Selma 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 Wexford 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 2,233 at the 2020 census.

Communities

*Bunyea is a former settlement within the township. It began as a station along the Ann Arbor Railroad, and the community grew around the Sturtevant & Bunyea sawmill. A post office opened under the name Bunyea on September 8, 1903, and operated until December 15, 1913. *Millersville 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 ...

within the township at . The community was settled along the Toledo, Ann Arbor & Northern Michigan Railroad around 1888 and was named after local storekeeper Humphrey Miller, who also became the first postmaster when a post office opened on March 8, 1890. The post office operated until March 30, 1895.

History

The township was first proposed in 1870 under the name Thorp Township. It was not officially established until March 12, 1871, when it was set aside from the southern half of Colfax Township and renamed Selma Township.

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 (4.67%) is water. The northern portion of

Lake Mitchell Lake Mitchell is one of two lakes in Wexford County, Michigan, that are joined by the Clam Lake Canal. The other lake is Lake Cadillac. Mitchell State Park is located on Lake Mitchell. Bluegill, Pumpkinseed Sunfish, Black Crappie, Rock Bass, Nor ...

is located within the township.

Major highways

* runs south–north diagonally through the center of the township.

Demographics

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 1,915 people, 757 households, and 548 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 1,086 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 97.13%

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 ...

, 0.63% Native American, 0.99% Asian, 0.10%

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 ...

, 0.31% from other races, and 0.84% 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 0.68% of the population. There were 757 households, out of which 32.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.1% 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, 7.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.6% were non-families. 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.91. In the township the population was spread out, with 25.3% under the age of 18, 6.6% from 18 to 24, 30.0% from 25 to 44, 25.2% from 45 to 64, and 12.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 107.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $37,287, and the median income for a family was $41,641. Males had a median income of $31,103 versus $22,074 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 $19,873. About 5.5% of families and 8.1% 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 8.5% of those under age 18 and 6.7% of those age 65 or over.

Education

Selma Township is served by two public school districts. The majority of the township is served by

Cadillac Area Public Schools Cadillac Area Public Schools is a public school district in Wexford County, Michigan. It serves Cadillac, Harrietta, and the following townships: Haring, Henderson, and South Branch. It also serves parts of the following townships: Boon, Che ...

to the southeast in

Cadillac Cadillac Motor Car Division, or simply Cadillac (), is the luxury vehicle division (business), division of the American automobile manufacturer General Motors (GM). Its major markets are the United States, Canada and China; Cadillac models are ...

, while the northeast portion of the township is served by

Mesick Consolidated Schools Mesick ( ) is a village in Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 397 at the 2020 census. The majority of the village is located within Springville Township with a very small portion extending east into Antioch Towns ...

to the northwest in Mesick.

References

Sources

External links

Selma Township official website
{{authority control Townships in Michigan Townships in Wexford County, Michigan Populated places established in 1871 1871 establishments in Michigan