Caldwell Township, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Caldwell Township is a civil township
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 Missaukee County
Missaukee County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 14,478 people, 5,450 households, and 4,043 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 8,621 housing units at an average density of 15 per square mile...

 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"....

. The population was 1,363 at the 2000 census
United States Census, 2000
The Twenty-second United States Census, known as Census 2000 and conducted by the Census Bureau, determined the resident population of the United States on April 1, 2000, to be 281,421,906, an increase of 13.2% over the 248,709,873 persons enumerated during the 1990 Census...

.

Geography

According to the United States Census Bureau
United 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 35.6 square miles (92.2 km²), of which, 34.4 square miles (89.1 km²) of it is land and 1.2 square miles (3.1 km²) of it (3.31%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census
Census
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 1,363 people, 523 households, and 369 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 39.6 per square mile (15.3/km²). There were 838 housing units at an average density of 24.3 per square mile (9.4/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 96.70% White, 0.73% Native American, 1.03% from other races
Race (United States Census)
Race and ethnicity in the United States Census, as defined by the Federal Office of Management and Budget and the United States Census Bureau, are self-identification data items in which residents choose the race or races with which they most closely identify, and indicate whether or not they are...

, and 1.54% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.

There were 523 households out of which 33.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.1% 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, 11.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.4% were non-families. 23.9% of all households were made up of individuals and 11.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 3.04.

In the township the population was spread out with 27.9% under the age of 18, 7.5% from 18 to 24, 27.7% from 25 to 44, 22.2% from 45 to 64, and 14.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females there were 96.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 92.0 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $31,719, and the median income for a family was $35,214. Males had a median income of $28,558 versus $21,719 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 $14,674. About 15.5% of families and 19.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 26.0% of those under age 18 and 14.8% of those age 65 or over.
Caldwell township's population was 1,423 people as of 2007. It has had a population growth of 4.40 percent since 2000. The median home cost in is $128,900. Caldwell township's cost of living is 19.81% lower than the U.S. average.

History

The township was organized in 1871. It was named by the legislature after Thomas T. Caldwell and his brother John Caldwell
John Caldwell (Michigan State Representative)
John Caldwell was a Republican member of the Michigan State House of Representatives from 1897 through 1900. According to the "Michigan Manual" published 1899 by the State of Michigan, John Caldwell served as state representative for Wexford. He was elected to the House of 1897-98 and re-elected...

. They both purchased large homestead
Homestead Act
A homestead act is one of three United States federal laws that gave an applicant freehold title to an area called a "homestead" – typically 160 acres of undeveloped federal land west of the Mississippi River....

s in the township
Township
The word township is used to refer to different kinds of settlements in different countries. Township is generally associated with an urban area. However there are many exceptions to this rule. In Australia, the United States, and Canada, they may be settlements too small to be considered urban...

 from the government shortly after the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. The land was selected because of the large quantity of old growth white pine
Eastern White Pine
Pinus strobus, commonly known as the eastern white pine, is a large pine native to eastern North America, occurring from Newfoundland west to Minnesota and southeastern Manitoba, and south along the Appalachian Mountains to the northern edge of Georgia.It is occasionally known as simply white pine,...

. Their timber provided lumber for construction of nearby Lake City
Lake City, Michigan
Lake City is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 836. Known as the "Christmas Tree Capital", it is the county seat of Missaukee County.-Geography:...

, Manton
Manton, Michigan
Manton is a city in Wexford County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,221 at the 2000 census.-Geography:*According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....

, and Cadillac
Cadillac, Michigan
Cadillac is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is the county seat of Wexford County. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 10,000. The city is situated at the junction of US 131, M-55 and M-115...

.

Thomas ran in the first county election of 1871. John married Martha Babcock in the township on June 29, 1873. They raised 3 children on their Caldwell township homestead: Florence, Leona, and Frank.

In 1904 the small town of Arlene had a general store and post office which operated there until 1906.

The Caldwell cemetery is near Arlene in Caldwell Township.
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