Richland Township is one of the sixteen 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 Belmont County

Belmont County, Ohio

Belmont County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of 2010, the population was 70,400. Its county seat is St. Clairsville...

, 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 13,571 people in the township, 8,514 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

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

• Wheeling Township
  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:...
  
   - north
• Colerain Township
  Colerain Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Colerain Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,438 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - northeast
• Pease Township
  Pease Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Pease Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 14,961 people in the township, 4,367 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east, north of Pultney Township
• Pultney Township
  Pultney Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Pultney Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 9,700 people in the township, 4,751 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east, south of Pease Township
• Mead Township
  Mead Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Mead Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,023 people in the township, 2,405 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southeast
• Smith Township
  Smith Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Smith Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,445 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Richland Township - north...
  
   - south
• Goshen Township
  Goshen Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Goshen Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,252 people in the township, 1,307 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest
• Union Township
  Union Township, Belmont County, Ohio
  Union Township is one of the sixteen townships of Belmont County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,151 people in the township, 1,852 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west

The city of St. Clairsville

St. Clairsville, Ohio

St. Clairsville is a city in Belmont County, Ohio in the United States. It is part of the Wheeling, West Virginia Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 5,057 at the 2000 census. This county seat of Belmont County has been nicknamed "Paradise on the Hill." St. Clairsville was named after...

 is located in central Richland Township, and two unincorporated communities

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...

 are located in the township: Bannock

Bannock, Ohio

Bannock is a census-designated place in northwestern Richland Township, Belmont County, Ohio, United States, along Wheeling Creek. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43972. It lies along State Route 331....

 in the northwest, and Glencoe

Glencoe, Ohio

Glencoe is a census-designated place in southern Richland Township, Belmont County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 43928.Glencoe is part of the Wheeling, WV-OH Metropolitan Statistical Area....

in the south.

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.