Boardman Township, Ohio | |
|---|---|
 St. James Episcopal Church in Boardman Park, built in 1828 | |
 Seal | |
| Motto: "A Nice Place to Call Home" | |
 Location of Boardman Township in Mahoning County | |
| Coordinates:41°2′4″N80°39′38″W / 41.03444°N 80.66056°W /41.03444; -80.66056 | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Ohio |
| County | Mahoning |
| Government | |
| • Type | Board of Trustees[1] |
| • Board members | Brad Calhoun Tom Costello Larry Moliterno |
| • Administrator | Jason Loree[1] |
| Area | |
• Total | 23.8 sq mi (61.6 km2) |
| • Land | 23.5 sq mi (60.9 km2) |
| • Water | 0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2) |
| Elevation | 1,056 ft (322 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 40,213 |
| • Density | 1,710/sq mi (660.3/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5 (Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4 (EDT) |
| ZIP codes | 44511–44513 |
| Area codes | 234/330 |
| FIPS code | 39-07468[3] |
| GNIS feature ID | 1086558[2] |
| Website | boardmantwp |
Boardman Township is one of the fourteentownships ofMahoning County, Ohio, United States. The population was 40,213 at the2020 census.[4] It is asuburb directly south ofYoungstown and the second-largest municipality in theYoungstown–Warren metropolitan area. Home toSouthern Park Mall, Boardman is a major retail hub in the region and is known for being the location of the firstArby's restaurant.[5]
Boardman was founded byElijah Boardman, a land agent of theConnecticut Land Company[6] and laterU.S. Senator, in the late 1790s as township 1, range 2 within theConnecticut Western Reserve.[7] The township was formally established in 1806, although the township government lists it as 1805 on its seal, documents, and signage. It is the only Boardman Township statewide. Boardman was traditionally anagricultural community with grain crops and apple orchards throughout the 19th century. Around the turn of the century, the railroad led to Southern Park, a horse racing facility on Washington Boulevard. Thus, the area was an early draw forYoungstown urbanites. Because of its agricultural nature and proximity to Youngstown, Boardman was ripe forstrip development starting as early as 1950. Around this time, the northern areas of the township were developed intosuburban spillover from Youngstown's south side.
Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., ashopping mall developer from Youngstown, began his company in Boardman. Boardman Plaza onU.S. Route 224 was one of the firststrip malls in the country.[8] Established in 1950 by DeBartolo, the plaza had three full-servicegrocery stores within a few hundred feet of each other. In 1970, DeBartolo opened the more contemporarySouthern Park Mall near the intersection of US 224 and Market Street.[8]
Also around 1950, theYoungstown Sheet and Tube Company, one of the largeststeel manufacturers in the country, opened a headquarters complex in Boardman across from the DeBartolo Corporation. When the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company closed in 1977, a large campus was left for others to develop. Today, the former headquarters is the center of the Southwoods Health medical campus as well as a branch ofYoungstown State University and various restaurants.[9]
Thefast food chainArby's opened its first location in Boardman in 1964.[5] Directly owned and operated by the corporation, the restaurant moved to a new building in the 1990s across the street from the original building on US 224. The original building was occupied by a bird shop until 2021 and is now vacant.[10]
The township has numerous listings on theNational Register of Historic Places, includingSt. James Episcopal Church, the oldest structure in the township,Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Southern Park Stable, the Forest Glen Estates Historic District, theMill Creek Park Historic District, and theNewport Village Historic District.
Centered at 41°2'20" North, 80°39'55" West in the central part of the county, it borders the following townships and municipalities:
There are no incorporated communities within Boardman Township, although a portion of it was formerly listed as thecensus-designated place of Boardman until 2020. Parts of the village ofPoland in the east and the city ofYoungstown in the northeast occupy areas originally zoned to Boardman Township.[11] Within Boardman, there are numerous neighborhoods, including theNewport Village Historic District.
