Erie 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 ref ...

Monroe County Monroe County may refer to seventeen counties in the United States, all named for James Monroe: * Monroe County, Alabama *Monroe County, Arkansas * Monroe County, Florida * Monroe County, Georgia *Monroe County, Illinois *Monroe County, Indian ...

in the U.S. state of

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 4,299 at the 2020 census. Sharing a southern border with the city of Toledo about south 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 township is one of the southernmost areas included in the Detroit–Warren–Ann Arbor

Combined Statistical Area Combined statistical area (CSA) is a United States Office of Management and Budget (OMB) term for a combination of adjacent metropolitan (MSA) and micropolitan statistical areas (µSA) across the 50 US states and the territory of Puerto Ric ...

(

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 ...

). The township was organized in 1827 and is the southeasternmost municipality in the state of Michigan. The city of

Luna Pier Luna Pier is a city in Monroe County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,382 at the 2020 census. The city is located north of the Ohio state border along the coast of Lake Erie. Previously known as Lakewood, it was established i ...

is mostly surrounded by the township, but the two are administered autonomously since Luna Pier incorporated as a city in 1963.

Communities

*Alexis is a former settlement beginning in 1878 that was at a junction of two railway lines heading south from

. The site was also known as Detroit Junction. *Erie is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

located in the northwest portion of the township at . As one of the county's oldest communities, Erie was first settled as early as 1790 by settlers from the north in Frenchtown. It was given a post office named Bay Settlement on April 18, 1827. The name was changed to Erie after the township on March 5, 1835 and remains in operation. *Havre is a former settlement located about north of the state border on the north shores of

Maumee Bay Maumee Bay on Lake Erie is located in the U.S. state of Ohio, just east of the city of Toledo. The bay and the surrounding wetlands form most of the Maumee River basin, and in 1975 part of the area was incorporated into Maumee Bay State Park. T ...

. A post office operated very briefly here for about five months from June 19 until December 15, 1837. *Ottawa is a historic locale on the railway line at . *Vienna is a historic locale located at . Founded in 1882, it served as a branch on the

Michigan Central Railroad The Michigan Central Railroad (reporting mark MC) was originally incorporated in 1846 to establish rail service between Detroit, Michigan, and St. Joseph, Michigan. The railroad later operated in the states of Michigan, Indiana, and Illinois in ...

in 1882. *Vienna Junction is another historic community that was centered along the railway at . *Vistula was a settlement located within the former boundaries of the township. A land company bought and platted the community in 1832, and the territory built a roadway here. A post office in Vistula was established on January 8, 1834 and operated very briefly until it was closed on January 9, 1835 during the onset of the

Toledo War The Toledo War (1835–36), also known as the Michigan–Ohio War or the Ohio–Michigan War, was an almost bloodless boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan over what is now known as the Toledo S ...

. When the border dispute was resolved by 1836, the area of Vistula was transferred to the state of Ohio. The only remnants of the former settlement are included in the Vistula Historic District in Toledo.

History

Erie was started in 1790 by

Métis The Métis ( ; Canadian ) are Indigenous peoples who inhabit Canada's three Prairie Provinces, as well as parts of British Columbia, the Northwest Territories, and the Northern United States. They have a shared history and culture which derives ...

moving south from Monroe. Early on, a log church named St. Joseph sur la baie Miami was built here. Father

Gabriel Richard Gabriel Richard (pronounced rish-ARD) October 15, 1767 – September 13, 1832, was a French Roman Catholic priest who ministered to the French Catholics in the parish of Sainte Anne de Détroit, as well as Protestants and Native Americans liv ...

often conducted mass here. The township was officially organized as one of the first five townships in Monroe County,

Michigan Territory The Territory of Michigan was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from June 30, 1805, until January 26, 1837, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Michigan. Detroit w ...

in 1827. The township was originally much larger and included the present-day townships of

Bedford Bedford is a market town in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 Census, the population of the Bedford built-up area (including Biddenham and Kempston) was 106,940, making it the second-largest settlement in Bedfordshire, behind Luton, whilst ...

, La Salle, and about a stretch of the

Toledo Strip The Toledo War (1835–36), also known as the Michigan–Ohio War or the Ohio–Michigan War, was an almost bloodless boundary dispute between the U.S. state of Ohio and the adjoining territory of Michigan over what is now known as the Toledo S ...

