Chesterfield Charter Township is a

charter township A charter township is a form of Local government in the United States, local government in the U.S. state of Michigan. While all townships in Michigan are organized governments, a charter township has been granted a charter, which allows it cert ...

of Macomb 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 so ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. As of the 2020 census the population was 45,376. The township was organized in 1842, formed from a portion of Macomb Township. In 1989 it gained charter status. The township is part of

Metro Detroit Metro Detroit is a major metropolitan area in the U.S. state of Michigan, consisting of the city of Detroit and over 200 municipalities in the Southeast Michigan, surrounding area. There are varied definitions of the area, including the officia ...

History

Chesterfield Township was originally established as a general law township in 1842. It became a charter township in 1989. The original European-American settlement in the area was a hamlet called Chesterfield, first settled in 1830. When the

Grand Trunk Railway The Grand Trunk Railway (; ) was a Rail transport, railway system that operated in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario and in the List of states and territories of the United States, American sta ...

came through in 1865, it stimulated the development of businesses in the hamlet. It had a post office from 1875 until 1907, but has since lost its specific identity.

Geography

Chesterfield Township is in eastern Macomb County and is bordered on the north by Lenox Township and the village of

New Haven New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...

; on the east by Ira Township in St. Clair County, and by the village of New Baltimore; on the southeast by Anchor Bay, which is a part of

Lake St. Clair Lake St. Clair () is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day they first saw the lake. ...

; on the south by Harrison Township; and on the west by Macomb Township. According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the township has a total area of , of which are land and , or 9.85%, are water. Much of Chesterfield Township is dominated by suburban subdivisions and shopping developments; its population is increasingly diverse, reflecting area demographic changes. In 2010 some 89% of the population identified as non-Hispanic whites; in the late 20th century, the largely rural township had an even higher percentage of whites. Anchor Bay influences the southeastern part of the community, where many pleasure boats, docks, and marine-related businesses can be found.

Communities

There are nine unincorporated communities in the township and no incorporated villages: * Anchor Bay Gardens is located off Jefferson Avenue at Sunrise Street and Jans Drive (; Elevation: 571 ft./174 m.). * Anchor Bay Harbor is located on Jefferson Avenue south of Anchor Bay Gardens, between Sugerbush and Cotton roads (; Elevation: 577 ft./176 m.). * Anchor Bay Shores is located off Jefferson Avenue, south of Anchor Bay Harbor between William P. Rosso Highway and 21 Mile Road (; Elevation: 581 ft./177 m.) * Chesterfield is located on M-3 from 23 Mile Road to 22 Mile Road. (; Elevation: 607 ft./185 m.) * Chesterfield Shores is near the border with City of New Baltimore north of Jefferson Avenue and south of M-29/23 Mile Road ( ; Elevation: 587 ft./179 m.). * Fairchild was located in the southern portion of the township. It had a post office starting in 1906. * Lottivue is located between Jefferson Avenue,

Lake Saint Clair Lake St. Clair () is a freshwater lake that lies between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Michigan. It was named in 1679 by French Catholic explorers after Saint Clare of Assisi, on whose feast day they first saw the lake. ...

, Brandenburg Park and Schneider Road ( ; Elevation: 577 ft./176 m.). * Milton is located at Gratiot Avenue and 24 Mile Road (; Elevation: 607 ft./185 m.) and once was a station on the Grand Trunk Railroad. The first post office in the township was established here in 1837 in the house of Robert O. Milton, with the name of "New Haven Post Office". When this was moved to

, Alfred D. Rice established another post office in Milton. That post office closed at some point, and another was opened in January 1856, with Edmund Matthews as postmaster. This office operated until July 1904. Milton was home to a school, three churches, a doctor, a blacksmith, and a couple of saloons. The last saloon survived until 2004, when it was torn down, at that time it was known as the "Teddy Bear Bar." The school, known as Milton School, was incorporated into another building, which was torn down in 2002. * Point Lakeview is located southwest of Lottivue between the Salt River and Lake Saint Clair. * Sebille Manor is located northwest of Anchor Bay Harbor between Sugarbush and Donner roads (; Elevation: 587 ft./179 m.).

Demographics

As of the 2010 census Chesterfield Township had a population of 43,381. The racial and ethnic composition of the population was 89.5% non-Hispanic white, 5.3% African American, 0.4% Native American, 1.0% Asian, 0.1% non-Hispanics from some other race, 1.8% from two or more races, and 2.4% Hispanic or Latino. As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 37,405 people, 13,347 households, and 10,076 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 13,967 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 93.43%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 2.97%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.40% Native American, 0.76% Asian, 0.02%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 0.87% from other races, and 1.56% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 2.52% of the population. There were 13,347 households, out of which 43.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.1% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.5% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 19.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.78 and the average family size was 3.22. In the township 29.8% of the population was under the age of 18, 7.9% from 18 to 24, 36.4% from 25 to 44, 19.3% from 45 to 64, and 6.6% was 65 years of age or older. The median age was 33 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 95.6 males. The median income for a household in the township was $61,630, and the median income for a family was $69,554. Males had a median income of $50,834 versus $30,275 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the township was $24,410. About 3.9% of families and 4.7% 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 ...

, including 6.8% of those under age 18 and 3.8% of those age 65 or over.

Government

The township is governed by a board of trustees and a township supervisor. A clerk and treasurer are also elected.

Fire department

Chesterfield Township is served by a mix of career and part-time firefighters, under the direction of the Public Safety Director, and supervision of a full-time chief. The department staffs two stations 24/7.

Education

Chesterfield Township is primarily covered by two school districts: the Anchor Bay School District, and L’Anse Creuse Public Schools. A small portion of the northern part of the township is also zoned to New Haven Community Schools.

References

Notes

Sources

External links

*
Chesterfield Township Fire DepartmentChesterfield Township Historical SocietyChesterfield Township Library
{{authority control Townships in Macomb County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan 1842 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1842 Michigan populated places on Lake St. Clair