Stark County’s northwest corner
Lawrence Township fills the northwest corner of Stark County and surrounds the City of Canal Fulton. Its neighbors are New Franklin to the north and Clinton to the northwest, both in Summit County, Jackson Township to the east, Tuscarawas Township to the south, and Wayne County’s Baughman and Chippewa townships to the west. The 2020 census counted 13,548 people over about 34.9 square miles, which makes it one of the larger townships in the county by population.
The unincorporated communities of North Lawrence, Newman and Urban Hill lie in the south of the township, and the ZIP codes are 44614 and 44666.
“Don’t give up the ship”
The township is named for Captain James Lawrence of the U.S. Navy, whose War of 1812 order, “Don’t give up the ship,” is now the township’s motto. The county planning commission says the township separated from Plain Township in 1810, and the first wedding in Stark County took place here on June 6, 1806.
Its first village was Milan, platted in 1814. Milan stayed the township’s only village until the Ohio Canal was built in the late 1820s, and in 1853 it was absorbed into Canal Fulton. Today the Towpath Trail follows the old canal through the area, with trailheads on Erie Avenue NW such as Lock 4 and Crystal Springs.
Housing: newer around Canal Fulton, older in the south
Lawrence Township’s housing is newer than most of rural Stark County, with an older pocket in North Lawrence. Census estimates for 2020-2024:
| Lawrence Township | North Lawrence CDP | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing units | About 6,199 | About 140 |
| Median year built | 1975 | 1938 |
| Built 1939 or earlier | About 14% | About 56% |
| Vacant | About 7% | About 34% |
| Median home value (owner estimate) | About $196,600 | About $142,500 |
Across the township, about 79% of homes are single-family detached and about 3% are mobile homes, with a median gross rent of about $923. North Lawrence’s numbers come from a very small sample, so treat them as rough. Still, a hamlet where about a third of housing units sit empty is a harder market for a seller who needs a financed buyer.
For an updated, move-in-ready house anywhere in the township, a listing will usually get you more, and we’ll tell you so. A direct sale earns its place with the dated farmhouse, the inherited house nobody can visit, or the home with a failing septic or foundation. See selling a house with foundation problems if that’s yours.
What the septic inspection does and doesn’t tell you
Any Lawrence Township home on a septic system needs a Stark County Health Department inspection before transfer. The department is direct about its limits: the report is a snapshot of the system’s type and condition on inspection day, and it can’t predict future performance, which depends on how many people use it, the weather and what a visual check can see.
If the system fails, it may need repair or replacement. Our page on selling a house with septic problems covers who usually pays for that.
Three school districts in one township
Northwest Local serves the northern half, Tuslaw Local the southern half, and Jackson Local a small area along Erie Avenue in the east. Tuslaw takes its name from Tuscarawas and Lawrence townships and formed in 1965 from four rural districts, including North Lawrence and Newman.
For the city in the middle, see Canal Fulton; for county-wide rules, the Stark County page. When you want a number, ask for a written offer.