Notable Cities and Towns in Ohio

Ohio's notable places extend beyond the three major metros into genuinely distinctive smaller cities and towns.

Yellow Springs
An antiwar, arts, and progressive counterculture town in Greene County — the home of Antioch College (founded 1850, one of the most experimentally progressive liberal arts colleges in the US history). Yellow Springs' downtown shops, craft brewery scene, and the Glenn Helen Nature Preserve (1,000 acres of gorge and forest immediately adjacent to town) make it one of Ohio's most distinctive small communities.

Granville
A New England village transplanted to Ohio's Licking County — the Congregationalists who founded Granville in 1805 replicated their New England village design on the Ohio frontier. The Granville Village Green, the First Congregational Church, and Denison University (a selective liberal arts college) make it Ohio's most architecturally complete historic town.

Zoar
A German separatist communal village (Separatists of Württemberg, 1817–1898) — Zoar's communal Number One House, the garden (laid out as the Heavenly Jerusalem), and the original shops are preserved as a state memorial. The Canal Village of Zoar (along the Ohio & Erie Canal towpath) gives additional historical context.

Athens
Home of Ohio University — Athens is the cultural hub of southeastern Ohio, with an arts community, the Ohio University Academic Festival (the oldest US collegiate film festival), and the most active food and restaurant scene in rural Ohio. Athens is also the county seat of Athens County, one of Appalachian Ohio's most picturesque landscapes.

Circleville
The Pumpkin Show — Circleville's annual October festival (four days, 4th Wednesday in October) is Ohio's oldest and most popular festival, drawing 400,000+ visitors for pumpkin pies, pumpkin burgers, and carnival rides. Circleville was also originally laid out in a circular plan (now long gone) by Adena Mound builders.