Jefferson Township is situated on the northeast edge of Franklin County,

Ohio Ohio () is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Of the List of states and territories of the United States, fifty U.S. states, it is the List of U.S. states and territories by area, 34th-l ...

as a part of the

Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451-1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, capital of the U.S. state of Ohio Columbus may also refer to: Places ...

metropolitan area and situated between the Blacklick Creek,

Big Walnut Creek Big Walnut Creek starts near Mount Gilead, Ohio in Morrow County. It flows south to eastern Delaware County and parallels Alum Creek. It passes to the east of Sunbury and into Hoover Reservoir, which then crosses into Franklin County. Fro ...

and Swisher Creek watershed. The township is one of the seventeen

townships A township is a kind of human settlement or administrative subdivision, with its meaning varying in different countries. Although the term is occasionally associated with an urban area, that tends to be an exception to the rule. In Australia, C ...

of Franklin County, Ohio, United States. The 2010 census found 10,972 people in the township, 10,234 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township. It was established on September 6, 1816.

Geography

Located in the eastern part of the county, Jefferson Township consists of a large section and many small "islands". Most of these islands are surrounded by either

Gahanna Gahanna ( ) is a city situated in northeast Franklin County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb of Columbus. The population was 35,726 at the 2020 census. It was founded in 1849. History Gahanna was founded along the Big Walnut Creek in 18 ...

, cities that have annexed most of the western and southern parts of the township. The large section borders the following townships and cities: * Plain Township – north * Jersey Township, Licking County – northeast corner * Pataskala – east * New Albany – northwest * Reynoldsburg – south Besides Gahanna and Columbus, the

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

of Blacklick lies in the southern part of the township. Blacklick Creek and its associated tributaries of its watershed such as Swisher Creek flow through Jefferson Township.

is also to the west of the township while some of its tributaries such as Rocky Fork Creek travel through the western part of Jefferson Township. This has caused the topography in the township to be more varied then some of the surrounding areas from the resulting from these stream corridors, hills, ravines, and slopes much of it associated with the waterways, tributaries, and floodplain that Jefferson Township is in from Rocky Fork, Blacklick, and Swisher Creeks

Climate

The

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

subtype for this climate is " Dfa" (Hot Summer Continental Climate). This climate type is assessed as a Humid continental climate, which is a climatic region typified by large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and sometimes humid) summers and cold (sometimes severely cold) winters.

Name and history

The area of the

Scioto River The Scioto River ( ) is a river in central and southern Ohio more than in length. It rises in Hardin County just north of Roundhead, Ohio, flows through Columbus, Ohio, where it collects its largest tributary, the Olentangy River, and meets t ...

Olentangy River The Olentangy River is a tributary of the Scioto River in Ohio, United States. History It was originally called ''keenhongsheconsepung'', a Delaware word literally translated as "sharp tool river", based on the shale found along its sh ...

watershed, south to the Ohio River area have been inhabited by the Adena people more than 2000 years ago. Two

earthworks Earthworks may refer to: Construction *Earthworks (archaeology), human-made constructions that modify the land contour *Earthworks (engineering), civil engineering works created by moving or processing quantities of soil *Earthworks (military), mi ...

from mound builders cultures have been found in Jefferson Township and new ones continue to be found in the area around the township to this day. The first settlement in what became Jefferson Township by settlers of European descent was established in 1802 or 1803 after beneficiaries of land grants for service in the Revolutionary War began to occupy and farm the area. Jefferson Township was established on September 6, 1816. In 1840, Jefferson Township contained 1,040 inhabitants. By 1850, it had only grown to 1,236. It is one of twenty-four Jefferson Townships statewide. In 2003 Jefferson Township was granted

Ohio Scenic Byway A scenic Byway in Ohio can be any interstate, national highway, state highway, County road, municipal street, or Township road in the State of Ohio as designated by the director of transportation. Byways References External links Ohio Scen ...

status by ODOT and the township actively manages and protects the historic character of the 15 miles of the Jefferson Township Scenic Byways corridor. The most recent management plan was done in 2015.

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, 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. Jefferson Township established its own Water and Sewer district independent of Franklin County, Columbus or Gahanna, unlike most townships locally. Jefferson Water and Sewer District or JWSD was created in 1987. The majority of the township is in the Gahanna-Jefferson Public School District with some additional parts in the boundaries of Columbus, Licking Heights, and Reynoldsburg Unified School Districts as well. Jefferson Township is split between the US Congressional Districts: OH-3, OH-12. It is in

Ohio's 3rd senatorial district Ohio's 3rd senatorial district has historically spanned vast portions of central Ohio from the Miami Valley to the Scioto Valley, but currently encompasses approximately a third of Franklin County. It encompasses Ohio House districts 17, 19 ...

, and its Ohio State House Districts are OH-19 and OH-20.

References

External links

Township websiteCounty website
{{authority control Townships in Franklin County, Ohio Townships in Ohio