Forest 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 Genesee County in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...

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 ...

. Survey township designation is 9 north and 8 east. The population was 4,702 at the 2010 census, slightly down from 4,738 at the 2000 census.

Communities

* Otisville is a small village within the township. * Otter Lake is a small village partially within the township in the northeast corner, and is also in

Lapeer County Lapeer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 88,619. The county seat is Lapeer. The county was created on September 18, 1822, and was fully organized on February 2, 1835. The name ...

's Marathon Township.

History

On March 1, 1836, James Seymour purchased the property first in the future Township in section 36. Henry Heister, with his wife and three children, were the first settlers in the spring of 1837, coming from Livingston County. His home was on the Butternut Creek on the piece of property he purchased, the southwest quarter of section 19. Heister's son, George, was the first born in the Township. With in a few years after arriving, he move to Genesee Township. The residents petitioned the state to form a township with no name selected. Paris was soon selected but was already taken, then a legislature offered Forest. Originally a part of Richfield Township,

, the Township was formed on March 31, 1843 when the range 8 survey townships were transferred from Lapeer County to Genesee County. The 13 voters first met on the first Monday in April 1943 to select their officers, choosing Nathaniel Smith as supervisor. A U.S. Post Office called Forest was opened in 1855 in section 24 at the residence of the first postmaster, John Crawford. In 1859, the Post Office was moved to Otisville with Robert Shaw appointed deputy postmaster. The Post Office's name was changed in 1861 to Otisville. On June 2, 1882, the Clew Post Office was opened in the northwest part of the Township and was closed on November 28, 1884. Huntingtown was 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 ...

in the township that existed in 1873 on State Road ( M-15) north of Vienna Road ( M-57) and south of Farrand Road at Butternut Creek.Map of Genesee County, Michigan
Drawn, compiled, and edited by H.F. Walling, C.E. ... Published by R.M. & S.T. Tackabury, Detroit, Mich. Entered ... 1873, by H.F. Walling ... Washington. The Claremont Manufacturing Company, Claremont, N.H., Book Manufacturers In 1885, the first schoolhouse, the Smith school house, was built at the northeast corner of section 33.

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 (0.94%) is water.

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 4,738 people, 1,706 households, and 1,371 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,774 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.28%

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 ...

, 0.36%

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 ...

, 0.34% Native American, 0.21%

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 ...

, 0.02%

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 ...

, 0.55% 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 1.25% 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 1.18% of the population. There were 1,706 households, out of which 35.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.4% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 19.6% were non-families. 15.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.77 and the average family size was 3.07. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.4% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 27.5% from 45 to 64, and 9.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $51,235, and the median income for a family was $57,880. Males had a median income of $48,393 versus $22,788 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 $20,773. About 1.1% of families and 3.0% 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 1.4% of those under age 18 and 3.2% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Townships in Genesee County, Michigan 1843 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1843 Townships in Michigan