Painesville Township, Ohio

Painesville Township, Lake County, Ohio
Township
The Casement House, a historic site in the township
Location of Painesville Township in Lake County
Coordinates: 41°43′44″N 81°15′35″W / 41.72889°N 81.25972°W / 41.72889; -81.25972Coordinates: 41°43′44″N 81°15′35″W / 41.72889°N 81.25972°W / 41.72889; -81.25972
Country	United States
State	Ohio
County	Lake
Area
• Total	177.7 sq mi (460.2 km2)
• Land	17.0 sq mi (44.1 km2)
• Water	160.6 sq mi (416.1 km2)
Elevation	705 ft (215 m)
Population (2000)
• Total	18,562
• Density	1,089.1/sq mi (420.5/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
• Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	44077
Area code(s)	440
FIPS code	39-59430
GNIS feature ID	1086429

Painesville Township, located in Greater Cleveland, is one of the five townships in Lake County, Ohio, United States. It is included in the Northeast Ohio Region, the 15th largest Combined Statistical Area in the United States. The population was 20,399 people in the 2010 census,

Long occupied by various native Indian tribes, this area was not settled by European Americans in any number until after the Revolutionary War. Early on, this land was considered part of the Connecticut Western Reserve. General Edward Paine (1746–1841), who had served as a captain in the Connecticut militia during the war, arrived in 1800 with a party of sixty-six settlers. General Paine later represented the region in the territorial legislature of the Northwest Territory.

Lake County was established on March 6, 1840, from land given by Cuyahoga and Geauga Counties, and derived its name based upon its location on the southern shore of Lake Erie. The county seat, Painesville city was named after General Paine and the county was divided up further with the creation of Perry, Leroy, Painesville, Mentor, Kirtland, and Concord Townships.

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Painesville Township contains four major disjunct sections. Located in the northern part of the county along Lake Erie, it borders the following townships and city:

Several municipalities are located in Painesville Township:

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. Painesville Township has voted on several occasions on whether or not to merge with Painesville City. The township has voted to stay independent of the city primarily to maintain its lower real estate tax structure and support its separate school system.