East Palestine (/ˌpælɪˈstiːn/ PAL-ist-EEN) is a village in northeastern Columbiana County, Ohio, United States.

East Palestine is located along the Norfolk Southern Railway and has a freight train station.

[7] On February 3, 2023, the village was near the site of a major train derailment that spilled vinyl chloride and triggered significant evacuations in the jurisdiction.

[8] East Palestine was platted in 1828 by Thomas McCalla and William Grate, initially known as Mechanicsburg.

[11] The name was changed as part of a religious nomenclature in the area, including communities such as Enon Valley, Medina, New Galilee and Salem.

Around this time, East Palestine began to start an economy in orcharding, which still survives today.

Large storage and preserving facilities made East Palestine the leading city for orchards in the area.

[13] East Palestine became a qualified Tree City USA as recognized by the National Arbor Day Foundation in 2004.

[14] Beginning in October 2022, the East Palestine Fire Department began rolling out a new emergency response system based on the "MyID" digital health identity platform.

[17][18] On February 3, 2023, an explosion and fire occurred following the derailment of a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous chemicals on the eastern end of town.

[20] An evacuation area was extended by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine on February 6 to allow for "a controlled release of vinyl chloride" and burning it in a nearby trench.

[21] Some residents subsequently started a class-action lawsuit against Norfolk Southern, citing new respiratory issues and unknown environmental impacts.

[8][22] Contamination was ultimately found to have remained in buildings for 4 months and workers and bystanders were chemically exposed prompting health symptoms [23] East Palestine is located along the eastern boundary of Columbiana County, almost touching Darlington Township, Pennsylvania.