Boardman Township, Mahoning County, Ohio
Boardman Township is one of the fourteen townships of Mahoning County, Ohio, United States. A suburb directly south of Youngstown, Boardman is one of two major retail hubs in the Mahoning Valley, the other being Niles. The 2020 census found 40,213 people in the township. The township is contiguous with the census-designated place of Boardman, Ohio as designated by the US Census Bureau. History. The community of Boardman was founded by Elijah Boardman, a land agent from Connecticut, in the late 1780s. The township was formally established in 1806, although the township government lists  it as 1805 on its seal, documents, and signage. It is the only Boardman Township statewide. Though the northern areas of Boardman are suburban spillover from Youngstown, Boardman was traditionally an agricultural community with grain crops and apple orchards. Around the turn of the century, the railroad led to Southern Park, a horse racing facility on Washington Boulevard. Thus the area was an early draw for Youngstown urbanites. Because of its agricultural nature and proximity to Youngstown, Boardman was ripe for strip development starting as early as 1950. Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., a shopping mall developer from Youngstown, began his  company in Boardman. Boardman Plaza on U.S. Route 224 was one of the first strip malls in the country. Established in 1950 by DeBartolo, the plaza had three full-service grocery stores within a few hundred feet of each other. Today one must travel at least to get the same food service. Later, circa 1970, DeBartolo opened the more contemporary Southern Park Mall near the intersection of US 224 and Market Street. Also around 1950, the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, one of the largest steel manufacturers in the country, opened a headquarters complex in Boardman across from the DeBartolo  Corporation. Here, a whole new "suburban" work environment was started; with a white shirt dress code, it was antiseptic and wholly removed from the dirt and grit of the steel mills farther north. When the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company closed in 1977, a large campus was left for others to develop. Today, the former headquarters is the center of numerous medical offices and facilities, a Dunkin' Donuts, and a branch of Youngstown State University. The fast food chain Arby's opened its first location in Boardman in 1964. The chain moved to a new building in the 1990s across  the street from the original building on Route 224 next to St. Charles Catholic Church where it currently operates. The Arby's is owned and operated by the now internationally known chain. The original building was occupied by a bird shop until 2021 and is now vacant. Geography. Centered at 41°2'20" North, 80°39'55" West in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships and municipalities: Several populated places are located within the original boundaries of Boardman Township: According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which  is land and , or 1.11%, is water. Demographics. According to the 2019 American Community Survey and 2020 census, there were 40,213 people, 17,477 households, and 10,171 families residing in the township. The population density was 660.3 people per sq. km. The racial makeup of the township was 83.5% White, 7.51% African American, 1.82% Asian, 0.16% American Indian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races, and 5.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.76% of the population. Economy. Boardman is a large, sprawling suburb. It is a busy community south of Youngstown composed of many  businesses. It is one of the main retail hubs of the Mahoning Valley. Its main competitor is the northern 422 "Strip" in Niles, a similar suburb of Warren. While much development is centered on the 224 corridor, a new area of development (even further south) is surging along the South Avenue artery which parallels the southern extension of Interstate 680 between its Midlothian and Western Reserve Road exits. Boardman abuts one of the Youngstown area's most popular attractions, Mill Creek Park. Within the park grounds, there is an rose garden, several small waterfalls, a lily pond with geese and  turtles, marshlands, and Lanterman's Mill, where grain is ground daily. In addition, there is a 36-hole golf course. 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. Education. The Boardman Local School District manages public education within most of the township and some surrounding areas. It consists of Boardman High School (grades 9–12), Boardman Glenwood Junior High School (grades 7–8), Boardman Center Intermediate School (grades 4–6), Robinwood Lane Elementary School, Stadium Drive Elementary School, and West Boulevard Elementary School (all K–3). Certain outlying areas of the township are managed by the Canfield Local School District or the Poland Local School District. Boardman has  a public library, a branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.