The Center for Community Solutions is proud to release the 2024 Fact Sheets and Data Profiles for the Municipalities of Cuyahoga County, Geauga County, and Lake County! These nearly two hundred data-rich documents have a wealth of information on regional demographics, health outcomes, economic indicators, and built environment insights. A quick reminder:
- Fact Sheets are flashy and to the point
- Data Profiles have more information and are spartan in design
- Each geography gets both!
But now is probably a good of time as any to clear up a few things… No, a holler isn’t a municipality, Ohio doesn’t really do hamlets, and these new Fact Sheets are technically County Subdivisions. This gets a little dry here, but if you clicked on an article about what a municipality is, then maybe you’ll find this as interesting as I do.
City vs Village vs Township
County Subdivisions are the Census’ primary tool for dividing up counties into meaningful smaller geographies. Depending on the state, all County Subdivisions fall into two buckets; Minor Civil Divisions and Census County Divisions.
Minor Civil Divisions are legal boundaries within counties that engage in a wide array of governmental/administrative functions, while Census County Divisions are statistical areas that have no legal nor governmental function. Ohio is one of 29 states in which the census recognizes Minor Civil Divisions, which specifically represent the Cities, Townships, and Villages that make up our counties. Occasionally (and confusingly) these subdivisions can cross county lines. In the case of these new fact sheets, only one County Subdivision, Hunting Valley Village, crossed both Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties.
County Subdivisions with more than 5,000 residents is a CITY. A subdivision with less than 5,000 residents is a VILLAGE. Any region that does not fall within a City or a Village is considered a TOWNSHIP.
In Ohio, a County Subdivision with more than 5,000 residents is a CITY. A subdivision with less than 5,000 residents is a VILLAGE. Any region that does not fall within a City or a Village is considered a TOWNSHIP. All these Subdivisions have their own localized division of government that provides some level of services.
But here’s the catch. Per Ohio Law, Townships aren’t technically considered municipalities, which is why it’s a misnomer to call these Fact Sheets municipalities. But according to the Ohio Township Association, Townships have a long history in the State of Ohio—and are celebrated every February 1st on Ohio Township Day! Townships also include 16 of the 19 County Subdivisions in Geauga County, and 5 of the 18 Subdivisions in Lake County, so to not include them in this fact sheet release because they aren’t municipalities would be unreasonable.
While only two of the 58 subdivisions in Cuyahoga County are townships (Chagrin Falls and Olmstead Township), while researching this piece I came across a fascinating Wikipedia article on the 19 defunct townships of Cuyahoga County!
Explore the Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake County fact sheets and data profiles
If you’ve made it this far, you’re now fully equipped with more knowledge than necessary to go learn all about the Municipalities (County Subdivisions) of Cuyahoga, Geauga, and Lake Counties!
Seriously, stop what you’re doing and go explore the data from your City, Village, or Township!
