A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to a county. The term town is used in New England, New York and Wisconsin to refer to the equivalent of the civil township in these states. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both, the boundaries often coincide, and may completely geographically subdivide a county. The U.S. Census Bureau classifies civil townships as minor civil divisions.
Township functions are generally attended to by a governing board (the name varies from state to state) and a clerk or trustee. Township officers frequently include justice of the peace, road commissioner, assessor, constable, and surveyor. In the 20th century many townships also added a township administrator or supervisor to the officers as an executive for the board. In some cases townships run local libraries, senior citizen services, youth services, disabled citizen services, emergency assistance, and even cemetery services.
Read more about Civil Township: Midwestern, Central and Western States, Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Northeastern States, Southern States
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—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882)
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—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)