Baraga Township, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Baraga Township is a civil township
of Baraga County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. As of the 2000 census
, the township population was 3,542. The village of Baraga
is located in the southeast corner of the township.
, the township has a total area of 187.3 square miles (485.1 km²), of which, 185.6 square miles (480.7 km²) of it is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) of it (0.88%) is water.
of 2000, there were 3,542 people, 1,178 households, and 777 families residing in the township. The population density
was 19.1 per square mile (7.4/km²). There were 1,455 housing units at an average density of 7.8 per square mile (3.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 67.56% White, 12.11% African American, 14.00% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.48% from other races
, and 5.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population. 28.3% were of Finnish, 9.6% German and 8.8% French
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 1,178 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 136.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 147.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $32,639, and the median income for a family was $41,750. Males had a median income of $32,373 versus $23,516 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $14,550. About 8.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
of Baraga County
Baraga County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 8,746 people, 3,353 households, and 2,223 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,631 housing units...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As of the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...
, the township population was 3,542. The village of Baraga
Baraga, Michigan
Baraga is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga....
is located in the southeast corner of the township.
Communities
- Arnheim is an unincorporated community at 46°55′01"N 88°28′57"W. Arnheim was a station on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayDuluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayThe Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
, approximately midway between L'AnseL'Anse, MichiganL'Anse is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Baraga County. The population was 2,107 at the 2000 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township....
and HoughtonHoughton, MichiganHoughton is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan's Upper Peninsula and largest city in the Copper Country on the Keweenaw Peninsula. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,708. It is the county seat of Houghton County...
. Storekeeper Martin Erikson became the first postmaster on November 13, 1900. The office closed on in either 1915 or 1916 and reopened from August 15, 1917 until September 30, 1951. - Assinins is an unincorporated community at 46°48′37"N 88°28′38"W. Assinins was founded in 1843 by the missionary Frederic BaragaFrederic BaragaFrederic Baraga, Servant of God was a Slovene American Roman Catholic missionary, bishop, and grammarian.-Early life:Frederic Baraga was born as Friderik Irenej Baraga in the manor house at Mala Vas no...
, who named it for an Assiniboin chief Baraga had converted and who remained Baraga's devoted friend. In the 1870s, the settlement was known as the "Catholic Mission". The first post office in the area was named "Fewsville", after the Few family. Gershom B. Few operated a distillery and George W. Few became the first postmaster on September 22, 1875. The office closed in 1877. It reopened as "Assinins" on December 6, 1894 with Simon Denomie as the first postmaster and discontinued on May 31, 1914. - BaragaBaraga, MichiganBaraga is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga....
is a village at the junction of US-41U.S. Route 41U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S...
and M-38M-38 (Michigan highway)M-38 is an east–west state trunkline highway in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Its west end starts in Ontonagon and runs east to Baraga, some apart. The highway crosses streams and rivers in forest lands and provides access to a casino...
in the east central portion of the township. The Baraga ZIP codeZIP CodeZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
49908 serves a region in the central part of the township. - Bear Town is named place on US-41U.S. Route 41U.S. Route 41 is a north–south United States Highway that runs from Miami, Florida to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Until 1949, the part in southern Florida, from Naples to Miami, was U.S...
north of Baraga at 46°48′32"N 88°30′35"W. - Keweenaw Bay is an unincorporated community at 46°51′37"N 88°28′54"W. A land patentLand patentA land patent is a land grant made patent by the sovereign lord over the land in question. To make a such a grant “patent”, such a sovereign lord must document the land grant, securely sign and seal the document and openly publish the same to the public for all to see...
was issued to Frank Laffrenire by U.S. President Ulysses S Grant on May 10, 1875. The settlement was at first known as "Leffenire" until 1898. Annie La Fernier became the first postmaster on March 26, 1898, with the office named "La Fernier". However Annie had it changed on June 1, 1901 to the name of the large bay on which the village was located. The post office was discontinued on January 16, 1976 and became a CPO of BaragaBaraga, MichiganBaraga is a village in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,285 at the 2000 census. The village is named after Bishop Frederic Baraga....
. It was also a station on the Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayDuluth, South Shore and Atlantic RailwayThe Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, westward through Marquette, Michigan to Superior, Wisconsin,...
. Keweenaw (kewawenon) was a Native American word for portage. - PelkiePelkie, MichiganPelkie is an unincorporated community in Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The community is on the Sturgeon River in the northeast part of Baraga Township at ....
is an unincorporated community in the northeast part of the township. The Pelkie ZIP code 49958 serves areas in the northern and northwestern parts of the township. - CovingtonCovington, MichiganCovington is an unincorporated community in Covington Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan, with coordinates of on US 141 near the junction with M-28, which is a few miles west of US 41. Covington uses the ZIP code 49919.-History:...
is to the southeast, and the Covington ZIP code 49919 serves an area in the southeast part of the township.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the township has a total area of 187.3 square miles (485.1 km²), of which, 185.6 square miles (480.7 km²) of it is land and 1.6 square miles (4.1 km²) of it (0.88%) is water.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 3,542 people, 1,178 households, and 777 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 19.1 per square mile (7.4/km²). There were 1,455 housing units at an average density of 7.8 per square mile (3.0/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 67.56% White, 12.11% African American, 14.00% Native American, 0.40% Asian, 0.48% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...
, and 5.45% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population. 28.3% were of Finnish, 9.6% German and 8.8% French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 1,178 households out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 49.6% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.0% were non-families. 30.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 3.10.
In the township the population was spread out with 23.6% under the age of 18, 8.7% from 18 to 24, 34.4% from 25 to 44, 21.3% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females there were 136.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 147.9 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $32,639, and the median income for a family was $41,750. Males had a median income of $32,373 versus $23,516 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $14,550. About 8.2% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 15.0% of those under age 18 and 11.8% of those age 65 or over.