Editing Vergennes Township, Michigan

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
| official_name      = Vergennes Township, Michigan
| settlement_type    = [[Civil township]]
| image_skyline      = 
| imagesize          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = 
| image_seal         = <!-- Maps -->
| nickname           = 
| motto              = <!-- Location -->
| pushpin_map        = Michigan#USA
| pushpin_label_position = right<!-- the position of the pushpin label: left, right, top, bottom, none -->
| pushpin_label      = Vergennes Township
| pushpin_map_caption = Location within the state of Michigan##Location within the United States
| pushpin_mapsize    = 
| image_map          = Vergennes Township, MI location.png
| mapsize            = 250
| map_caption        = Location within [[Kent County, Michigan|Kent County]]
| coordinates        = {{coord|42|59|06|N|85|22|03|W|region:US-MI|display=inline,title}}
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = United States
| subdivision_type1  = [[U.S. state|State]]
| subdivision_type2  = [[List of counties in Michigan|County]]
| subdivision_name1  = [[Michigan]]
| subdivision_name2  = [[Kent County, Michigan|Kent]]

<!-- Government -->| government_type    = 
| leader_title       = Supervisor
| leader_name        = Tim Wittenbach
| leader_title1      = [[Municipal clerk|Clerk]]
| leader_name1       = Shantell Ford
| established_title  = Settled
| established_date   = 1836
| established_title1 = Established
| established_date1  = 1838

<!-- Area -->| unit_pref          = Imperial
| area_footnotes     = 
| area_magnitude     = 
| area_total_km2     = 91.66
| area_total_sq_mi   = 35.39
| area_land_km2      = 89.33
| area_land_sq_mi    = 34.49
| area_water_km2     = 2.33
| area_water_sq_mi   = 0.90

<!-- Population -->| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 241
| elevation_ft       = 791
| population_total   = 4741
| population_as_of   = [[2020 United States census|2020]]
| population_footnotes = 
| population_density_km2 = 
| population_density_sq_mi = auto

<!-- General information -->| postal_code_type   = [[ZIP Code|ZIP Codes]]
| postal_code        = 48809 ([[Belding, Michigan|Belding]])<br />49301 ([[Ada Township, Michigan|Ada]])<br />49331 ([[Lowell, Michigan|Lowell]])
| area_code          = [[Area code 616|616]]
| website            = {{URL|https://vergennestwp.org/|Official website}}
| footnotes          = |
| timezone           = [[North American Eastern Time Zone|Eastern (EST)]]
| utc_offset         = -5
| timezone_DST       = EDT
| utc_offset_DST     = -4
| blank_name         = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
| blank_info         = 26-081-81920<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        = 1627193<ref>{{gnis|1627193}}</ref>
}}
'''Vergennes Township''' is a [[civil township]] of [[Kent County, Michigan|Kent County]] in the U.S. state of [[Michigan]]. As of the [[2020 United States census|2020 census]], the township population was 4,741.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/profile/Vergennes_township,_Kent_County,_Michigan?g=060XX00US2608181920 |access-date=2024-04-21 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref>

It is part of the [[Grand Rapids metropolitan area]] and is located about {{convert|15|mi|km}} east of the city of [[Grand Rapids, Michigan|Grand Rapids]].

==Communities==
*'''Fallasburg''' is an unincorporated community on the eastern side of the township. It began around a [[grist mill]] built by J. Wesley Fallass in 1839. Originally named Fallassburgh, the name became Fallasburg in 1893.<ref>[https://www.mlive.com/news/grand-rapids/2011/10/town_is_gone_but_after_140_yea.html "Town is gone, but after 140 years, Fallasburg covered bridge lives on"]. MLive.com accessed 25 December 2023.</ref> It had a post office from 1851 until 1901.{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=191}} [[Fallasburg Bridge]] over the Flat River is a notable [[covered bridge]] in the township.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.michigan.org/property/fallasburg-covered-bridge-pioneer-village-school|title=Fallasburg Covered Bridge, Pioneer Village & School|last=hostmaster|date=2016-12-29|work=Michigan|access-date=2017-07-30|language=en}}</ref> 
*'''Fox's Corner''' started around the home of James S. Fox in 1836. It had a schoolhouse beginning in 1870.{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=208}}