According to theUnited States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.8 square miles (61.6 km2), of which 23.5 square miles (60.9 km2) is land and 0.27 square miles (0.7 km2), or 1.11%, is water.[12]
| Census | Pop. | Note | %± |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1850 | 1,026 | — | |
| 1860 | 916 | −10.7% | |
| 1870 | 817 | −10.8% | |
| 1880 | 900 | 10.2% | |
| 1890 | 1,002 | 11.3% | |
| 1900 | 936 | −6.6% | |
| 1910 | 1,104 | 17.9% | |
| 1920 | 2,836 | 156.9% | |
| 1930 | 5,456 | 92.4% | |
| 1940 | 7,881 | 44.4% | |
| 1950 | 13,606 | 72.6% | |
| 1960 | 27,379 | 101.2% | |
| 1970 | 30,852 | 12.7% | |
| 1980 | 39,161 | 26.9% | |
| 1990 | 41,796 | 6.7% | |
| 2000 | 42,518 | 1.7% | |
| 2010 | 40,889 | −3.8% | |
| 2020 | 40,213 | −1.7% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census Census - Geography Profile | |||
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According to the 2019American Community Survey and2020 census,[13] there were 40,213 people, 17,477 households, and 10,171 families residing in the township. The population density was 660.3 people per sq. km. The racial makeup of the township was 83.5%White, 7.51%African American, 1.82%Asian, 0.16%American Indian, 0.02%Pacific Islander, 1.23% from other races, and 5.72% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.76% of the population.
Boardman is a large, sprawlingsuburb. It is a busy community south of Youngstown composed of many businesses, being one of the mainretail hubs of theMahoning Valley along with theU.S. Route 422 "Strip" inNiles, Ohio.
The primary corridor of development is alongU.S. Route 224, with commercial space along almost the entirety of the township's length of the road except a portion zoned toMill Creek Park.[14][15] Running north-south,Ohio State Route 7 is also a primary artery of commercial development, with important centers such as the St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital located along this route.[14] At the intersection of Routes 7 and 224 liesSouthern Park Mall, which is the largest single shopping destination in Mahoning County.[16] Furthermore, new development is located along the South Avenue artery which parallels the southern extension ofInterstate 680 between its Midlothian and Western Reserve Road exits.[14] The location of Boardman at the meeting point of several major local roadways allows it to be a center of commercial activity amongst the southern suburbs of the Youngstown–Warren area.[17]
Boardman abuts one of the Youngstown area's most popular attractions,Mill Creek Park. Within the park grounds, there is an 11-acre (45,000 m2) rose garden, several small waterfalls, a lily pond with geese and turtles, marshlands, and Lanterman's Mill, where grain is ground daily. In addition, there is a 36-hole golf course.
The township is governed by a three-memberboard 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,[18] 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. The board employs a township administrator for day-to-day administration of township services. As of 2025, the members of the board of trustees are Brad Calhoun, Tom Costello, and Larry Moliterno, and the township administrator is Jason Loree.[1]
TheBoardman Local School District manages public education within most of the township and some surrounding areas. It consists ofBoardman High School (grades 9–12), Boardman Glenwood Junior High School (grades 7–8),[19] Boardman Center Intermediate School (grades 4–6),[19] Robinwood Lane Elementary School, Stadium Drive Elementary School, and West Boulevard Elementary School (all K–3). Certain outlying areas of the township are managed by the Canfield Local School District, the Poland Local School District, and theYoungstown City School District.[20][21]
Boardman is also home to aprivate school, namely theCatholic St. Charles School (grades K-8), although further private schools exist in neighborhoods of Youngstown that abut Boardman such asValley Christian School (grades K-12) and theMontessori School of the Mahoning Valley (grades K-8).
Boardman has a public library, a branch of thePublic Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County.[22]
Located in Boardman is also theBoardman Training Center, a post-secondary education facility that focuses on preparing students for healthcare certifications in months.
Municipalities and communities ofMahoning County, Ohio,United States | ||
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| Cities |  | |
| Villages | ||
| Townships | ||
| CDPs | ||
| Other communities | ||
| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |