| Columbia Township, Ohio | |
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| Coordinates: | |
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| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Lorain |
| Area | |
| - Total | 25.7 sq mi (66.5 km²) |
| - Land | 25.3 sq mi (65.6 km²) |
| - Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.9 km²) |
| Elevation GR3 | 768 ft (234 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| - Total | 6,912 |
| - Density | 272.9/sq mi (105.4/km²) |
| Time zone | Eastern (EST) (UTC-5) |
| - Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| ZIP code | 44028 |
| Area code(s) | 440 |
| FIPS code | 39-16910GR2 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1086506GR3 |
Columbia Township, also known as Columbia Station or just Columbia, is the easternmost of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. Columbia Township is the official government name, while Columbia Station is the post office name, and tends to be the town name used by residents. The post office name was chosen to differentiate the township from other Columbia Townships statewide, located in Hamilton and Meigs Counties. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population of 6,912[1] in 2,452 residences.
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Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 25.7 square miles (66.5 km²), of which, 25.3 square miles (65.6 km²) of it is land and 1.34% is water. The west branch of the Rocky River and Plum Creek flow through the township from south to north. Columbia Township is part of Greater Cleveland. Located in eastern Lorain County, it borders the following townships and cities:
- Olmsted Township, Cuyahoga County - north
- Berea - northeast corner
- Strongsville - east
- Brunswick Hills Township, Medina County - southeast corner
- Liverpool Township, Medina County - south
- Grafton Township - southwest corner
- Eaton Township - west
- North Ridgeville - northwest corner
No municipalities are located in Columbia Township.
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 clerk, 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 clerkship or on the board of trustees are filled by the remaining trustees.
History
Columbia Township is part of the Connecticut Western Reserve, lands ceded in 1786 by Connecticut after the American Revolution. In 1805, two years after Ohio became a state, the federal government finalized treaties with local American Indians. The reserve was surveyed and parcelled into rough 5-mile-square blocks (smaller than the typical 6-mile-square townships in the U.S.). The Bronson and Hoadley families of Waterbury, Connecticut pooled together $20,087 to purchase a township. On April 4, 1807, they drew Township 5 N, Range 15 W from a random selection of townships in the reserve, purchasing the land site-unseen.
Columbia Township has been continuously inhabited since 1807, the longest settlement in the Western Reserve west of the Cuyahoga River. It has other firsts in the Western Reserve west of the Cuyahoga: the first classroom (Bronson cabin, summer of 1808), first teacher (Sally Bronson, 1808), first white child born (Sally Hoadley), first gristmill (summer of 1809), first cemetery (1811), first doctor (Zephaniah Potter, 1809), and first organized church society (Episcopalian, 1809). The Bronson House Museum (built c.1850, 13646 W River Road) is the last home of Sally Bronson. Other Columbia Township buildings in the National Register of Historic Places include the Columbia Town Hall (added 1976, #76001468, 25496 Royalton Road) and the Columbia Baptist Church (added 1976, #76001466, 25514 Royalton Road).
Parks
The Lorain County Metroparks opened the Columbia Reservation in 2003, a 409 acre park with 285 acres of high-quality wetlands in the floodplain of the west branch of the Rocky River. The park has three mile-long trails between ponds, marshes, wet meadows and swamps. The park is popular with bird watchers, as 50+ species of birds can be seen including the Great Blue Heron. An additional 80 acres are planned to be added to the park. Columbia Township Park is also located in Columbia Township. It is home to ten ball fields, tennis courts, a basketball court, a children's playground and a walking path on 27.1 acres. The park also hosts various festivals year-round.
In 2007, the Columbia VFW completed work on a new Veteran's Memorial located at Columbia Township Park. Construction of the memorial was accomplished with all volunteer labor from the community. The memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day 2007 in front of a crowd of over 1000 people.
References
- ^ Lorain County, Ohio — Population by Places Estimates Ohio State University, 2007. Accessed 14 May 2007.
External links
- Columbia Station Chamber of Commerce
- Columbia Historical Society
- Columbia Local Schools
- Columbia Reservation
- Columbia Township, Lorain County, Ohio is at coordinates Coordinates:
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Lorain County, Ohio |
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|---|---|---|
| County seat: Elyria | ||
| Cities |
Amherst | Avon | Avon Lake | Elyria | Lorain | North Ridgeville | Oberlin | Sheffield Lake | Vermilion |
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| Villages |
Grafton | Kipton | LaGrange | Rochester | Sheffield | South Amherst | Wellington |
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| Townships |
Amherst | Brighton | Brownhelm | Camden | Carlisle | Columbia | Eaton | Elyria | Grafton | Henrietta | Huntington | LaGrange | New Russia | Penfield | Pittsfield | Rochester | Sheffield | Wellington |
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| Census-designated place | ||
| Other locality | ||
