Austin Township, Sanilac County, Michigan

There is also Austin Township, Mecosta County, Michigan.

Austin Township, Michigan
—  Township  —
Austin Township, Michigan Location within the state of Michigan
Coordinates: 43°38′33″N 82°56′52″W / 43.6425°N 82.94778°W / 43.6425; -82.94778Coordinates: 43°38′33″N 82°56′52″W / 43.6425°N 82.94778°W / 43.6425; -82.94778
Country	United States
State	Michigan
County	Sanilac
Area
– Total	36.2 sq mi (93.8 km2)
– Land	36.2 sq mi (93.8 km2)
– Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	771 ft (235 m)
Population (2000)
– Total	673
– Density	18.6/sq mi (7.2/km2)
Time zone	Eastern (EST) (UTC-5)
– Summer (DST)	EDT (UTC-4)
ZIP codes	48472 (Snover), 48475 (Ubly)
FIPS code	26-04400[1]
GNIS feature ID	1625868[2]

Austin Township is a civil township of Sanilac County of the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township had a total population 673. The township was organized in 1851.^[3]

Communities

There are no incorporated municipalities in the township.

• Austin Center is a historical settlement near the center of the township at 43°37′21″N 82°56′15″W / 43.6225°N 82.9375°W / 43.6225; -82.9375^[4] A Mr. Watson was the first white settler in the area in 1854, soon joined by Alexander McRae, whose wife taught at the first school. A sawmill was built in 1868. The settlement was named after the township, which was first organized in 1851, but did not have its current boundaries until 1864. It was named for pioneer William Austin, who had settled in the county about 1844.^[5]
• Cumber is a historical settlement in the western part of the township at 43°37′17″N 82°58′39″W / 43.62139°N 82.9775°W / 43.62139; -82.9775.^[6] T.M. Bradshaw opened a blacksmith shop in 1869. A post office was established in June 1874.^[5]
• Freidberger (or Freiburgers) is a historical settlement in the central portion of the township at 43°37′24″N 82°55′03″W / 43.62333°N 82.9175°W / 43.62333; -82.9175.^[7] A post office operated from July 1888 until June 1906.^[5]
• Tyre is an unincorporated community in the northeast corner of the township at 43°40′30″N 82°53′28″W / 43.675°N 82.89111°W / 43.675; -82.89111.^[8] Tyre was founded in 1857 by Alex Soule, John Getty and others. The Soule family named it after the Biblical Tyre because of the stony terrain. A post office operated from October 1863 until September 1881 and again from November 1881 until July 1964. It was a station on the Pere Marquette Railway.^[5]

The postal delivery areas of some other nearby communities serve the township:

• Snover is an unincorporated community to the south and the Snover ZIP code 48472 serves as small area in the southwest part of the township.^[9]
• Ubly is a village to the north and the Ubly ZIP code serves most of the township.^[10]

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of 36.2 square miles (94 km²), all land.

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 673 people, 242 households, and 186 families residing in the township. The population density was 18.6 per square mile (7.2/km²). There were 298 housing units at an average density of 8.2 per square mile (3.2/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 99.26% White, 0.15% African American, 0.45% Native American, and 0.15% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.45% of the population.

There were 242 households out of which 32.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.9% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.1% were non-families. 20.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.21.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.8% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.8% from 25 to 44, 22.7% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 112.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.2 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $35,139, and the median income for a family was $38,594. Males had a median income of $27,708 versus $21,250 for females. The per capita income for the township was $15,041. About 9.4% of families and 11.1% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.3% of those under age 18 and 21.4% 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: Austin Township, Sanilac County, Michigan
3. ^ Walter Romig. Michigan Place Names. (Grosse Pointe, Michigan: Walter Romig, not dated) p. 36
4. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Austin Center, Michigan
5. ^ ^{a b c d} Romig, Walter (1986) [1973]. Michigan Place Names. Detroit, Michigan: Wayne State University Press. ISBN 0-8143-1838-X. 
6. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Cumber, Michigan
7. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Freidberger, Michigan
8. ^ U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Tyre, Michigan
9. ^ 48472 5-Digit ZCTA, 484 3-Digit ZCTA - Reference Map - American FactFinder, U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census
10. ^ 48475 5-Digit ZCTA, 484 3-Digit ZCTA - Reference Map - American FactFinder, U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 Census