Muskegon Township, Michigan

Muskegon Charter Township, Michigan
—  Charter township  —
Muskegon Charter Township, Michigan Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 43°15′38″N 86°11′00″W / 43.26056°N 86.1833333°W / 43.26056; -86.1833333Coordinates: 43°15′38″N 86°11′00″W / 43.26056°N 86.1833333°W / 43.26056; -86.1833333
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Muskegon
Area
– Total	23.9 sq mi (61.9 km2)
– Land	23.8 sq mi (61.8 km2)
– Water	0.1 sq mi (0.2 km2)
Elevation	643 ft (196 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	17,737
– Density	743.9/sq mi (287.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	49440-49445
Area code(s)	231
FIPS code	26-56340[1]
GNIS feature ID	1626784[2]

Muskegon Charter Township is a charter township of Muskegon County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 17,737 at the 2000 census. The City of Muskegon is at the southwest corner of the township and is administratively autonomous.

The township was organized in 1837. The township claims to be the "oldest Township in the State of Michigan";^[3] however, that is plainly mistaken as many other townships were created earlier than Muskegon Township. It might be more accurate to say that Muskegon Township was among the first townships created after Michigan was admitted as a state.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 23.9 square miles (61.9 km²), of which, 23.8 square miles (61.7 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.25%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 17,737 people, 6,581 households, and 4,771 families residing in the township. The population density was 743.9 per square mile (287.3/km²). There were 6,850 housing units at an average density of 287.3 per square mile (110.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 91.46% White, 4.63% African American, 0.95% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.01% Pacific Islander, 0.79% from other races, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.21% of the population.

There were 6,581 households out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 53.1% were married couples living together, 14.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.5% were non-families. 23.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.6% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the township the population was spread out with 29.1% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 28.6% from 25 to 44, 19.8% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females there were 90.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $38,634, and the median income for a family was $45,178. Males had a median income of $36,111 versus $24,627 for females. The per capita income for the township was $16,623. About 8.2% of families and 9.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.7% of those under age 18 and 7.3% of those age 65 or over.

Major highways

• M-46
• M-120
• US 31

Schools

• Muskegon Technical Academy
• Orchard View Schools
• Reeths-Puffer Schools
• Timberland Academy (National Heritage Academy)

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: Muskegon Township, Michigan
3. ^ The History of Muskegon Township, accessed 2008-03-09

External links

• Muskegon Charter Township