Empire Townshipis acivil townshipofLeelanau Countyin theU.S. stateofMichigan.The population was 764 at the2020 census.On the shores ofLake Michigan,Empire Township contains a substantial amount of land within theSleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Empire Township, Michigan | |
|---|---|
 Lake Michigan(left),Sleeping Bear Dunes,and South Bar Lake (right) from Empire Bluffs | |
 Location withinLeelanau County(red) and the administered village ofEmpire(pink) | |
  Empire Township Location within the state of Michigan  Empire Township Empire Township (the United States) | |
| Coordinates:44°50′02″N86°00′49″W/ 44.83389°N 86.01361°W | |
| Country |  United States |
| State |  Michigan |
| County |  Leelanau |
| Area | |
• Total | 42.8 sq mi (110.9 km2) |
| • Land | 35.3 sq mi (91.3 km2) |
| • Water | 7.6 sq mi (19.6 km2) |
| Elevation | 961 ft (293 m) |
| Population (2020) | |
• Total | 764 |
| • Density | 30.8/sq mi (11.9/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC-5(Eastern (EST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-4(EDT) |
| ZIP code(s) | |
| Area code | 231 |
| FIPS code | 26-26000[1] |
| GNISfeature ID | 1626241[2] |
| Website | www |
History
editEmpire Township was established in 1865.[3]
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshorewas established in 1970, protecting the natural scenery of the area at thefederal level.[4]
Geography
editAccording to theUnited States Census Bureau,the township has a total area of 42.8 square miles (111 km2), of which 35.3 square miles (91 km2) is land and 7.6 square miles (20 km2) (17.66%) is water.
Empire Township contains shorelines on bothLake MichiganandGlen Lake.
Major highways
edit
M-22is a north–south highway paralleling the coast of Lake Michigan. M-22 exits Empire Township south intoBenzie County,and north intoGlen Arbor Township,over the narrows ofGlen Lake.
M-72is an east–west highway with its western terminus at M-22 in Empire, less than a mile fromLake Michigan.East of Empire Township, M-72 crosses theLower Peninsulaby way ofTraverse City,Kalkaska,Grayling,Mio,andHarrisville,whereupon it ends less than a mile fromLake Huron.
M-109is a scenic route adjacent to M-22 that has its southern terminus in Empire Township. The highway travels north throughSleeping Bear Dunes National LakeshoretoGlen Haven,where it turns east and ends at another junction with M-22 in downtownGlen Arbor.
Communities
edit- Burdickvilleis anunincorporated communityandghost townon the shore ofGlen Lake,at44°50′56″N85°56′53.3″W/ 44.84889°N 85.948139°W.[5]Burdickville was established in 1864, and abandoned in 1912.[6][7][8][9][10]Burdickville was founded in 1864 by William D. Burdick.[11]
- ThevillageofEmpireis located in the west of the township, on the shore ofLake Michigan.
- Jacktownis a ghost town in Empire Township, at44°46′43″N85°59′15″W/ 44.77861°N 85.98750°W.
Demographics
editAs of thecensus[1]of 2000, there were 1,085 people, 500 households, and 325 families residing in the township. The population density was 30.8 inhabitants per square mile (11.9/km2). There were 940 housing units at an average density of 26.7 per square mile (10.3/km2). The racial makeup of the township was 98.53%White,0.65%Native American,0.18%Asian,0.09% fromother races,and 0.55% from two or more races.HispanicorLatinoof any race were 0.28% of the population.
There were 500 households, out of which 22.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.8% weremarried couplesliving together, 5.6% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.0% were non-families. 31.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.17 and the average family size was 2.69.
In the township the population was spread out, with 18.8% under the age of 18, 5.3% from 18 to 24, 19.4% from 25 to 44, 33.8% from 45 to 64, and 22.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 47 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.7 males.
The median income for a household in the township was $40,263, and the median income for a family was $51,806. Males had a median income of $32,308 versus $26,164 for females. Theper capita incomefor the township was $24,975. About 3.0% of families and 6.3% of the population were below thepoverty line,including 7.7% of those under age 18 and 3.5% of those age 65 or over.
References
editNotes
edit- ^ab"U.S. Census website".United States Census Bureau.RetrievedJanuary 31,2008.
- ^U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Empire Township, Michigan
- ^"About Empire Township - Empire Township".leelanau.gov.RetrievedJanuary 11,2023.
- ^Kalt 2001,p.[page needed].
- ^"Geographic Names Information System".edits.nationalmap.gov.RetrievedJanuary 11,2023.
- ^Romig 1986,p. 87.
- ^Zoeren 2008,p.[page needed].
- ^Helm, Nan (c. 1960)."Village Days & Village Ways" of Burdickville.Watson Printing Company.[self-published source?]
- ^"Burdickville, Michigan".Leelanau.April 7, 2008.RetrievedMay 7,2023.
- ^The Michigan Technic.University of Michigan, College of Engineering. 1909.
- ^Dickinson, Julia Terry (1951).The Story of Leelanau.Solle's Bookshop.
Sources
edit- Kalt, Brian (2001).Sixties Sandstorm: The Fight Over Establishment of a Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, 1961–1970.East Lansing: Michigan State University Press.ISBN9780870135590.
- Romig, Walter (October 1, 1986) [1973].Michigan Place Names: The History of the Founding and the Naming of More Than Five Thousand Past and Present Michigan Communities(Paperback). Great Lakes Books Series. Detroit, Michigan:Wayne State University Press.ISBN978-0-8143-1838-6.
- Zoeren, Tom Van (November 2008).Dottie Lanham of Burdickville: Images, Recollections, and Observations of a Northern Michigan Woman and Her Community.Independently Published.ISBN978-1-6587-4181-1.
Further reading
editExternal links
edit- Empire Township WebsiteArchived2005-04-14 at theWayback Machine