Bern Township is one of the fourteen townships

Civil township

A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...

 of Athens County

Athens County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 62,223 people, 22,501 households, and 12,713 families residing in the county. The population density was 123 people per square mile . There were 24,901 housing units at an average density of 49 per square mile...

, Ohio

Ohio

Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. The 2000 census

United States Census, 2000

The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

 found 519 people in the township.

Geography

Located in the northeastern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Marion Township, Morgan County
  Marion Township, Morgan County, Ohio
  Marion Township is one of the fourteen townships of Morgan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,336 people in the township, 1,031 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Wesley Township, Washington County
  Wesley Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Wesley Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 915 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the far western part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - east
• Decatur Township, Washington County
  Decatur Township, Washington County, Ohio
  Decatur Township is one of the twenty-two townships of Washington County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,181 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - southeast corner
• Rome Township
  Rome Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Rome Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,400 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:*Bern Township - north...
  
   - south
• Canaan Township
  Canaan Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Canaan Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,780 people in the township, 1,472 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest corner
• Ames Township
  Ames Township, Athens County, Ohio
  Ames Township is one of the fourteen townships of Athens County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,231 people in the township, 1,047 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west
• Homer Township, Morgan County
  Homer Township, Morgan County, Ohio
  Homer Township is one of the fourteen townships of Morgan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 976 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:*Union Township - north...
  
   - northwest corner

No municipalities are located in Bern Township, although the unincorporated community

Unincorporated area

In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...

 of Sharpsburg

Sharpsburg, Ohio

Sharpsburg is an unincorporated community in northwestern Bern Township, Athens County, Ohio, United States. Although it is unincorporated, it has a post office, with the ZIP code of 45777....

 lies in the township's northwest.

Name and history

It is the only Bern Township statewide, although there is a Berne Township

Berne Township, Fairfield County, Ohio

Berne Township is one of the thirteen townships of Fairfield County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 4,969 people in the township, 4,521 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

in Fairfield County.

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.