Melrose 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 ...

of Charlevoix County 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 1,403 at the 2010 census. The township was set off from Evangeline Township by the County Board of Supervisors in 1877.

Communities

*Clarion 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 hav ...

located within the township at . The settlement began as early as 1874 by John Darrah from Kent County, and his family homesteaded in the area by the following year. He became the first postmaster when the Clarion post office opened on December 8, 1879. It was named after

Clarion, Pennsylvania Clarion is a borough in and the county seat of Clarion County, Pennsylvania, United States. It is located north-northeast of Pittsburgh and is part of the Pittsburgh DMA. Clarion was settled in 1839 and incorporated in 1841. In the past, the s ...

. The community also received a train station along 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 grapp ...

. The post office operated until October 31, 1945. *Lake Junction was a historic settlement that formed around a railway junction that connected the Clarion and Walloon Lake train stations along the

. The junction appeared in Melrose Township on
1911 map
of Charlevoix County. *Troutdale is a former community located within the township on the southern shores of Bear Lake (now Walloon Lake). It was given a post office that operated briefly from September 11, 1879 until August 17, 1881. * Walloon Lake is an unincorporated community and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a 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 counterparts of incorporated places, su ...

located along the eastern shores of Walloon Lake at .

Geography

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (5.77%) is water. The township contains the eastern coastline of Walloon Lake.

Major highways

* runs south–north through the center of the township. * runs through the west-central portion of the township and terminates at US 131. The roadway continues to the east of US 131 and carries the C-81 designation. * is a county-designated highway that begins at US 131 east of M-75 and runs through the northern portion of the township.

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 1,388 people, 517 households, and 387 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 875 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 98.05%

White White is the lightness, 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 diffuse reflection, reflect and scattering, scatter all the ...

, 0.07%

African American African Americans (also referred to as Black Americans and Afro-Americans) are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, ethnic group consisting of Americans with partial or total ancestry from sub-Saharan Africa. The term "African American ...

, 0.65% Native American, 0.07%

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 Ocea ...

, 0.14% from other races, and 1.01% 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 for ...

or Latino of any race were 1.08% of the population. There were 517 households, out of which 36.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 64.8% 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, 7.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.0% were non-families. 19.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.67 and the average family size was 3.09. In the township the population was spread out, with 28.7% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 31.8% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 11.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $41,000, and the median income for a family was $45,385. Males had a median income of $29,813 versus $21,620 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 $20,426. About 5.4% of families and 8.2% 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 ...

, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 2.2% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Melrose Township is served by three separate school districts. Most of the township is served by

Wolverine Community Schools The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a muscul ...

to the northeast in the village of

Wolverine The wolverine (), (''Gulo gulo''; ''Gulo'' is Latin for " glutton"), also referred to as the glutton, carcajou, or quickhatch (from East Cree, ''kwiihkwahaacheew''), is the largest land-dwelling species of the family Mustelidae. It is a musc ...

in Cheboygan County. The southwest portion of the township is served by Boyne City Public Schools to the southwest in the city of Boyne City. A small southeastern portion of the township is served by

Boyne Falls Public School District Boyne is a variation of Bóinn or Boann, Irish goddess of the River Boyne. Boyne may also refer to: Places * Boyne Castle, a ruined castle in Aberdeenshire, Scotland * Boyne City, Michigan, a town in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Mic ...

to the south in Boyne Valley Township.

References

Sources

External links

Melrose Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Charlevoix County, Michigan Townships in Michigan Populated places established in 1877 1877 establishments in Michigan