Wise 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 ...

of Isabella County 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 1,355 at the 2020 census.

History

Wise Township was established on January 24, 1872. It was named after George Wise, who was one of the first settlers to the area in the community of Loomis. Originally, Wise Township occupied two 36-square-mile

survey township A survey township, sometimes called a Congressional township or just township, as used by the United States Public Land Survey System, is a nominally-square area of land that is nominally six U.S. survey miles (about 9.66 km) on a side. E ...

s in the northeast corner of Isabella County. The original boundaries of the township can be seen on an 1873 county map. The southern half of Wise Township was set aside as Denver Township in 1876.

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 (0.25%) is water. The

Pere Marquette Rail-Trail The Pere Marquette Rail-Trail (PMRT) is a rail trail in Michigan occupying a abandoned CSX railroad corridor in Midland County and Isabella County that was once part of the Flint and Pere Marquette Railroad. In 1874, the tracks stretched fro ...

runs through the township. The entire township is within the boundaries of the

Isabella Indian Reservation The Isabella Indian Reservation is the primary land base of the federally recognized Saginaw Chippewa Tribal Nation, located in Isabella County in the central part of the U.S. state of Michigan. The tribe also has some small parcels of off-rese ...

Major highways

* runs east–west along the northern portion of the city. * is a business loop that enters very briefly in the northwest corner of the township and connects to US 10.

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 1,301 people, 464 households, and 360 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 517 housing units at an average density of 14.1 per square mile (5.4/km). The racial makeup of the township was 93.62%

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 ...

, 0.08%

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 ...

, 4.38% Native American, 0.23%

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 ...

, 0.31% 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 1.38% 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 1.54% of the population. There were 464 households, out of which 37.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.3% 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, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.4% were non-families. 18.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.17. In the township the population was spread out, with 29.6% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.0% from 45 to 64, and 11.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $41,333, and the median income for a family was $45,208. Males had a median income of $32,500 versus $21,111 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 $16,346. About 5.5% of families and 7.8% 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 8.3% of those under age 18 and 13.1% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Wise Township is served by three separate public school districts. The northern portion of the township is served by

Clare Public Schools Clare Public Schools is a public school district headquartered at 201 East State Street in Clare, Michigan, United States. It contains a Primary, Middle, and High School. Bond Proposal In 2022, it was proposed that the current Middle School b ...

to the northwest in the city of Clare. The southeast portion of the township is served by Coleman Community School District to the west in the city of Coleman in Midland County. A small portion of the southwest corner of the township is served by

Mount Pleasant Public Schools The Mount Pleasant Public Schools (MPPS) is a public school district in Mount Pleasant, Michigan Mount Pleasant is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located in Central Michigan, the city is the county seat of Isabella County, Michigan, I ...

much further to the south in the city of Mount Pleasant.

References

External links

Wise Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Isabella County, Michigan Townships in Michigan Populated places established in 1872 1872 establishments in Michigan