. When a post office was established in 1827, it was given the name of Bay Settlement. The township's name was changed to Erie in 1835. Bedford Township and La Salle Township were broken off from Erie Township and established in 1836. In the same year, the Toledo Strip portion of Erie Township was given to the state of Ohio.

, which occupied the northeast portion of the township, incorporated from the township in 1963. The last boundary change within Erie Township came in 1973 when the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that involve a point o ...

intervened on a border dispute involving the small and uninhabited Turtle Island. The island was divided in half, with one side given to Erie Township. The other side of the island, which contains the abandoned Turtle Island Light, was given to Ohio.

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 (19.81%) is water. Erie Township includes Gard Island, Indian Island, and a portion of Turtle Island in

Lake Erie Lake Erie ( "eerie") is the fourth largest lake by surface area of the five Great Lakes in North America and the eleventh-largest globally. It is the southernmost, shallowest, and smallest by volume of the Great Lakes and therefore also has t ...

. The

Ottawa River The Ottawa River (french: Rivière des Outaouais, Algonquin: ''Kichi-Sìbì/Kitchissippi'') is a river in the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec. It is named after the Algonquin word 'to trade', as it was the major trade route of Eastern ...

runs through the southeasternmost portion of the township and empties into North Maumee Bay. The township also includes the

North Maumee Bay Archeological District The North Maumee Bay Archeological District is a historic district containing archeological sites located in the southeasternmost corner of Erie Township in Monroe County, Michigan. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on D ...

and portions of the

Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge The Detroit River International Wildlife Refuge is the only international wildlife refuge in North America. Established in 2001 and managed jointly by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and the Canadian Wildlife Service, it is located in ...

. The

Lost Peninsula The Lost Peninsula is a small exclave of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is part of Monroe County in the southeasternmost corner of the state. The Lost Peninsula was created as a result of the Toledo War boundary dispute in 1835 and 1836 to deter ...

is located in the southeasternmost portion of the township. It is located on Point Place Peninsula, which is surrounded by the

on the west and

on the east. Lost Peninsula is an

exclave An enclave is a territory (or a small territory apart of a larger one) that is entirely surrounded by the territory of one other state or entity. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is sometimes used improperly to deno ...

of the township (and of the state of Michigan), as its only land border is with the state of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

. The Toledo neighborhood of

Point Place ''That '70s Show'' is an American television period teen sitcom that aired on Fox from August 23, 1998, to May 18, 2006. The series focuses on the lives of a group of six teenage friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, Wisconsin, fro ...

borders Lost Peninsula to the south. The township is bordered by Lake Erie to the east, Bedford Township to the west, La Salle Township to the north, the city of

to the northeast. The state of

borders to the south, including portions of the city of Toledo and Washington Township.

Major highways

* runs south–north through the eastern section of township and has one access point along Otter Creek Road (exit 9). * runs south–north through the center of the township. * runs parallel along US 24. * US_25_Michigan_1948

US 25 U.S. Route 25 (US 25) is a north–south United States Highway that runs for in the southern and midwestern US. Its southern terminus is in Brunswick, Georgia, from where it proceeds mostly due north, passing through the cities of Augusta, Georg ...

is a former U.S. highway from 1926–1973 that is now replaced with M-125.

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 4,850 people, 1,789 households, and 1,343 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,917 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 95.32%

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 ...

, 1.01%

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 ...

, 0.60% Native American, 0.21%

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 ...

, 1.42% 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 1.44% 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 ...

people of any race were 4.29% of the population. There were 1,789 households, out of which 34.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.3% 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, 9.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 20.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.71 and the average family size was 3.13. In the township the population was spread out, with 27.1% under the age of 18, 7.3% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 25.1% from 45 to 64, and 10.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 102.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $52,442, and the median income for a family was $59,089. Males had a median income of $46,810 versus $27,900 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 $21,494. About 4.5% of families and 5.1% 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 6.0% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The majority of Erie Township is served by Mason Consolidated Schools, while very small portions of the western border are served by Bedford Public Schools to the west in Bedford Township.

Notable people

* Elroy M. Avery, historian, author, and politician; born in Erie TownshipOhio History - The Scholarly Journal of the Ohio Historical Society
Volume 4, page 453 (Sketches of Life Members), 1895

References

Sources

External links

Erie Township official site
{{Monroe County, Michigan Townships in Michigan Townships in Monroe County, Michigan Populated places established in 1827 1827 establishments in Michigan Territory Michigan populated places on Lake Erie