Coloma Charter Township is a charter township of Berrien County 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 ...

. The population was 5,020 at the 2010 census. The city of Coloma lies within the township. The township is located in the north central portion of the county. Hagar Township is to the west, Covert Township of Van Buren County is to the north, Watervliet Township is to the east, Bainbridge Township is to the south, and Benton Charter Township to the southwest.

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 5.82%, is water. I-94 passes through the south of the township. M-140 touches the northeast corner of the township before bending eastward around

Paw Paw Lake __NOTOC__ Paw Paw Lake is a lake in Coloma Township and Watervliet Township in Berrien County, Michigan. The lake was the site of a tourist area in the early 20th century. This area became the census-designated place of the same name. It is t ...

. The eastern boundary of the township passes through the center of the lake. The

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), 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 count ...

of Paw Paw Lake, Michigan, surrounds the lake and extends into Watervliet Township. The

Paw Paw River The Paw Paw River is located in the U.S. state of Michigan in the southwest portion of the lower peninsula. It is formed by the confluence of the north and south branches at in Waverly Township in the northeast of Van Buren County. It flows ap ...

flows through the south part of the township.

Tourism

Deer Forest The deer forest (Gaelic: frìth) is a sporting estate which is kept and managed largely or solely for the purposes of maintaining a resident population of red deer for sporting ( deer stalking) purposes. It is an institution and phenomenon pecul ...

petting zoo has been a local attraction since 1949. Closed in 2014 and will not reopen.

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 5,217 people, 2,111 households, and 1,481 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 2,599 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.53%

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 ...

, 0.69%

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 ...

, 0.44% Native American, 0.59% Asian, 0.04%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the Pacific Islands. As an ethnic/racial term, it is used to describe the original peoples—inhabitants and diasporas—of any of the three major subregions of O ...

, 0.52% 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 1.19% 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 2.59% of the population. There were 2,111 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.5% were married couples living together, 10.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.8% were non-families. 25.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.44 and the average family size was 2.90. In the township the population was spread out, with 24.2% under the age of 18, 7.1% from 18 to 24, 28.4% from 25 to 44, 25.8% from 45 to 64, and 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $40,029, and the median income for a family was $44,859. Males had a median income of $36,231 versus $21,378 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 $20,377. About 4.0% of families and 5.4% 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 6.2% of those under age 18 and 2.7% of those age 65 or over.

References

External links

Coloma Charter Township official website
{{Authority control Townships in Berrien County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan