Barry Township is a

civil township A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States that is subordinate to a county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England, New York, and Wisconsin to ref ...

of Barry County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. As of the 2010 census, the township population was 3,378.

History

Barry Township was the original township, with boundaries co-extensive with Barry County, from which all the townships of the county were partitioned. On 23 March 1836, a legislative act provided for the organization of the township of Barry. The first township meeting was held at the house of Nicholas Campbell in Barry Township (in what is now Prairieville Township) on 4 April 1836.History of Barry County
(Michigan) by Hon. W. W. Potter. With biographical sketches of prominent men by Ford Hicks and Edward Butler. Potter, William W., 1869-1940., Hicks, Ford., Butler, Edward. Page 17. Accessed 17 September 2022.

Communities

* Delton is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...

in the northwest part of the township centered around the junction of M-43 and E Orchard Street at . The Delton ZIP code, 49046, serves most of the northern part of the township as well as portions of Johnstown Township to the east, Hope Township to the north, Orangeville Township to the northwest, Prairieville Township to the west. A small portion of southeastern

Yankee Springs Township Yankee Springs Township is a civil township of Barry County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 4,065 at the 2010 census. The township includes Yankee Springs State Park, a popular tourist destination in the summer. The name was t ...

to the north of Orangeville Township is also served by the Delton ZIP code. A post office was first requested under the name "Dellstown", but was established as Delton in May 1877. * Hickory Corners is an unincorporated community and census-designated place approximately northwest of

Battle Creek Battle Creek is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, in northwest Calhoun County, at the confluence of the Kalamazoo and Battle Creek rivers. It is the principal city of the Battle Creek, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA), which encom ...

and about northeast of

Kalamazoo Kalamazoo ( ) is a city in the southwest region of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the county seat of Kalamazoo County. At the 2010 census, Kalamazoo had a population of 74,262. Kalamazoo is the major city of the Kalamazoo-Portage Metropolit ...

at . The

Gilmore Car Museum The Gilmore Car Museum is an automobile museum located in Hickory Corners, Michigan, United States. The museum exhibits over 400 vintage and collector vehicles and motorcycles from all eras in several vintage buildings located on a 90-acre camp ...

is located in Hickory Corners. The Hickory Corners ZIP code, 49060, serves most of the southern portion of the township as well as portions of Prairieville Township to the west and Ross Township to the south in

Calhoun County Calhoun County is the name of several counties in the United States of America named after U.S. Vice President John C. Calhoun: * Calhoun County, Alabama * Calhoun County, Arkansas * Calhoun County, Florida * Calhoun County, Georgia * Calhoun Count ...

. The first settler, the Rev. Moses Lawrence, built his home in 1834 on the shore of Lawrence Lake about a half mile from the present town. In 1837, surveyors found a large

hickory Hickory is a common name for trees composing the genus ''Carya'', which includes around 18 species. Five or six species are native to China, Indochina, and India (Assam), as many as twelve are native to the United States, four are found in Mexi ...

tree in the center of

section Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Section (music), a complete, but not independent, musical idea * Section (typography), a subdivision, especially of a chapter, in books and documents ** Section sign ...

28, from which the settlement took its name. Solomon C. Hall built the first house in the town and became the first postmaster in July 1844. *The city of

is to the southeast, and the Battle Creek ZIP code, 49017, serves the southeast corner of Barry Township. 49017 5-Digit ZCTA, 490 3-Digit ZCTA - Reference Map - American FactFinder
U.S. Census Bureau, 2000 census

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau (USCB), officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the U.S. Federal Statistical System, responsible for producing data about the American people and economy. The Census Bureau is part of the ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 5.69%, is water. It is located southeast of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

.Some western Michigan community residents say aggressive police don't fit their small town
" ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

'' at ''

The Tribune ''The Tribune'' or ''Tribune'' is the name of various newspapers: United States Daily California *''Oakland Tribune'' * ''The Tribune'' (San Luis Obispo) *'' San Gabriel Valley Tribune'' Indiana *''Kokomo Tribune'' *'' Peru Tribune'' * ''The Trib ...

'' (Indiana). August 4, 2014. Retrieved on August 5, 2014.

Demographics

As of the

census A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording and calculating information about the members of a given population. This term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common censuses incl ...

of 2000, there were 3,489 people, 1,265 households, and 986 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,460 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.56%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no hue). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully reflect and scatter all the visible wavelengths of light. White on ...

, 0.37%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American" generally denotes descendants of ens ...

, 0.63% Native American, 0.43%

Asian Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

, 0.11% from

other races Other often refers to: * Other (philosophy), a concept in psychology and philosophy Other or The Other may also refer to: Film and television * ''The Other'' (1913 film), a German silent film directed by Max Mack * ''The Other'' (1930 film), a ...

, and 0.89% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or Hispanidad. The term commonly applies to countries with a cultural and historical link to Spain and to Vic ...

Latino Latino or Latinos most often refers to: * Latino (demonym), a term used in the United States for people with cultural ties to Latin America * Hispanic and Latino Americans in the United States * The people or cultures of Latin America; ** Latin A ...

of any race were 1.12% of the population. There were 1,265 households, out of which 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognized union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children, and between t ...

living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.0% were non-families. 17.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.74 and the average family size was 3.08. In the township the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 26.7% from 45 to 64, and 12.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $45,339, and the median income for a family was $50,116. Males had a median income of $37,929 versus $21,451 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or total income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. It is calculated by dividing the area's total income by its total population. Per capita i ...

for the township was $22,370. About 3.0% of families and 5.5% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for t ...

, including 5.8% of those under age 18 and 8.8% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

*
Scenes From Hickory Corners

{{authority control Townships in Barry County, Michigan Grand Rapids metropolitan area Townships in Michigan