Welcome to Paw Paw ...
The village of Paw Paw is located in Van Buren County<1> and is the County Seat for Van Buren County.
While we don't have a date for the founding of Paw Paw, you might get a feel for it by knowing that during our research the earliest mention that we found (so far) was on a map dated ?.
From the Census Estimates for 2019, Paw Paw has a population of 3,366 people<2> (see below for details).
Paw Paw is 720 feet [219 m] above sea level.<3>.
Time Zone: Paw Paw lies in the Eastern Time Zone (EST/EDT) and observes daylight saving time
Paw Paw is located in the (269) area code.
The ZIP code for Paw Paw: 49079<4>
Population Details ...
Taken from the 2019 Census Estimates, Paw Paw had an population of 3,366 people. This is a decrease of 4.75% since the 2010 Census.
At the time of the 2010 Census, Paw Paw had a population of 3,534 people. This makes Paw Paw the county's 2nd most populous community.
The population of Paw Paw represents 0.04% of the total population of Michigan (which has 9,883,640 people), making it the state's 186th most populous community.
With a 2010 count of 3,534 people, the population of Paw Paw increased 5.08% from the 2000 Census (which had a count of 3,363 people).
More information can be found on the Census Page for Paw Paw.
Communities Also Named Paw Paw ...
Using our Gazetteer, we found that there are 7 communities that are also named Paw Paw - they are located in Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, Oklahoma and West Virginia (2).
For more information, see our Tidbits & Trivia Page for Paw Paw.
Communities near Paw Paw ...
We have created a list of 10 communities that are near Paw Paw.
- Kalamazoo
(16 miles [25.7 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Kalamazoo
- Kalamazoo is located in Kalamazoo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 76,009 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Kalamazoo <5>
- Portage
(15 miles [24.1 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Portage
- Portage is located in Kalamazoo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 49,787 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Portage <5>
- Dowagiac
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the southwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Dowagiac
- Dowagiac is located in Cass County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 5,565 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Dowagiac <5>
- Otsego
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the northeast)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Otsego
- Otsego is located in Allegan County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,988 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Otsego <5>
- Vicksburg
(19 miles [30.6 km] to the east)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Vicksburg
- Vicksburg is located in Kalamazoo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 3,581 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Vicksburg <5>
- Hartford
(14 miles [22.5 km] to the west)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Hartford
- Hartford is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 2,572 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Hartford <5>
- Mattawan
(5 miles [8 km] to the east)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Mattawan have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Mattawan
- Mattawan is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,973 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Mattawan <5>
- Parchment
(18 miles [29 km] to the northeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Parchment have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Parchment
- Parchment is located in Kalamazoo County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,825 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Parchment <5>
- Bangor
(13 miles [20.9 km] to the northwest)- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Bangor
- Bangor is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,808 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Bangor <5>
- Lawton
(4 miles [6.4 km] to the southeast)- Note: The GPS coordinates that we are using for Lawton have been provided by the GNIS.<6> The coordinates still need to be verified.
- Jump to our Gazetteer entry for Lawton
- Lawton is located in Van Buren County
- Population from the 2020 Census: 1,796 people
- Jump to TripAdvisor's Tourism page for Lawton <5>
To Help With Your Genealogy Research ...
We have a couple of sections for those tracing their genealogy.
We created a list of cemeteries that are in the area around Paw Paw. Our list includes the location of those cemeteries and we provide an overhead view. See our Cemetery List for Paw Paw.
Using the information from an 1895 Atlas, we've created a list of communities that were in the area of Paw Paw. Our list includes information such as whether the 1895 community had a post office or railroad service. See our List of 1890's Communities around Paw Paw.
We also have a detailed list of newspapers that have been published in the area around Paw Paw. Our list includes 12 papers. See our Newspapers Page for Paw Paw.
TripAdvisor Tourism Pages for Paw Paw ...
Looking for more information about Paw Paw? A wonderful source is the TripAdvisor website. We always start with the TripAdvisor Tourism page, where you can read an overview with links that will help you find lodging, restaurants and attractions.
In addition to the Tourism page for Paw Paw, there are neighboring communities that also have Tourism pages. More information about those communities can be found on our TripAdvisor Page for Paw Paw.
Adding Paw Paw to Our Gazetteer ...
We originally found mention of Paw Paw in both the FIPS-55 and the GNIS. For more information, see the FIPS and GNIS Codes sections on our Miscellaneous Page.
From our notes, the earliest published mention we've found for Paw Paw was on a map titled Road Map for Michigan (from Shell Oil, 1956).
We also found Paw Paw in the book titled Business Atlas and Shippers' Guide (1895).
For more details, see References and Mentions for Paw Paw.
Off-the-Road Links ...
Unfortunately, we don't know of a website for Paw Paw. If you can help, please contact us through our Feedback Page.
The official website for Van Buren County: www.vbco.org/
The official website for State of Michigan: https://www.michigan.gov/
Footnotes ...
| <1> | If you're interested in how the shape of Michigan's counties, including Van Buren, have changed over time, we recommend the Atlas of Historical County Boundaries. |
| <2> | Population counts have been provided by the U.S. Census Bureau. For more detail, please visit our Census Page for Paw Paw. |
| <3> | The elevation is an estimate for the area around Paw Paw - it will be higher in some places and lower in others. |
| <4> | ZIP Codes have been created by the United States Postal Service (USPS) as a way of grouping addresses to make delivery more efficient. The boundaries of the ZIP Code can be changed, re-assigned, eliminated or overlapped with other ZIP Codes. So keep in mind that any given ZIP Code is only 'loosely' associated with a village (such as Paw Paw). When looking for a ZIP Code, whether Paw Paw or elsewhere, it's always best to check the website of the United States Postal Service (USPS). |
| <5> | While we're fans and frequent users of TripAdvisor, you should know that we're also members of the TripAdvisor affiliate program. |
| <6> | The location has been supplied by the Geographic Names Information System - which is maintained by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). While these values should be definitive, we found that accuracy can vary and you should double-check the location if accuracy is required. |