Mathias Township, Michigan

Mathias Township, Michigan
—  Township  —
Mathias Township, Michigan Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 46°11′9″N 86°51′39″W / 46.18583°N 86.86083°W / 46.18583; -86.86083Coordinates: 46°11′9″N 86°51′39″W / 46.18583°N 86.86083°W / 46.18583; -86.86083
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Alger
Area
– Total	72.1 sq mi (186.7 km2)
– Land	71.0 sq mi (183.9 km2)
– Water	1.1 sq mi (2.7 km2)
Elevation	787 ft (240 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	571
– Density	8.0/sq mi (3.1/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
FIPS code	26-52360[1]
GNIS feature ID	1626710[2]

Mathias Township is a civil township of Alger County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 571 at the 2000 census.

Communities

• Trenary is an unincorporated community at 46°11′43″N 86°58′11″W / 46.19528°N 86.96972°W / 46.19528; -86.96972.^[3] The town's name is familiar to many in the Upper Midwest, especially in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. A food product from Trenary is Trenary Toast, a style of Finland rusk bread, based on the original korrpu.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 72.1 square miles (187 km²), of which, 71.0 square miles (184 km²) of it is land and 1.1 square miles (2.8 km²) of it (1.47%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 571 people, 262 households, and 166 families residing in the township. The population density was 8.0 per square mile (3.1/km²). There were 465 housing units at an average density of 6.5 per square mile (2.5/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.32% White, 1.23% Native American, 0.53% Asian, 0.53% from other races, and 1.40% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.40% of the population. 30.5% were of Finnish, 13.9% German, 7.3% United States or American, 6.8% English, 6.6% Swedish and 5.6% Irish ancestry according to Census 2000.

There were 262 households out of which 21.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.6% were married couples living together, 11.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.18 and the average family size was 2.70.

In the township the population was spread out with 19.4% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 25.0% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 21.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 108.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $25,167, and the median income for a family was $27,500. Males had a median income of $35,000 versus $22,250 for females. The per capita income for the township was $16,135. About 15.4% of families and 20.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.6% of those under age 18 and 5.5% of those age 65 or over.

Outhouse Classic

Since 1993, Trenary has played host to the Trenary Outhouse Classic. This event is held on the last Saturday of February. The event brings in around 4000 spectators. Outhouse race participants build outhouses of their own design mounted on skis. The outhouse must have a toilet seat, roll of toilet paper and skis. Participants push the outhouse 500 feet and across the finish line. The race takes place on Trenary’s main road. There are several categories to win in such as; kids (12 and under), kids (13-20), adults (21-35), adults (36-49) and adults (50 and over).

Outhouse Race Website

http://www.jldr.com/ohindex_ohracing.shtml

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Mathias Township, Michigan
3. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Trenary, Michigan