West Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio

West Chester Township, Butler County, Ohio
Township
Motto: Where Families Grow, and Businesses Prosper...

Location of West Chester Township in Butler County

Butler County
Coordinates: 39°21′10″N 84°21′53″W / 39.3529°N 84.3647°W / 39.3529; -84.3647Coordinates: 39°21′10″N 84°21′53″W / 39.3529°N 84.3647°W / 39.3529; -84.3647
Country United States
State Ohio
County Butler
Area
 • Total 35.5 sq mi (91.9 km2)
 • Land 35.5 sq mi (91.9 km2)
 • Water 0 sq mi (0 km2)
Population (2010)
 • Total 60,958
 • Density 1,717.1/sq mi (663.0/km2)
Website www.westchesteroh.org

West Chester Township is one of the thirteen townships of Butler County, Ohio, United States, located in the southeastern corner of the county. It is situated between Sharonville and Liberty Township, about 18 miles (29 km) north of Cincinnati, and is included in the Cincinnati Metropolitan Area. Exits 19, 21 and 22 off Interstate 75 serve West Chester. It is the most populous township in Ohio, with a population at the 2010 census of 60,958.[1][2]

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 km²), just short of a full survey township. 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.[3]

Historic population figures

Climate

Climate data for West Chester, Ohio
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °F (°C) 72
(22)		 76
(24)		 84
(29)		 89
(32)		 93
(34)		 97
(36)		 104
(40)		 101
(38)		 98
(37)		 88
(31)		 81
(27)		 75
(24)		 104
(40)
Average high °F (°C) 38
(3)		 43
(6)		 53
(12)		 65
(18)		 75
(24)		 83
(28)		 87
(31)		 86
(30)		 79
(26)		 68
(20)		 54
(12)		 43
(6)		 64.5
(18.1)
Average low °F (°C) 19
(−7)		 21
(−6)		 30
(−1)		 39
(4)		 49
(9)		 58
(14)		 63
(17)		 61
(16)		 53
(12)		 41
(5)		 32
(0)		 24
(−4)		 40.8
(4.9)
Record low °F (°C) −25
(−32)		 −13
(−25)		 −10
(−23)		 18
(−8)		 27
(−3)		 36
(2)		 40
(4)		 41
(5)		 26
(−3)		 12
(−11)		 −3
(−19)		 −22
(−30)		 −25
(−32)
Average rainy days 3.18 2.72 3.73 4.10 4.96 4.52 4.04 4.18 3.14 3.09 3.65 3.35 44.66
Source: weather.com[4]

Geography

Located in the southeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:

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, and Tylersville are located in central, western, and western West Chester Township respectively.

Government

The township is governed by a three-member board of trustees, Mark Welch, Lee Wong, and George Lang,[5] 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,[6] 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. Politically, West Chester Township leans heavily toward the Republican Party. In 2004, George W. Bush carried 76% of the vote in the township compared to 16% for John Kerry.

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

In recent years, the population of West Chester Township has grown rapidly, leading to extensive construction throughout the township.

Formed in 1967, the township police department employs approximately 100 individuals.[7] Led by Police Chief Joel Herzog, it is organized into three distinct bureaus: the Patrol Bureau, the Support Bureau, and the Administration Bureau.[7]

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 largest single school building in the township is the Lakota West High School Main Campus.[8] The Lakota West High School Main Campus has about 2,000 students and 145 staff members.[8] The principal at Lakota West High School is Gary Elgin Card.[9] Lakota West is classified by OHSAA as a Division 1 school.[8] Lakota West High School is home to the 2007 Ohio State Baseball Champions,[10] led by Coach Bill Dreisbach.[11]

The township was home to the Voice of America's Bethany Relay Station, a facility covering 625 acres (2.5 km²) 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.[12] 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 will serve as the town square for West Chester hosting events surrounded by class A office space and restaurants. The West Chester library will be part of the square and a bell-tower constructed by the famous and historic Verdin Bell Company of Cincinnati already serves as the centerpiece to the square.[13]

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.

Economy

Top employers

According to West Chester's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report,[14] the top employers in the township are:

# Employer # of Employees
1 Lakota Local School District 1,969
2 BAE Systems 1,500
3 GE Aviation 1,400
4 Cornerstone Brands 896
5 AdvancePierre Foods 870
6 CEVA Logistics 650
7 West Chester Hospital (UC Health) 560
8 Totes»ISOTONER 450
9 FKI Logistex 400
10 Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Supply Technology 400

Household Income

Year Average Median
2010 $108,495 $93,722

Notable events

The Square at Union Centre plays host to the Union Centre Boulevard Bash in early August and has attracted artists such as King's X, Extreme and David Cassidy. On October 17, 2008 Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and U.S. Congress House Minority Leader John Boehner spoke to a crowd of over 15,000 people at the Square at Union Centre in front of the bell-tower.[15] On November 2, 2012, the Mitt Romney campaign held a rally where over 30,000 attended.[16] The rally included a concert by Kid Rock and several speakers that included Paul Ryan, Rudy Giuliani, Rick Santorum, John Kasich, Rick Perry, Marco Rubio, Rob Portman, and John Boehner.[17]

Notable current and former residents

References

  1. 1 2 "Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): All County Subdivisions within Ohio". U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder. Retrieved February 7, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Levingston, Chelsey. "West Chester Now Ohio's Largest Township". Hamilton Journal-News. Cox Media Group. Retrieved 2011-06-20.
  3. ↑ "Detailed map of Ohio" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved 2007-02-16.
  4. ↑
  5. ↑ http://westchesteroh.org/officials.cfm
  6. ↑ §503.24, §505.01, and §507.01 of the Ohio Revised Code. Accessed 4/30/2009.
  7. 1 2 http://westchesteroh.org/Police.cfm
  8. 1 2 3 http://www.lakotawesthigh.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=253&Itemid=182
  9. ↑ http://lakotaonline.com/schools.cfm
  10. ↑ http://westfirebirds.com/hq/baseball-program-highlights/
  11. ↑ http://westfirebirds.com/coaching-staff/bill-dreisbach-head-coach/
  12. ↑ "Voice of America MetroPark". MetroParks of Butler County. Retrieved February 3, 2013.
  13. ↑ West Chester Towne Center Development Update, Butler County Department of Development, Ohio
  14. ↑ Township of West Chester CAFR
  15. ↑ "Palin Rally Draws Thousands to West Chester", Kentucky Post, October 17, 2008
  16. ↑ Andrews, Cindi. Kostyu, Paul. and Prendergast, Jane. Path to victory cuts through Ohio, Romney, Obama barnstorm state, and will be back, Cincinnati Enquirer, November 3, 2012.
  17. ↑ Kucinich, Jackie. Romney rallies GOP base in the key state of Ohio, USA Today, November 3, 2012.
  18. ↑ Rich Franklin

Further reading

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