State Route 721 is a north–south state highway

State highway

State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...

 located in the western portion of the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

. The southern terminus of SR 721 is at a T-intersection with SR 49

Ohio State Route 49

State Route 49 or SR 49 is a state highway in the western part of the U.S. state of Ohio. It begins at Drexel with US 35 and runs northwesterly to Greenville, and then runs roughly along near the western edge of the state near the Indiana state line to the Michigan state line where it meets with...

 approximately 2.75 miles (4.4 km) south of the village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 of Potsdam

Potsdam, Ohio

Potsdam is a village in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 203 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Potsdam is located at ....

. Its northern terminus is also at a T-intersection, this time with SR 185

Ohio State Route 185

State Route 185 is a long east–west state highway in the western part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The western terminus of SR 185 is at U.S. Route 127 approximately south of North Star. Its eastern terminus is in Piqua...

 on the Darke

Darke County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 53,309 people, 20,419 households, and 14,905 families residing in the county. The population density was 89 people per square mile . There were 21,583 housing units at an average density of 36 per square mile...

–Miami

Miami County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 98,868 people, 38,437 households, and 27,943 families residing in the county. The population density was 243 people per square mile . There were 40,554 housing units at an average density of 100 per square mile...

 County Line nearly 1.5 miles (2.4 km) north of Bradford

Bradford, Ohio

Bradford is a village in Darke and Miami counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 1,859 at the 2000 census.The Miami County portion of Bradford is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area, while the Darke County portion is part of the Greenville Metropolitan Statistical...

.

Route description

Along its way, SR 721's path takes it through southwestern Miami County, then along the border between Darke and Miami Counties. There is no section of SR 721 that is included within the National Highway System

National Highway System (United States)

The National Highway System is a network of strategic highways within the United States, including the Interstate Highway System and other roads serving major airports, ports, rail or truck terminals, railway stations, pipeline terminals and other strategic transport facilities.Individual states...

 (NHS). The NHS is a network of highways deemed to be most important for the country's economy, mobility and defense.

History

The SR 721 designation was assigned in 1937. Throughout its history, the route has maintained the same alignment in the general vicinity of the boundary between the counties of Darke and Miami. Originally, SR 721 was an unpaved roadway from its southern terminus at SR 49 to its junction with U.S. Route 36 (US 36). The portion from that point through Bradford to its northern terminus at SR 185. One year after its debut, SR 721 was paved between SR 49 and Laura

Laura, Ohio

Laura is a village in Miami County, Ohio, United States. The population was 487 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Dayton Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Laura is located at ....

. By 1940, the remaining gravel portion of the highway between Laura and US 36 was paved.

Major intersections