 The township was linked to emerging major cities in Ohio by rail and by the Ohio and Erie Canal. Remnants of the canal’s lock system remain, and the towpath is now used by walkers and hikers. The 1.5 mile stretch of canal that lies within Jackson Township is part of the restoration effort of the Ohio and Erie Canal Corridor Coalition, an organization that hopes to create a recreational path along the canal from Cleveland to Zoar.
The township remained a rural area until the end of World War II, when new allotments were built to accommodate the housing needs of returning veterans and their families.
Still, the real change in the nature of the township came in the late 1960’s when Belden Village Mall was built next to the Everhard Road exit of I-77.
In the years between 1970 and 1995, the population of Jackson Township grew by more than 50 percent, from about 20,000 to over 33,000 residents.
Today, the township has about 36,000 residents and continues to grow as a center of commercial development and new subdivisions.
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