Russell Township is one of the sixteen

townships A township is a form of human settlement or administrative subdivision. Its exact definition varies among countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, this tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, Canad ...

Geauga County Geauga County ( ) is a county located in the northeast portion of the U.S. state of Ohio. As of the 2020 census, the population was 95,397. The county seat and largest city is Chardon. The county is named for an Onondaga or Seneca language ...

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, United States. As of the 2020 census the population was 5,404.

Geography

Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships and villages: * Chester Township - north * Munson Township - northeast corner * Newbury Township - east * Auburn Township - southeast corner * Bainbridge Township - south * Chagrin Falls, Cuyahoga County - southwest, south of Chagrin Falls Township * Chagrin Falls Township, Cuyahoga County - southwest, north of Chagrin Falls * Moreland Hills - west, south of Hunting Valley *

Hunting Valley Hunting Valley is a village in Cuyahoga and Geauga counties in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 763 as of the 2020 census. An eastern suburb of Cleveland, it is part of the Cleveland metropolitan area. In 2000, Hunting Valley was ran ...

- west, north of Moreland Hills * Gates Mills - northwest corner

Name and history

It is the only Russell Township statewide. Another name for the area is Novelty, from the name of the post office located, in the unincorporated community of

Novelty Novelty (derived from Latin word ''novus'' for "new") is the quality of being new, or following from that, of being striking, original or unusual. Novelty may be the shared experience of a new cultural phenomenon or the subjective perception of an ...

, in the township. The first five inhabitants — Gideon Russell and his family, who came in 1818 — settled on what today is Chillicothe Road. In 1827 the township was named Russell, although it had been previously known as the West Woods by neighboring communities. In April of that year the people elected John Lowry, Clark Robinson, and Gideon Russell as their first township trustees. It was Robinson that created the first framed building and started the first store.

Economy

Russell is the home of

ASM International ASM International N.V. (with ASM standing for Advanced Semiconductor Materials) is a Dutch-headquartered multinational corporation that designs, manufactures, sells, and services equipment used in the fabrication of semiconductor devices. Its ...

, formerly known as the American Society for Metals, whose

headquarters Headquarters (often referred to as HQ) notes the location where most or all of the important functions of an organization are coordinated. The term is used in a wide variety of situations, including private sector corporations, non-profits, mil ...

is marked by a gigantic

geodesic dome A geodesic dome is a hemispherical thin-shell structure (lattice-shell) based on a geodesic polyhedron. The rigid triangular elements of the dome distribute stress throughout the structure, making geodesic domes able to withstand very heavy ...

, visited by

Buckminster Fuller Richard Buckminster Fuller (; July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American architect, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher, and futurist. He styled his name as R. Buckminster Fuller in his writings, publishing more t ...

upon its completion. Nearly all of the non-incorporated parts of the township are served in education by the West Geauga district. (South Russell village and a small part of the rest is covered by the Chagrin Falls district.) In private education, the Butler Campus of

Laurel School Laurel School is a private school for girls in Shaker Heights, Ohio, United States. It was established in 1896 by Jennie Prentiss and operates on two campuses; the Lyman Campus in Shaker Heights and the Butler Campus in Novelty. Notable alumn ...

is on Fairmount Road (originally named "Fairmount Campus" for its location), which has a lodge, pavilion, tree house, residence, and adventure course.

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'' (ORC) 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 o ...

. 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.

Transportation

Major roads include State Route 306 and State Route 87.

References

External links

Township websiteCounty website
{{authority control Townships in Geauga County, Ohio Populated places established in 1818 Lithuanian-American culture in Ohio Townships in Ohio