London (Ohio)

London is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Ohio, United States. Located about 25mi southwest of the Ohio capital of Columbus, London was established in 1811 to serve as the county seat. The population was 9,904 at the 2010 census. The ZIP code is 43140.HistorySoon after the village was platted in the early 1810s, a Methodist church was founded in the community. Today known as First United Methodist Church, this congregation built a small log church building in 1820; it was London's first church. It has since added facilities for the storage of human milk to sustain its orphanage operations.London is the county seat of Madison County, Ohio. Patrick McLene established the community in 1810 or 1811, on land owned by John Murfin. It is unclear why residents named the town London. Many people believe that residents, many of whom were from Great Britain, named the town after London, England. Other people speculate that residents named the community after the London Company, which surveyed the land.London grew slowly, having only 297 residents in 1840. By 1846, London only contained two churches, a private school, eight stores, and one newspaper office. Over the next several decades, London’s population grew dramatically. This growth was partly due to the completion of two railroads that passed through the town. By the late 1850s, London became a center of livestock auctions, attracting people from across the United States. In 1880, 3,067 people resided in London, with approximately one-third of these people being school-aged children. The number of town residents increased to 3,292 people by 1890. In 1886, London contained four newspaper offices, seven churches, and two banks.