Chester 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 ...
of
Ottawa 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 sove ...
of
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
2000 United States Census
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
, the township population was 2,315.
Communities
There are no incorporated municipalities within the township. There are a few unincorporated communities and homeowners associations:
*Conklin, in the southwest part of the township at was a station on the
Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad
The Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad at its height provided passenger and freight railroad services between Cincinnati, Ohio, and the Straits of Mackinac in Michigan, USA. The company was formed on January 18, 1854.
Beginnings
After grappl ...
, with its post office first opening in June 1887
and continues to service most of the township with
ZIP code 49403.
![Conklin3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/71/Conklin3.jpg)
*Crockery Lake, a homeowners' association on Crockery Lake near the center of the township.
*Harrisburg, on the north branch of Crockery Creek in the northwest of the township at ,
was a station on the
Toledo, Saginaw and Muskegon Railway
The Toledo, Saginaw and Muskegon Railway is a defunct railroad incorporated in January, 1886. The railroad offered service between Ashley, Michigan and Muskegon, Michigan starting on August 1, 1888. The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada took control th ...
, with a post office operating from December 1888 until February 1907.
[
*Gooding, on the eastern boundary with Sparta Township in Kent County, was a station on the Toledo, Saginaw and Muskegon Railway in Kent County. A post office was established in November 1888 and named after storekeeper/postmaster Richard J. Gooding. In June 1918, the post office was transferred to a site on the Ottawa County side and remained in operation until January 1923. The most noticeable remnant of Gooding is Gooding Street, which runs east–west across the township, passing just south of Crockery Lake. The street continues as 13 Mile Road in Kent County and as Ellis Road in Muskegon County.
*Lisbon, a mile south of Gooding, was settled by New Yorker John Pintler (1846). In 1848, ''Pintler's Corners Post Office'' was established; in 1859 the name of the Post Office was changed to ''Lisbon''. In March 1869, a village was incorporated, extending a half-section in each direction from the northwest corner of ]section
Section, Sectioning or Sectioned may refer to:
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** Section sig ...
30 of Sparta Township (thus including a quarter section of section 19 to the north in Sparta Township as well as quarter sections of sections 24 and 25 in Chester Township. However, railroad lines bypassed the village and it did not prosper, eventually disincorporating.
Geography
The township protrudes to the north of the rest of Ottawa County, and is bounded on the west and north by Muskegon County and on the east by Kent County. Polkton Township lies to the southwest and Wright Township to the south.
No major roads pass through the township, although Interstate 96
Interstate 96 (I-96) is an east–west Interstate Highway that runs for approximately entirely within the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 (US 31) and Bu ...
passes just to the south. The city of Coopersville is just a few miles to the southwest. Grand Haven
Grand Haven is a city within the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Ottawa County. Grand Haven is located on the eastern shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Grand River, for which it is named. As of the 2010 census, Grand H ...
is about to the west, while Grand Rapids is about to the southeast.
The northern part of the township is drained by the north branch of Crockery Creek, a tributary of the Grand River that flows mostly westward in the township. The southern portion is drained by branches of Rio Grande Creek, which flow mostly westward before joining Crockery Creek just south of Ravenna
Ravenna ( , , also ; rgn, Ravèna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna, in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 408 until its collapse in 476. It then served as the ca ...
. A small area in the southwest corner is drained by Beaver Creek, which flows mostly south into Deer Creek just about a mile before Deer Creek enters the Grand River in Polkton Township. A small area in the southeast of the township is drained by Nash Creek, which flows east to the Rogue River. Crockery Lake, on the Crockery Creek near the center of the township, is the only sizeable body of water in the township. The highest point in Conklin is approximately from Crockery Lake by Gooding Street and 24th Avenue.
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 (0.47%) is water.
Grose Park is a county park overlooking the north side of Crockery Lake and provides recreational opportunities including swimming, fishing, sand volleyball and picnicking. There is about one mile (1.6 km) of hiking trails along Lange Creek. Major improvements were made in 2000 to Grose Park as part of a $660,000 renovation with about 60% of the funding coming from the Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund.
Zip Codes
*Conklin-49403
School Districts
*Sparta Area Schools
*Kent City Community Schools
* Ravenna Public Schools
* Coopersville Public Schools
Demographics
As of the 2000 United States Census
The United States census of 2000, conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2 percent over the 248,709,873 people enumerated during the 1990 cen ...
, there were 2,315 people, 714 households, and 579 families in the township. The population density was . There were 793 housing units at an average density of 22.2 per square mile (8.6/km). The racial makeup of the township was 94.43% 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 ...
, 0.78% 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 ...
, 0.13% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 3.63% from other races
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* 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 0.82% 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 ...
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 6.22% of the population.
There were 714 households, out of which 41.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 70.3% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.9% were non-families. 14.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.99 and the average family size was 3.32.
The township population contained 30.9% under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 31.1% from 25 to 44, 18.5% from 45 to 64, and 11.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $46,328, and the median income for a family was $51,900. Males had a median income of $39,286 versus $27,159 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 $18,197. About 6.0% of families and 10.4% 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 9.0% of those under age 18 and 4.1% of those age 65 or over.
Notes
References
*
External links
Chester Township Website
Crockery Lake Homeowners Association
{{authority control
Townships in Ottawa County, Michigan
Townships in Michigan