Salem 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 Allegan 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 ...

. The population was 5,156 at the 2020 census, up from 3,486 at the 2000 census.

Communities

Burnips 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 ...

near the center of the township at . It was first known as Salem Center. James Burnips was a local landowner and built the first store there in 1856. He began to sell lots of land for building in 1858. A post office named "Burnip's Corners" opened in 1868, and the name was changed to "Burnips" in 1915. The ZIP code is 49314. Diamond Springs is an unincorporated locale in the southwest corner of the township on the Rabbit River at . It was first settled in 1867 and had a post office from 1871 until 1875, and then reopened six months later until closing in 1905. New Salem is an unincorporated community in the northeast corner of the township at . A post office first opened there in 1857 and opened and closed several times until 1865, after which it remained in operation until closing in 1905. New Salem is the home o
St. Mary's Visitation Catholic Church
which celebrated its 150th anniversary in 2016.Schichtel, Barbara. Their Faith Lives On: St. Mary's Visitation Parish Histories, New Salem, Michigan. Altona, MB, Canada: Friesens Books, 2013.

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 , or 0.92%, 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 3,486 people, 1,151 households, and 941 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,181 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 96.99%

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 ...

, 0.14%

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 ...

, 1.03% Native American, 0.32% Asian, 0.57% 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 0.95% 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 ...

or Latino of any race were 1.84% of the population. There were 1,151 households, out of which 46.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 72.5% were married couples living together, 6.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 18.2% were non-families. 14.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.03 and the average family size was 3.37. In the township the population was spread out, with 31.8% under the age of 18, 8.6% from 18 to 24, 34.8% from 25 to 44, 17.2% from 45 to 64, and 7.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $48,203, and the median income for a family was $54,625. Males had a median income of $37,768 versus $26,164 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 $19,620. About 2.6% of families and 3.3% 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 4.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

* Francis Adam Goodman, veteran of the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

; lived in Salem Township and represented the town in the State Legislature (1881-1883)

References

*Romig, Walter. ''Michigan Place Names''. Detroit: Wayne State University Press, 1986.

External links

* {{authority control Townships in Allegan County, Michigan Townships in Michigan