Onota 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 (United States), county, most often in the northern and midwestern parts of the country. The term town is used in New England town, Ne ...

of Alger 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, ...

. As of 2020, its population was 371.

Geography

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 is land and , or 15.31%, is water.

Communities

There are no incorporated municipalities in the township. *Deerton 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 ...

at . Deerton began as a station on the

Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad The Detroit, Mackinac and Marquette Railroad was a land grant railroad that was built and operated briefly (1881–1886) in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Incorporated in 1879, the -long railroad began operations in 1881. It w ...

in 1882. A post office has been in operation there since 1922. *Rock River is an

on M-28 near the mouth of the Rock River at This is distinct from Rock River Township, which is adjacent to the south of Onota Township. The settlement was a station on the

in 1882 at charcoal kilns near the mouth of the Rock River. A post office was established on February 20, 1886, with John H. Johnson as its first postmaster. The office closed on May 25, 1898, but was restored on October 19, 1898, and continued to operate until June 15, 1906. Various locations along the Rock River have been given this name. *Sand River is an

on M-28 near the mouth of the Sand River at The community is on the western boundary of the township and is partially in

Chocolay Township Chocolay Township ( ) is a charter township in Marquette County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,899 at the 2020 census. The township is named for the Chocolay River and is located on the shore of Lake Superior. Geography Th ...

in Marquette County. It began as a station on the

in 1882. A post office named Sand River was established in Alger County on March 14, 1891, with Charles A. Hazen as its first postmaster. The office was transferred to Marquette County on September 12, 1908 and closed on December 31, 1911. From 1904 through 1908 it was a winter post office. *Tyoga was a former post office and a station on the

Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway The Duluth, South Shore and Atlantic Railway (DSS&A; ) was an American railroad serving the Upper Peninsula of Michigan and the Lake Superior shoreline of Wisconsin. It provided service from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, and St. Ignace, Michigan, w ...

at . The settlement formed around the mill and general store of the Tyoga Lumber Company. A post office was established on February 15, 1906, with John W. Bailey as postmaster. The office closed on July 31, 1907. Tyoga now hosts a guided pathway detailing the settlement history of the site.

Demographics

In 2010, there were 352 people, 108 households, and 69 families residing in the township. In 2020, its population grew to 371. According to the 2010 census, its

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was 3.6 per square mile (1.4/km) and the racial makeup of the township was 96.5%

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% identified by two or more races, and the remainder as less than 1% of each of the following: Native American, Asian, and other. In 2010, there were 108 households, out of which 18.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.4% 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, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.1% were non-families. 30.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.52. In the township, the population was spread out, with 9.9% under the age of 18, 9.1% from 20 to 34, 14.2% from 35 to 49, 37% from 50 to 64, and 29.3% who were 65 years of age or older. There were 184 females, with a

median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...

age of 51; and 168 males, with a

age of 54.4. At the 2010 census, the median income for a household in the township was $37,708, and the median income for a family was $38,333. Males had a median income of $52,000 versus $39,583 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 $24,267. About 13% of families and 21.6% 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 ...

, including up to 50% of those under age 18 and 7.7% of those age 65 or over. At the 2021 census estimates, its median household income was $68,750.

References

{{authority control Townships in Alger County, Michigan Townships in Michigan Michigan populated places on Lake Superior