Gaines 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 Kent County in the U.S. state of

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, ...

. The population was 28,812 at the 2020 census. The township is part of the

Grand Rapids metropolitan area The Grand Rapids metropolitan area is a triangular shaped Metro Triplex, in West Michigan, which fans out westward from the primary hub city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, to the other two metro hubs of Muskegon and Holland. The metropolitan are ...

and is located about south of the city of

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is the largest city and county seat of Kent County, Michigan, United States. With a population of 198,917 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census and estimated at 200,117 in 2024, Grand Rapids is the List of municipalities ...

Communities

* Corinth is an unincorporated community in the southwest part of the township at on the boundary with Byron Township. In 1866, three Cody brothers built a steam-powered

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

and

sawmill A sawmill (saw mill, saw-mill) or lumber mill is a facility where logging, logs are cut into lumber. Modern sawmills use a motorized saw to cut logs lengthwise to make long pieces, and crosswise to length depending on standard or custom sizes ...

here, and the place became known as "Cody's Mills". A village named "Corinth" was

plat In the United States, a plat ( or ) (plan) is a cadastral map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. United States General Land Office surveyors drafted township plats of Public Lands Survey System, Public Lands Surveys to ...

ted and recorded for Jacob and David Rosenberg by Robert S. Jackson on September 14, 1871. A post office named Cody's Mills was established in May 1867. It was renamed Corinth in March 1871 and operated until December 1899. * Cutlerville is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a parcel of land that is not governed by a local general-purpose municipal corporation. (At p. 178.) They may be governed or serviced by an encompassing unit (such as a county) or another branch of the state (such as th ...

and

census-designated place A census-designated place (CDP) is a Place (United States Census Bureau), concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only. CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counte ...

in the northwest of the township. The CDP also extends mostly into Byron Township to the west. *Dutton is an unincorporated community centered at the intersection of Dutton Avenue and 68th Street. It was first settled in 1870. *Gaines Center had a post office from 1854 to 1856. *Gainesville was a station on the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad. It had a post office from 1856 until 1871.

History

The area was first settled by Alexander Clark and Alexander L. Bouck in 1837. The township was named Gaines in 1846, after

Gaines, New York Gaines is a town in Orleans County, New York, United States. The population was 3,226 at the 2020 census, and 3,378 at the 2010 census. The town is named after General Edmund P. Gaines, who defended the area during the War of 1812. The Town o ...

, the birth place of many of the town's first settlers. Gaines Township was officially established in 1848.

Geography

According to the

U.S. Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, 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 U.S. Census Bureau is part of the U ...

, the township has a total area of , of which is land and (0.17%) is water. The township is about south of downtown

. It is directly south of the city of Kentwood. Caledonia Charter Township and the village of

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the forested region in the central and western Scottish Highlands, particularly stretching through parts of what are now Lochaber, Badenoch, Strathspey, and possibly as ...

are to the east. Leighton Township in

Allegan County Allegan County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 120,502. The county seat is Allegan. The name was coined by Henry Rowe Schoolcraft to sound like a Native American word. All ...

is to the south and Byron Township to the west.

Major highways

* runs parallel near the entire western border but does not run within the township. * runs west–east near the northern edge of the township.

Education

Gaines Township is served by three separate public school districts. The majority of the township is served by

Caledonia Community Schools Caledonia Community Schools is a public school district in Kent County, Michigan in the Grand Rapids area. It serves Caledonia, part of Kentwood, and Caledonia Township and parts of Bowne, Cascade, and Gaines townships. It also serves part of ...

to the east in Caledonia Township. The western portion of the township is served by Bryon Center Public Schools in Byron Center, while the northwestern corner is served by Kentwood Public Schools in Kentwood.

Demographics

As of the 2020 United States Census, there was a population of 28,812 people. 66.8% were non-Hispanic

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 ...

, 11.5% Black or African American, 7.5% Asian, 0.3% Native American, and 10.1% of two or more races. 9.8% were

Hispanic or Latino ''Hispanic'' and '' Latino'' are ethnonyms used to refer collectively to the inhabitants of the United States who are of Spanish or Latin American ancestry (). While many use the terms interchangeably, for example, the United States Census Bureau ...

. As of the 2010 United States Census, there were 25,146 people, 9,220 households, and 6,740 families in the township. The population density was . There were 9,866 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 77.5%

, 9.0%

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, 4.6% 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 ...

, 0.01% from other races, and 2.1% 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 6.1% of the population. There were 9,220 households, out of which 38.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.2% 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, 12.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 26.9% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.69 and the average family size was 3.15. The township population contained 27.5% under the age of 18, 9.0% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 10.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 32 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.5 males. The median income for a household in the township was $53,415, and the median income for a family was $56,402. About 3.2% of families and 5.4% 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 4.0% of those under age 18 and 4.4% of those age 65 or over. Males had a median income of $41,446 versus $27,333 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 $23,459.

References

External links

Official website
{{Cities of Kent County, Michigan Townships in Kent County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan Grand Rapids metropolitan area 1848 establishments in Michigan Populated places established in 1848