Present-day Powell is located on land that was once a vast wilderness sparsely populated by Native Americans including the Huron, Wyandot, Miami, Delaware, Ottawa, Shawnee, Mingo, and Erie people.

[5] The region was surveyed by French Canadian and European explorers beginning in the 17th century; with Great Britain, France, and the Iroquois League claiming ownership of the land during periods of the 1600s and 1700s.

[9] Today, Powell maintains references to its heritage as Middlebury with multiple streets and housing developments applying the name.

[10] In 1839, deed owner Thomas R. Hall purchased additional nearby land, and later opened a general store.

[15] The population remained small until the late 1980s, when residential development expanding from the northern Columbus metropolitan area reached Powell.

[7] Between the years 2000 and 2010, Powell's population nearly doubled again, largely due to the 2002 annexation of approximately 1,000 acres along the Sawmill Parkway extension north of Seldom Seen Road for the development of the Golf Village community.

[18] The decision was made without soliciting a community vote, which prompted residents to mount a referendum drive in hope of placing the separation issue on the November ballot.

[19] The separation of Powell from Liberty Township would have left the Village without fire department services, and would have impacted master planning efforts of the community.

[22] A group of residents from The Chase and The Retreat subdivisions collected 179 signatures and submitted them to village clerk Doris Moore, on March 8, 1995.

However, the Village Council refused the petition, citing a technicality with Ohio Revised Code section 731.32.

[25] Due to significant public interest generated in the wake of the petition, Powell's Village Council agreed to place the issue on the ballot of the August 8 special election.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.93 square miles (12.77 km2), all land.

[35] Powell's local government is made up of city officials and staff, police and fire departments, and a variety of governmental agencies.

The Powell City Council appoints specialized boards to address action items within the community.

The parks offer a wide range of sports facilities for basketball, volleyball, skating, tennis, pickle ball, and soccer.

Additionally, Village Green Park offers a splash pad, concert amphitheater, playground, and pavilion shelters.

Olentangy Local School District received the highest rating of "excellent with distinction" on its 2020 report card from the Ohio Department of Education.

[38] Powell is also home to a kindergarten to grade 12 private college-preparatory school called Village Academy (closed summer 2019 due to a decline in enrollment).