Paulding

Formed April 1, 1820 (64^th county)

Paulding County (18,803), Paulding (3,557)

The classic red brick 1888 courthouse is on a city square at Williams, Jackson, Main, and Perry streets.  United States Highway 127 passes in front of the courthouse as Perry Street.  Edward Oscar Fallis & Company designed this Romanesque building.  The facility features a domed tower and wooden stairs inside.  The grounds have a Liberty Bell, gazebo, and veteran memorials.  The county was formed on April 1, 1820 from Darke County as the 64^th county with Paulding as the only county seat.  Paulding County and its county seat are named for American Revolutionary War hero John Paulding. 

The area of the county is 416.3 square miles.  It is 58 out of 88 in the state.  It ranks 83 out of 88 in population in the state.  It has a density of 45.2 persons per square mile making it 83 out of 88 in the state.  Paulding County has 44.0% of its population in its incorporated areas.  United States Highway 24 enters the county from the north, Defiance County, and exits to the west, Indiana.  United States Highway 30 clips the southwest corner from Indiana, west, to Van Wert, south.  United States Highway 127 goes north to south from Defiance County to Van Wert County.  The county is a rectangle with the northeast notched out.  The City of Paulding is located near the center of the county.  Paulding is the county seat and the largest city.  It is 18.9% of the county population. 

Paulding County government consists of a sheriff and 3 Commissioners.  Three Common Pleas Court Judges serve Paulding County.  The county is on the western border with Indiana.  Toledo, Ohio is northeast and Dayton, Ohio is southeast of the county.  The county center is 1.8 miles South of Paulding.  The county is surrounded clockwise by Defiance, Putnam, and Van Wert counties and Indiana.