Clay 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 Auglaize County

Auglaize County, Ohio

As of the census of 2000, there were 46,611 people, 17,376 households, and 12,771 families residing in the county. The population density was 116 people per square mile . There were 18,470 housing units at an average density of 46 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 700 people in the township.

Geography

Located in the eastern part of the county, it borders the following townships:

• Union Township
  Union Township, Auglaize County, Ohio
  Union Township is one of the fourteen townships of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,870 people in the township, 1,614 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - north
• Goshen Township
  Goshen Township, Auglaize County, Ohio
  Goshen Township is one of the fourteen townships of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 523 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the eastern edge of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - northeast
• Stokes Township, Logan County
  Stokes Township, Logan County, Ohio
  Stokes Township is one of the seventeen townships of Logan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,367 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...
  
   - east
• Jackson Township, Shelby County
  Jackson Township, Shelby County, Ohio
  Jackson Township is one of the fourteen townships of Shelby County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 2,346 people in the township, 977 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - south
• Dinsmore Township, Shelby County
  Dinsmore Township, Shelby County, Ohio
  Dinsmore Township is one of the fourteen townships of Shelby County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 3,357 people in the township, 1,371 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - southwest corner
• Pusheta Township
  Pusheta Township, Auglaize County, Ohio
  Pusheta Township is one of the fourteen townships of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,346 people in the township, 1,295 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - west
• Duchouquet Township
  Duchouquet Township, Auglaize County, Ohio
  Duchouquet Township is one of the fourteen townships of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 14,329 people in the township, 3,111 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...
  
   - northwest corner

No municipalities are located in Clay Township, although several unincorporated communities

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...

 are located in the township:

• Geyer
  Geyer, Ohio
  Geyer is an unincorporated community in southwestern Clay Township, Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. Go to http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Geyer_Family_1912.jpgfor a picture of the Geyer family...
  
  , in the southwest
• Saint Johns
  Saint Johns, Ohio
  Saint Johns is a census-designated place located along the border between the Union and Clay Townships of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States.It is located between Indian Lake and Wapakoneta at the intersection of U.S. Route 33 and State Route 65...
  
  , along the northern border with Union Township
• Santa Fe
  Santa Fe, Ohio
  Santa Fe is an unincorporated community located on the border of Clay Township in Auglaize County and Stokes Township in Logan County, in the west central part of the U.S. state of Ohio....
  
  , along the southwestern border with Stokes Township, Logan County

Clay Township contains twenty-five square miles.

Name and history

It is one of nine Clay Townships statewide

Clay Township, Ohio

Clay Township, Ohio may refer to:*Clay Township, Auglaize County, Ohio*Clay Township, Gallia County, Ohio*Clay Township, Highland County, Ohio*Clay Township, Knox County, Ohio*Clay Township, Montgomery County, Ohio*Clay Township, Muskingum County, Ohio...

.

The township was formed in 1836, while still a part of Allen County

Allen County, Ohio

Allen County is a county located in the U.S. state of Ohio. Its population was 106,331 as of the 2010 census. It is included in the Lima, Ohio Metropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lima–Van Wert–Wapakoneta Combined Statistical Area....

.

The township was also involved in one of the last county border changes in Ohio. This change occurred in 1888 when part of Stokes Township

Stokes Township, Logan County, Ohio

Stokes Township is one of the seventeen townships of Logan County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 5,367 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the northwestern corner of the county, it borders the following townships:...

 in Logan County

Logan County, Ohio

Logan County is a county in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 45,858. The county seat is Bellefontaine. The county is named for Benjamin Logan, who fought Native Americans in the area....

 was exchanged to Clay Township for part of Goshen Township, Auglaize County, Ohio

Goshen Township, Auglaize County, Ohio

Goshen Township is one of the fourteen townships of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 523 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the southern part of the eastern edge of the county, it borders the following townships:...

.

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.

Public services

The Wapakoneta City School District encompasses a large part of the township, with small portions in the southeast served by the Jackson Center Local School District and the Indian Lake Local School District. The extreme northeastern section of the township is served by the Waynesfield-Goshen Local School District.

Most of the township is served by the Wapakoneta

Wapakoneta, Ohio

Wapakoneta is a city in and the county seat of Auglaize County, Ohio, United States with a population of 9,474 as of the 2000 U.S. census. It is the principal city of and is included in the Wapakoneta, Ohio Micropolitan S A, which is included in the Lima-Van Wert-Wapakoneta, Ohio CSA...

 (45895) post office, except for a small section in the south served by the Jackson Center

Jackson Center, Ohio

Jackson Center is a village in Shelby County, Ohio, United States. The population was 1,369 at the 2000 census. Since 1952, Jackson Center has been the home of the popular Airstream travel trailers and motor homes.-Geography:...

(45334) post office.