Mansfield, Ohio: A Richland County Community

Welcome to the City of Mansfield, Ohio

Mansfield is the county seat of Richland County, Ohio. James Hedges, Jacob Newman, and Joseph Larwill established the town in 1808. Residents named the community after Jared Mansfield, the surveyor general of the United States. Mansfield grew slowly, having just twenty houses and one store in 1817. By 1846, 2,330 people resided in Mansfield. This tremendous growth partly resulted from the completion of a railroad connecting Mansfield with Sandusky, Ohio. In 1846, Mansfield contained two newspaper offices, twenty-three stores, and seven churches.

Over the next forty years, Mansfield grew tremendously. In 1880, 9,859 people resided in the town, and in 1890, 13,473 people lived there. In 1888, the town was a center of manufacturing and trade in north-central Ohio thanks to the four railroads that passed through the community. Dozens of manufacturing businesses operated in the town, producing doors, brass objects, linseed oil, suspenders, paper boxes, and numerous other items. Mansfield’s largest employer was a cigar maker, Hautzenroeder & Company, with 285 employees in 1888. That same year, construction began on a prison facility.

Mansfield continued to prosper during the twentieth century. In 2000, the community was Richland County’s largest population center, with 49,346 residents. That same year, the city was ranked as the fifth best place in the United States to raise a family, and the United States Conference of Mayors voted the community one of “America’s most livable cities.”

In 2026, our community will celebrate America 250 with events highlighting America’s 250-year history. The Lincoln and Johnny Appleseed Historic Byways, which pass through the city, offer an opportunity to explore key crossroads in America’s past. Mansfield and Richland County are official America 250-Ohio communities. The City of Mansfield is recognized as an Official America 250-Ohio Community in partnership with the Ohio Commission for the U.S. Semiquincentennial. As such, the City of Mansfield will be part of a statewide celebration and commemoration of the United States’ founding in 2026. Learn more about America 250 – Mansfield–Richland County HERE.

Complete visitor information is available at DestinationMansfield.com or 800-642-8282. Want to find more things to do in Mansfield?

Visit the area’s Calendar of Events.