Just Askin': Which are the largest cities, villages and townships in Hamilton County?

The Enquirer's Just Askin' series aims to answer the questions that no one seems to have an answer for, not even Google .

Hamilton County has 49 local government jurisdictions within its borders.

Ohio as a whole has more than 1,000 local governments : counties, cities, villages and townships. It is a home-rule state, meaning local governments hold more power than they do in non-home-rule states.

With the last census showing 830,639 residents, Hamilton County is the third-largest county in Ohio by population.

So, how do local communities compare to one another?

Here's a breakdown of governmental entities in Hamilton County. Population data comes from the American Community Survey and Hamilton County public records.

Hamilton County cities

A community must have at least 5,000 residents to incorporate as a city in Ohio. Cities and villages are known as municipalities, meaning they operate under a municipal-style government, with an elected city or village council.

Ohio law grants municipalities home rule powers . That means they can adopt a charter, ordinances and resolutions to exercise self-government within the borders of their jurisdiction.

The three largest cities in Hamilton County are:

1. Cincinnati , 308,870 people.
2. Forest Park, 20,005 people.
3. Norwood, 19,018 people.

The three smallest cities are:

1. Deer Park, 5,399 people.
2. Indian Hill, 6,051 people.
3. Milford, 6,556 people.

Cincinnati is the third-largest city in Ohio, trailing No. 1 Columbus and No. 2 Cleveland.

Hamilton County villages

A village is a municipality of less than 5,000 people. Like cities, they can operate under a home-rule government. They pass ordinances and have other powers generally not afforded to townships.

The three largest villages in Hamilton County are:

1. Silverton, 4,883 people.
2. St. Bernard, 4,026 people.
3. Woodlawn, 3,862 people.

The three smallest villages are:

1. Addyston, 896 people.
2. North Bend, 1,006 people.
3. Arlington Heights, 1,017 people.

Hamilton County townships

Unlike cities and villages, townships are not municipal-style governments, so they don't have as many responsibilities. Townships have three elected officials, known as a board of trustees.

At a bare minimum, townships must provide maintenance and repair to township roads and sewers, but other common services include police and fire protection, emergency response, maintaining parks and cemeteries, zoning and more, the Ohio Township Association explains.

The three largest Hamilton County townships by population are:

1. Green Township, 60,019 people.
2. Colerain Township, 59,058 people.
3. Anderson Township , 43,882 people.

The three smallest townships are:

1. Columbia Township, 4,273 people.
2. Crosby Township, 5,856 people.
3. Whitewater Township, 6,311 people.

Green and Colerain are Ohio's second and third most populous townships, respectively. The largest is West Chester Township in Butler County. The 2022 said West Chester had 64,830 residents.

Do you have a question for Just Askin'? Send it to us at localnews@enquirer.com .

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Just Askin': Which are the largest cities, villages and townships in Hamilton County?