Empire Township is a civil township of

Leelanau County Leelanau may refer to a number of articles relating to the region of the northwestern Lower Peninsula of Michigan: Geography Settlements * Leelanau County, Michigan * Leelanau Township, Michigan * Lake Leelanau, Michigan Landforms * Lak ...

in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 764 at the 2020 census. On the shores of

Lake Michigan Lake Michigan is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. It is the second-largest of the Great Lakes by volume () and the third-largest by surface area (), after Lake Superior and Lake Huron. To the east, its basin is conjoined with that o ...

, Empire Township contains a substantial amount of land within the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.

History

Empire Township was established in 1865. Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore was established in 1970, protecting the natural scenery of the area at the

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Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (17.66%) is water. Empire Township contains shorelines on both

and Glen Lake.

Major highways

* is a north–south highway paralleling the coast of Lake Michigan. M-22 exits Empire Township south into Benzie County, and north into Glen Arbor Township, over the narrows of Glen Lake. * is an east–west highway with its western terminus at M-22 in Empire, less than a mile from

. East of Empire Township, M-72 crosses the Lower Peninsula by way of Traverse City, Kalkaska,

Grayling Grayling or Greyling may refer to: Animals Fish * Grayling, generically, any fish of the genus ''Thymallus'' in the family Salmonidae ** European grayling (''Thymallus thymallus''), the European species of the genus ''Thymallus'' ** Arctic grayli ...

Mio Mio or MIO may refer to: shortened form of Mioritic Shepherd dog or Mioritic sheepdog; a Romanian mountain dog. Places * Mio, Michigan, a town in the US Music * ''Mío'', 2011 album by David Bustamante * "Mío", 1992 song by Paulina Rubio Bra ...

, and Harrisville, whereupon it ends less than a mile from

Lake Huron Lake Huron ( ) is one of the five Great Lakes of North America. Hydrology, Hydrologically, it comprises the easterly portion of Lake Michigan–Huron, having the same surface elevation as Lake Michigan, to which it is connected by the , Strait ...

. * is a scenic route adjacent to M-22 that has its southern terminus in Empire Township. The highway travels north through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to Glen Haven, where it turns east and ends at another junction with M-22 in downtown

Glen Arbor Glen Arbor Township is a civil township of Leelanau County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 859 at the 2010 census. However, the population of the town expands rapidly during the summer months as a result of it being a summer ...

Communities

* Burdickville is an unincorporated community and ghost town on the shore of Glen Lake, at . Burdickville was established in 1864, and abandoned in 1912. Burdickville was founded in 1864 by William D. Burdick. * The village of Empire is located in the west of the township, on the shore of

. * Jacktown is a ghost town in Empire Township, at .

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 1,085 people, 500 households, and 325 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 940 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.53% White, 0.65% Native American, 0.18%

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 ...

, 0.09% from other races, and 0.55% from two or more races. Hispanic or

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 0.28% of the population. There were 500 households, out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% 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, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.69. In the township the population was spread out, with 18.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 33.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males. The median income for a household in the township was $40,263, and the median income for a family was $51,806. Males had a median income of $32,308 versus $26,164 for females. The per capita income for the township was $24,975. About 3.0% of families and 6.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.

References

Notes

Sources

* * *

External links

Empire Township Website
{{authority control Townships in Leelanau County, Michigan Traverse City micropolitan area Townships in Michigan