York Charter Township is a charter township of Washtenaw 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 8,708 at the 2010 census. The township is located north of the city of

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

and is home to the Federal Correctional Institution, Milan, which carried out the only

capital punishment Capital punishment, also known as the death penalty, is the state-sanctioned practice of deliberately killing a person as a punishment for an actual or supposed crime, usually following an authorized, rule-governed process to conclude that t ...

sentence in the state's history when

Tony Chebatoris Anthony "Tony" Chebatoris (May 10, 1898 – July 8, 1938) was a Russian-born bank robber and convicted murderer who is the only person to be executed in the U.S. state of Michigan since it gained statehood in 1837. Although Michigan abolis ...

was executed in 1938.

Communities

* Mooreville 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 southwest portion of the township at . * Nora is a former settlement that had a station along the Toledo & Ann Arbor Railroad and also had its own post office from January 28, 1879 until March 19, 1887. * Urania is a historic community within the township. A railroad station was established here by the Toledo & Ann Arbor Railroad in 1878, and a post office was established on January 10, 1879. The post office operated until January 31, 1914.

History

The area that is now York Township was first settled in 1824, and organized into York Township on March 7, 1834. The township was named York due to the large number of residents originating from New York. The township's first clerk was Othniel Gooding. The Federal Correctional Institution, Milan was built in 1933 in York Township. The prison is notable for carrying out the only execution in the state's history, despite the state abolishing the death penalty in 1847.

, who was convicted on federal charges related to bank robbery and murder, received the death penalty at Milan in 1938. He is buried at Marble Park Cemetery in York Township. York Township was an original survey township until small segments of the township were later incorporated into portions of the city of Saline in 1966 and

in 1967. In 2004,

Toyota is a Japanese multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on . Toyota is one of the largest automobile manufacturers in the world, producing about 10 ...

opened the Toyota Technical Center in the township.Precinct Map
" York Charter Township. Retrieved on January 5, 2010. The state passed legislation permitting the sale of of land in the township to Toyota for a research and development facility. The expanded technical center was scheduled to open in 2008.

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 (0.46%) is water. The Saline River flows through the southwest portion of the township.

Major highways

* runs south–north through the eastern 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 7,392 people, 1,901 households, and 1,608 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 210.2 per square mile (81.2/km²). There were 1,936 housing units at an average density of 55.1 per square mile (21.3/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 83.75%

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 ...

, 12.72%

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 ...

, 0.26% Native American, 1.04% Asian, 0.01%

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 O ...

, 0.84% 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, 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 4.06% of the population. There were 1,901 households, out of which 42.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 78.1% were married couples living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.4% were non-families. 11.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.97 and the average family size was 3.23. In the township the population was spread out, with 22.5% under the age of 18, 6.3% from 18 to 24, 38.3% from 25 to 44, 26.9% from 45 to 64, and 6.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 160.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 182.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $84,232, and the median income for a family was $91,986. Males had a median income of $52,788 versus $36,189 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 $25,528. About 3.5% of families and 3.8% 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 3.8% of those under age 18 and 10.4% of those age 65 or over.

Education

York Township is served by three public school districts. The south and eastern portion of the township is served by Milan Area Schools, while the northwestern portion is served by

Saline Area Schools Saline Area Schools is a school district headquartered in Liberty School in Saline, 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 ...

. Lincoln Consolidated School District also serves very small segments of the eastern portion of the township. South Arbor Academy is a National Heritage Academies charter school operated by Central Michigan University. The school opened in 1999.

Parks and recreation

Two parks are operated by the township.Township Parks Descriptions and Locations
" York Charter Township. Retrieved on May 18, 2010. The Sandra Richardson Park has soccer fields leased to the Saline Area Soccer Association, three walking trails, a picnic pavilion north of the park's parking lot, a sheltered picnic table, the historic Judd Road Bridge, two bridges crossing wet areas of the trails, a shelter

gazebo A gazebo is a pavilion structure, sometimes octagonal or turret-shaped, often built in a park, garden or spacious public area. Some are used on occasions as bandstands. Etymology The etymology given by Oxford Dictionaries is "Mid 18th c ...

located at the intersection of the three trails, and

portable toilet A portable or mobile toilet (colloquial terms: thunderbox, portaloo, porta-john or porta-potty) is any type of toilet that can be moved around, some by one person, some by mechanical equipment such as a truck and crane. Most types do not require ...

s. A walking trail opened in 2002, while a second trail opened in 2003. Boy Scout

Eagle Eagle is the common name for many large birds of prey of the family Accipitridae. Eagles belong to several groups of genera, some of which are closely related. Most of the 68 species of eagle are from Eurasia and Africa. Outside this area, j ...

projects led to the installation of the picnic tables and bridges. In 2004 the York Township Parks and Recreation Community applied for a grant from the Michigan National Resources Trust Fund. The grant was awarded in 2005. The township used the grant funds and local match funds to build the pavilion and surface several park trails to make them compliant with the

Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 or ADA () is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination based on disability. It affords similar protections against discrimination to Americans with disabilities as the Civil Rights Act of 1964, ...

. The township also installed a handicapped parking pad near the pavilion, built the gazebo, and installed portable toilets. The township reseeded of

prairie Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

with native grasses and wildflowers. The township re-installed the Judd Road Bridge. A boardwalk was built from a Boy Scout Eagle project. In 2005 the State of Michigan gave an additional of land to the park. The Mary McCann Park consists of an open field and a wooded area, each taking about half of the park grounds. The park includes a walking/nature trail built in 2003 and a trail extension carved by a Boy Scout from Saline. Another Boy Scout built an open field and a pond. A teaching station for 30 students overlooks the field and pond.

Notable people

, inmate at FCI Milan, executed and buried in York Township *

Rich Rodriguez Richard Alan Rodriguez (; born May 24, 1963), also known as Rich Rod, is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head coach at Jacksonville State University. Rodriguez previously was the head football coach at Salem Un ...

, football coach for the Michigan Wolverines football team from 2008–2010, lived in York Township. * Mary Frances Tyler Tucker, poet, born in York Township * Mary Collins Whiting, lawyer, entrepreneur, and teacher, born in York Township

Images

File:Federal Correctional Institution Milan Entrance York Township Michigan.JPG, File:Judd Cemetery York Township Michigan.JPG, File:South Arbor Charter Academy Pittsfield Township Michigan.JPG,

References

Sources

External links

York Charter Township official website
{{Washtenaw County, Michigan Townships in Washtenaw County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan 1834 establishments in Michigan Territory Populated places established in 1834