Grayling Charter Township is a charter township of

Crawford County Crawford County is the name of eleven counties in the United States: * Crawford County, Arkansas * Crawford County, Georgia * Crawford County, Illinois * Crawford County, Indiana * Crawford County, Iowa * Crawford County, Kansas * Crawford Count ...

in the U.S. state 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 ...

. The population was 5,827 as of the 2010 census, down from 6,516 at the 2000 census. The city of Grayling is surrounded by Grayling Charter Township, but both are administered autonomously.

Communities

*Babbits Resort 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 ...

along the Au Sable River at . *Bucks is an unincorporated community located within the township at . Bucks was settled by the Holloway Bucks family in 1870. Originally called Buck's Hill, it became a stop along the Michigan Central Railroad in 1889. It was then known as Buck's Crossing and served as a residents and stopover for the railroad builders. The name was later shorterned to Bucks. The community contains no more structures or residents, and it is now part of

Camp Grayling Camp Grayling is a military training facility located near Grayling, Michigan, primarily in Crawford County, and spread over three counties. Camp Grayling is the main training facility for the Michigan National Guard and is the largest US Nationa ...

. *Collens Landing is an unincorporated community along the eastern shores of Lake Margrethe at . *Danish Landing is an unincorporated community along the northeastern shores of Lake Margrethe at . *Five Corners is an unincorporated community located along M-72 in the southeast portion of the township at . *Lake Margrethe is an unincorporated community located along the eastern shores of Lake Margrethe just south of the community of Collens Landing at . *Louis Cabin Landing is an unincorporated community located along the Au Sable River at . *McIntyre Landing is an unincorporated community along the northernmost shores of Lake Margrethe at . *Rasmus is an unincorporated community located within Camp Grayling at . Rasmus Hanson founded the community in 1914 along the shores of Lake Margrethe, which he named after his wife Margrethe. It became a stop along the Michigan Central Railroad as part of Camp Hanson, which later became Camp Grayling. *Wildwood is an unincorporated community located along F-32 in the eastern portion of the township at .

History

The township was named for the grayling fish that lived in the Au Sable River.

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 (2.29%) is water. Grayling Township is the second-largest charter township by land area in the state of Michigan (after Ironwood Township) and also the largest municipality by land area in the

Lower Peninsula The Lower Peninsula of Michigan – also known as Lower Michigan – is the larger, southern and less elevated of the two major landmasses that make up the U.S. state of Michigan; the other being the Upper Peninsula, which is separated by the S ...

. Grayling Township occupies a large area in the center of Crawford County and extends west to the border with

Kalkaska County Kalkaska County ( ) is located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 17,939. The county seat is Kalkaska. Kalkaska County is included in the Traverse City Micropolitan Statistical Area. Although it is locat ...

. The city of Grayling is located southwest of the township center, along

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 St ...

, which serves the township with five exits.

, the main training facility for the

Michigan National Guard The Michigan National Guard consists of the Michigan Army National Guard and the Michigan Air National Guard. The State adjutant general is Major general Paul D. Rogers. Units Michigan Army National Guard units include: * Recruiting Office: Ba ...

, occupies all of the township west of the city of Grayling. The Au Sable River flows west to east across the center of the township, joined by its East Branch from the north, while Lake Margrethe is in the western part of the township within

. Hartwick Pines State Park is also located within Grayling Township.

Major highways

* * * * (named locally as Hartwick Pines Road) *

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 6,516 people, 2,420 households, and 1,802 families residing in the township. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

was 38.1 per square mile (14.7/km²). There were 3,945 housing units at an average density of 23.1 per square mile (8.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 94.83%

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 ...

, 3.04%

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 ...

, 0.48% Native American, 0.26%

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 ...

, 0.08% 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 1.32% 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 0.80% of the population. There were 2,420 households, out of which 32.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.6% were married couples living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.5% were non-families. 20.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.55 and the average family size was 2.91. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.5% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 111.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.3 males. The median income for a household in the township was $34,690, and the median income for a family was $37,963. Males had a median income of $30,973 versus $22,857 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 $17,355. About 9.1% of families and 11.7% 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 16.4% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over.

References

Sources

External links

Grayling Township official websiteGrayling Regional Chamber of Commerce
{{Crawford County, Michigan Townships in Crawford County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan