Athens Township is one of the fifteen townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Harrison County, 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...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 520 people in the township, 187 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Cadiz Township
  Cadiz Township, Harrison County, Ohio
  Cadiz Township is one of the fifteen townships of Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,639 people in the township, 331 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Short Creek Township
  Short Creek Township, Harrison County, Ohio
  Short Creek Township is one of the fifteen townships of Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,012 people in the township, 614 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Wheeling Township, Belmont County
  Wheeling Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Wheeling Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,477 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - southeast
• Flushing Township, Belmont County
  Flushing Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Flushing Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,990 people in the township, 745 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest
• Moorefield Township
  Moorefield Township, Harrison County, Ohio
  Moorefield Township is one of the fifteen townships of Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 420 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - west

The village of New Athens

New Athens, Ohio

New Athens is a village in Harrison County, Ohio, United States. The population was 342 at the 2000 census.During Morgan's Raid, a decisive Union victory in the Civil War in 1863, Confederate Brid. Gen...

 is located in southeastern Athens Township.

Name and history

Statewide, the only other Athens Township is located in Athens County

Athens Township, Athens County, Ohio

Athens Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 27,714 people in the township, 6,680 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

.

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, 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.