Melrose Township, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Melrose Township is a civil township
of Charlevoix County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 1,388 at the 2000 census
.
The township was set off from Evangeline Township
by the County Board of Supervisors in 1877.
, the township has a total area of 34.9 square miles (90.4 km²), of which, 32.9 square miles (85.2 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km²) of it (5.75%) is water.
of 2000, there were 1,388 people, 517 households, and 387 families residing in the township. The population density
was 42.2 per square mile (16.3/km²). There were 875 housing units at an average density of 26.6 per square mile (10.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.05% White, 0.07% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.14% from other races
, and 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 517 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% were married couples
living together, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the township the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $41,000, and the median income for a family was $45,385. Males had a median income of $29,813 versus $21,620 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $20,426. About 5.4% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 2.2% 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 Charlevoix County
Charlevoix County, Michigan
-Airports:*Beaver Island is served by two airlines:**Welke Airport**Beaver Island Airport-Ferry service:*Beaver Island Boat Company maintains a regular auto ferry from Charlevoix:*The Ironton Ferry at Ironton, Michigan crosses the south arm of Lake Charlevoix...
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"....
. The population was 1,388 at 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 was set off from Evangeline Township
Evangeline Township, Michigan
Evangeline Township is a civil township of Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 773 at the 2000 census.-Geography:...
by the County Board of Supervisors in 1877.
Communities
There are no incorporated municipalities in the township. There are a few unincorporated communities:- Clarion is located about a mile from the shores of Walloon LakeWalloon LakeWalloon Lake is a glacier-formed lake and the headwater for the Bear River located in Charlevoix and Emmet counties in Northern Michigan. It is now home to many vacation homes and cottages.-History:...
on US 131U.S. Route 131US Highway 131 is a north–south United States Highway, of which all but 0.67 miles of its 266.82 miles are within the state of Michigan. The highway starts in rural Indiana south of the state line as a state road connection to the Indiana Toll Road...
at 45°16′42"N 84°55′24"W. John E. Darrah settled here in 1874 and named it after Clarion, PennsylvaniaClarion, PennsylvaniaClarion is a borough in Clarion County in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania, about 100 miles north-northeast of Pittsburgh and part of the Pittsburgh DMA. Clarion was settled in 1839 and incorporated in 1841. In the past, the surrounding area produced natural gas, oil, lumber and coal. Merely 2,004...
. A post office operated from December 1879 until October 1945. It was a station on the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway. - Walloon Lake is a hamlet on the southeastern shores of Walloon LakeWalloon LakeWalloon Lake is a glacier-formed lake and the headwater for the Bear River located in Charlevoix and Emmet counties in Northern Michigan. It is now home to many vacation homes and cottages.-History:...
at 45°15′58"N 84°56′01"W. The childhood summer cottage of Ernest HemingwayErnest HemingwayErnest Miller Hemingway was an American author and journalist. His economic and understated style had a strong influence on 20th-century fiction, while his life of adventure and his public image influenced later generations. Hemingway produced most of his work between the mid-1920s and the...
was located nearby. In 1872, John Jones, Jr. and his sons, Clarence and Elliot, homesteaded in the area. They helped to cut the railroad tieRailroad tieA railroad tie/railway tie , or railway sleeper is a rectangular item used to support the rails in railroad tracks...
s used to build the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway in 1874. The stop was named Melrose. The community applied for a post office named Bear Lake, but there already was a Bear Lake post office in Michigan. A post office named Tolcott was established in October 1897, and renamed Talcott in March 1899, and again renamed as Walloon Lake in September 1900. The name was suggested by a local butcher, J. R. Haas, who had seen the name on an old railroad map. An investigation into how the name came to be on the map indicated that many years earlier a group of WalloonsWalloonsWalloons are a French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia. Walloons are a distinctive community within Belgium, important historical and anthropological criteria bind Walloons to the French people. More generally, the term also refers to the inhabitants of the Walloon...
had settled at the north end of the lake, which was then known as Bear Lake. No trace of the settlement remains.
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 34.9 square miles (90.4 km²), of which, 32.9 square miles (85.2 km²) of it is land and 2 square miles (5.2 km²) of it (5.75%) 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 1,388 people, 517 households, and 387 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 42.2 per square mile (16.3/km²). There were 875 housing units at an average density of 26.6 per square mile (10.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.05% White, 0.07% African American, 0.65% Native American, 0.07% Pacific Islander, 0.14% 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 1.01% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population.
There were 517 households out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09.
In the township the population was spread out with 28.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $41,000, and the median income for a family was $45,385. Males had a median income of $29,813 versus $21,620 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 $20,426. About 5.4% of families and 8.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.