Niles Charter Township, Michigan
Encyclopedia
Niles Charter Township is a charter township
of Berrien County
in the U.S. state
of Michigan
. The population was 13,325 at the 2000 census
.
On June 5, 2006, the township board voted unanimously to approve a resolution for Niles Township to become Niles Charter Township.
lies mostly within the boundaries of township, but is administratively autonomous. There are no other incorporated municipalities in the township. Much of the township is considered to be part of either the Niles urban area or the South Bend
, Indiana
urban area.
Bertrand is an unincorporated community in the southern part of the township at 41°46′27"N 86°15′45"W on the St. Joseph River
approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Niles. Joseph Bertrand, a French-Canadian had a trading post here by 1812. He had married the daughter of a Potawatomi
chief and through her had acquired land. After the Potowatomi ceded their lands to the federal government with the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, Daniel G. Garnsey obtained the permission of U.S. President Andrew Jackson
and the consent of Mrs. Bertrand to locate a village on her land. Alonzo Bennett plat
ted the village of Bertrand in 1833 and became its first postmaster on June 9, 1834. The town was a stop on the Detroit-Chicago road. In 1844, the Sisters of the Holy Cross
founded their first convent in the United States here. The town gradually declined after it was by-passed by railroads. The post office closed on April 15, 1901.
on the west and Cass County
on the east and the Indiana
state line to the south.
Bertrand Township
lies to the east and south, Buchanan Township to the west, Berrien Charter Township
to the north.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the township has a total area of 38.5 square miles (99.7 km²), of which, 37.7 square miles (97.6 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (2.05%) is water.
of 2000, there were 13,325 people, 5,252 households, and 3,744 families residing in the township. The population density
was 353.5 per square mile (136.5/km²). There were 5,522 housing units at an average density of 146.5 per square mile (56.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.30% White, 3.03% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.83% from other races
, and 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.92% of the population.
There were 5,252 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% were married couples
living together, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the township the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $37,794, and the median income for a family was $44,446. Males had a median income of $35,037 versus $22,901 for females. The per capita income
for the township was $18,249. About 7.1% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.
Charter township
A charter township is a form of local government in the U.S. state of Michigan. Townships in Michigan are organized governments. A charter township is a township that has been granted a charter, which allows it certain rights and responsibilities of home rule that are generally intermediary in...
of Berrien County
Berrien County, Michigan
Berrien County is a county located in the extreme southwest of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 census, the population was 156,813. The county seat is St. Joseph....
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 13,325 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...
.
On June 5, 2006, the township board voted unanimously to approve a resolution for Niles Township to become Niles Charter Township.
Communities
The City of NilesNiles, Michigan
Niles is a city in Berrien and Cass counties in the U.S. state of Michigan, near South Bend, Indiana. The population was 11,600 at the 2010 census. It is the greater populated of two principal cities of and included in the Niles-Benton Harbor, Michigan Metropolitan Statistical Area, which has a...
lies mostly within the boundaries of township, but is administratively autonomous. There are no other incorporated municipalities in the township. Much of the township is considered to be part of either the Niles urban area or the South Bend
South Bend, Indiana
The city of South Bend is the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total of 101,168 residents; its Metropolitan Statistical Area had a population of 316,663...
, Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
urban area.
Bertrand is an unincorporated community in the southern part of the township at 41°46′27"N 86°15′45"W on the St. Joseph River
St. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)
The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan...
approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Niles. Joseph Bertrand, a French-Canadian had a trading post here by 1812. He had married the daughter of a Potawatomi
Potawatomi
The Potawatomi are a Native American people of the upper Mississippi River region. They traditionally speak the Potawatomi language, a member of the Algonquian family. In the Potawatomi language, they generally call themselves Bodéwadmi, a name that means "keepers of the fire" and that was applied...
chief and through her had acquired land. After the Potowatomi ceded their lands to the federal government with the 1833 Treaty of Chicago, Daniel G. Garnsey obtained the permission of U.S. President Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson
Andrew Jackson was the seventh President of the United States . Based in frontier Tennessee, Jackson was a politician and army general who defeated the Creek Indians at the Battle of Horseshoe Bend , and the British at the Battle of New Orleans...
and the consent of Mrs. Bertrand to locate a village on her land. Alonzo Bennett plat
Plat
A plat in the U.S. is a map, drawn to scale, showing the divisions of a piece of land. Other English-speaking countries generally call such documents a cadastral map or plan....
ted the village of Bertrand in 1833 and became its first postmaster on June 9, 1834. The town was a stop on the Detroit-Chicago road. In 1844, the Sisters of the Holy Cross
Sisters of the Holy Cross
The Sisters of the Holy Cross headquartered on the same grounds as Saint Mary's College, Notre Dame, Indiana, is one of three Catholic congregations of religious sisters which trace their origins to the foundation of the Congregation of Holy Cross by the Blessed Father Basil Anthony-Marie Moreau,...
founded their first convent in the United States here. The town gradually declined after it was by-passed by railroads. The post office closed on April 15, 1901.
Geography
The township is irregularly-shaped, with a southern appendange consisting of a small portion of land lying between the St. Joseph RiverSt. Joseph River (Lake Michigan)
The St. Joseph River is a river, approximately long, in southern Michigan and northern Indiana in the United States. It drains a primarily rural farming area in the watershed of Lake Michigan...
on the west and Cass County
Cass County, Michigan
Cass County is a county in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the population was 51,104. It is part of the South Bend–Mishawaka, IN-MI, Metropolitan Statistical Area which has a total population of 316,663 and is sometimes considered part of Greater Michiana...
on the east and the Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
state line to the south.
Bertrand Township
Bertrand Township, Michigan
Bertrand Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 2,380.- Communities :...
lies to the east and south, Buchanan Township to the west, Berrien Charter Township
Berrien Charter Township, Michigan
Berrien Township is a civil township of Berrien County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 5,075.- Communities :...
to the north.
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 38.5 square miles (99.7 km²), of which, 37.7 square miles (97.6 km²) of it is land and 0.8 square miles (2.1 km²) of it (2.05%) is water.
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 13,325 people, 5,252 households, and 3,744 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 353.5 per square mile (136.5/km²). There were 5,522 housing units at an average density of 146.5 per square mile (56.6/km²). The racial makeup of the township was 93.30% White, 3.03% African American, 0.56% Native American, 0.50% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.83% 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 1.76% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.92% of the population.
There were 5,252 households out of which 30.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.5% 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, 11.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.7% were non-families. 23.3% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 2.95.
In the township the population was spread out with 24.8% under the age of 18, 7.8% from 18 to 24, 27.2% from 25 to 44, 24.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females there were 95.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.8 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $37,794, and the median income for a family was $44,446. Males had a median income of $35,037 versus $22,901 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 $18,249. About 7.1% of families and 9.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 9.0% of those under age 18 and 9.8% of those age 65 or over.