Editing Cheshire Township, Michigan

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Cheshire Township, Michigan
| settlement_type    = [[Township (United States)|Township]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->|
| pushpin_map        = Michigan
| pushpin_label      = Cheshire Township
| pushpin_label_position = left <!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map          = 
| mapsize            = 
| map_caption        = 
| image_map1         = 
| mapsize1           = 
| map_caption1       = <!-- Location -->
| subdivision_type   = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Michigan]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Allegan County, Michigan|Allegan]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = 
| leader_name        = 
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 93.0
| area_land_km2      = 90.2
| area_water_km2     = 2.8
| area_total_sq_mi   = 
| area_land_sq_mi    = 
| area_water_sq_mi   = <!-- Population -->
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 2211
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = <!-- General information -->
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 210
| elevation_ft       = 689
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|27|28|N|85|57|18|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code          = 
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 26-15200<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
| blank1_name        = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
| blank1_info        = 1626070<ref>{{gnis|1626070}}</ref>
| website            = {{URL|https://www.cheshiretownship.org/}}
| footnotes          = 
}}
'''Cheshire Township''' is a [[civil township]] of [[Allegan County, Michigan|Allegan County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Michigan]]. The population was 2,211 at the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]].<ref name="2020 census">{{cite web |title=Cheshire township, Allegan County, Michigan - Census Bureau Profile |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Cheshire_township,_Allegan_County,_Michigan?g=060XX00US2600515200 |publisher=United States Census Bureau |access-date=12 February 2024}}</ref>

== Communities ==
'''Cheshire Center''' or '''Cheshire''' is an unincorporated community at {{coord|42|27|06|N|85|56|04|W|region:US-MI_type:city_scale:30000_source:GNIS|name=Cheshire Center, Michigan}}.<ref>{{gnis|623170|Cheshire Center, Michigan}}</ref> The first permanent white settler was Simeon Pike from [[Monroe County, New York]], who arrived in 1839. Cheshire Township was organized in 1851, and the sawmill village was named for the township. A post office named Cheshire was established on March 8, 1856, with Jonathon Howard as the first postmaster. The name of the office was "Lake" from April 10, 1858, until February 18, 1863, when it reverted to Cheshire. The office closed on March 6, 1879, and reopened from June 20, 1879, until July 30, 1905.<ref name="Romig">{{cite book | last = Romig | first = Walter  | year = 1986 | title = Michigan Place Names | orig-year= 1973 | publisher = Wayne State University Press | location = Detroit, Michigan | isbn = 0-8143-1838-X}}</ref>

'''Chicora''' is an unincorporated community at {{coord|42|28|36|N|85|58|25|W|region:US-MI_type:city_scale:30000_source:GNIS|name=Chicora, Michigan}}.<ref>{{gnis|623184|Chicora, Michigan}}</ref> A post office was opened on January 10, 1896, with Herman D. Clark as the first postmaster, and operated until May 31, 1904. It is named after the ''[[S.S. Chicora]]'', a steamship that sank in [[Lake Michigan]] on January 21, 1895.<ref name="Romig" /><ref>{{cite book |last=Shelak |first=Benjamin J. |title=Shipwrecks of Lake Michigan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CBCcye0n6IC|access-date=2008-11-30 |year=2003 |publisher=Big Earth Publishing |pages=126–128 |chapter=The Chicora |isbn=9781931599214 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=4CBCcye0n6IC }}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|93.0|km2|disp=flip}}, of which {{convert|90.2|km2|disp=flip}} is land and {{convert|2.8|km2|disp=flip}}, or 3.05%, is water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{cite web| url=http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US2600515200| archive-url=https://archive.today/20200212143821/http://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_DP/G001/0600000US2600515200| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 12, 2020| title=Geographic Identifiers: 2010 Demographic Profile Data (G001): Cheshire township, Allegan County, Michigan| publisher=U.S. Census Bureau, American Factfinder| access-date=June 6, 2013}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
| 1960 = 1034
| 1970 = 1322
| 1980 = 1797
| 1990 = 1967
| 2000 = 2335
| 2010 = 2199
| 2020 = 2211
| footnote = Source: Census Bureau. Census [http://www.michigan.gov/documents/MCD1960-1990C_33608_7.pdf 1960-] 2000, 2010. }}
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 2,335 people, 857 households, and 646 families residing in the township.  The population density was {{convert|66.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  here were 1,137 housing units at an average density of {{convert|32.5|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}. The racial makeup of the township was 92.25% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 3.38% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.60% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.13% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.26% [[Pacific Islander (U.S. Census)|Pacific Islander]], 0.99% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 2.40% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.61% of the population.

There were 857 households, out of which 37.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 59.5% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 10.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.6% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.72 and the average family size was 3.09.

In the township the population was spread out, with 28.9% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 31.0% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 10.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.7 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.4 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $40,405, and the median income for a family was $46,250. Males had a median income of $38,750 versus $25,993 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $16,350. About 4.7% of families and 9.4% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 6.3% of those under age 18 and 16.9% of those age 65 or over.

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://cheshiretownship.org/|Cheshire Township official website}}

{{Allegan County, Michigan}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Townships in Allegan County, Michigan]]
[[Category:1851 establishments in Michigan]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1851]]
[[Category:Townships in Michigan]]