West Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio

West Chester Township, formerly known as Union Township, is a township located in the southeast corner of Butler County in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio, one of thirteen townships in the county. It is situated between Sharonville and Monroe, about 18 miles north of Cincinnati. Exits 19, 21 and 22 off Interstate 75 serve West Chester. As of the 2000, the population was 42,764Fact|date=February 2008, a figure that includes the population of the unincorporated places of Beckett Ridge, Olde West Chester, and Wetherington.

History

The thirteenth and last in order of creation, it was erected from Liberty Township by the Butler County Commissioners on June 2, 1823, upon petitions from residents of the township. No boundaries were given in the resolution passed by the commissioners, but it originally contained 35 square miles (91 km²), just short of a full survey township. The new township was given the name "Union." Because Union Township was familiarly known as West Chester, plus the abundance of other townships in Ohio called Union, the name was changed to West Chester Township effective June 28, 2000, after being ratified by the township's voters at the March 9 primary election. Many census and government records, including the 2000 census, refer to Union Township. Today, it is the only West Chester Township statewide.

=Historic population figuresFact|date=February 2008=

*1900—1,743
*1910—1,534
*1920—1,583
*1930—1,988
*1940—2,109
*1950—2,545
*1960—6,236
*1970—12,795
*1980—23,553
*1990—37,894
*2000—54,895

Geography

Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:
*Liberty Township - north
*Deerfield Township, Warren County - east
*Sharonville - southeast
*Springdale - southwest
*Fairfield - west
*Fairfield Township - northwest

The southeastern corner of the township has been annexed by the city of Sharonville and a small portion in the west has been annexed by Fairfield.

The unincorporated communities of Maud, Port Union, and Tylersville are located in central, western, and western West Chester Township respectively.

Government

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 clerk, 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 clerkship or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees. Politically, West Chester Township leans heavily toward the Republican Party. In 2004, George W. Bush carried 76% of the vote in the township compared to 16% for John KerryFact|date=February 2008.

Three times voters have rejected the incorporation of the township as a city. On February 2, 1988, the vote was 4,097 to 3,956 against incorporation; 5,816 to 4,972 against on August 8, 1989, and 5,054 to 4,679 against on August 3, 1993.

Public services

Most of the township is in the Lakota Local School District, but portions are also in the Princeton City School District and a tiny part on the eastern border is in the Mason City School District.

The township was home to the Voice of America's Bethany Relay Station, a facility covering 625 acres (2.5 km²) in the northwest corner of the township that broadcast American propaganda overseas from 1943 to 1994. The property owned by the Voice of America Station has now been converted into Ronald Reagan Voice of Freedom Park. This park consists of a 1.42 mile walking trail around a lake. The town is also home to the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, which is one of the largest mosques in the area.

Some of the township is in the West Chester post office (45069) and the southeastern corner is served by the Sharonville office (45241). Fairfield (45014) and Hamilton (45011 or 45015) also serve the township.

Notable residents

*John A. Boehner, United States Representative

References

*Bert S. Barlow, W.H. Todhunter, Stephen D. Cone, Joseph J. Pater, and Frederick Schneider, eds. "Centennial History of Butler County, Ohio". Hamilton, Ohio: B.F. Bowen, 1905.
*Jim Blount. "The 1900s: 100 Years In the History of Butler County, Ohio." Hamilton, Ohio: Past Present Press, 2000.
*Butler County Engineer's Office. "Butler County Official Transportation Map, 2003". Fairfield Township, Butler County, Ohio: The Office, 2003.
*"A History and Biographical Cyclopaedia of Butler County, Ohio with Illustrations and Sketches of Its Representative Men and Pioneers". Cincinnati, Ohio: Western Biographical Publishing Company, 1882. [http://www.rootsweb.com/~ohbutler/cyc/index.html]
*Ohio. Secretary of State. "The Ohio municipal and township roster, 2002-2003". Columbus, Ohio: The Secretary, 2003.
*Virginia I. Shewalter. "A History of Union Township, Butler County, Ohio". [West Chester, Ohio?] : The Author, 1979.

External links

* [http://www.westchesteroh.org Township website]
* [http://www.butlercountyohio.org/index0.cfm County website]