  The county center is 5.8 miles South of Ashland nearer Nankin.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Lorain, Medina, Wayne, Holmes, Knox, Richland, and Huron counties. 

The area of the county is 424.4 square miles.  It is 49 out of 88 in the state.  It ranks 48 out of 88 in population in the state.  It has a density of 123.6 persons per square mile making it 41 out of 88 in the state.  Ashland County has 47.3% of its population in its incorporated areas.  Interstate Highway 71 travels through the county from northeast to southwest from Wayne County to Richland County.  United States Highway 30 goes east to west from Wayne County to Richland County.  United States Highway 42 parallels Interstate Highway 71 from Wayne to Richland counties.  United States Highway 250 enters from Wayne County, east, and exits to Huron County, northwest.  The county resembles a laser gun pointing south.  The City of Ashland is located in the northwest quarter of the county.  Ashland is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 36.7% of the county population.  This county is in the Ashland Micropolitan Statistical Area.