Editing Fairbanks Township, Michigan

{{Redirect|Fayette, Michigan|the township in Hillsdale County|Fayette Township, Michigan}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Fairbanks Township, Michigan
| settlement_type    = [[Civil township]]
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Images -->
| image_skyline      = Fayettetownsiteoverlook.jpg
| imagesize          = 275
| image_caption      = [[Fayette Historic State Park]] within Fairbanks Township along [[Big Bay de Noc]]
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| pushpin_map        = Michigan#USA
| pushpin_label_position = right<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_label      = Fairbanks Township
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map          = Fairbanks Township, MI location2.png
| mapsize            = 250
| map_caption        = Location within [[Delta County, Michigan|Delta County]]

<!-- 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  = [[Delta County, Michigan|Delta]]

<!-- Government -->| government_footnotes = 
| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Supervisor
| leader_name        = Ron Collins
| leader_title1      = 
| leader_name1       = 
| established_title  = 
| established_date   = <!-- Area -->
| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_total_km2     = 775.0
| area_land_km2      = 122.2
| area_water_km2     = 652.8
| area_total_sq_mi   = 299.2
| area_land_sq_mi    = 47.2
| area_water_sq_mi   = 252.0

<!-- Population -->| population_as_of   = [[United States Census, 2020|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_total   = 297
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_density_sq_mi = auto

<!-- General information -->| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 177
| elevation_ft       = 581
| coordinates        = {{coord|45|41|11|N|86|39|26|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}}
| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code|ZIP code(s)]]
| postal_code        = 49835
| area_code          = [[Area code 906|906]]
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 26-26960<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        = 1625139<ref>{{gnis|1625139}}</ref>
| website            = 
| footnotes          = 
}}

'''Fairbanks Township''' is a [[civil township]] of [[Delta County, Michigan|Delta County]] in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Michigan]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the township population was 297, up from 281 at the [[2010 United States census|2010 census]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Fairbanks_township,_Delta_County,_Michigan?g=060XX00US2604126960 |access-date=2024-05-02 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

==Communities==
*'''Fayette''' is an [[unincorporated community]] on the eastern shore of the [[Big Bay de Noc]] which opens into [[Green Bay (Lake Michigan)|Green Bay]] on [[Lake Michigan]] at {{Coord|45|43|03|N|86|40|04|W|}}.<ref>{{gnis|1617554|Fayette, Michigan}}</ref> It is at the southern terminus of [[M-183 (Michigan highway)|M-183]] about eight miles south of [[Garden, Michigan|Garden]] within [[Fayette Historic State Park]].  It was created around an iron smelter in 1867.{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=193}}
*'''Fairport''' is an unincorporated community at the southern end of the [[Garden Peninsula]] at {{Coord|45|37|16|N|86|39|30|W|}}.<ref>{{gnis|625761|Fairport, Michigan}}</ref> It is approximately six miles south of Fayette on Delta County Road 483, the locally maintained extension of [[M-183 (Michigan highway)|M-183]].  It was founded in 1886 by fishermen who had relocated from [[St. Martin Island]].{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=190}}

==History==
In 1867, the Jackson Iron Company had Fayette Brown build a charcoal iron smelter at Fayette, which grew up around the smelter and named after Brown. A Fayette post office opened on September 13, 1870 with Marvin H. Brown as postmaster. In 1891, the smelter was dismantled. {{sfn|Romig|1986|page=193}}

Fairport was founded in 1886 by fishermen who had relocated from St. Martin Island. The community was a commercial fishing port.{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=190}}

Fayette continued on as a small resort community until the mid-1950s, and then became a [[Fayette Historic State Park|state park]] in 1959.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Bingham|first1=Emily|title=These 11 Michigan ghost towns are eerily intriguing|url=http://www.mlive.com/travel/index.ssf/2016/10/michigan_ghost_towns.html#1|access-date=October 26, 2016|work=MLive.com|publisher=Mlive Media Group|date=October 26, 2016}}</ref>

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|299.2|sqmi|km2}}, of which {{convert|47.2|sqmi|km2}} is land and {{convert|252.0|sqmi|km2}} (84.23%) is water. The northern [[Potawatomi Islands]] are in Fairbanks Township, while the southern Potawatomi Islands are in the town of [[Washington Island, Door County, Wisconsin|Washington]] in [[Door County, Wisconsin]]. Part of St. Martin Island is owned by the [[Little Traverse Bay Bands of Odawa Indians]] as a Tribal Trust Land.

===Climate===
{|
|-
|{{climate chart
|  Burnt Bluff {{nowrap|(on the west side, south of Sand Bay)}}
| -12| -8| 63
| -14| -11| 52
| -6| -4| 55
| -1| 4| 78
| 3| 11| 63
| 9| 14| 91
| 13| 18| 113
| 15| 17| 74
| 15| 16| 118
| 4| 7| 118
| 4| 6| 104
| -2| 2| 64
|float=left
|clear=left
|source = <ref name = "nasa">{{Cite web |url= https://search.earthdata.nasa.gov/|title= NASA EarthData Search |access-date = 30 January 2016 |publisher= NASA}}</ref>
}}
|}

==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 321 people, 143 households, and 93 families residing in the township.  The population density was {{convert|6.8|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 267 housing units at an average density of {{convert|5.7|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the township was 91.59% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 4.98% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.31% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], and 3.12% from two or more races.

There were 143 households, out of which 19.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.6% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 34.3% were non-families. 30.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 14.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 2.24 and the average family size was 2.76.

In the township the population was spread out, with 15.6% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 31.2% from 45 to 64, and 21.5% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.6 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 100.7 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $24,643, and the median income for a family was $32,500. Males had a median income of $28,214 versus $25,417 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $15,327.  About 14.0% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 12.0% of those under age 18 and 12.3% of those age 65 or over.

==Notable residents==
*Professional football player [[Lynn Chandnois]] was born in Fayette.  An All-American at [[Michigan State University]], he played from 1950 to 1956 for the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources===
*{{cite book |first1=Walter |last1=Romig |title=Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities |series=Great Lakes Books Series |type=Paperback  |orig-year= 1973 |date=October 1, 1986 |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |isbn=081431838X |location=Detroit, Michigan |id={{ISBN|978-0814318386}} }}

{{Delta County, Michigan}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Townships in Delta County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Townships in Michigan]]
[[Category:Michigan populated places on Lake Michigan]]
[[Category:Charles W. Fairbanks]]