Copley Township, Ohio
Township
Location in Summit County and the state of Ohio.
Location in Summit County and the state of Ohio.
Coordinates: 41°6′N 81°38′W / 41.100°N 81.633°W / 41.100; -81.633
CountryUnited States
StateOhio
CountySummit
Area
 • Total20.8 sq mi (53.8 km2)
 • Land20.4 sq mi (52.9 km2)
 • Water0.3 sq mi (0.9 km2)
Elevation
[1]
1,004 ft (306 m)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total18,403
 • Density902.1/sq mi (347.9/km2)
Time zoneUTC-5 (Eastern (EST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-4 (EDT)
ZIP code
44321
Area code330
FIPS code[3]
GNIS feature ID[1]
WebsiteTownship website

Copley Township is one of the nine townships of Summit County, Ohio, United States. The 2020 census found 18,403 people in the township.

Geography

Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:

Several populated places are located in Copley Township:

Parts of the original Copley Township are now in Akron or Fairlawn.

A formerly rural township located west of the county seat of Akron, Copley Township has become increasingly suburban over the last few decades.

Name and history

It is the only Copley Township statewide.[4]

Copley was originally called Greenfield, after Gardiner Green (son-in-law of painter John Singleton Copley[5]), who owned a large portion of the township. Later on he changed the name to Copley, the maiden name of his wife.[6]

Fairlawn was founded as a hamlet in Copley in 1891 when the Northern Ohio Railway was built. As of 1908 it had a mill, general store, a blacksmith, and other businesses.[7]

On August 7, 2011, a series of shootings occurred in Copley Township which resulted in the deaths of 7 people, and the injury of another. The perpetrator, Michael E. Hance, was shot and killed by rifle by Copley Township police officer Ben Campbell, who received the call while off-duty.

Economy

Western border of Copley Township

Copley Township's economy is based on several strip malls, chemical plants, and agricultural businesses. The rest of the township is dotted with farms and subdivisions.

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,[8] 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.

Notable natives and residents

Education

The school system in the township is shared with Fairlawn and has a set of three elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school, Copley High School.

Superfund

In 1990, Copley Square Plaza was designated a superfund site after tetrachloroethylene and other contaminates from a dry cleaners were found in the soil.[9]

References

  1. 1 2 "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. October 25, 2007. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. ↑ "Copley township, Summit County, Ohio - Census Bureau Profile". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved August 24, 2023.
  3. ↑ "U.S. Census website". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  4. ↑ "Detailed map of Ohio" (PDF). United States Census Bureau. 2000. Retrieved February 16, 2007.
  5. ↑ "Gardiner Greene". geni_family_tree. Retrieved September 20, 2022.
  6. ↑ Overman, William Daniel (1958). Ohio Town Names. Akron, OH: Atlantic Press. p. 34.
  7. ↑ Doyle, William B. (1908). Centennial History of Summit County, Ohio and Representative Citizens. Chicago, Ill.: Biographical Publishing Company. p. 102. When the Northern Ohio Railroad was built, in 1891, it gave Copley an outlet, and was the means of starting a new hamlet -- Fairlawn, which now boasts a mill, general store, smithy, etc.
  8. ↑ §503.24, §505.01, and §507.01 of the Ohio Revised Code. Accessed April 30, 2009.
  9. ↑ NPL Site Narrative for Copley Square Plaza, NPL, Superfund, US EPA:
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