Fairfield Township, Butler County, Ohio
Encyclopedia
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,...
in Butler County
Butler County, Ohio
Butler County is a county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of 2010, the population was 368,130. Its county seat is Hamilton. It is named for General Richard Butler, who died in 1791 fighting Indians in northern Ohio. Butler's army marched out of Fort Hamilton, where the city of...
, 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...
, is located in the south central portion of the county. It had a population of 15,571 in 2000
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...
, down sharply from 49,353 in 1990
United States Census, 1990
The Twenty-first United States Census, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States to be 248,709,873, an increase of 9.8 percent over the 226,545,805 persons enumerated during the 1980 Census....
because of the withdrawal of the city of Fairfield
Fairfield, Ohio
Fairfield is a city in Butler County in the U.S. state of Ohio, near Cincinnati. Fairfield was incorporated in 1955. The population was 42,510 at the 2010 census. The city school district is one of the largest in Ohio, with Fairfield High School graduating 842 students in June 2009. Fairfield is...
in 1994 and annexations from Fairfield and Hamilton. Before annexations by the cities of Hamilton
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
and Fairfield, it had an area of about fifty square miles.
History
For a brief period in 1994 and 1995, the township was incorporated as the City of Indian Springs under a special law enacted by the Ohio General AssemblyOhio General Assembly
The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Ohio. It consists of the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives and the 33-member Ohio Senate...
, but it reverted to township status when this law was declared unconstitutional by the courts. http://www.enquirer.com/editions/2003/11/17/loc_wwwloc1ispgs.html The lowest point in Butler County, elevation 520 feet, is in the township, where the Great Miami River
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
crosses the county line, the township's southern boundary.
It was erected by the Butler County Court of Quarter Sessions on May 10, 1803, as one of the first five townships of the county. Its boundaries were:
- Beginning at the bank of the MiamiGreat Miami RiverThe Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
, on the eastern side, at the place where the south boundary line of the county strikes the same; thence east with the southern boundary line of the county to the southeast corner of section No. 14 of the second townshipSurvey townshipSurvey township, sometimes called Congressional township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, refers to a square unit of land, that is nominally six miles on a side...
of the second entire range; thence north to the Great Miami river; thence southwestwardly down the same to the place of beginning.
Geography
Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:- St. Clair TownshipSt. Clair Township, Butler County, OhioSt. Clair Township, one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States, consists of three disconnected pieces located along the Great Miami River in central Butler County. It had a population of 7,336 in 2000, down from 7,670 in 1990. Exclusive of the village of New Miami, which lies...
- north, across the Great Miami RiverGreat Miami RiverThe Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States... - Madison TownshipMadison Township, Butler County, OhioMadison Township is one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States. Located in northeastern Butler County just west of Middletown, it had a population of 8,611 people in 2000, up from 8,547 in 1990. While it surrounds the city of Trenton, the city is no longer part of the township...
- northeast - Liberty TownshipLiberty Township, Butler County, OhioLiberty Township, one of thirteen townships in Butler County, Ohio, United States, is in the east-central part of the county, just south of the city of Monroe...
- east, north of West Chester Township - West Chester TownshipWest Chester Township, Butler County, OhioWest 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, and...
- east, south of Liberty Township - FairfieldFairfield, OhioFairfield is a city in Butler County in the U.S. state of Ohio, near Cincinnati. Fairfield was incorporated in 1955. The population was 42,510 at the 2010 census. The city school district is one of the largest in Ohio, with Fairfield High School graduating 842 students in June 2009. Fairfield is...
- south - Ross TownshipRoss Township, Butler County, OhioRoss Township, one of thirteen townships in the county, is located in south-central Butler County, Ohio, United States, southwest of the city of Hamilton. The population was 6,448 in 2000, up from 6,383 in 1990; 5,886 of this total lived in the unincorporated portions of the township...
- southwest - HamiltonHamilton, OhioHamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
- west
Because the course of the Great Miami River
Great Miami River
The Great Miami River is a tributary of the Ohio River, approximately long, in southwestern Ohio in the United States...
has changed since its borders were fixed, some of the township is now west of the river.
Name
The name is reflective of the gentle topography there. It is one of seven Fairfield Townships statewideFairfield Township, Ohio
Fairfield Township may refer to the following places in the U.S. state of Ohio:*Fairfield Township, Butler County, Ohio*Fairfield Township, Columbiana County, Ohio*Fairfield Township, Highland County, Ohio*Fairfield Township, Huron County, Ohio...
.
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.Because of proposed annexations by the city of Hamilton, state representative Michael A. Fox
Michael A. Fox
Michael A. Fox is a Republican politician from Fairfield Township, Butler County, Ohio.Fox served as a representative in the Ohio State Legislature representing Hamilton and Fairfield, Ohio and surrounding areas for more than two decades. He then served on the Butler County commission from 1997...
on September 29, 1994, secured special legislation that allowed the township to incorporate as a city under the name Indian Springs. On December 29, 1994, this law took effect and the new city was born. (Also on that date, the city of Fairfield was withdrawn from the township.) However, the courts struck down the law on December 20, 1996, and Indian Springs reverted once more to Fairfield Township, but the City of Fairfield remained outside the township.
Transportation
The Miami and Erie CanalMiami and Erie Canal
The Miami and Erie Canal was a canal that connected the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Ohio with Lake Erie in Toledo, Ohio. Construction on the canal began in 1825 and was completed in 1845. It consisted of 19 aqueducts, three guard locks, and 103 canal locks. Each lock measured by and they...
once ran through the township between Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
and Hamilton
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
. The Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad
Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad
The Cincinnati, Hamilton and Dayton Railroad was a railroad based in the U.S. state of Ohio that existed between its incorporation on March 2, 1846, and its acquisition by the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad in December 1917...
, now part of CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
, has its mainline through the township. Major highways include State Route 4 (the main road between Hamilton
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
and Middletown
Middletown, Ohio
Middletown is an All-America City located in Butler and Warren counties in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. Formerly in Lemon, Turtlecreek, and Franklin townships, Middletown was incorporated by the Ohio General Assembly on February 11, 1833, and became a city in 1886...
), State Route 127 (the main road between Cincinnati
Cincinnati, Ohio
Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...
and Hamilton
Hamilton, Ohio
Hamilton is a city in Butler County, southwestern Ohio, United States. The population was 62,447 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Butler County. The city is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area....
; and the Butler County Regional Highway (aka State Route 129).
Historic population figures
- 1890—1,573
- 1900—4,018
- 1910—2,120
- 1920—2,527
- 1930—3,541
- 1940—4,602
- 1950—6,853
- 1960—6,289
- 1970—7,098
- 1980—7,930
- 1990—9,648
- 2000—15,571