Blaine 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 re ...

Benzie County Benzie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,970. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869.

in the

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Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 484. It is located in the southwest portion of the county. There are no significant population centers in the township; the nearest towns are Arcadia to the south, Benzonia to the northeast, and Elberta to the northwest.

M-22 M-22 are a British-German DJ and producer duo consisting of Matt James and Frank Sanders. On March 22, the duo met, through a joint production, which is the reason for their stage name. History On March 22, 2015, the duo met during a joint p ...

is the township's main thoroughfare.

History

Blaine Township was organized from part of what had been Gilmore Township in 1876. For a very brief period in the early 1890s, a town called Watervale was inhabited in the township along Lower Herring Lake. The town participated in the

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes (dimensi ...

boom that brought a period of prosperity to northern Michigan. Abandoned in 1894, the town was made into a summer resort in 1917. Today the resort is known as the Inn at Watervale and the Watervale Historic District. Watervale maintains its nineteenth-century atmosphere and has been placed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

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 t ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and , or 7.70%, is water. It is bordered on the north by Gilmore Township, on the east by Joyfield Township, on the south by Arcadia and Pleasanton townships in

Manistee County Manistee County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 25,032. The county seat is Manistee. The name "Manistee" is from an Ojibwe word first applied to the principal river of the county. Th ...

, and on the west by Lake Michigan. Besides Lake Michigan, the township's most distinguishing physical features are Lower and Upper Herring Lakes, connected and fed by Herring Creek, and bluffs at Green Point Dunes (north of the lakes) and Arcadia Dunes. The township's economy is heavily agricultural, with

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s and cherries two prominent crops. Fruit

orchard An orchard is an intentional plantation of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit- or nut-producing trees which are generally grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of ...

s dominate much of the landscape.

Sites of interest

Blaine Township is home to two churches, Herring Lake Church (

nondenominational A non-denominational person or organization is one that does not follow (or is not restricted to) any particular or specific religious denomination. Overview The term has been used in the context of various faiths including Jainism, Baháʼí Fait ...

) and Blaine Christian Church ( Disciples of Christ). A

gravity hill A gravity hill, also known as a magnetic hill, mystery hill, mystery spot, gravity road, or anti-gravity hill, is a place where the layout of the surrounding land produces an optical illusion, making a slight downhill slope appear to be an uphi ...

located at the site of Blaine Christian Church on Putney Road near its intersection with Joyfield Road is a well-known local landmark. Since 1991 the

Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy {{COI, date=August 2011 The Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy (GTRLC) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization based in Traverse City, Michigan. It is an independent organization with its own by-laws, policies, board, staff, and budget. The or ...

had maintained a nature preserve along Upper Herring Lake (the Upper Herring Nature Preserve). Just north of the township's southern border is Inspiration Point, a high headland overlooking Lake Michigan where a platform has been built atop the bluff. The point is a popular lookout and is a prominent stop along the scenic route of Highway 22. The Conservancy also maintains popular and scenic preserves at Green Point Dunes and Arcadia Dunes: The C.S. Mott Nature Preserve (partially within the township).

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 in ...

of 2000, there were 491 people, 215 households, and 153 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 25.3 per square mile (9.8/km²). There were 431 housing units at an average density of 22.2 per square mile (8.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 98.98%

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 o ...

, 0.41% from

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, and 0.61% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term ''Hispanic'' ( es, hispano) refers to people, 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 viceroyalties forme ...

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 2.85% of the population. There were 215 households, out of which 19.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.6% were married couples living together, 4.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.4% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.26 and the average family size was 2.67. In the township the population was spread out, with 19.6% under the age of 18, 4.1% from 18 to 24, 19.1% from 25 to 44, 35.6% from 45 to 64, and 21.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 50 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 106.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $42,500, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $30,000 versus $23,750 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 $21,465. About 2.9% of families and 4.3% 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 6.6% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy - Traverse City, Michigan, USA
{{authority control Townships in Michigan Townships in Benzie County, Michigan Traverse City micropolitan area 1876 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1876 Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan