Columbia Township, Lorain County, Ohio

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Columbia Township, Lorain County, Ohio
Columbia Town Hall 6-9-24 thumbnail IMG 0098.jpg
Columbia Township Town Hall
Map of Lorain County Ohio Highlighting Columbia Township.png
Location of Columbia Township in Lorain County
OHMap-ColumbiaStation.png
Location of Columbia Township in Ohio
Coordinates: 41°19′16″N81°55′6″W / 41.32111°N 81.91833°W / 41.32111; -81.91833
Country United States
State Ohio
County Lorain
Area
[1]
  Total25.72 sq mi (66.62 km2)
  Land25.50 sq mi (66.05 km2)
  Water0.22 sq mi (0.56 km2)
Elevation
[2]
768 ft (234 m)
Population
 (2020) [3]
  Total7,411
  Density290/sq mi (110/km2)
Time zone UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
  Summer (DST) UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
44028
Area code 440
FIPS code 39-16910 [4]
GNIS feature ID1086506 [2]
Website columbiatwp.us

Columbia Township, also known as Columbia Station or just Columbia, is the easternmost of the eighteen townships of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. Columbia Township is the official government name, while Columbia Station is the post office name, and tends to be the town name used by residents. The post office name was chosen to differentiate the township from other Columbia Townships statewide, located in Hamilton and Meigs counties.[ citation needed ]

Contents

As of the 2020 census, the township had a population of 7,411.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 66.6 square kilometres (25.7 sq mi), of which 0.2 square miles (0.6 km2), or 0.85%, are water. [1] The west branch of the Rocky River and Plum Creek flow through the township from south to north.

Columbia Township is part of Greater Cleveland.

Located in eastern Lorain County, it borders the following townships and cities:

No municipalities are located in Columbia Township.

History

Columbia Historical Marker Cshm.jpg
Columbia Historical Marker

Columbia Township was part of the former Connecticut Western Reserve, lands ceded in 1786 by Connecticut after the American Revolution. In 1805, two years after Ohio became a state, the federal government finalized treaties with local Native Americans. The reserve was surveyed and parceled into rough 5-mile-square (8.0 km) blocks (smaller than the typical 6-mile-square (9.7 km) townships in the midwestern United States). The Bronson and Hoadley families of Waterbury, Connecticut, pooled together $20,087 to purchase a township. On April 4, 1807, they drew Township 5 N, Range 15 W from a random selection of townships in the reserve, purchasing the land site-unseen.[ citation needed ] Since Columbia Township has been continuously inhabited since 1807, it is the longest inhabited settlement in the former Western Reserve west of the Cuyahoga River.[ citation needed ]

Bronson House Museum Csbh.jpg
Bronson House Museum

The Copopa School was built in 1921. The name originates as follows:

The first post office in town was established about the year 1817. The first postmaster was Thomas G. Bronson, who kept the office in his house. The name selected was the Indian name for Rocky river, Copokah. In the papers sent from Washington the word was miswritten Copopo, and the error was never corrected.

History of Lorain County, Ohio (1879) [5]

Farming has historically been the most significant employer in Columbia Township and the surrounding townships, but in the second half of the 19th century, sandstone from the local quarries was mined and widely distributed. [6] [7] Two of the township's quarries were Jaquay Quarry and an area which later became known as Wildwood Lake. Both Jaquay and Wildwood were used as swimming parks in the late 20th century, with Wildwood operating until 2001.

On April 11, 1965, an F4 tornado swept through Columbia Township before dissipating to the east in neighboring Strongsville. [8]

At the 2007 Homecoming, Columbia Township celebrated its bicentenary. For the previous fifty years, the township had not experienced the urban sprawl that developed in neighboring areas, but the number of farms in the township has fallen significantly. [9]

Columbia Township buildings on the National Register of Historic Places include the Columbia Town Hall and the Columbia Baptist Church.

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, [10] 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.

Columbia Station has a public library, a branch of the Lorain Public Library. [11]

Parks

Columbia Reservation Cscr.jpg
Columbia Reservation
Columbia Veteran's Memorial Csohmemorial.JPG
Columbia Veteran's Memorial

The Lorain County Metro Parks opened the Columbia Reservation in 2003, a 409-acre (166 ha) park with 285 acres (115 ha) of high-quality wetlands in the floodplain of the west branch of the Rocky River. [12] The park has 3 miles (5 km) of trails running through ponds, marshes, wet meadows and swamps. [13] The park is popular with bird watchers, [14] as more than 50 species of birds, including the great blue heron, can be seen there. [15] An additional 80 acres (32 ha) are planned to be added to the park.

