Russell Township, Geauga County, Ohio

Russell Township, Geauga County, Ohio
Township


Location of Russell Township in Geauga County
Coordinates: 41°28′8″N 81°20′58″W / 41.46889°N 81.34944°W / 41.46889; -81.34944Coordinates: 41°28′8″N 81°20′58″W / 41.46889°N 81.34944°W / 41.46889; -81.34944
Country United States
State Ohio
County Geauga
Area
 • Total 19.3 sq mi (49.9 km2)
 • Land 19.2 sq mi (49.7 km2)
 • Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation[1] 1,086 ft (331 m)
Population (2000)
 • Total 5,529
 • Density 288.1/sq mi (111.2/km2)
Time zone Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
 • Summer (DST) EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code 44072
Area code(s) 440
FIPS code 39-69232[2]
GNIS feature ID 1086160[1]

Russell Township is one of the sixteen townships of Geauga County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,529 people in the township.[3] For several decades now, Russell Township has been incorporated into the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area as an outer-ring suburb. Since the 1990s, several thousand affluent city dwellers and suburbanites have moved east into the township. Since this growth in population, the diversity of residents has also shifted. Today, the township has the second highest density of Hungarian Americans in Ohio, a significant Jewish population and a growing number of Lebanese, Syrian and Iraqi business owners and medical professionals.

Geography

Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships and villages:

Two villages are located in Russell Township: part of Hunting Valley in the northwest, and South Russell in the south.

Name and history

It is the only Russell Township statewide.[4] Another name for the area is Novelty, from the name of the post office located in the township.[5][6][7] The origin of the name Novelty is obscure.[8]

The first five inhabitants — Gideon Russell and his family, who came in 1818 — settled on what today is Chillicothe Road.[9] In 1827 the township was named Russell, although it had been previously known as the West Woods by neighboring communities. In April of that year the people elected John Lowry, Clark Robinson, and Gideon Russell as their first township trustees. It was Robinson that created the first framed building and started the first store.

For several decades now, Russell Township has been incorporated into the Greater Cleveland Metropolitan Area as an outer-ring suburb. Since the 1990s, several thousand affluent city dwellers and suburbanites have moved east into the township. Since this growth in population, the diversity of residents has also shifted. Today, the township has the second highest density of Hungarian Americans in Ohio, a significant Jewish population and a growing number of Lebanese, Syrian and Iraqi business owners and medical professionals.

Economy

Russell is the home of ASM International, formerly known as the American Society for Metals, whose headquarters is marked by a gigantic geodesic dome, visited by Buckminster Fuller upon its completion.

Nearly all of the non-incorporated parts of the township are served in education by the West Geauga district (South Russell village and a small part of the rest is covered by the Chagrin Falls district.) In private education, Laurel School has a "Butler Campus" on Fairmount Rd. (originally named Fairmount Campus for its location), which has a lodge, pavilion, tree house, residence, and adventure course.

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 fiscal officer,[10] 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.

Transportation

Major roads include State Route 306 and State Route 87.

References

  1. 1 2 "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  2. ↑ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved 2008-01-31.
  3. ↑ Geauga County, Ohio — Population by Places Estimates Ohio State University, 2007. Accessed 15 May 2007.
  4. ↑ "Detailed map of Ohio" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  5. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Novelty, Ohio
  6. ↑ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Novelty Post Office, Ohio
  7. ↑ Novelty Post Office Location. United States Postal Service. Retrieved on 2011-04-27.
  8. ↑ Overman, William Daniel (1958). Ohio Town Names. Akron, OH: Atlantic Press. p. 102.
  9. ↑ Pioneer and General History of Geauga County: With Sketches of Some of the Pioneers and Prominent Men. Historical Society of Geauga County. 1880. p. 109.
  10. ↑ §503.24, §505.01, and §507.01 of the Ohio Revised Code. Accessed 4/30/2009.

External links

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