Canaan Township is one of the fourteen 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 Athens County

Athens County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 62,223 people, 22,501 households, and 12,713 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 24,901 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...

, 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 1,780 people in the township, 1,472 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

Located in the center of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Ames Township
  Ames Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Ames Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,231 people in the township, 1,047 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Bern Township
  Bern Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Bern Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 519 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - northeast corner
• Rome Township
  Rome Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Rome Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,400 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Bern Township - north...
  
   - east
• Carthage Township
  Carthage Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Carthage Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,467 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - southeast corner
• Lodi Township
  Lodi Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Lodi Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,403 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Canaan Township - north...
  
   - south
• Alexander Township
  Alexander Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Alexander Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,614 people in the township, 2,590 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest corner
• Athens Township
  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:...
  
   - west
• Dover Township
  Dover Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Dover Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,797 people in the township, 2,730 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest corner

Part of the city of Athens

Athens, Ohio

Athens is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Athens County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Hocking River in the southeastern part of Ohio. A historic college town, Athens is home to Ohio University and is the principal city of the Athens, Ohio Micropolitan Statistical Area. ...

 is located in western Canaan Township.

The township is bisected by the Hocking River

Hocking River

The Hocking River is a tributary of the Ohio River in southeastern Ohio in the United States.The Hocking flows mostly on the unglaciated Allegheny Plateau, but its headwaters are in a glaciated region...

 and U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50

U.S. Route 50 is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching just over from Ocean City, Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean to West Sacramento, California. Until 1972, when it was replaced by Interstate Highways west of the Sacramento area, it extended to San Francisco, near...

. It also includes most of Strouds Run State Park

Strouds Run State Park

Strouds Run State Park is an Ohio state park located primarily in Canaan Township, Athens County, Ohio, with a small part in Ames Township. It comprises , and includes Dow Lake, a artificial lake. The lake is stocked on a yearly basis with several kinds of fish. It has been stocked with rainbow...

.

Name and history

Statewide, other Canaan Townships are located in Madison County

Canaan Township, Madison County, Ohio

Canaan Township is one of the fourteen townships of Madison County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,496 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

, Morrow County

Canaan Township, Morrow County, Ohio

Canaan Township is one of the sixteen townships of Morrow County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 897 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

, and Wayne

Canaan Township, Wayne County, Ohio

Canaan Township is one of the sixteen townships of Wayne County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,736 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...

 Counties.

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.

The current township trustees adamantly oppose creating any new public land for any purpose, and this has caused controversy because of Strouds Run State Park

Strouds Run State Park

Strouds Run State Park is an Ohio state park located primarily in Canaan Township, Athens County, Ohio, with a small part in Ames Township. It comprises , and includes Dow Lake, a artificial lake. The lake is stocked on a yearly basis with several kinds of fish. It has been stocked with rainbow...

.