Volinia Township, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Volinia Township is a civil township
of Cass County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 1,174 at the 2000 census
. When the township was organized in 1833, it was at first named Volhynia
, after the province in Poland
. It is believed to have been given to honor General Thaddeus Kosciusko, the Polish patriot who helped the United States during the American Revolutionary War
. The name was altered first to "Volenia" and then to "Volinia".
The township is the site of Newton Woods
, a U.S. National Natural Landmark
.
The postal delivery areas of some nearby communities also serve the township:
, the township has a total area of 35.1 square miles (90.9 km²), of which, 34.4 square miles (89.1 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (1.97%) is water.
of 2000, there were 1,174 people, 426 households, and 322 families residing in the township. The population density
was 34.2 per square mile (13.2/km²). There were 588 housing units at an average density of 17.1 per square mile (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.70% White, 2.56% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 1.79% from other races
, and 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.75% of the population.
There were 426 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% were married couples
living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the township the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 107.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $38,900, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $30,729 versus $23,077 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $17,375. About 3.0% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 9.4% 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 Cass County
Cass County, Michigan
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,104. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a total population of 316,663 and is sometimes considered part of Greater Michiana...
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 1,174 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...
. When the township was organized in 1833, it was at first named Volhynia
Volhynia
Volhynia, Volynia, or Volyn is a historic region in western Ukraine located between the rivers Prypiat and Southern Bug River, to the north of Galicia and Podolia; the region is named for the former city of Volyn or Velyn, said to have been located on the Southern Bug River, whose name may come...
, after the province in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. It is believed to have been given to honor General Thaddeus Kosciusko, the Polish patriot who helped the United States during the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
. The name was altered first to "Volenia" and then to "Volinia".
The township is the site of Newton Woods
Newton Woods
Newton Woods is a parcel of oak-hickory forest located in Cass County within the U.S. state of Michigan. The Newton tract was listed, in 1976 by the United States Department of the Interior, as a National Natural Landmark....
, a U.S. National Natural Landmark
National Natural Landmark
The National Natural Landmark program recognizes and encourages the conservation of outstanding examples of the natural history of the United States. It is the only natural areas program of national scope that identifies and recognizes the best examples of biological and geological features in...
.
Communities
There are no incorporated municipalities in the township.- Charleston was a historical settlement in the northern part of the township. It was platPlatA plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted in 1836 by Jacob Morlan, Samuel Fulton, and Jacob Charles (for whom it was named). Elijah Goble built a tavern in 1837 and it was an important stop on the stage coach line between KalamazooKalamazoo, MichiganThe area on which the modern city stands was once home to Native Americans of the Hopewell culture, who migrated into the area sometime before the first millennium. Evidence of their early residency remains in the form of a small mound in downtown's Bronson Park. The Hopewell civilization began to...
and NilesNiles, MichiganNiles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
in the early 1840s. However when the Michigan Central RailroadMichigan Central RailroadThe Michigan Central Railroad was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in the United States, and the province of Ontario in Canada...
was built, the community dwindled. The principal remnant is a cemetery on Dewey Lake Road at 42°03′22"N 85°55′39"W - Huyckstown was a historical settlement in the northeast part of the township. The settlement was at first known as "Volinia" after the township. It was platPlatA plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted around a store in 1836 and named for John Huyck. A post office named "Little Prairie Ronde" (after the prairie on whose edge it stood) was opened in November 1837. It was renamed "Prairie Ronde" in August 1901 and closed in December 1903. Romig reports that the post office and what was left of the village were moved to Nicholsville, located approximately a half mile to the south. - Nicholsville was a historical settlement in the northeast part of the township between Finch Lake and Bunker Lake at 42°02′37"N 85°53′46"W The first sawmill in the county was built here in 1835 by Alexander Copley. Henry George built a grist mill in 1851 and the place was called "Georgetown". He sold his interests to the Nichols brothers for whom the settlement was renamed in 1855. Jonathon Nichols operated a hotel here. The Rose Hill Cemetery nearby has also been known as "Little Prairie Ronde Cemetery" and "Nicholsville Cemetery".
- Volina was a historical settlement in the township at 42°00′42"N 85°57′17"W. A post office was established in May 1834. The settlement was platPlatA plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted in 1836 by Levi Lawrence, David Hopkins, Obed Bunker and John Shaw. The post office closed in March 1838 and was reestablished in April 1840. In December 1851 the post office was moved and renamed to "Pickett's Corners". The post office there closed in July 1862. The post office at Volina was restored in January 1863 and closed in October 1902. Wakelee is an unincorporated community in the southeast corner of the township at 41°59′02"N 85°52′44"W (and partially in the adjacent townships of MarcellusMarcellus Township, MichiganMarcellus Township is a civil township of Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 2,712 at the 2000 census. The Village of Marcellus is within the township.The Township Hall is located at 13163 Marcellus Highway, Marcellus, MI, 49067....
, NewbergNewberg Township, MichiganNewberg Township is a civil township of Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,703 at the 2000 census.- Communities :...
, and PennPenn Township, MichiganPenn Township is a civil township of Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,902 at the 2000 census.Penn Township is the location of the Bonine House, a lookout post on the Underground Railroad, on the corner of M-60 and Penn Road...
). It was first laid out in 1871 by Levi Garwood, who named it for C. Wakelee, the first treasurer of the Peninsular Railroad Company (later part of Grand Trunk Western RailroadGrand Trunk Western RailroadThe Grand Trunk Western Railroad is an important subsidiary of the Canadian National Railway , constituting the majority of CN's Chicago Division ....
), which built a depot there. A post office opened in January 1872 and operated until November 1939.
The postal delivery areas of some nearby communities also serve the township:
- CassopolisCassopolis, MichiganCassopolis is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the village population was 14,275. It is the county seat of Cass County. The village and county are named after statesman Lewis Cass, a New Hampshire native and a prominent U.S...
is a village to the southwest and the Cassopolis ZIP code 49031 serves southern areas of the township. - DecaturDecatur, MichiganDecatur is a village in Van Buren County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,838 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Decatur Township...
is a village to the north in Van Buren CountyVan Buren County, Michigan-Parks, preserves, natural areas:* Dunes Parkway, an 84 acre preserve of dunes in Covert Township* Jeptha Lake Fen Preserve, a 49 acre preserve in Columbia Township...
and the Decatur ZIP code 49045 serves areas in the northern part of the township. - DowagiacDowagiac, MichiganDowagiac is a city in Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 6,147 at the 2000 census. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area....
is a village to the west and the Dowagiac ZIP code 49047 serves areas in the western part of the township. - MarcellusMarcellus, MichiganMarcellus is a village in Cass County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,162 at the 2000 census. The village is located within Marcellus Township...
is a village to the east and the Marcellus 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...
49067 serves areas in the east and central 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 35.1 square miles (90.9 km²), of which, 34.4 square miles (89.1 km²) of it is land and 0.7 square miles (1.8 km²) of it (1.97%) 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 1,174 people, 426 households, and 322 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 34.2 per square mile (13.2/km²). There were 588 housing units at an average density of 17.1 per square mile (6.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.70% White, 2.56% African American, 0.34% Native American, 0.26% Asian, 1.79% 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 1.36% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.75% of the population.
There were 426 households out of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.0% 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, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.4% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals and 7.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.75 and the average family size was 3.20.
In the township the population was spread out with 29.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 29.6% from 25 to 44, 23.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 107.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $38,900, and the median income for a family was $40,000. Males had a median income of $30,729 versus $23,077 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 $17,375. About 3.0% of families and 3.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.2% of those under age 18 and 9.4% of those age 65 or over.