Arvon Township, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Arvon Township is a civil township
of Baraga County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 482.
Arvon Township's name is derived from that of the district of Carnarvon
in Wales
, famous for its slate industry
, because of the deposits of slate
in the area which were once the site of a failed quarry
operation.
, the township has a total area of 131.3 square miles (340.1 km²), of which, 124.6 square miles (322.7 km²) of it is land and 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²) of it (5.10%) is water.
Arvon Township includes the Point Abbaye peninsula, which projects into Lake Superior
to form Huron Bay. The bay is long and narrow so its waters are significantly more protected than those of the open lake. Much of the shoreline, particularly around Point Abbaye, is rocky, although there are some stretches of sandy beach
.
Much of the land in Arvon Township is forest
es with mixed deciduous
and coniferous trees. There are also jack pine
barrens and eastern arborvitae swamps. In settled areas, there are many wild apple
trees which now form a significant food source for deer
. Arvon Township has a number of river
s, including the Huron River
, which flow into Lake Superior
. Because of these factors, the primary economic activities in Arvon Township are related to logging
or tourism
, particularly hunting
and fishing
.
of 2000, there were 482 people, 222 households, and 150 families residing in the township. The population density
was 3.9 per square mile (1.5/km²). There were 623 housing units at an average density of 5.0 per square mile (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.36% White, 3.11% Native American, 0.41% Asian, and 3.11% from two or more races. 17.8% were of Swedish, 16.3% German, 14.8% Finnish, 7.8% French
, 7.5% Irish
and 6.6% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 222 households out of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples
living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the township the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 16.8% from 25 to 44, 36.5% from 45 to 64, and 24.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $31,705, and the median income for a family was $39,545. Males had a median income of $26,786 versus $22,292 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $19,800. About 3.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.
Civil township
A civil township is a widely used unit of local government in the United States, subordinate to, and geographic divisions of, a county. Specific responsibilities and the degree of autonomy vary based on each state. Civil townships are distinct from survey townships, but in states that have both,...
of Baraga County
Baraga County, Michigan
-National protected areas:* Keweenaw National Historical Park * Ottawa National Forest -Demographics:As of the 2000 census, there were 8,746 people, 3,353 households, and 2,223 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 4,631 housing units...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 482.
Arvon Township's name is derived from that of the district of Carnarvon
Caernarfon
Caernarfon is a Royal town, community and port in Gwynedd, Wales, with a population of 9,611. It lies along the A487 road, on the east banks of the Menai Straits, opposite the Isle of Anglesey. The city of Bangor is to the northeast, while Snowdonia fringes Caernarfon to the east and southeast...
in Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
, famous for its slate industry
Slate industry in Wales
The slate industry in Wales began during the Roman period when slate was used to roof the fort at Segontium, now Caernarfon. The slate industry grew slowly until the early 18th century, then expanded rapidly until the late 19th century, at which time the most important slate producing areas were in...
, because of the deposits of slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
in the area which were once the site of a failed quarry
Quarry
A quarry is a type of open-pit mine from which rock or minerals are extracted. Quarries are generally used for extracting building materials, such as dimension stone, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, and gravel. They are often collocated with concrete and asphalt plants due to the requirement...
operation.
Communities
There are no incorporated municipalities within the township. There are several unincorporated communities and historical locales:- Arvon, named after the township in 1872, began as a slate quarry village. A post office operated from June 8, 1874, until November 18, 1879 and again from May 18, 1882 until October 14, 1893.
- AuraAura, MichiganAura is a small unincorporated community in Arvon Township of Baraga County in the U.S. state of Michigan. With coordinates of , the area is approximately northeast of L'Anse and four miles east of Pequaming.- Geography :...
is located at the base of the Point Abbaye peninsula on the northern side of Huron Bay. - Huron Bay is a community located on Huron Bay a few miles southwest of Skanee. Here there is a convenience storeConvenience storeA convenience store, corner store, corner shop, commonly called a bodega in Spanish-speaking areas of the United States, is a small store or shop in a built up area that stocks a range of everyday items such as groceries, toiletries, alcoholic and soft drinks, and may also offer money order and...
and a tavernTavernA tavern is a place of business where people gather to drink alcoholic beverages and be served food, and in some cases, where travelers receive lodging....
. Huron Bay was formerly the terminus of the Iron Range and Huron Bay RailroadIron Range and Huron Bay RailroadThe Iron Range & Huron Bay Railroad is a defunct railroad constructed to haul iron ore in Michigan's Upper Peninsula during the 1890s. Financial and engineering problems prevented the railroad's operation; it remains an unusual example of a railroad which was completed but never used.- Background...