Columbia Township Park is also located in Columbia Station. It is home to ten ballfields, tennis courts, a basketball court, a children's playground and a walking path on 27.1 acres (11.0 ha). The park also hosts various festivals year-round.

In 2007, the Columbia VFW completed work on a new veterans' memorial located at Columbia Township Park. The memorial was dedicated on Memorial Day 2007 in front of a crowd of over 1,000. [16]

Related Research Articles

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Lorain County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio As of the 2020 census, the population was 312,964. Its county seat is Elyria, and its largest city is Lorain. The county was physically established in 1822, becoming judicially independent in 1824. Lorain County is part of the Cleveland, OH Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county is home to Oberlin College.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cuyahoga County, Ohio</span> County in Ohio, United States

Cuyahoga County is a large urban county located in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Ohio. The county seat and largest city is Cleveland. As of the 2020 census, its population was 1,264,817, making it the second-most populous county in the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Strongsville, Ohio</span> City in Ohio, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Ridgeville, Ohio</span> City in Ohio, United States

North Ridgeville is a city located along the eastern border of Lorain County, Ohio, United States. The city's population was 35,280 as of the 2020 census. A part of the Cleveland metropolitan area, North Ridgeville is the fastest-growing city in northern Ohio. It has been ranked the 13th safest city in the United States and the safest in Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rocky River (Ohio)</span> River in United States of America

The Rocky River is a relatively short river in Cuyahoga County, Ohio that forms the natural western boundaries of Cleveland and the suburb of Lakewood with the suburbs of Fairview Park and Rocky River. The latter community is named after the river. To the south of Fairview Park and west of Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, the river forms the natural boundary between the suburb of Brook Park and the communities of North Olmsted and Olmsted Township. Ranked by Field & Stream as one of the top steelhead trout rivers in the world, the Rocky River is the center of the Rocky River Reservation of the Cleveland Metroparks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bath Township, Summit County, Ohio</span> Township in Ohio, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nelson Township, Portage County, Ohio</span> Civil township in Ohio, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Metroparks</span> Public park system in Greater Cleveland, Ohio

Cleveland Metroparks is an extensive system of nature preserves in Greater Cleveland, Ohio. Eighteen reservations, which largely encircle the city of Cleveland, follow along the shore of Lake Erie and the rivers and creeks that flow through the region. Referred to unofficially as the 'Emerald Necklace', the network of parks spans over 25,000 acres (10,000 ha) and includes over 300 miles (480 km) of walking, bicycle, and horse trails as well as numerous picnic areas, nature education centers, golf courses, and countless fishing spots. In addition, the district includes the zoo in Cleveland. Four of the reservations are adjacent to Cuyahoga Valley National Park.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amherst Township, Ohio</span> Township in Ohio, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Columbia Township, Meigs County, Ohio</span> Township in Ohio, United States

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">North Olmsted, Ohio</span> City in Ohio, United States

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References

  1. 1 2 "U.S. Gazetteer Files: 2019: County Subdivisions: Ohio". U.S. Census Bureau Geography Division. Retrieved July 29, 2020.
  2. 1 2 "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  3. "Columbia township, Lorain County, Ohio - Census Bureau Profile". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 17, 2023.
  4. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  5. History of Lorain County, Ohio (1879)
  6. "Ohio History Central – Cleveland Stone Company" . Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  7. "Olmstead Falls and Surrounding Quarries". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  8. "Tornado Track Across Lorain and Cuyahoga Counties, Ohio". Fujita, et al, Monthly Weather Review, 1970. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  9. "Columbia Twp. celebrates bicentennial". The Plain Dealer. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved August 22, 2009.
  10. §503.24, §505.01, and §507.01 of the Ohio Revised Code. Accessed 30 April 2009.
  11. "Locations & Hours". Lorain Public Library. Retrieved February 26, 2018.
  12. "Columbia Reservation". Lorain County Metroparks. Archived from the original on July 14, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  13. "Trails" (PDF). Lorain County Metroparks . Retrieved March 20, 2012.
  14. "February/March". Blackbrook Audubon Society. Archived from the original on November 20, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  15. "KBC – Columbia Reservation Field Trip – October 11, 2003". Kirtland Bird Club. Archived from the original on July 25, 2008. Retrieved January 12, 2009.
  16. Linebrink, Melissa (November 7, 2008). "Towns complete monumental effort to honor veterans". The Chronicle-Telegram. Elyria, Ohio . Retrieved January 11, 2009.[ dead link ]