Urbana is a city in and the county seat of Champaign County, Ohio, United States, 47 miles west of Columbus. Urbana was laid out in 1805, and for a time in 1812 was the headquarters of the Northwestern army during the War of 1812. It is the burial place of the explorer and Indian fighter Simon Kenton.In 1900, 6,808 people lived in Urbana; in 1910, 7,739; and in 1940, 8,335. The population was 11,793 at the 2010 census. It is the home of Urbana University.