, built to carry iron ore from Champion. A post office was in operation from July 29, 1892, until January 31, 1894. - McComb Corner is an unincorporated community in the township
- Skanee is located about 15 miles northeast of the village of L'Anse, MichiganL'Anse, MichiganL'Anse is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Baraga County. The population was 2,107 at the 2000 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township....
. It is the site of the township hall, schoolSchoolA school is an institution designed for the teaching of students under the direction of teachers. Most countries have systems of formal education, which is commonly compulsory. In these systems, students progress through a series of schools...
, and post officePost officeA post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...
. The Skanee ZIP codeZIP CodeZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
49962 serves a large portion of Arvon Township. Skanee was founded by Captain Walfred Been, who came into Huron Bay and sought shelter from a storm in 1870. He named it after his home province of Skåne in SwedenSwedenSweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. - St. Cyr is an unincorporated community in the township, lying on Huron Bay.
- The village of L'AnseL'Anse, MichiganL'Anse is a village in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Baraga County. The population was 2,107 at the 2000 census. The village is located within L'Anse Township....
is to the west and the L'Anse ZIP code 49946 serves areas in the western part of Arvon Township, including most of the Point Abbaye peninsula.
Geography
According to the United States Census BureauUnited States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the township has a total area of 131.3 square miles (340.1 km²), of which, 124.6 square miles (322.7 km²) of it is land and 6.7 square miles (17.4 km²) of it (5.10%) is water.
Arvon Township includes the Point Abbaye peninsula, which projects into Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
to form Huron Bay. The bay is long and narrow so its waters are significantly more protected than those of the open lake. Much of the shoreline, particularly around Point Abbaye, is rocky, although there are some stretches of sandy beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
.
Much of the land in Arvon Township is forest
Forest
A forest, also referred to as a wood or the woods, is an area with a high density of trees. As with cities, depending where you are in the world, what is considered a forest may vary significantly in size and have various classification according to how and what of the forest is composed...
es with mixed deciduous
Deciduous
Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...
and coniferous trees. There are also jack pine
Jack Pine
Jack pine is a North American pine with its native range in Canada east of the Rocky Mountains from Northwest Territories to Nova Scotia, and the northeast of the United States from Minnesota to Maine, with the southernmost part of the range just into northwest Indiana...
barrens and eastern arborvitae swamps. In settled areas, there are many wild apple
Apple
The apple is the pomaceous fruit of the apple tree, species Malus domestica in the rose family . It is one of the most widely cultivated tree fruits, and the most widely known of the many members of genus Malus that are used by humans. Apple grow on small, deciduous trees that blossom in the spring...
trees which now form a significant food source for deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
. Arvon Township has a number of river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s, including the Huron River
Huron River (Michigan)
The Huron River is a river in southeastern Michigan, rising out of the Huron Swamp in Indian Springs Metropark in northern Oakland County and flowing into Lake Erie on the boundary between Wayne County and Monroe County...
, which flow into Lake Superior
Lake Superior
Lake Superior is the largest of the five traditionally-demarcated Great Lakes of North America. It is bounded to the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S. state of Minnesota, and to the south by the U.S. states of Wisconsin and Michigan. It is the largest freshwater lake in the...
. Because of these factors, the primary economic activities in Arvon Township are related to logging
Logging
Logging is the cutting, skidding, on-site processing, and loading of trees or logs onto trucks.In forestry, the term logging is sometimes used in a narrow sense concerning the logistics of moving wood from the stump to somewhere outside the forest, usually a sawmill or a lumber yard...
or tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, particularly hunting
Hunting
Hunting is the practice of pursuing any living thing, usually wildlife, for food, recreation, or trade. In present-day use, the term refers to lawful hunting, as distinguished from poaching, which is the killing, trapping or capture of the hunted species contrary to applicable law...
and fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 482 people, 222 households, and 150 families residing in the township. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 3.9 per square mile (1.5/km²). There were 623 housing units at an average density of 5.0 per square mile (1.9/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.36% White, 3.11% Native American, 0.41% Asian, and 3.11% from two or more races. 17.8% were of Swedish, 16.3% German, 14.8% Finnish, 7.8% French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
, 7.5% Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
and 6.6% Norwegian ancestry according to Census 2000.
There were 222 households out of which 19.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.9% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 5.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 32.0% were non-families. 29.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 14.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.67.
In the township the population was spread out with 19.5% under the age of 18, 2.9% from 18 to 24, 16.8% from 25 to 44, 36.5% from 45 to 64, and 24.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 51 years. For every 100 females there were 106.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $31,705, and the median income for a family was $39,545. Males had a median income of $26,786 versus $22,292 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the township was $19,800. About 3.8% of families and 8.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.9% of those under age 18 and 6.8% of those age 65 or over.