Wexford 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 1,161 at the 2020 census.

Communities

*Bagnall 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 in 1888 with a railway station along the Ann Arbor Railroad. A post office named Farnsworth opened on June 20, 1889 and was named after the Farnsworth & Chesbrough company, which operated a grist mill and sawmill in the area. The post office name was changed to Bagnall on December 29, 1902, but it is no longer in operation. *Claggettville is a former settlement founded in 1897 along the Ann Arbor Railroad just west of the community of

Sherman Sherman most commonly refers to: *Sherman (name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname ** William Tecumseh Sherman (1820–1891), American Civil War General *M4 Sherman, a World War II American tank S ...

. Claggettville, which was also referred to as West Sherman, was the site of a large mill. *Harlan is an unincorporated community located along the county line with

Manistee County Manistee County ( ') is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 25,032. The county seat is Manistee. The county is named for the Manistee River. Manistee County is part of Northern Michigan an ...

at . The community began as a railway station along the Ann Arbor Railroad in 1888. For state purposes, the Manistee County portion was named Churchills within Cleon Township, and the Wexford County portion was named Harlan and given a post office on March 31, 1890. The post office closed briefly in 1906 but remained in operation until July 15, 1935. *

is an unincorporated community located in the southeast corner of the township at . The community extends into several neighboring township. *Wexford is a former settlement within the township. It was settled as early as 1865 by John Lennington. William Masters became the first postmaster of Wexford on February 17, 1865. The community was also referred to as Hanover, and a fire destroyed the community in 1906. It was partially rebuilt but later abandoned. *Wexford Corner is an unincorporated community located in the northeast corner of the township at just northwest of the village of Buckley. The community is at a four-point intersection within Hanover Township on the southeast in Wexford County, as well as Grant Township on the northwest and Mayfield Township on the northeast in Grand Traverse County.

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 , all land.

Major highways

* forms most of the eastern boundary of the township. * runs very briefly through the southwest corner 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 798 people, 298 households, and 213 families residing in the township. The

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 21.9 per square mile (8.4/km). There were 379 housing units at an average density of 10.4 per square mile (4.0/km). The racial makeup of the township was 96.62%

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 ...

, 0.13%

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 ...

, 1.25% Native American, and 2.01% 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 0.63% of the population. There were 298 households, out of which 37.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 60.4% 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, 6.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.2% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.68 and the average family size was 3.10. In the township the population was spread out, with 30.6% under the age of 18, 6.5% from 18 to 24, 28.7% from 25 to 44, 23.9% from 45 to 64, and 10.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 116.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 109.1 males. The median income for a household in the township was $35,083, and the median income for a family was $37,727. Males had a median income of $25,833 versus $20,074 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 $14,331. About 8.3% of families and 11.3% 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 12.2% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Education

Wexford Township is served by three separate school districts. The majority 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 ...

in Mesick. The northeastern portion of the township is served by Buckley Community School District in Buckley. A very small northwestern portion of the township is served by Benzie County Central Schools, which is located to the northwest in

Benzie County Benzie County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the population was 17,970. The county seat is Beulah. The county was initially set off in 1863 and organized in 1869.

References

Sources

* {{authority control Townships in Michigan Townships in Wexford County, Michigan Populated places established in 1885 1885 establishments in Michigan