West Chester Township is one of the thirteen townships of Butler County,

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, located in the southeastern corner of the county. It is the most populous township in Ohio, with a population of 65,242 at the 2020 census. Situated between Sharonville and Liberty Township, West Chester is about north of

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

and is included in the Cincinnati metropolitan area. Exits 19, 21 and 22 off Interstate 75 serve West Chester.

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 and by Canada's Dominion Land Survey is a nominally-square area of land that is nominally six survey miles (a ...

. The new township was given the name "Union." Because Union Township was familiarly known as West Chester, plus the abundance of other townships in Ohio called Union, 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. West Chester became the most populous township in Ohio at the 2010 census.

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 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 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 was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

only won 35.2% of the vote against

John McCain John Sidney McCain III (August 29, 1936 – August 25, 2018) was an American statesman and United States Navy, naval officer who represented the Arizona, state of Arizona in United States Congress, Congress for over 35 years, first as ...

's 63.5% in 2008, but in 2020

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

claimed 44% against

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

's 54.5%. West Chester Township is entirely in Ohio's 8th congressional district. 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'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 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 and a tiny part on the eastern border is in the Mason City School District. The Township's two high school main campuses, Lakota East and Lakota West, are identical buildings that were built in 1997. As of 2022, the Lakota West High School Main Campus has 2,740 students. As of 2024, the principal at Lakota West High School is Scott Laman. 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 comp ...

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

* Matt Bahner, soccer player * John A. Boehner, 61st Speaker of the United States House of Representatives * Fr. Anthony Cekada, sedevacantist Catholic priest and author * Bill Coley, former Ohio Senator * John Conner, former fullback for the New York Giants * Bp. Daniel Dolan, Sedevacantist bishop * Rich Franklin,

mixed martial arts Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-s ...

fighter Rich Franklin * Andre Frazier, former linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers and

Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...

. * Ken Griffey Sr., former baseball player for the Cincinnati Reds * Ken Griffey Jr., Hall of Fame baseball player for the

Seattle Mariners The Seattle Mariners are an American professional baseball team based in Seattle. The Mariners compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) American League West, West Division. The team joined the American ...

and the Cincinnati Reds * Jorge Gurgel,

fighter * Nick Hagglund, defender for FC Cincinnati in the MLS * Jordan Hicks, linebacker for the Cleveland Browns * Ryan Kelly, center for the Minnesota Vikings * Brent Kolatalo, American mixer, record producer, engineer, and songwriter * Elizabeth "Liz" McMahon (born 1993), American

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

player * E.W. Scripps, 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