Spring Arbor 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 ...

(CDP) in Jackson 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, ...

. The population of the CDP was 2,881 at the 2010 census, up from 2,188 at the 2000 census. The CDP is located within

Spring Arbor Township Spring Arbor Township is a civil township of Jackson County, Michigan, United States. The population was 8,530 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, up from 8,267 at the 2010 United States census, 2010 census. Communities *Spring Arbor, ...

. Spring Arbor is the home of

Spring Arbor University Spring Arbor University (SAU) is a private Free Methodist university in Spring Arbor, Michigan. Developing from an earlier academy and junior college, in 1963 it began offering bachelor's degrees. Attaining university status in 1994, it is t ...

, a liberal arts university affiliated with the

Free Methodist Church The Free Methodist Church (FMC) is a Methodist Christian denomination within the holiness movement, based in the United States. It is Evangelicalism, evangelical in nature and is Wesleyan theology, Wesleyan–Arminian in theology. The Free Met ...

History

Potawatomi The Potawatomi (), also spelled Pottawatomi and Pottawatomie (among many variations), are a Native American tribe of the Great Plains, upper Mississippi River, and western Great Lakes region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, ...

Native Americans resided in present-day Spring Arbor in three known aboriginal villages until their removal to reservations near

Green Bay, Wisconsin Green Bay is a city in Brown County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. It is located at the head of Green Bay (Lake Michigan), Green Bay (known locally as "the bay of Green Bay"), a sub-basin of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the F ...

. Organized by Territorial Council in 1832, Spring Arbor Township has continued to exist with its present boundaries since 1837. Spring Arbor was first spelled Spring Arbour on all early maps. During the mid-19th century, a Village of Spring Arbour had been planned along what is now the intersection of Cross and Hammond roads in the southwest portion of the township. The development of such a village began but ended with the departure of the Free Will Baptists' seminary to what is now

Hillsdale College Hillsdale College is a Private university, private, Conservatism in the United States, conservative, Christian liberal arts college in Hillsdale, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1844 by members of the Free Will Baptists. Women were admi ...

. Remnants of this plot are clearly visible on an aerial view of the area: a portion of Matthews Road continues along a street directed at the intersections of Cross and Hammond. Falling Waters Park can be found at this former establishment with historical information about the area including the Potawatomi village, the founding of the village of Spring Arbor, the 1835 founding of what would eventually become

Albion College Albion College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Albion, Michigan. The college was founded in 1835 and its undergraduate population was approximately 1,500 students as of Fall 2021 ...

, and the 1844 founding of the predecessor of both Hillsdale College and

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 CDP has a total area of , of which is land and (1.07%) is water. Spring Arbor is in western Jackson County in the center of Spring Arbor Township. State highway M-60 passes through the center of town, leading northeast to Jackson, the

county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or parish (administrative division), civil parish. The term is in use in five countries: Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, and the United States. An equiva ...

, and southwest to Tekonsha. Spring Arbor is well known for its artesian water springs which form several small lakes, creeks and rivers. Lime Lake County Park is located on in Spring Arbor including a boat launch, a swimming area, playground equipment, and the Falling Waters Trail. The lake was created by the quarrying of

marl Marl is an earthy material rich in carbonate minerals, Clay minerals, clays, and silt. When Lithification, hardened into rock, this becomes marlstone. It is formed in marine or freshwater environments, often through the activities of algae. M ...

, a calcium carbonate or lime-rich mud used to make concrete. Divers frequent this lake to view bizarre underwater mountains, pillars, and spires left behind from concrete production.

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 2,188 people, 643 households, and 367 families residing in the CDP. The population density was . There were 682 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the CDP was 95.34% White, 1.83%

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 ...

, 0.23% Native American, 1.19%

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

n, 0.32% Pacific Islander, 0.27% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. 1.10% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 643 households, out of which 25.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 48.7% 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, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 42.9% were non-families. 38.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 23.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 3.04. In the CDP, the population was spread out, with 16.0% under the age of 18, 31.8% from 18 to 24, 16.9% from 25 to 44, 14.4% from 45 to 64, and 21.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 28 years. For every 100 females, there were 72.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 67.1 males. The median income for a household in the CDP was $38,750, and the median income for a family was $67,647. Males had a median income of $42,500 versus $26,510 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 CDP was $14,490. 8.9% of the population and 6.7% of families were below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 7.8% are under the age of 18 and 9.3% are 65 or older.

Education

Three K-12 school districts cover the township:
Western School District

Concord Community Schools

Hanover-Horton School District
Trinity Lutheran School serves grades K-8 and is located in the northeast quarter of the township. It is affiliated with the

Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod Lutheranism is a major branch of Protestantism that emerged under the work of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German friar and Protestant Reformers, reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practices of the Catholic Church launched ...

is located in the community. Established in 1873 as a seminary of the Free Methodist Church, it later became a high school, followed by a junior college, then a college and finally a university on April 30, 2001. Jackson College also serves the township.

Commerce and industry

There are several nursing homes, retirement centers and assisted living centers in the community, all run by the Todd Ganton and Matt Gregory families.

(a private university affiliated with the Free Methodist Church) employs approximately 275 staff and faculty on its main campus as of September 2004, which is the largest employer located in the community. CMS Energy employs a large number of Spring Arbor residents, but is located in Jackson.

References

External links

Spring Arbor Township

Spring Arbor University
{{authority control Census-designated places in Michigan Populated places established in 1832 Unincorporated communities in Jackson County, Michigan Unincorporated communities in Michigan Census-designated places in Jackson County, Michigan 1832 establishments in Michigan Territory