Smith 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 Mahoning 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 4,977 people in the township, 3,895 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.

Geography

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

• Deerfield Township, Portage County
  Deerfield Township, Portage County, Ohio
  Deerfield Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,211 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - north
• Berlin Township - northeast
• Goshen Township
  Goshen Township, Mahoning County, Ohio
  Goshen Township is one of the fourteen townships of Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,281 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - east
• Butler Township, Columbiana County
  Butler Township, Columbiana County, Ohio
  Butler Township is one of the eighteen townships of Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,444 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - southeast corner
• Knox Township, Columbiana County
  Knox Township, Columbiana County, Ohio
  Knox Township is one of the eighteen townships of Columbiana County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,828 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and city:...
  
   - south
• Lexington Township, Stark County
  Lexington Township, Stark County, Ohio
  Lexington Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,583 people in the township, 5,390 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west

The farthest west township in Mahoning County, it is the only township to border Stark County.

Several populated places are located in Smith Township:

• The city of Alliance
  Alliance, Ohio
  Alliance is a city in Stark and Mahoning counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 22,322 at the 2010 census. Alliance's nickname is "The Carnation City", and the city is home to the University of Mount Union....
  
  , in the southwest corner
• The village of Beloit
  Beloit, Ohio
  Beloit is a village in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,024 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Beloit is located at ....
  
  , in the southeast
• The village of Sebring
  Sebring, Ohio
  Sebring is a village in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 4,912 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area....
  
  , in the south
• The census-designated place
  Census-designated place
  A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...
  
   of Maple Ridge
  Maple Ridge, Ohio
  Maple Ridge is a census-designated place in Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 910 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Youngstown-Warren-Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
  
  , in the southwest
• 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 North Benton
  North Benton, Ohio
  North Benton is an unincorporated community in northern Smith Township, Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 44449. It lies along State Route 14 between Salem and Ravenna....
  
  , in the north

Name and history

Statewide, the only other Smith Township is located in Belmont County

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...

.

Smith Township was organized in March, 1821 upon the petition of Judge William Smith, in whose honor it was named. Judge William Smith was a pioneer in Mahoning County.

For many years, the township was part of Columbiana County

Columbiana County, Ohio

Columbiana County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 107,841. It is named for Christopher Columbus and the county seat is Lisbon....

, before becoming part of Mahoning County in 1846.

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.