Ridge Township is one of the twelve 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 Van Wert 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 3,114 people in the township, 1,311 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

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

• Hoaglin Township
  Hoaglin Township, Van Wert County, Ohio
  Hoaglin Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 605 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - north
• Jackson Township
  Jackson Township, Van Wert County, Ohio
  Jackson Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 481 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - northeast corner
• Washington Township
  Washington Township, Van Wert County, Ohio
  Washington Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,228 people in the township, 1,592 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - east
• Jennings Township
  Jennings Township, Van Wert County, Ohio
  Jennings Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 695 people in the township, 623 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southeast corner
• York Township
  York Township, Van Wert County, Ohio
  York Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 788 people in the township, 650 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Liberty Township
  Liberty Township, Van Wert County, Ohio
  Liberty Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,696 people in the township, 912 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest corner
• Pleasant Township
  Pleasant Township, Van Wert County, Ohio
  Pleasant Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 11,120 people in the township, 2,233 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west
• Union Township
  Union Township, Van Wert County, Ohio
  Union Township is one of the twelve townships of Van Wert County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,009 people in the township, 805 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest corner

Part of the city of Van Wert

Van Wert, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 10,690 people, 4,556 households, and 2,947 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,803.8 people per square mile . There were 4,927 housing units at an average density of 831.4 per square mile...

, the county seat

County seat

A county seat is an administrative center, or seat of government, for a county or civil parish. The term is primarily used in the United States....

 and largest city of Van Wert County, is located in the western half of Ridge Township.

Ridge Township is one of only two county townships (the other being Pleasant Township) without a border on another county.

Name and history

Statewide, the only other Ridge Township is located in Wyandot County

Ridge Township, Wyandot County, Ohio

Ridge Township is one of the thirteen townships of Wyandot County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 512 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...

.

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.