Etna Township is one of the twenty-five 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 Licking County

Licking County, Ohio

Licking County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 166,492. Its county seat is Newark and is named for the salt licks that were in the area....

, 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 5,410 people in the township.

Geography

Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and city:

• Pataskala
  Pataskala, Ohio
  Pataskala is a city in Licking County, Ohio, United States. The population was 10,249 at the 2000 census. Pataskala was a small community until 1996, when what was then the village of Pataskala merged with Lima Township, vastly increasing its population and geographic area.-Geography:Pataskala is...
  
   - north
• Harrison Township
  Harrison Township, Licking County, Ohio
  Harrison Township is one of the twenty-five townships of Licking County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,494 people in the township, 5,974 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northeast
• Liberty Township, Fairfield County
  Liberty Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
  Liberty Township is one of the thirteen townships of Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,265 people in the township, 4,387 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southeast
• Violet Township, Fairfield County
  Violet Township, Fairfield County, Ohio
  Violet Township is one of the thirteen townships of Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 26,914 people in the township, 16,893 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest
• Truro Township, Franklin County
  Truro Township, Franklin County, Ohio
  Truro Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 27,151 people in the township, 1,416 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west
• Jefferson Township, Franklin County
  Jefferson Township, Franklin County, Ohio
  Jefferson Township is one of the seventeen townships of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,322 people in the township, 4,599 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest corner

Part of the city of Reynoldsburg

Reynoldsburg, Ohio

Reynoldsburg is a city in Fairfield, Franklin, and Licking counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is a suburban community in the Columbus, Ohio metropolitan area...

 occupies the western end of Etna Township, part of the village of Kirkersville

Kirkersville, Ohio

Kirkersville is a village in Licking County, Ohio, United States, along the South Fork of the Licking River. The population was 520 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Kirkersville is located at ....

 occupies the eastern end, and the unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 of Etna

Etna, Licking County, Ohio

Etna is an unincorporated community in southwestern Licking County, Ohio, United States. It lies at an elevation of 1063 feet at the intersection of U.S. Route 40 and State Route 310. It was listed as a census-designated place in 2010....

 lies in the central part of the township.

Name and history

It is the only Etna Township statewide.

Two Native American mounds, known as the "Etna Township Mounds

Etna Township Mounds

The Etna Township Mounds are a pair of Native American mounds in Etna Township, Licking County, Ohio, United States. Located east of Reynoldsburg near Interstate 70, the mounds are built primarily of sand...

", are located within the township. Etna Township is located entirely within the Refugee Tract

Refugee Tract

The Refugee Tract is an area of land in Ohio, United States granted to people from British Canada who left home prior to July 4, 1776, stayed in the US until November 25, 1783 continuously, and aided the revolutionary cause.-Location:...

.

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.