Fruitport Charter Township is a charter township of Muskegon County in the

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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 14,575 at the 2020 census. The village of Fruitport is within the township.

Geography

The township is in southern Muskegon County, bordered to the south by Ottawa County. It is bordered to the west by the city of Norton Shores and partially to the north by the city of

Muskegon Muskegon ( ') is a city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Muskegon County. Muskegon is known for fishing, sailing regattas, pleasure boating, and as a commercial and cruise ship port. It is a popular vacation destination because of the expans ...

, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...

. The village of Fruitport is in the southern part of the township, along the county line.

Interstate 96 Interstate 96 (I-96) is an east–west Interstate Highway that runs for approximately entirely within the Lower Peninsula of the US state of Michigan. The western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 (US 31) and Bu ...

crosses the township, with access from Exit 4 (Airline Highway/3rd Avenue). The U.S. Route 31 freeway runs along or close to the western border of the township, with access from exits 107, 109, and 112. I-96 leads southeast to Grand Rapids and has its western terminus at US 31, which in turn leads north to Ludington and south to

Holland Holland is a geographical regionG. Geerts & H. Heestermans, 1981, ''Groot Woordenboek der Nederlandse Taal. Deel I'', Van Dale Lexicografie, Utrecht, p 1105 and former province on the western coast of the Netherlands. From the 10th to the 16th c ...

. 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 are land and , or 1.29%, are water. Norris Creek, a southwest-flowing tributary of Spring Lake and the Grand River, drains the southern part of the township, while Black Creek, a tributary of

Mona Lake Mona Lake is a freshwater lake located in Norton Shores just outside the city of Muskegon in the U.S. state of Michigan ( Muskegon County). Mona Lake is a sandy bottom lake that flows into Lake Michigan via the Mona Lake channel. History Duri ...

, drains the northern part.

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 12,533 people, 4,446 households, and 3,516 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 4,584 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.90%

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 ...

, 0.65%

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 ...

, 0.70% Native American, 0.43%

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 ...

, 0.45% from

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, and 0.86% 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 1.68% of the population. There were 4,446 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 67.2% were married couples living together, 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 20.9% were non-families. 16.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.2% 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 3.15. In the township the population was spread out, with 27.7% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 29.7% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females, there were 97.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.0 males. The median income for a household in the township was $49,065, and the median income for a family was $54,634. Males had a median income of $40,165 versus $27,690 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 $20,582. About 5.4% of families and 6.6% 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 8.0% of those under age 18 and 4.8% of those age 65 or over.

Education

The township is served by the Fruitport Community Schools district. Fruitport High School, Fruitport Middle School, Shettler Elementary School, Beach Elementary School, and Edgewood Elementary School serve the township. Also located in the township is the private Calvary Christian School.

References

External links

*
Fruitport Police Department
{{Muskegon County, Michigan Townships in Muskegon County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan