Situated on the southern shore of Lake Erie, it was one of the county's sixteen original townships, and was founded in 1797.

It reportedly took its name from the utterance that year of a businessman, Colonel Thomas Forster, who said of his land purchase at the mouth of Walnut Creek: "This is the fairest view I have seen yet.

By 1961, Interstate 90 and a local interchange were constructed in the township.

The township includes the communities of Fairview and Avonia.

[4] As of the census[10] of 2010 there were 10,102 people, 4,018 households, and 2,831 families residing in the township.

There were 3,711 housing units at an average density of 127.3 per square mile (49.2/km2).