Pike Township, Stark County, Ohio

Pike Township, Stark County, Ohio
Township
Log building
Location of Pike Township in Stark County
Coordinates: 40°41′19″N81°21′40″W / 40.68861°N 81.36111°W / 40.68861; -81.36111
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Stark
Area
• Total	31.9 sq mi (82.5 km2)
• Land	31.8 sq mi (82.4 km2)
• Water	0.1 sq mi (0.1 km2)
Elevation [1]	1,119 ft (341 m)
Population  (2020)
• Total	3,818
• Density	120/sq mi (46.3/km2)
Time zone	UTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
• Summer (DST)	UTC-4 (EDT)
FIPS code	39-62694 [2]
GNIS feature ID	1086987 [1]

Pike Township is one of the seventeen townships of Stark County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 3,818 people in the township, 3,069 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township. ^[3]

Geography

Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Canton Township - north
• Osnaburg Township - northeast corner
• Sandy Township - east
• Rose Township, Carroll County - southeast corner
• Sandy Township, Tuscarawas County - south
• Lawrence Township, Tuscarawas County - southwest
• Bethlehem Township - west
• Perry Township - northwest corner

The village of East Sparta is located in southeastern Pike Township.

Name and history

In 1806, George Young and his wife Catherine moved to what is now known as East Sparta, becoming the first permanent settlers of Pike Township. ^[4] However, there are inconstancies in government and family records that instead put him in Pike in 1800, which would make him the first settler of Stark County.

In 1815, the township was named after Zebulon Pike. ^[4] It is one of eight Pike Townships statewide. ^[5]

Government

Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1820	883		—
1830	1,273		44.2%
1840	1,409		10.7%
1850	1,447		2.7%
1860	1,398		−3.4%
1870	1,333		−4.6%
1880	1,514		13.6%
1890	1,604		5.9%
1900	1,491		−7.0%
1910	1,272		−14.7%
1920	1,584		24.5%
1930	2,043		29.0%
1940	2,272		11.2%
1950	2,828		24.5%
1960	3,523		24.6%
1970	4,027		14.3%
1990	3,931		—
2000	4,088		4.0%
2010	3,961		−3.1%
2020	3,818		−3.6%
[6]

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, ^[7] 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.

References

1. "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
2. "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau . Retrieved January 31, 2008.
3. Ohio Department of Development
4. "Pike Township History". Pike Township Trustees. 2003. Archived from the original on October 24, 2010.
5. "Detailed map of Ohio" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
6. census data: 1820 : 1820 page 137, 1830 : Kilbourn, John (1831). The Ohio gazetteer: or, Topographical dictionary: describing the several ... in the State of Ohio. self. p. 332., 1840, 1880 : Howe, Henry (1907). Historical Collections of Ohio, The Ohio Centennial Edition. The State of Ohio. p. 285., 1850, 1860, 1870 : 1870 page 35, 1890, 1900 : Hunt, William C. (1901). Population of the United States by states and territories, counties, and minor Civil Divisions, as returned at the Twelfth Census: 1900. United States Census Printing Office. p. 318., 1910, 1920, 1930 : 1930 page 56, 1940, 1950 : 1950 page 21, 1960, 1970 : 1970 page 135, 1990 : 1990 , 2000 : 2000 , 2010 : Ohio Department of Development Archived 2011-06-27 at the Wayback Machine , 2020 : 2020
7. §503.24, §505.01, and §507.01 of the Ohio Revised Code. Accessed 4/30/2009.

External links

• Township website
• County website