Grand Blanc Township, Michigan

Charter Township of Grand Blanc
—  Charter township  —
Location of Grand Blanc Township within Genesee County, Michigan.
Coordinates: 42°56′5″N 83°38′49″W / 42.93472°N 83.64694°W / 42.93472; -83.64694Coordinates: 42°56′5″N 83°38′49″W / 42.93472°N 83.64694°W / 42.93472; -83.64694
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Genesee
Settled
Organized	1833
Chartered
Area
– Total	32.7 sq mi (84.8 km2)
– Land	32.6 sq mi (84.5 km2)
– Water	0.1 sq mi (0.3 km2)  0.37%
Elevation	846 ft (258 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	29,827
– Density	914.5/sq mi (353.1/km2)
Time zone	EST (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP code	48439
Area code(s)	810
FIPS code	26-33300[1]
GNIS feature ID	1626368[2]
Website	http://www.twp.grand-blanc.mi.us/

Grand Blanc Charter Township is a charter township of Genesee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 35,705 at the 2010 census. The city of Grand Blanc is situated within the township, but is administratively autonomous. An effort to consolidate the city and township into a single political entity was rejected by voters in both the city and township on May 2, 2006.

Communities

• Whigville, also known as Gibsonville,^[3] is an unincorporated community as designated by the posted signs in the Township along Hill Road, Dort Highway and Saginaw Street which form a triangle (known locally as "The Point"). Just north of the City of Grand Blanc, Whigville constitutes a commercial district in the Township with restaurants, banks, automobile dealerships and other retail stores in this location.^[4]

History

Originally settled by Chippewa Indians, the township took its name—French for "Great white"—from French traders who arrived before 1800. Afterwards, pioneer families began settling in the township. The oldest unit of government in Genesee County, Grand Blanc Township was organized in 1833. The township began to boom in 1862 with the arrival of the railroad. The City of Grand Blanc incorporated as a city in 1930.

Today, both the city and township governments cooperate to provide services for the community, including parks and recreational facilities, senior citizens' services, the Grand Blanc Heritage Museum, McFarlen Public Library, and one of the oldest public school district in Michigan, the highly-rated Grand Blanc Community Schools, which were formed in 1904.

The township is home to Warwick Hills Golf and Country Club, site of the (now defunct) Buick Open golf tournament; the world headquarters of General Motors' Service Parts Operations; and the Genesys Regional Medical Center. Shopping centers, churches, and restaurants are also located throughout the township, and new housing developments continue to be built. More recently, a 14-screen movie theater owned by NCG Cinemas has been built as part of the Trillium Park development, which is still under development. Another large development that has been created is Heritage Park which is home to Kohl's, Staples, PetSmart, MC Sports, Wal-mart, Sam's Club, and several other smaller businesses. The township is served by public transportation (the MTA), I-75, I-475, and M-54.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 32.7 square miles (85 km²), of which, 32.6 square miles (84 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km²) of it (0.37%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 29,827 people, 11,793 households, and 8,184 families residing in the township. The population density was 914.5 per square mile (353.2/km²). There were 12,450 housing units at an average density of 381.7 per square mile (147.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 88.12% White, 6.70% African American, 0.39% Native American, 2.51% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.61% from other races, and 1.65% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.09% of the population.

There were 11,793 households out of which 33.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.6% were married couples living together, 8.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 30.6% were non-families. 25.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 5.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 3.02.

In the township the population was spread out with 25.5% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 32.1% from 25 to 44, 23.8% from 45 to 64, and 10.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 95.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $61,458, and the median income for a family was $68,220. Males had a median income of $51,974 versus $34,311 for females. The per capita income for the township was $27,510. About 2.6% of families and 4.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 3.0% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over.

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: Grand Blanc Township, Michigan
3. ^ Wood, Edwin O. (2002) [1916]. "26". History of Genesee County, Michigan, Her People, Industries and Institutions (Online Edition ed.). http://www.usgennet.org/usa/mi/county/lapeer/gen/ch26/index.html. Retrieved 12 September 2007. 
4. ^ Map of Genesee County, Michigan. Drawn, compiled, and edited by H.F. Walling, C.E. ... Published by R.M. & S.T. Tackabury, Detroit, Mich. Entered ... 1873, by H.F. Walling ... Washington. The Claremont Manufacturing Company, Claremont, N.H., Book Manufacturers

External links

• Grand Blanc Township