Commerce Township, officially the Charter Township of Commerce, is a

charter township A charter township is a form of local government in the U.S. state of Michigan. Townships in Michigan are organized governments. A charter township has been granted a charter, which allows it certain rights and responsibilities of home rule that ...

Oakland County Oakland County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of the Metro Detroit, metropolitan Detroit area, located northwest of the city. As of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 Census, its population was 1, ...

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 ...

. The population was 40,186 at the 2010 census. As a western suburb of

Metro Detroit The Detroit metropolitan area, often referred to as Metro Detroit, is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. State of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and its surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the ...

, Commerce Township is about northwest of the city of

Detroit Detroit ( , ; , ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is also the largest U.S. city on the United States–Canada border, and the seat of government of Wayne County. The City of Detroit had a population of 639,111 at th ...

. The cities of Walled Lake and

Wixom Wixom is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 13,498 at the 2010 census. As a western suburb of Metro Detroit, Wixom is about northwest of the city of Detroit. The city was home to the now-demolished Wixom ...

border to the south, and the township contains the village of Wolverine Lake. Originally settled as a resort destination, the township has seen a large population increase of permanent residents due to the townships rural environment and recreation areas, including most of

Proud Lake State Recreation Area Proud Lake State Recreation Area is a state-managed public park and recreation area located in Commerce Township, Oakland County, Michigan, near Wixom. It is under the jurisdiction of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources. The recreation ...

. The Huron River runs mostly north–south through the township, and the township also contains numerous lakes. The northern terminus of M-5 is within Commerce Township. This highway was originally meant to connect the spur route Interstate 275 back to

Interstate 75 Interstate 75 (I-75) is a major north–south Interstate Highway in the Great Lakes and Southeastern regions of the United States. As with most Interstates that end in 5, it is a major cross-country, north–south route, traveling from S ...

, but the project was canceled due to the difficulty of construction around the township's numerous lakes, as well as the high property value of the area.

Communities

*Commerce is located at Commerce and Sleeth Roads (; Elevation: 945 ft./288 m.). It was platted in 1836. *Glengary is located on Benstein Road between Oakley Park and Glengary Roads (; Elevation: 922 ft./281 m.). *Oakley Park is located on (; Elevation: 932 ft./284 m.). * Union Lake is an unincorporated community joined in the northeastern part of the township joining the townships of West Bloomfield,

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

, and White Lake. * Wolverine Lake is an incorporated village in the township.

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 (8.19%) is water.

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 34,764 people, 12,379 households, and 9,754 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 12,924 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.73%

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 ...

, 0.50%

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 ...

, 0.19% Native American, 1.31%

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 ...

, 0.01%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe the original p ...

, 0.32% 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 0.95% 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 1.16% of the population. There were 12,379 households, out of which 42.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% 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, 7.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 17.0% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.81 and the average family size was 3.19. In the township the population was spread out, with 29.5% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 34.1% from 25 to 44, 23.7% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $72,702, and the median income for a family was $79,976. Males had a median income of $61,087 versus $36,125 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 $33,104. About 2.4% of families and 3.4% 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 3.8% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The two school districts within the boundaries of Commerce Township are

Walled Lake Consolidated Schools The Walled Lake Consolidated School District is a school district with its headquarters in the Educational Services Center in Walled Lake, Michigan in Greater Detroit.Huron Valley Schools.Map of Entire District
" ()

Walled Lake Western High School Walled Lake Western High School (also known as "Walled Lake Western," "Western," or "WLW"), is a public high school of the Walled Lake Consolidated School District, located in Commerce Township, Michigan in Greater Detroit.< ...

s are all located within the township. Catholic schools are under the

Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit ( la, Archidiœcesis Detroitensis) is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or archdiocese of the Catholic Church covering the Michigan counties of Lapeer County, Michigan, Lapeer, Macomb County, Michigan, Macomb, M ...

. St. William Catholic Church, which includes a portion of Commerce Township in its service area, operates St. William Catholic School, a

K-8 school K8 or K-8 may refer to: * K-8 (Kansas highway), two highways in Kansas, one in northern Kansas, one in southern Kansas * K-8 school, a type of school that includes kindergarten and grades one through eight * AMD K8, the internal designation for the ...

in Walled Lake.

Religion

St. William Church in Walled Lake includes a portion of Commerce Township in its service area.

Notable people

David Hahn David Charles Hahn (October 30, 1976 – September 27, 2016), sometimes called the "Radioactive Boy Scout" or the "Nuclear Boy Scout", was an American nuclear radiation enthusiast who built a homemade neutron source at the age of seventeen. A ...

, a 17-year-old

Eagle Scout Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...

, constructed a makeshift

nuclear reactor A nuclear reactor is a device used to initiate and control a fission nuclear chain reaction or nuclear fusion reactions. Nuclear reactors are used at nuclear power plants for electricity generation and in nuclear marine propulsion. Heat from nu ...

in his backyard in Commerce Township, exposing himself and his neighbors—and maybe even as many as 40,000 people in the area—to radioactive materials, and drawing the attention of the

EPA The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it be ...

. The event became a short-lived media sensation, and a book by

Ken Silverstein Ken Silverstein is an American journalist who worked for the ''Los Angeles Times'' as an investigative reporter, for The Associated Press in Brazil, and has written for ''Mother Jones'', ''Washington Monthly'', ''The Nation'', ''Slate'', and ...

called ''The Radioactive Boy Scout'' was written about the incident and published in 2004. *

Connor Hellebuyck Connor Charles Hellebuyck ( ; born May 19, 1993) is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Winnipeg Jets of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected by the Jets in the fifth round, 130th overall, of the 2012 NHL Entry Dra ...

, ice hockey goaltender *

Alina Morse Alina Morse (born May 2005) is an American entrepreneur, the CEO of Zolli Candy, which she founded when she was ten years old. Her company sells the candy she developed: sugar free lollipops called Zollipops, hard candy called Zolli Drops, and ...

, Inventor, entrepreneur, CEO and founder of Zollicandy * William John McConnell was born in Commerce Township. Mr. McConnell later became one of the first Senators of Idaho and its third Governor.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

Charter Township of Commerce
{{Authority control Townships in Oakland County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan Metro Detroit