==History==
The area was first settled in 1836 by Sylvester Hodges from New York.  The first post office as established on August 12, 1837 but was soon discontinued on November 1, 1837.  The area was organized as Vergennes Township in 1838.  Part of Vergennes Township was split off in 1840 to form part of [[Caledonia Township, Kent County, Michigan|Caledonia Township]] (Township 5 North, Range 9 West), eventually removed in 1849 to form [[Bowne Township, Michigan|Bowne Township]]. The post office as reestablished on October 9, 1848 until April 14, 1871.  The nearby Alton post office was relocated and renamed Vergennes from June 11, 1900 until December 31, 1909.{{sfn|Romig|1986|page=571}}

Vergennes Township is the present-day location of the original Belleville Bridge, which once spanned [[Belleville Lake]] within the city of [[Belleville, Michigan|Belleville]] in [[Wayne County, Michigan|Wayne County]].  This bridge was first constructed in 1925 and later relocated to Vergennes Township in 1985, where it then replaced the old Burroughs Street Bridge crossing the [[Flat River (Michigan)|Flat River]].<ref>{{HAER |survey=MI-66 |id=mi0361 |title=Belleville Road Bridge, Spanning the Flat River at Burroughs Drive (replaced Burroughs Street Bridge), Lowell, Kent County, MI}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Charter Council of Wayne County|url=https://www.waynecounty.com/departments/publicservices/roads/belleville-bridge-history.aspx|title=Belleville Bridge History|date=2020|accessdate=November 2, 2020}}</ref>  

==Geography==
According to the [[United States Census Bureau|U.S. Census Bureau]], the township has a total area of {{convert|35.39|sqmi|sqkm|2}}, of which {{convert|34.49|sqmi|sqkm|2}} is land and {{convert|0.90|sqmi|sqkm|2}} (2.54%) is water.<ref name="CENS">{{cite web |date=September 2012 |title=Michigan: 2010 Population and Housing Unit Counts 2010 Census of Population and Housing |url=https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019111423/http://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-24.pdf |archive-date=2012-10-19 |accessdate=October 19, 2021 |work=[[2010 United States census]] |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |page=28 Michigan |format=PDF}}</ref>

The [[Flat River (Michigan)|Flat River]], a tributary of the [[Grand River (Michigan)|Grand River]], flows through the eastern side of the township.

==Demographics==
As of the [[census]]<ref name="GR2" /> of 2000, there were 3,611 people, 1,142 households, and 970 families residing in the township.  The population density was {{convert|104.0|PD/sqmi|PD/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  There were 1,209 housing units at an average density of {{convert|34.8|/sqmi|/km2|sp=us|adj=off}}.  The racial makeup of the township was 97.48% [[White (U.S. Census)|White]], 0.64% [[African American (U.S. Census)|African American]], 0.19% [[Native American (U.S. Census)|Native American]], 0.78% [[Asian (U.S. Census)|Asian]], 0.47% from [[Race (United States Census)|other races]], and 0.44% from two or more races. [[Hispanic (U.S. Census)|Hispanic]] or [[Latino (U.S. Census)|Latino]] of any race were 2.16% of the population.

There were 1,142 households, out of which 48.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 76.7% were [[Marriage|married couples]] living together, 5.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 15.0% were non-families. 11.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 3.4% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.  The average household size was 3.13 and the average family size was 3.39.

In the township, the population was spread out, with 33.5% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 32.8% from 25 to 44, 21.7% from 45 to 64, and 6.9% who were 65 years of age or older.  The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males.  For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 99.8 males.

The median income for a household in the township was $61,500, and the median income for a family was $62,313. Males had a median income of $47,723 versus $31,754 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the township was $21,339.  About 5.2% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 5.7% of those under age 18 and 17.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The entire township is served by [[Lowell Area Schools]] to the south in the city of [[Lowell, Michigan|Lowell]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Michigan Geographic Framework|url=http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mgdl/pdfmaps/CountySchools/SD_BYCO_esize_KENT%20COUNTY.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140820075914/http://www.mcgi.state.mi.us/mgdl/pdfmaps/CountySchools/SD_BYCO_esize_KENT%20COUNTY.pdf |archive-date=2014-08-20 |url-status=live|title=Kent County School Districts|date=15 November 2013|accessdate=January 12, 2022}}</ref>

==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 |work=Great Lakes Books Series |type=Paperback  |orig-date= 1973 |date=October 1, 1986 |publisher=[[Wayne State University Press]] |isbn = 978-0-8143-1838-6 |location=Detroit, Michigan}}

==External links==
*[https://vergennestwp.org/ Vergennes Township official website]

{{Cities of Kent County, Michigan}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Townships in Michigan]]
[[Category:Townships in Kent County, Michigan]]
[[Category:Grand Rapids metropolitan area]]
[[Category:Populated places established in 1838]]
[[Category:1838 establishments in Michigan]]