Brimfield Township is one of the eighteen 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 Portage County

Portage County, Ohio

Portage County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 152,061 at the 2000 Census and 161,419 at the 2010 Census. Its county seat is Ravenna. Portage County is named for the portage between the Cuyahoga and Tuscarawas Rivers...

, 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 7,963 people in the township.

Geography

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

• Franklin Township
  Franklin Township, Portage County, Ohio
  Franklin Township is a civil township located in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeast Ohio on the western edge of the county. The 2000 census found 5,276 people in the township...
  
   - north
• Kent
  Kent, Ohio
  Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
  
   - north
• Ravenna Township
  Ravenna Township, Portage County, Ohio
  Ravenna Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 9,270 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the center of the county, it borders the following townships and city:...
  
   - northeast corner
• Rootstown Township
  Rootstown Township, Portage County, Ohio
  Rootstown Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 7,212 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - east
• Randolph Township
  Randolph Township, Portage County, Ohio
  Randolph Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,504 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - southeast corner
• Suffield Township
  Suffield Township, Portage County, Ohio
  Suffield Township is one of the eighteen townships of Portage County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 6,383 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships and municipalities:...
  
   - south
• Springfield Township, Summit County
  Springfield Township, Summit County, Ohio
  Springfield Township is one of the nine townships of Summit County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 15,168 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southeastern part of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:...
  
   - southwest corner
• Tallmadge
  Tallmadge, Ohio
  As of the census of 2000, there were 16,390 people, 6,273 households, and 4,711 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,173.9 people per square mile . There were 6,494 housing units at an average density of 465.1 per square mile...
  
   - west
• Stow
  Stow, Ohio
  Stow is a city in Summit County, Ohio, United States. The population was 32,139 at the 2000 census and 33,899 as of 2008. It is a suburban community that is part of the Akron metropolitan area. Stow is located adjacent to several other suburban communities in Summit and Portage Counties...
  
   - northwest corner

The census-designated place

Census-designated place

A census-designated place is a concentration of population identified by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes. CDPs are delineated for each decennial census as the statistical counterparts of incorporated places such as cities, towns and villages...

 of Brimfield

Brimfield, Ohio

Brimfield is a census-designated place in Portage County, Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the CDP had a population of 3,248. It is located in the central part of Brimfield Township , a rural area between the Ohio cities of Akron and Kent with light industry, strip-malls, subdivisions,...

 is located in the center of the township.

In addition, parts of two neighboring cities overflow into land that was once part of the township:

• Part of the city of Kent
  Kent, Ohio
  Kent is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the largest city in Portage County. It is located along the Cuyahoga River in Northeastern Ohio on the western edge of the county. The population was 27,906 at the 2000 United States Census and 28,904 in the 2010 Census...
  
  , in the north
• Part of the city of Tallmadge, in the west

Formed from Town 2, Range 9 of the Connecticut Western Reserve

Connecticut Western Reserve

The Connecticut Western Reserve was land claimed by Connecticut from 1662 to 1800 in the Northwest Territory in what is now northeastern Ohio.-History:...

, Brimfield Township covers a total area of 21.4 sq mi.

Name and history

Named for the town

New England town

The New England town is the basic unit of local government in each of the six New England states. Without a direct counterpart in most other U.S. states, New England towns are conceptually similar to civil townships in other states, but are incorporated, possessing powers like cities in other...

 of Brimfield

Brimfield, Massachusetts

Brimfield is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,609 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...

, Massachusetts

Massachusetts

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...

, it is the only Brimfield Township statewide. It was known by a succession of different names early in its existence, due mostly to the swampy land within its borders. It was known as Swamptown, Beartown, Greenbriar, and Wylestown, before town leaders agreed to name it "Thorndike" at the establishment of the township government in 1818 after Israel Thorndike, one of the original proprietors (along with John Wyles), who had agreed to donate land for a town square. Thorndike never followed through on his agreement, so residents petitioned to have the name changed to "Brimfield" in honor of John Wyles, Jr., who had inherited his father's land interests and at the time resided in Brimfield, Massachusetts.

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.