Northampton Township, Summit County, Ohio
Encyclopedia
Northampton was one of the 16 original townships in Summit County, Ohio
Summit County, Ohio
Summit County is an urban county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 542,899. In the 2010 Census the population was 541,781. Its county seat is Akron...

. It was in the middle of Summit County, bordering Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...

 and Cuyahoga Falls
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,374 people, 21,655 households, and 13,317 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,932.9 people per square mile . There were 22,727 housing units at an average density of 889.7 per square mile...

. No incorporated areas were formed within the township but Akron
Akron, Ohio
Akron , is the fifth largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Summit County. It is located in the Great Lakes region approximately south of Lake Erie along the Little Cuyahoga River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 199,110. The Akron Metropolitan...

 and Cuyahoga Falls
Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio
As of the census of 2000, there were 49,374 people, 21,655 households, and 13,317 families residing in the city. The population density was 1,932.9 people per square mile . There were 22,727 housing units at an average density of 889.7 per square mile...

 expanded into Northamption via annexation. In 1986, Northampton Township merged with Cuyahoga Falls, the first time a township and city merged in 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...

. When created it occupied survey Town 3, Range 11 in the Western Reserve and was about 25 square miles (64.7 km²) in area. Its first settler, Simeon Prior named the township for the Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Hampshire County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 152,251 people, 55,991 households, and 33,818 families residing in the county. The population density was 288 people per square mile . There were 58,644 housing units at an average density of 111 per square mile...

 village of Northampton
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...

.

Geography

Northampton was originally bounded by Portage Township
Portage Township, Summit County, Ohio
Portage Township was one of the 16 original townships in Summit County, Ohio. It was in the middle of Summit County, containing Akron and Cuyahoga Falls and earlier part of Middlebury. Eventually it was absorbed by Akron and Cuyahoga Falls and ceased to exist. When created it occupied survey Town...

 on the south, Bath Township
Bath Township, Summit County, Ohio
Bath Township is one of the nine townships of Summit County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 9,635 people in the township.-Geography:Located in the western part of the county, it borders the following townships and cities:...

 on the west, Boston Township
Boston Township, Summit County, Ohio
Boston Township is one of the nine townships of Summit County, Ohio, United States. The 2000 census found 1,664 people in the township, 1,062 of whom lived in the unincorporated portions of the township.-Geography:...

 to the north and Stow Township to the east. At the time of its merger with Cuyahoga Falls it was bordered by Akron to the south, the city of 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...

 to the east and Cuyahoga Falls to the southeast.

History

The Ottawa
Ottawa (tribe)
The Odawa or Ottawa, said to mean "traders," are a Native American and First Nations people. They are one of the Anishinaabeg, related to but distinct from the Ojibwe nation. Their original homelands are located on Manitoulin Island, near the northern shores of Lake Huron, on the Bruce Peninsula in...

 and Mingo
Mingo
The Mingo are an Iroquoian group of Native Americans made up of peoples who migrated west to the Ohio Country in the mid-eighteenth century. Anglo-Americans called these migrants mingos, a corruption of mingwe, an Eastern Algonquian name for Iroquoian-language groups in general. Mingos have also...

 tribes hunted in Northampton before Europeans arrived. (Grant, 1891). The first white settler in Northampton was Simeon Prior, who moved there with his wife and ten children from Northampton, Massachusetts
Northampton, Massachusetts
The city of Northampton is the county seat of Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population of Northampton's central neighborhoods, was 28,549...

 in 1802. Native Americans still lived in the township and remained there until 1812 when American forces began to assemble there for the War of 1812
War of 1812
The War of 1812 was a military conflict fought between the forces of the United States of America and those of the British Empire. The Americans declared war in 1812 for several reasons, including trade restrictions because of Britain's ongoing war with France, impressment of American merchant...

. Northampton provided a rendezvous point for militia during the war and the two (Grant, 1891) or three (Doyle, 1908) vessels of Oliver Hazard Perry
Oliver Hazard Perry
United States Navy Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry was born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island , the son of USN Captain Christopher Raymond Perry and Sarah Wallace Alexander, a direct descendant of William Wallace...

