American Township is one of the twelve
townships
A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries.
Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Ca ...
of
Allen County,
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, United States. The
2020 census found 14,538 people in the township.
Geography
Located in the center of the county, it borders the following townships:
*
Sugar Creek Township - north
*
Bath Township - east
*
Perry Township - southeastern corner
*
Shawnee Township - south
*
Amanda Township - southwest
*
Marion Township - northwest
Two municipalities are located in American Township: the village of
Elida in the northwest, and part of the city of
Lima
Lima ( ; ), originally founded as Ciudad de Los Reyes (City of The Kings) is the capital and the largest city of Peru. It is located in the valleys of the Chillón River, Chillón, Rímac River, Rímac and Lurín Rivers, in the desert zone of t ...
, the
county seat
A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
of Allen County, in the southeast.
Name and history
It is the only American Township statewide. American Township was named German Township until 1918 when the township's citizens successfully petitioned for the name change, due to the
sinking of the Lusitania. The petition cited
Anti-German sentiment
Anti-German sentiment (also known as Anti-Germanism, Germanophobia or Teutophobia) is opposition to or fear of Germany, its inhabitants, its culture, or its language. Its opposite is Germanophilia.
Anti-German sentiment largely began with t ...
as the primary reason for the request.
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,
§503.24§505.01
an
§507.01
of the Ohio Revised Code
The ''Ohio Revised Code'' contains all current statutes of the Ohio General Assembly of a permanent and general nature, consolidated into provisions, titles, chapters and sections. However, the only official publication of the enactments of the G ...
. Accessed 4/30/2009. 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.
References
External links
American Township official websiteAllen County website
{{authority control
Townships in Allen County, Ohio
1918 establishments in Ohio
Townships in Ohio