Paradise 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 ...

in the south of Grand Traverse 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 4,952 at the 2020 census, an increase from 4,713 at the 2010 census. Paradise Township is home to the

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred ...

Kingsley Kingsley may refer to: People * Kingsley (given name) * Kingsley (surname) Places Australia * Kingsley, Western Australia Canada * Rural Municipality of Kingsley No. 124, Saskatchewan England * Kingsley, Cheshire * Kingsley, Hampshire *Kingsley ...

History

Paradise Township was organized in April 1870 from a portion of old Traverse Township – Town 25 north, of Ranges 9 and 10 west, and the south half of Township 26 north of Ranges 9 and 10 west.

Communities

* The village of Kingsley is within the township. All of the township south of Mayfield is served by the Kingsley ZIP code 49649. * Mayfield 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 ...

within the township a few miles north of Kingsley. * Summit City is an unincorporated community within the township, several miles southeast of Kingsley at . Summit City was established as a station on the

Traverse City Railroad The Traverse City Railroad was the owner of a branch railroad from Walton Junction, Michigan, to Traverse City. The line was built in 1872, and connected with the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railway, to which it was sold in 1917. References D ...

, first called "Summit". A post office at Summit City lasted from 1874 to 1955. * Westminster is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

south of Kingsley at . It was founded as a station on the Traverse City Railroad, and was the site of a lumber mill completed in 1883.

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 (0.13%) is water. The

Boardman River The Boardman River ( '), also known as the Ottaway River ( ') or the Boardman–Ottaway River, is a U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography Dataset high-resolution flowline dataThe National Map, accessed November 21, 2011 river in the northw ...

flows through the north of the township. Paradise Township is the largest township in Grand Traverse County by land area, and second largest in total area, behind Whitewater 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 4,191 people, 1,374 households, and 1,082 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,481 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.07%

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 ...

, 0.21%

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 ...

, 0.86% Native American, 0.19%

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 ...

, 0.45% 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 1.19% 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 1.48% of the population. There were 1,374 households, out of which 45.7% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.8% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.2% were non-families. 15.9% 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 3.01 and the average family size was 3.32. In the township the population was spread out, with 33.0% under the age of 18, 8.4% from 18 to 24, 33.1% from 25 to 44, 18.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 101.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 98.4 males. The median income for a household in the township was $44,776, and the median income for a family was $45,652. Males had a median income of $34,804 versus $21,902 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 $16,507. About 4.5% of families and 5.2% 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 6.1% of those under age 18 and 6.1% of those age 65 or over.

References

{{authority control Townships in Grand Traverse County, Michigan Traverse City micropolitan area Townships in Michigan