's fleet were built in the township and floated down the Cuyahoga River
Cuyahoga River
The Cuyahoga River is located in Northeast Ohio in the United States. Outside of Ohio, the river is most famous for being "the river that caught fire", helping to spur the environmental movement in the late 1960s...

 to Lake Erie
Lake Erie
Lake Erie is the fourth largest lake of the five Great Lakes in North America, and the tenth largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has the shortest average water residence time. It is bounded on the north by the...

.

In 1986 Northampton merged with Cuyahoga Falls. Both Akron and Cuyahoga Falls had been annexing the southern part of the township. Also, a major portion of the township had been purchased by the Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (now the Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Cuyahoga Valley National Park
Cuyahoga Valley National Park preserves and reclaims the rural landscape along the Cuyahoga River between Akron and Cleveland in Northeast Ohio. The park is the only national park in Ohio.Cuyahoga means "crooked river" in Mohawk....

), reducing the tax base. The residents of Northampton chose to join with Cuyahoga Falls so that their future would be settled. The township became Ward 8 in Cuyahoga Falls and kept special zoning to preserve some of its rural nature.

Annexation of parts of Northampton by Akron had left an irregular border between the two communities, including several islands inside Akron. Akron and Cuyahoga Falls tried to work out a land swap to smooth out the borders. They came up with a plan but it was never approved. The two cities have a joint fire station, though, that covers part of both communities.

Counties

Northampton Township's land has been in the following counties: (Author unknown, 1999-2005)
  • 1788 - Washington
    Washington County, Ohio
    Washington County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of the 2010 census, the population was 61,778. Its county seat is Marietta. The county, the oldest in the state, is named for George Washington. Washington County is included in the Parkersburg-Marietta-Vienna, West Virginia-Ohio...

  • 1797 - Jefferson
    Jefferson County, Ohio
    Jefferson County is a county located in the state of Ohio. As of 2010, the population was 69,709. Its county seat is Steubenville and is named for Thomas Jefferson, who was at the time Vice President....

  • 1800 - Trumbull
    Trumbull County, Ohio
    As of the census of 2000, there were 225,116 people, 89,020 households, and 61,690 families residing in the county. The population density was 365 people per square mile . There were 95,117 housing units at an average density of 154 per square mile...

  • 1808 - Portage
    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...

  • 1840 - Summit
    Summit County, Ohio
    Summit County is an urban county located in the state of Ohio, United States. As of the 2000 census, the population was 542,899. In the 2010 Census the population was 541,781. Its county seat is Akron...


Transportation

Northampton was served by Route 8
Ohio State Highway 8
State Route 8 is a road in the U.S. state of Ohio. SR 8 stretches from the eastern junction of I-76 and I-77 in Akron to Public Square in Cleveland. The route's first few miles are as a limited-access freeway from I-76 and I-77, heading north...

, which originally went up Akron-Cleveland Road (now State Road). With Route 8 being moved to a divided highway to the east, the area is no longer served by any state highways.

Schools

The area of Northampton is mostly served by the Woodridge Local School District, with parts also served by the Revere Local School District
Revere Local School District, Summit County, Ohio
The Revere Local School District, "The National School of Excellence" is located directly between Bath, Ohio and Richfield Village, Ohio. The District is broken up into four schools, Revere High School, Revere Middle School, Bath Elementary School, and Hillcrest Elementary School...

. It is also served by the Cuyahoga Valley Joint Vocational School District.

Hamlets

  • Botzum
    Botzum, Ohio
    Botzum was a hamlet in Northampton Township, Summit County, Ohio around what is now the intersection of Bath and Riverview Roads in Akron and Cuyahoga Falls....

     (Niles)
  • East Steels Corners
  • French's Mill (Doyle, 1908)
  • Iron Bridge
  • McArthur's Corners (Doyle, 1908)
  • Northampton Center
  • Old Portage
  • West Steels Corners
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