Convert Township (township) to Square Pole (pole²) instantly.
About these units
Township (township)
A township, as used in the U.S. Public Land Survey System (PLSS), is an area equal to 36 square miles, arranged as a 6-mile × 6-mile square. It is a cornerstone unit of American land division, originating during the late 18th-century settlement of the American frontier. Townships standardized how land was surveyed and sold, allowing the federal government to systematically divide territory for settlement, homesteading, and revenue generation. They were subdivided into 36 sections, each one square mile in area. This grid-based system profoundly shaped American geography. Roads, property lines, agricultural fields, and county boundaries in much of the Midwest and West follow township geometry. Even today, PLSS townships remain legally relevant in land deeds, zoning regulations, and cadastral surveys.
Square Pole (pole²)
A square pole is yet another equivalent to the square rod and square perch. The triple terminology reflects different regional dialects and occupational vocabularies within the British Isles. The persistence of three names for the same unit illustrates the decentralized nature of early measurement standards, where local custom often outweighed national regulation. Although modern metrication has replaced these units, they remain historically important when examining rural land divisions and genealogical land records.