South Arm 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 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 1,873 at the 2010 census.

Communities

*Dwight was a historic community within the township. It began with a rural post office that opened on May 28, 1866 with local storekeeper DeGrove Haight serving as the first postmaster. The post office operated until July 19, 1898. *Intermediate is a former settlement located along middle section of the south arm of Pine Lake (now

Lake Charlevoix Lake Charlevoix ( ) is a lake in Charlevoix County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is the third largest inland lake in the state with a surface area of over 17,200 acres (70 km2) and 56 miles (90 km) of shoreline. The maximum depth in ...

). A post office named Intermediate operated from March 2, 1874 until November 30, 1892. *Nelsonville is a former community that was settled in Emmet County as early as 1865 by the lumbering firm Nelson, Reddington & Company. When the area became part of the newly-organized Charlevoix County, Nelsonville received a post office on April 26, 1869. The post office closed and was transferred to South Arm on November 23, 1874. *Sedan was a community within the township that began with a post office that opened on May 31, 1878 just north of East Jordan. The community's name may have derived from the recent

Battle of Sedan The Battle of Sedan was fought during the Franco-Prussian War from 1 to 2 September 1870. Resulting in the capture of Emperor Napoleon III and over a hundred thousand troops, it effectively decided the war in favour of Prussia and its allies, ...

(1870) of the Franco-Prussian War. The post office operated until February 1, 1883. *South Arm is a historic settlement within the township. It was named for its location along the south arm of Pine Lake (now Lake Charlevoix). It began when Soloman Isaman purchased of land here in 1867. By 1873, he had built his home and a general store, and he became the first postmaster when a post office named South Arm opened on November 23, 1874. In 1877, South Arm was absorbed into the newly incorporated village of East Jordan. The South Arm post office operated until June 30, 1905.

Geography

According to the

U.S. 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 (6.24) is water. The township contains a coastline along the southern arm of

Major highways

* enters the township briefly in the southeast portion of the township and terminates in the city of East Jordan. * runs along the coast of Lake Charlevoix and through East Jordan. * is a county-designated highway that runs west–east through the center 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 1,844 people, 670 households, and 517 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 947 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.10%

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 ...

, 1.68% Native American, 0.11%

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 ...

, 1.25% 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 0.87% 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 1.63% of the population. There were 670 households, out of which 33.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 69.0% were married couples living together, 4.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.7% were non-families. 18.7% 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 2.60 and the average family size was 2.96. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.1% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 26.5% from 25 to 44, 26.5% from 45 to 64, and 16.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 93.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $42,159, and the median income for a family was $48,438. Males had a median income of $31,964 versus $25,096 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 $17,554. About 3.5% of families and 4.8% 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 4.3% of those under age 18 and 6.3% of those age 65 or over.

Education

South Arm Township is served by two separate public school districts. The vast majority of the township is served by

East Jordan Public Schools East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

within the city of East Jordan. A small portion of the southwest corner of the township is served by Ellsworth Community School to the west in the village of Ellsworth in Antrim County.

References

Sources

External links

South Arm Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Charlevoix County, Michigan Townships in Michigan