West Chester Township is one of the thirteen

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 Butler 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, located in the southeastern corner of the county. It is situated between Sharonville and Liberty Township, about north of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

, and is included in the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. Exits 19, 21 and 22 off

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

serve West Chester. It is the most populous township in Ohio, with a population at the 2010 census of 60,958.

History

The thirteenth and last in order of creation, it was erected from Liberty Township by the Butler County Commissioners on June 2, 1823, upon petitions from residents of the township. No boundaries were given in the resolution passed by the commissioners, but it originally contained 35 square miles (91 km), just short of a full

survey township A survey township, sometimes called a Congressional township or just township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, is a nominally-square area of land that is nominally six U.S. survey miles (about 9.66 km) on a side. E ...

. The new township was given the name "Union." Because Union Township was familiarly known as West Chester eference plus the abundance of other townships in Ohio called

Union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...

, the name was changed to West Chester Township effective June 28, 2000, after being ratified by the township's voters at the March 9 primary election. Many census and government records, including the 2000 census, refer to Union Township. Today, it is the only West Chester Township statewide.

Climate

Geography

Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and cities: * Liberty Township - north * Mason - east * Deerfield Township, Warren County - east * Sharonville - southeast * Springdale - southwest * Fairfield - west * Fairfield Township - northwest The southeastern corner of the township has been annexed by the city of Sharonville and a small portion in the west has been annexed by Fairfield. The

unincorporated communities An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Maud, Port Union, Pisgah, and Tylersville are located in central, western, southwestern, and western West Chester Township respectively.

Economy

Top employers

According to West Chester's 2020 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report, the top employers in the township are:

Household Income

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, Mark Welch, Lee Wong, and Ann Becker, 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. Historically, West Chester Township has leaned heavily toward the Republican Party but in recent years that advantage has narrowed.

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

only won 35.2% of the vote against

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American politician and United States Navy officer who served as a United States senator from Arizona from 1987 until his death in 2018. He previously served two terms ...

's 63.5% in 2008, but in 2020 Joe Biden claimed 44% against

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who served as the 45th president of the United States from 2017 to 2021. Trump graduated from the Wharton School of the University of Pe ...

's 54.5%. Three times voters have rejected the incorporation of the township as a city. On February 2, 1988, the vote was 4,097 to 3,956 against incorporation; 5,816 to 4,972 against on August 8, 1989, and 5,054 to 4,679 against on August 3, 1993.

Public services

Formed in 1967, the township police department employs approximately 100 individuals. Led by Police Chief Joel Herzog, it is organized into three distinct bureaus: the Patrol Bureau, the Support Bureau, and the Administration Bureau. The township was home to the

Voice of America Voice of America (VOA or VoA) is the state-owned news network and international radio broadcaster of the United States of America. It is the largest and oldest U.S.-funded international broadcaster. VOA produces digital, TV, and radio content ...

's Bethany Relay Station, a facility covering 625 acres (2.5 km) in the northeast corner of the township that broadcast American propaganda overseas from 1943 to 1994. The property owned by the Voice of America Station has now been converted into Voice of America MetroPark. This park consists of a 1.42-mile walking trail around a lake. The

Miami University Voice of America Learning Center The Miami University Voice of America Learning Center (Miami VOALC) is a satellite campus of Miami University in West Chester, Ohio. It is one of three regional campuses of Miami University. It is located on a portion of the former Voice of Amer ...

was opened in 2009. The township is home to several parks in addition to Voice of America MetroPark, including Keehner Park. The township is also home to the Islamic Center of Greater Cincinnati, which is one of the largest mosques in the area. In 2006 ground was broken for ''The Square at Union Centre'' which serves as the town square for West Chester hosting events surrounded by class A office space and restaurants. The West Chester library is part of the square and a bell-tower constructed by the famous and historic Verdin Bell Company of

serves as the centerpiece to the square. Some of the township is in the West Chester post office (45069) and the southeastern corner is served by the Sharonville office (45241). Fairfield (45014) and Hamilton (45011 or 45015) also serve the township.

Education

Most of the township is in the Lakota Local School District, but portions are also in the

Princeton City School District Princeton City School District (commonly known as Princeton City Schools) is a city school district in northern Hamilton County, Ohio in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. The school district serves Glendale, Lincoln Heights, and Woodlawn; mo ...

and a tiny part on the eastern border is in the Mason City School District. The largest single school building in the township is the Lakota West High School Main Campus. The Lakota West High School Main Campus has about 2,000 students and 145 staff members. The principal at Lakota West High School is Ben Brown. Lakota West is classified by

OHSAA The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) is the governing body of athletic programs for junior and senior high schools in the state of Ohio. The OHSAA governs eligibility of student athletes, resolves disputes, organizes levels of compe ...

as a Division 1 school. Lakota West High School is home to the 2007 Ohio State Baseball Champions, led by Coach Bill Dreisbach.

Notable people

* John A. Boehner, 61st

Speaker of the United States House of Representatives The speaker of the United States House of Representatives, commonly known as the speaker of the House, is the presiding officer of the United States House of Representatives. The office was established in 1789 by Article I, Section 2 of the U. ...

*Fr.

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, traditional Catholic priest * Bill Coley, former Ohio Senator * John Conner, former fullback for the

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*Bp. Daniel Dolan, traditional Catholic bishop *

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fighter *

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, former linebacker for the

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and

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. *

Ken Griffey Sr. George Kenneth Griffey (born April 10, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) as an outfielder from through , most notably as a member of the Cincinnati Reds dynasty that won ...

, former baseball player for the

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* Ken Griffey Jr., Hall of Fame baseball player for the

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and the

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fighter *

Jordan Hicks Jordan Hicks (born June 27, 1992) is an American football middle linebacker for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) who won a Super Bowl ring with the Philadelphia Eaglesin 2018. He played college football at Texas. Hi ...

, linebacker for the

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* Ryan Kelly, center for the

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Vivek Ramaswamy Vivek Ramaswamy (born August 9, 1985) is an American entrepreneur in the healthcare and technology sectors, a political commentator, and a ''New York Times'' bestselling author. In 2022, he founded Strive Asset Management and currently serves as t ...

, ''New York Times'' bestselling author *

E.W. Scripps Edward Willis Scripps (June 18, 1854 – March 12, 1926), was an American newspaper publisher and, together with his sister Ellen Browning Scripps, founder of The E. W. Scripps Company, a diversified media conglomerate, and United Press ne ...

, newspaper publisher (Scripps-McRae League, Scripps-Howard), April–November each year

References

External links

*
County website
{{authority control Townships in Butler County, Ohio Townships in Ohio 1823 establishments in Ohio Populated places established in 1823