Union 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 ...

Isabella County Isabella County is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 Census, the population was 64,394. Its county seat is Mount Pleasant. The area was known as ''Ojibiway Besse'', meaning "the place of the Ojibwa". Isabella Coun ...

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 was 12,927 at the 2010 census, and decreased to 11,699 at the 2020 census. The city of Mount Pleasant is entirely surrounded by the township on incorporated land that was formerly part of the township, but the two are administratively separate.

Communities

* Mount Pleasant was a former community of Union Charter Township that has since been incorporated into a city and is now administered separately from the township. Though separate, it is the only remaining community in existence from within the township.

Former Communities

*Isabella City was the first community established in the township. It was located at E. River Road and S. Mission Road (formerly U.S. Highway 27). It was located on the north side of the Chippewa River, and its streets ran parallel and perpendicular to the river. Main Street and Fitch Street, now Craig Hill Road and E. River Road respectively, are the last remaining streets of the town. Only the part west of S. Mission Road, which runs at odds with the community's platted streets, remains developed, while the rest of the city has been reclaimed by nature. Residents of the area now refer to the area as Dogtown, and the name Isabella City has been largely forgotten, though its plat is still recorded with the county records. *Longwood was located between E. River Road and E. Airport Road (now Industrial Drive) off the east side of S. Mission Road (formerly U.S. Highway 27). This town was absorbed into the City of Mount Pleasant. Hardly any of its original buildings exist today. *South Mount Pleasant existed off the north side of E. Deerfield Road between S. Crawford Road and S. Mission Road (formerly U.S. Highway 27). S. Washington Street use to extend from W. Broomfield Street to E. Deerfield Road and right at the intersection of Deerfield and Washington was where the town sat. Today the town has been turned into a biological wild life preserve for Central Michigan University, and no remnants of the town remain, though its plat is still recorded with the county records.

History

The first settlers came to Union Township in 1854 when pioneer John Hursh and his family arrived in the area. Various settlements in the of the original township have long disappeared or been absorbed by the City of Mount Pleasant that lies in the center of Union Township. The Charter Township of Union traces its name to the Civil War. A month before the first shots of war rang out at Fort Sumter, the Board of Supervisors formally established Union Township on March 9, 1861.

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 (0.42%) is water.

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 7,615 people, 2,961 households, and 1,619 families residing in the township. The population density was . There were 3,179 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the township was 90.61%

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 ...

, 1.81%

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 ...

, 3.82% Native American, 1.05% Asian, 0.67% from other races, and 2.04% 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 2.36% of the population. There were 2,961 households, out of which 28.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 40.7% 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, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 45.3% were non-families. 21.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 4.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.54 and the average family size was 3.03. In the township the population was spread out, with 21.7% under the age of 18, 27.8% from 18 to 24, 25.6% from 25 to 44, 17.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 25 years. For every 100 females, there were 91.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 88.8 males. The median income for a household in the township was $35,448, and the median income for a family was $48,381. Males had a median income of $32,361 versus $25,478 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 $18,248. About 6.0% of families and 19.2% 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 8.9% of those under age 18 and 7.2% of those age 65 or over.

Current Officials

Township Manager: Mark Stuhldreher Supervisor: Bryan Mielke Clerk: Lisa Cody Treasurer: Kimberly M. Rice Trustees: James Thering Jr., Jeff Brown, Connie Lee Bills, and Bill Hauck.

Facilities

Jameson Park is located on Budd Street. The nearest major intersection is Isabella Road and Pickard Road. Budd St is an "L" and is the first street east of Isabella Rd and the first street north of Pickard. There is a ball diamond, volleyball court and a playscape. The hall maybe rented and is also the voting location for precinct 2. McDonald Park is located just west of the township hall, 2010 S Lincoln Road. This facility provides 4 baseball fields, 2 softball fields, 2 pavilions and supports several leagues and programs. All services are on first come basis unless reserved; league play is reserved. Other opportunities are playground equipment, outdoor ice rink, and restrooms.

References

{{Isabella County, Michigan Townships in Isabella County, Michigan Charter townships in Michigan