Boardman Township, Ohio Facts for Kids

Boardman Township is a community in Mahoning County, Ohio. It's like a big neighborhood or town. In 2020, about 40,213 people lived there. Boardman is just south of Youngstown. It is a major shopping area for the region.

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Discovering Boardman's Past

Newport Village Historic District, known for its Tudor Revival and Colonial Revival style buildings.

Boardman was founded in the late 1790s. It was named after Elijah Boardman, who was a land agent and later a U.S. Senator. The township officially started in 1806. It is the only Boardman Township in all of Ohio.

For most of the 1800s, Boardman was a farming community. People grew grains and apples. Around 1900, a horse racing track called Southern Park opened. This made Boardman a popular spot for people from nearby Youngstown.

How Boardman Grew

In the 1950s, Boardman started to grow a lot. Many new neighborhoods were built. These were for people moving out of Youngstown.

A famous shopping mall developer, Edward J. DeBartolo Sr., started his company in Boardman. In 1950, he opened Boardman Plaza. This was one of the first strip malls in the country. It had three grocery stores close together. Later, around 1970, he opened the Southern Park Mall. This was a more modern shopping center.

Also in the 1950s, the Youngstown Sheet and Tube Company opened its main office in Boardman. This was a very large steel company. Their new office offered a different kind of work environment. It was clean and modern, far from the noisy steel mills. When the company closed in 1977, its large campus was used for new businesses. Today, it's a medical campus, a branch of Youngstown State University, and home to restaurants.

Famous Firsts and Historic Places

The fast food chain Arby's opened its very first restaurant in Boardman in 1964. It was on Route 224. The restaurant later moved across the street.

Boardman has many historic places. These are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Some of these include:

St. James Episcopal Church, the oldest building in the township.
Forest Lawn Memorial Park.
Southern Park Stable.
The Forest Glen Estates Historic District.
The Mill Creek Park Historic District.
The Newport Village Historic District.

Boardman's Location and Layout

From 1980 until 2020, the CDP of Boardman had distinct borders from the township.

Boardman Township is located in the middle of Mahoning County. It shares borders with several other towns and townships:

North: Youngstown
Northeast: Struthers
East: Poland Township and Poland
Southeast: Springfield Township
South: Beaver Township
West: Canfield Township
Northwest corner: Austintown Township

There are no cities or villages completely inside Boardman Township. However, parts of Poland and Youngstown are very close. Boardman has many different neighborhoods.

Boardman's Size

The township covers a total area of about 61.6 square kilometers (23.8 square miles). Most of this area is land, about 60.9 square kilometers (23.5 square miles). A small part, about 0.7 square kilometers (0.3 square miles), is water.

Local Neighborhoods

Boardman is made up of many unique neighborhoods. Here are some of them:

Applewood Acres
Beechwood
Boardman Park
Cadillac Estates
Christine Valley
Cranberry Run Village
Elmwood Place
Forest Glen Estates
Forest Garden
The Heathers
Herron Heights
Hitchcock Woods
Indianola Heights
Glen Park Estates
Glenview Acres
Golf Land Estates
Jefferson Heights
Lake Forest
Lockwood Village
McKays Corners
Millwood Park
Mill Creek Estates
Mount Vernon Woods
New England Lanes
Newport Village
North Newton Farm
Park Harbor
Park View Estates
Poland Crest
The Reserve
Ridgewood Estates
Roland Heights
Rosewood
Shadyside
Sherwood Forest
Skyline Manor
South Park Heights
Southgate Park
Tippwood Dell
Truesdale
Utopia
Westward
Willows
Valley Stream

Who Lives in Boardman?

In 2020, Boardman Township had 40,213 people living there. The population density was about 660 people per square kilometer. Most people in Boardman are White (83.5%). There are also African American (7.51%), Asian (1.82%), and other racial groups. About 4.76% of the population is Hispanic or Latino.

Boardman's Economy and Shopping

Southern Park Mall

Boardman is a busy suburb with many businesses. It is one of the main shopping areas in the Mahoning Valley. Its biggest shopping rival is the "Strip" in Niles, Ohio.

The main area for businesses is along U.S. Route 224. You can find shops and restaurants almost all along this road. Ohio State Route 7 is also a major road for businesses. Important places like St. Elizabeth Boardman Hospital are located here.

The Southern Park Mall is at the intersection of Routes 7 and 224. It is the biggest shopping spot in Mahoning County. A new area for businesses is also growing along South Avenue. This road runs next to Interstate 680. Boardman's location near several major roads makes it a center for shopping and business.

Fun Things to Do

Boardman is next to Mill Creek Park, a very popular attraction. Inside the park, you can find:

An 11-acre rose garden.
Small waterfalls.
A lily pond with geese and turtles.
Marshlands.
Lanterman's Mill, where grain is ground every day.
A 36-hole golf course.

Learning in Boardman

Veterans Memorial in Boardman Park

Most public schools in Boardman are part of the Boardman Local School District. This district includes:

Boardman High School (grades 9–12)
Boardman Glenwood Junior High School (grades 7–8)
Boardman Center Intermediate School (grades 4–6)
Robinwood Lane Elementary School (grades K–3)
Stadium Drive Elementary School (grades K–3)
West Boulevard Elementary School (grades K–3)

Some parts of the township are served by other school districts. These include Canfield Local School District, Poland Local School District, and the Youngstown City School District.

Boardman also has a private school. It is the Catholic St. Charles School (grades K-8). There are also other private schools nearby.

You can also find a public library in Boardman. It is a branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County. For older students, the Boardman Training Center helps prepare them for healthcare jobs.

Famous People from Boardman

Many interesting people have connections to Boardman. Here are a few:

Homer C. Blake, a Navy officer.
Elijah Boardman, who founded the township.
Ricardo Condori, a long-distance runner.
Dana DeLorenzo, an actress.
Terence Dials, a professional basketball player.
D. J. Durkin, an American football coach.
John Greco, a former professional American football player.
Elizabeth Hartman, an actress.
Mary Ellen Kay, a television and film actress.
Bernie Kosar, a famous professional American football quarterback.
Corey Linsley, a professional American football player.
Maureen McGovern, a singer and Broadway actress.
Norm Purucker, a college American football player.
Amy Salerno, a former member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
Joe Schiavoni, a judge and former Ohio Senate leader.
Jason Spitz, a former professional American football player.
Sue Thomas, the first deaf FBI agent.
Steve Vallos, a former professional American football player.

Boardman Township, Ohio facts for kids