The census-designated place of Boardman, all the rest of the township except the southeastern and southwestern corners
According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of, of which is land and, or 1.11%, is water.
Name and history
Boardman was established in 1806, and named after Elijah Boardman, a land agent. It is the only Boardman Township statewide. Though the northern areas of Boardman are suburban spillover from Youngstown, Boardman was traditionally an agricultural community with grain crops and apple orchards. 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 for Youngstown urbanites. Because of its agricultural nature, Boardman was ripe for strip development starting as early as 1950.
A mall and more
One person who made a huge mark in the area was Edward DeBartolo, Sr., who is best remembered as the father ofthe Americanshopping mall. It moved from Youngstown to make its headquarters in Boardman. After DeBartolo's death in 1994, the malls were acquired by Simon Realty of Indianapolis. Boardman Plaza on U.S. Route 224 was one of the first strip malls in the country. Established in 1950 by DeBartolo, the Plaza had three full-service grocery stores within a few hundred feet of each other. Today one must travel at least three miles to get the same food service. Later, circa 1970, DeBartolo opened the more contemporary Southern Park Mall, near the intersection of US 224 and Market Street. The fast food chainArby's opened its first location in Boardman in 1964. The store remains open on Route 224 next to the St. Charles Catholic School, and the Arby's is currently owned and operated by the now internationally-known chain. Also around 1950, the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company, one of the great steel makers in the country, opened a modern new suburban headquarters in Boardman. Here, a whole new "suburban" work environment was started; with a white shirt dress code, it was antiseptic and wholly removed from the dirt and grit of the Mahoning Valley farther north. When Youngstown Sheet and Tube closed around 1980, a nice campus was left for others to develop. Today, the former headquarters is the center of many medical offices and a branch of Youngstown State University. Bernie Kosar, the former Cleveland Brownsquarterback, grew up in Boardman. Kosar's eight-year career with the Browns made him one of the most popular football players in Ohio history.
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.
