Amherst Township is one of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 6,492.

Amherst Township, Lorain County, Ohio
Houses and fields in western Amherst Township
Houses and fields in western Amherst Township
Location in Lorain County, Ohio
Location in Lorain County, Ohio
Coordinates: 41°22′52″N 82°12′48″W / 41.38111°N 82.21333°W / 41.38111; -82.21333
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountyLorain
Area
 • Total
15.5 sq mi (40.1 km2)
 • Land15.4 sq mi (39.9 km2)
 • Water0.08 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation738 ft (225 m)
Population
 • Total
6,492
 • Density420/sq mi (160/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
44001
Area code440
FIPS code39-01812[4]
GNIS feature ID1086499[2]
Websiteamhersttownship.us

Geography

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Located in northern Lorain County, it borders the following townships and cities:

The city of Amherst occupies what was northwestern Amherst Township, and part of the village of South Amherst lies in the southwestern part of the township.

Name and history

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It is the only township named "Amherst" statewide.

Amherst Township was established as a judicially-independent township in 1830, and named after Amherst, New Hampshire.[5] It had been originally created as "Town(ship) number 6 in the 18th Range" (of the Connecticut Western Reserve); but prior to 1830, it was judicially attached to "Black River township". Its first pioneer-settlement began in 1812, when Jacob Shupe built a gristmill on his farm in its northern section. And although many additional pioneers settled throughout the other portions of the township in the 1810s and 1820s, but the actual village of Amherst was not officially established until 1836. By the mid-20th-century, that village eventually encompassed most of the northern half of the original township.

Government

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The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, who are elected in November of odd-numbered years to a four-year term beginning on the following January 1. Two are elected in the year after the presidential election and one is elected in the year before it. There is also an elected township fiscal officer,[6] who serves a four-year term beginning on April 1 of the year after the election, which is held in November of the year before the presidential election. Vacancies in the fiscal officership or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees. The current trustees are Dennis Abraham, Neil Lynch, and David Urig.[7]

References

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  1. ^ "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: County Subdivisions: Ohio". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. ^ "Amherst township, Lorain County, Ohio - Census Bureau Profile". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  4. ^ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. ^ Overman, William Daniel (1958). Ohio Town Names. Akron, OH: Atlantic Press. p. 3.
  6. ^ §503.24, §505.01, and §507.01 of the Ohio Revised Code. Accessed 4/30/2009.
  7. ^ Amherst Township Accessed 2007-05-14.
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